The introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) marks the beginning of a revolutionary period for the global economic environments, particularly in the developing economies of Africa. This concept paper explores the various ways in which AI can stimulate economic growth and innovation in developing markets, despite the challenges they face. By examining examples like VetAfrica, we investigate how AI-powered applications are transforming conventional business models and improving access to financial resources. This highlights the potential of AI in overcoming obstacles such as inefficient procedures and restricted availability of capital. Although AI shows potential, its implementation in these areas faces obstacles such as insufficient digital infrastructure, limited data availability, and a lack of necessary skills. There is a strong focus on the need for a balanced integration of AI, which involves aligning technological progress with ethical considerations and economic inclusivity. This paper focuses on clarifying the capabilities of AI in addressing economic disparities, improving productivity, and promoting sustainable development. It also aims to address the challenges associated with digital infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, and workforce transformation. The methodology involves a comprehensive review of relevant theories, literature, and policy documents, complemented by comparative analysis across South Africa, Nigeria, and Mauritius to illustrate transformative strategies in AI adoption. We propose strategic recommendations to effectively and ethically utilize the potential of AI, by advocating for substantial investments in digital infrastructure, education, and legal frameworks. This will enable Africa to fully benefit from the transformative impact of AI on its economic landscape. This discourse seeks to offer valuable insights for policymakers, entrepreneurs, and investors, emphasizing innovative AI applications for business growth and financing, thereby promoting economic empowerment in developing economies.

This study examines the impact of emotional intelligence (EI) and employee motivation on employee performance within the telecommunication industry in the Sultanate of Oman. The target population consisted of 4344 non-managerial employees across nine telecommunication companies, including Omantel, Ooredoo, Vodafone, Oman Broadband Company, Awasr Oman & Co, TEO, Oman Tower Company L.L.C, Helios Tower, and Connect Arabia International. Employing a deductive research approach, finally data were collected via an online survey from 354 respondents. The hypotheses were tested using multiple regression analysis. The results indicate that all dimensions of EI self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, and social skills positively and significantly influence employee performance, with social skills having the strongest effect. Furthermore, both intrinsic motivation factors, such as work itself and career development, and extrinsic motivation factors, including wages, rewards, working environment, and co-worker relationships, significantly enhance employee performance. The interaction between EI and employee motivation was found to amplify these positive effects. Among control variables, age and education level showed significant impacts, while gender did not. These findings underscore the critical role of both emotional intelligence and motivation in driving employee performance. The study suggests that managers and policymakers should adopt integrated strategies that develop EI competencies and enhance motivational factors to optimize employee performance, thereby contributing to the success of organizations in the telecommunication sector.

The conversion of the energy supply to renewable sources (wind, photovoltaics) will increase the volatility in electricity generation in the future. In order to ensure a balanced power balance in the power grid, storage is required - not only for a short time, but also seasonally. The bidirectional coupling of existing energy infrastructure with the power grid can help here by using the electricity in electrolysis systems to produce hydrogen. The hydrogen can be mixed with natural gas in the existing infrastructure (gas storage, pipelines) to a limited extent or converted directly to methane in a gas-catalytic reaction, methanation, with carbon dioxide and/or carbon monoxide. By using the natural gas infrastructure, the electricity grids are relieved and renewable energies can also be stored over long periods of time. Another advantage of this technology, known as “Power-to-Gas”, is that the methane produced in this way represents a sink for CO₂ emissions, as it replaces fossil sources and CO₂ is thus fed into a closed cycle.

Research in the field of Power-to-Gas technology is currently addressing technological advances both in the field of electrolysis and for the subsequent methanation, in particular to reduce investment costs. In the field of methanation, load-flexible processes are to be developed that are adapted to the fluctuating supply of hydrogen. The profitability of the Power-to-Gas process chain can be increased through synergistic integration into existing industrial processes. For example, an integrated smelting works offers a promising infrastructural environment, since, on the one hand, process gases containing carbon are produced in large quantities and, on the other hand, the oxygen as a by-product from the water electrolysis can be used directly. Such concepts suggest an economic application of Power-to-Gas technology in the near future.

The effect of isocyanate trimer on the flame retardancy mechanism of polyisocyanurate (PIR) foam was studied in three aspects, including the mechanism of thermal decomposition in the condensed phase, the barrier mechanism of carbon layer formation on the surface in the condensed phase, and the mechanism in the gaseous phase, by using infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermal analysis, a cone calorimeter, and high-temperature pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry. The results show that the trimmer can improve the thermal stability of the PIR foam and is not easily decomposed in the combustion. The trimmer can increase the carbon content of the PIR foam to 29.9% of that of the polyurethane (PU) foam. The carbon layer formed is denser, and it can retard heat and oxygen and thus improve the flame retardant properties; trimer can reduce the release of flammable polyol gas, decompose into more carbon dioxide, which is an inert gas, and it has certain flame retardant effects in the gaseous phase.

A total of 25 SSR primers were screened on 37 putative F₁s derived from the five different crosses. Identified cross specific highly informative SSRs primers, i.e., 14 for the first cross, 10 for the second, 12 for the third and 6 each for fourth and fifth crosses. For the first cross Bhagwa × Daru 17, four primers (HvSSRT_375, NRCP_SSR9, NRCP_SSR12 and NRCP_SSR92) were found to be highly informative with higher 100% hybrid purity index (HPI), PIC (~0.52), and observed heterozygosity (Ho, range 0.87–0.93) values, and two F₁s namely H₁ and H₂ were found to be highly heterotic with a heterozygosity index (HI) of 92.85%. Similarly, for Bhagwa × Nana, three primers (HvSSRT_375, HvSSRT_605 and NRCP_SSR19) had higher HPI (70%–100%), PIC (0.52–0.69), and Ho (0.75–0.33) values, and three F₁s H₁, H₂, and H₄ had 70% (HI). For Bhagwa × IC318712, four SSRs (HvSSRT_254, HvSSRT_348, HvSSRT_826 and NRCP_SSR95) had higher Ho (~0.83), HPI (100%) and PIC (~0.52) values, and four F₁s H₂, H₇, H₉, and H₁₀ showed 91.66% (HI). For Bhagwa × Nayana, HvSSRT_605, HvSSRT_826, and HvSSRT_432, and for Ganesh × Nayana, HVSSRT_375, HVSSRT_605, and HvSSRT_826 were found informative. These markers will be highly useful in developing maps of populations.