Science Mundi

Deciphering the drivers of food security in Tanzania: non-experimental research design

2024-07-09T05:18:52+00:00

Food security is a pressing global concern, particularly in developing countries such as Tanzania, where rural areas, predominantly inhabited by smallholder farmers, bear the brunt of its adverse effects. This study looks into the determinants of food security among smallholder farmers in Tanzania, utilising data from the agriculture sample census survey of 2019/20 conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Employing a Non-experimental research design, the study used a probit regression model to estimate key factors influencing food security. The results underscore the significance of factors such as irrigation (-0.906, p<0.01), extension services (-0.040, p<0.05), crop storage (-1.473, p<0.01), land ownership (-0.070, p<0.01), and female land ownership (-0.909, p<0.01) as crucial determinants of food security in Tanzania. The study advocates prioritising community-based irrigation for reliable water sources, expanding targeted extension programs, investing in modern crop storage, ensuring secure land tenure, implementing comprehensive seed subsidies, and adopting a holistic approach to soil fertility management. Policymakers are urged to support these measures to enhance food security among smallholder farmers in Tanzania, promoting resilience, productivity, and sustainability.

Analysis of the impact of crude oil price changes on economic growth in Tanzania: ARDL econometric model

2024-07-05T12:34:10+00:00

Crude oil is a valuable resource for boosting global economic growth. In this regard, this study examined the effect of crude oil price fluctuations on Tanzania’s economic growth from 1989 to 2022. Empirically this study utilized time-series data extracted from World Bank in particular, GDP per capital from World Development Indicators (WDI) as proxy of economic growth and Statistical Review of World Energy for Crude Oil prices. In this study, Renaissance growth theory, Autoregressive distributed lag model (ARDL), Dickey and Fuller tests, The Johansen test for cointegration, Breusch- Godfrey test for Serial correlation LM, Breusch-Pagan heteroscedasticity test, Jarque-Bera normality test, Error Correction Model (ECM), Granger Causality test, CUSUM and CUSUMSQ curves tests were used to analyse the data. This study revealed that crude oil price changes have positive and significant impact on Tanzania’s economic growth. A dollar increase in crude oil prices brings about 0.232791unit increase Tanzania’s economic upturn in the short run. The ARDL results also shows that error correction model (ECM) of -0.1000 (p= 0.0025) is significant with its value, suggesting a moderate speed of convergence to equilibrium after shock. Thus, this study recommends to policy maker and the government to ensure that they use fiscal policies that will reduce the adverse impact of the world crude oil prices hikes, finding other sources of energy and promoting research and development to explore and harness the oil fossils to produce oil and reduce oil importations and increase oil exportations to further increase economic growth.

An assessment of level of prominence given to children's rights in the daily nation and standard online newspapers in Kenya

2024-07-09T11:19:02+00:00

This study sought to assess the level of prominence given to children's rights stories in two major newspapers with extensive reach in Kenya and the East Africa region: The Daily Nation and The Standard. Specifically, the study conducted a content analysis to explore the volume of coverage dedicated to children’s stories between January and December 2020. The study further examined the prominence given to children’s rights to education, health, and protection from child labour in the selected newspapers. Agenda-setting theory was utilized, and a purposive sampling technique was adopted to select the two newspapers, as well as stratified random sampling for selecting the newspaper articles. Additionally, eight editors and reporters who write and report about children’s issues for the selected media organizations were purposively sampled to participate in Key Informant Interviews. The study found 303 online articles which had general stories featuring children’s issues but analyzed 93 articles (55 in The Daily Nation and 38 in The Standard) with relevant content where children were the main focus. The research findings revealed that most articles about children (72%) were presented as news reports, and there was generally low coverage of child rights issues. However, the media provided opportunities for children to comment on their issues without violating the ethical principles of journalism. Based on these findings, the study concludes that there was low coverage of child rights issues in the media. It recommends that media organizations hire and retain specialist journalists who write and report about children’s issues, media stakeholders use awards to motivate and inspire outstanding child rights journalists, and that academia incorporate children reporting as a unit into journalism education curricula.

Effect of contract management practices on organizational performance of Rwanda development board (2017-2022)

2024-07-09T10:42:14+00:00

The general objective of this research project was to assess the effect of contract management on organizational performance. The following were specific objectives of the study: to analyze the effect of contract planning on performance of Rwanda Development Board, find out the effect of contract negotiation on performance of Rwanda Development Board, assess the effect of contract implementation on performance of Rwanda Development Board and assess the effect of contract monitoring on performance of Rwanda Development Board. To achieve these objectives, literature was reviewed on the subject matter, and then data was collected from 156 employees of RDB and they were chosen by using census sampling technique. Questionnaire, observation, interview guide and documentation were used as tools of data collection. Data was analyzed by using both quantitative data and qualitative data by presenting the findings of respondents through the mean and standard deviation. Findings indicated that there is positive link between contract management and organizational performance whereas it was found that the effect of all contract management on organizational performance will be 1.462 percent; a unit increase in the use of contract planning would lead to an increase in RDB's performance by 19.2%; a one percent increase in the use of contract implementation would lead to an increase in RDB's performance by 3.8%; a one percent increase in the use of contract monitoring would lead to an increase in RDB's performance by 11.5%; and lastly, a one percent increase in the use of contract monitoring would lead to a 35% increase in RDB’s performance. Overall, contract monitoring had the greatest effect on RDB’s performance, followed by contract implementation, while contract planning took third place, and lastly, contract negotiation. At a 5% level of significance and a 95% level of confidence, contract planning varies at a 0.010 level of significance; contract negotiation had a 0.048 level of significance; contract implementation had a 0.031 level of significance; and contract monitoring had a 0.029 level of significance. All the variables were significant (p<0.05). The study also concludes that the main objective of contract management is to ensure that the borrower's contractors, suppliers, or consultants meet agreed project specifications and completion dates.

Effect of procurement planning on organizational performance within the public sector: a case of Ruhengeri referral hospital in Musanze district, Rwanda

2024-07-09T09:36:17+00:00

Public entities in Rwanda spend a significant amount of money on procurement. This is the process of acquiring goods, works, or services from a vendor. The general objective of this study was to assess the effect of procurement planning on organizational performance within the public sector. Specifically, the study assessed the effect of needs assessments in procurement planning on performance of Ruhengeri referral hospital, analyze the effect of quality specification in procurement planning on performance of Ruhengeri referral hospital, examine the effect of cost estimation in procurement planning on performance of Ruhengeri referral hospital and assess the effect of terms of payment in procurement planning on performance of Ruhengeri referral hospital. Research was guided by Resource Based viewpoint theory and Transaction Cost Economics theory. Descriptive research design was adopted in this research. This study has taken 106 populations who have direct works related to procurement planning functions from Ruhengeri referral hospital and reporting health centers (42 working at Ruhengeri referral hospital main location and 64 from 12 health centers under management of Ruhengeri referral hospital). The researcher has determined that due to the small population size, a census inquiry method employed instead of sampling. This study used both primary and secondary data, and each has its specific instruments for collection including questionnaire, documentary and interview. Here the researcher tends to interpret frequency, percentages, mean, and standard deviation, as results of Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 20 while content analysis used to analyze qualitative data. The Model Summary provides valuable observations into the effect of independent variables Terms of payment in procurement planning, Needs identification in procurement planning, Quality specification in procurement planning, Cost estimation in procurement planning on the dependent variable, organization performance. The findings revealed the coefficient of determination (R Square), which is 0.652, demonstrates that 65.2% of the variance in organizational performance of Ruhengeri Referral Hospital explained Terms of payment in procurement planning, Needs identification in procurement planning, Quality specification in procurement planning, Cost estimation in procurement planning. The results indicate the coefficient of needs identification in procurement planning (β: 0.399, p: 0.000), it shows the significant effect of needs assessments in procurement planning on organizational performance of Ruhengeri referral hospital. The results indicate the coefficient of quality specification in procurement planning (β: 0.387, p: 0.001), it shows the significant effect of quality specification in procurement planning on organizational performance of Ruhengeri referral hospital. The results indicate the coefficient of cost estimation in procurement planning (β: 0.152, p: 0.022), it shows the significant effect of cost estimation in procurement planning on organizational performance of Ruhengeri referral hospital. The results indicate the coefficient of terms of payment in procurement planning (β: 0.237, p: 0.021), it shows the significant effect of terms of payment in procurement planning on organizational performance of Ruhengeri referral hospital. It is recommended that Ruhengeri Referral Hospital continues to strengthen its needs assessment process by involving a wider range of stakeholders.

Factors affecting maize production in Kiteto district, Manyara region, Tanzania: cross sectional design

2024-07-09T07:42:35+00:00

Maize is one of the most important food crops globally; however, its production in most of the developing countries has been facing several challenges that also affect the livelihood of the large number of smallholder farmers who highly depend on the crop for food and income. Therefore, to deepen understanding of the same, the current study explores factors affecting maize production in Kiteto district, Manyara, Tanzania. This study employed a cross-sectional research design to gather primary data from a randomly selected sample of 100 individuals. The data was analysed using the multiple linear regression technique. The findings revealed that farm size (0.0083, p<0.01), access to irrigation (0.0878, p<0.01), and access to improved seeds (0.0582, p<0.01) had a significant statistical influence on the level of maize production. Furthermore, regarding the challenges, the results were analysed through the utilisation of measures such as the mean, frequencies, and percentages. Furthermore, the study found that shortage of rainfall, maize price fluctuation, diseases, and pests were the main challenges facing maize farmers in the study area. The study findings recommend that in order to improve maize production, there is a need to increase accessibility to irrigation facilities, improved seeds, fertiliser, and modern farming techniques among smallholder maize farmers, and this may be done by the government in collaboration with the private sector.

External debts as panacea to economic growth challenges in selected Eastern African countries: an application of the autoregressive distributed lag model

2024-07-09T05:33:39+00:00

Foreign aid has significantly influenced medium- and long-term development initiatives in Eastern African countries. Project aid and non-project aid are the two main categories that describe foreign economic assistance (loans, credits, and grants). The primary aim of foreign aid has been to supplement the internal resources needed to quicken the economic development of the nations in Eastern Africa. This study investigated the influence of external debt on the economic growth of Eastern African countries (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania) using the autoregressive distributive lag mode and panel data (1970–2020). The findings revealed that external debt had a significant adverse effect on economic growth. In Burundi, an increase in external debt reduces GDP by 5% in the short run, while in the long run, it reduces GDP by 19%; in Tanzania, it decreases GDP by 22%; and in Kenya, it reduces the GDP by 13%. Conversely, the findings indicated that the increased level of external debt positively influenced Uganda's GDP (0.03%) but was not statistically significant. Therefore, it is recommended that Eastern African countries source their income, apart from more external concessional debt, through bilateral or multilateral arrangements to plug into their budget deficits. Also, it is recommended that East African governments develop their external debt initiatives that offer further profitable investment opportunities to repay their foreign debt gradually. Moreover, strategies in the East African countries must be geared towards strengthening revenue mobilization to provide avenues to balance their external debts. For instance, improving the informal sector in these countries is a viable base for increasing revenue through taxes.

Chereponi-Wenchiki conflict: policies, mediating roles of Ghana and Togo governments

2024-07-09T05:01:13+00:00

The study aims to analyze the Cheriponi-Wencheki conflict in terms of the origins, the actors involved and their motivations in the conflict. It examines the roles of Ghana and Togo's governments in the conflict, their efforts in resolving the conflict and the myriad of problems/issues. In doing so, the study adopted quantitative methods, in which data was obtained from the field (many communities in Ghana and Togo), in assessing the impact of the conflict on the people, properties, and the associated factors in both countries. The study found that several people died because of the conflict, many properties were destroyed, and thousands of people were displaced in Ghana and Togo. The conflict was found to have drained the coffers of the two countries much more in Ghana in terms of the deployment of troops -military and police personnel to the conflict zone at the expense of development projects. Despite these efforts of the governments of Ghana and Togo, it was found in the study that the main inhibiting factor towards effective resolution of the protracted conflict was the issue of conflict of interest of leaders. It thereby recommends politicians and Chiefs should strive to do away with bias and factionalism.

An in-depth analysis of demographic shifts and their effects on HIV/AIDS prevalence in Eastern African countries

2024-07-05T12:19:03+00:00

Eastern African countries rank in the top ten most highly infected nations globally. To shed light on this, therefore this study investigated the impact of population dynamics on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevalence using a two-stage residual inclusion (2SRI) regression model to address potential endogeneity. The Hausman Test confirmed endogeneity among the variables, justifying the 2SRI model's application. Key findings indicate that population growth rate, fertility rate, and the population aged 15-64 significantly and positively affect Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevalence. The instrumental variable, Children ages 0 to 14 young individual infected by HIV, 15 to 24 newly affected by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and Children 0 to 14 living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), was validated for strength, demonstrating robustness against weak instrument issues. Results revealed that a 1% increase in population growth rate leads to a 53% increase in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevalence. Additionally, the Dumitrescu & Hurlin Granger non-causality test established that population growth rate Granger causes Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevalence. These findings underscore the critical role of demographic factors in shaping Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevalence and highlight the necessity for targeted public health interventions to manage and reduce Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevalence effectively.

The role of compensation on job satisfaction, employee performance and organisational performance

2024-07-09T11:27:43+00:00

Present research looked at the role of compensation on job satisfaction, employee performance and organisational performance. The study was underpinned through social-exchange theory. Further, research used quantitative approach through which gathering data employed questionnaires. Descriptive research design was adopted. Research used one of Tanzania’s public organisations as a case study. The study opted to collect data from all the employees (107) of the organization hence sampling was not done. Out of 107 respondents, data were collected from 85 respondents which accounts for a response rate of 82.5%. Collected data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive outcomes involved frequencies, means and standard deviations while those from inferential statistics were correlations and regressions. The study found compensation has significant positive influence on job satisfaction (β=.790, P-value=.000), employee performance (β=.429, P-value=.000), and organisational performance (β=.551, P-value=.000. The study calls for organisations to design and use effective compensation polices, strategies and practices to create supportive environment for employees to attain job satisfaction, employee performance and organisational performance as well.

Assessment of teambuilding and employee performance at Rwanda national police headquarters

2024-07-09T11:04:30+00:00

This work presents study aimed to analyze the effect of team building on employee performance at Rwanda National Police (RNP). The study was based on the following objectives: to find out the effect of defining shared goals of team on employee performance in Rwanda National Police, assess the effect of collaboration on employee performance in Rwanda National Police, determine the effect of commitment on employee performance in Rwanda National Police and determine the effect of team shared values on employee performance in Rwanda National Police. The research was based on equity theory and agency theory. The study used quantitative techniques to collect and analyze data. The study targeted a total of 500 police officers between 25 and 55 years who has been in service for at least ten years. These officers are expected to have gained technical skills and experience in various domain. The targeted population are Executive Officers, Senior Officers, Junior Officers and Noncommissioned officers. The population of the study selected using Slovin’s formula, The sample size of the study was 222. The study used simple random sampling. The findings indicate the coefficient for Share Goals is β is 0.303 and the Sig. is 0.000, indicating that Share Goals has a statistically significant influence on Employees' Performance in RNP. The coefficient for Commitment β is 0.148 and the Sig. is 0.034, indicating that Commitment has a statistically significant influence on Employees' Performance in RNP. The coefficient for Collaboration β is 0.178 and the Sig. is 0.001, indicating that Collaboration has a statistically significant influence on Employees' Performance in RNP. The coefficient for Shared Values β is 0.309 and the Sig. is 0.000, indicating that Shared Values has a statistically significant influence on Employees' Performance in RNP. Rwanda National Police should implement transparent goal-setting processes, fostering a culture of collaboration through training and tools, enhancing commitment through recognition and growth opportunities, and promoting shared values to create a values-driven organizational culture.

Effect of Beneficiary Participation on Project Performance: A Case of an HIV Peer Education Project in Gicumbi District, Rwanda

2024-07-09T09:52:44+00:00

The HIV/AIDS pandemic remains a significant global health challenge, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the prevalence rates are among the highest in the world. This study investigated the impact of beneficiary participation on the performance of an HIV peer education program implemented by the Rwanda Network of People Living with HIV (RRP+) in Gicumbi District from 2017 to 2020. Researchers examined three specific areas: project planning, implementation, and monitoring. Stakeholder and Engagement Theory alongside Participation Theory were reviewed. The study adopted a descriptive research design with qualitative and quantitative approaches. The total study population for this research was be 3,938 that included Recipients of Care (RoC) and stakeholders directly involved in the HIV peer education project implemented by the Rwanda Network of People Living with HIV (RRP+) in Gicumbi District, Rwanda, from 2017 to 2020. A mixed sampling approach was employed to select participants for this research. This approach involves a combination of probability and non-probability sampling methods. Therefore, the sample size calculated using the Yamane formula was 387 Recipients of Care (RoC) and stakeholders. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. Findings indicated significant beneficiary involvement in strategic planning and annual plans, with mean scores of 3.78 and 3.50, respectively, on a 1-4 scale. Moderate familiarity with the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) (average 3.22) was observed. Statistical analysis confirmed a significant positive impact on Project Performance (p < 0.05). Beneficiaries reported satisfactory healthcare and psychosocial support (mean score 0.99) and moderate satisfaction with supportive supervision (mean score 1.62). Capacity-building (average 1.02) showed room for improvement, yet still had a significant positive influence on Project Performance (p < 0.05). Limited involvement in monitoring (mean score 1.04) was observed, with high satisfaction in feedback meetings (mean score 4.15). Feedback acceptability (average 3.42) indicated moderate acceptability, also positively impacting Project Performance (p < 0.05). The positive unstandardized coefficient (B) of 0.398 indicate that increased healthcare and psychosocial support are associated with higher project performance. The positive unstandardized coefficient (B) of 0.026 suggest that supportive supervision has a relatively positive relationship with project performance. The positive unstandardized coefficient (B) of 0.293 highlight the importance of training beneficiaries during project implementation. The study recommended foster greater beneficiary involvement in project planning by conducting regular consultations, workshops, and feedback sessions. Review and refine the supportive supervision approach to address the varying levels of satisfaction among beneficiaries. Maintain regular and productive feedback meetings to capture beneficiary input and concerns. Enhance feedback collection and analysis processes to ensure feedback is incorporated into project activities effectively. Form a strengthened system of monitoring and evaluation in order to consistently evaluate performance of project as well as adapt to evolving requirements of the beneficiary. Additionally, formulate models of sustainability to ascertain that favorable and positive impacts of the project are preserved after its overall completion.

Effect of employee coaching practices on universities’ performance in Tanzania

2024-07-09T09:22:00+00:00

This study assessed the effect of employee coaching practices on the performance of universities in Tanzania. It was guided by one alternative hypothesis; there is a significant positive linear relationship between employee coaching practices and performance of universities in Tanzania. The Human Capital Theory (HCT) anchored the study. It was underpinned by positivism philosophy. The study was a census and the design was descriptive. 379 academic staff from Tanzanian Universities constituted the study’s respondents. This study used a quantitative approach that made use of survey questionnaires in data collection. Data were collected from academicians in Tanzanian Universities (Mainland and Islands, Zanzibar) and analysed by using descriptive and inferential techniques. The study found that employee coaching practices had a significant positive effect on performance of Universities in Tanzania at r=0.834, and p<0.001, respectively. Universities should consider designing and implementing coaching programmes to help them perform better. To make this more effective, the need to show commitment to coaching practices should also be considered.

Structure and functions of student councils in secondary schools in Kericho county, Kenya

2024-07-09T07:30:03+00:00

In Kenyan secondary schools, student conflicts pose significant challenges in the 21st century. This study aimed to evaluate the structure and functions of student councils in secondary schools in Kericho County, Kenya, based on the functionalism theory. The evaluation research design was employed, targeting students, teachers, and school principals, school boards of management, County director of education, and sub-county directors of education in Kericho County. A combination of probability and non-probability sampling techniques was used to select 568 respondents, including 384 students, 120 teachers, and various school administrators. Data was collected through questionnaires, interviews, and focus group discussions. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, presenting frequencies, percentages, mean, and standard deviation. Qualitative data was analyzed through data coding and narrative analysis, presented using graphs, charts, and tables. Results showed that 81% of respondents indicated the student council was elected by students, although the administration had significant input. Only 16% agreed that there was no administration interference in the council formation process. Most student councils (47%) comprised 21-40 prefects, with only a few (10%) having 1-20 students. Regarding effectiveness, 68% of respondents were comfortable with the council's performance, while 20% believed it was too large to be effective, and 12% considered it too small. In conclusion, the student council structure allows for effective discipline management and conflict resolution. However, the administration's influence in council formation affects its perceived efficacy, leading to student perception of loyalty to the administration. The study recommends government intervention to limit administrative interference in student council formation, fostering true democratic processes in school governance.