This contribution questions young people’s access to digital networks at the scale of intermediate cities in Saint-Louis. Thus, it analyzes the prescriptions of digital actors responsible for the development of digital economy in relation with the orientations of the Senegal Digital 2025 strategy. This is a pretex to highlight the gaps between official political discourses and the level of deployment of digital infrastructures. The study highlights the need to repoliticize the needs of populations for broadband and very high-speed connections to promote local initiatives for youth participation in Saint-Louis. Indeed, datas relating to access and use of the Internet by young people reveal inequalities linked to household income, the disparity of infrastructure and digital equipment, and the discontinuity in neighborhood development, but also to the adaptability of the internet service marketed. Through urban and explanatory sociology mobilized through the approach of young people’s real access to the Internet, our analyzes have shown at the scale of urban neighborhoods the impact of the actions recommended by those involved in the development of populations’ access to Internet. The result is that the majority of young people are forced to access the Internet through medium-speed mobile networks.
The target date for achieving the 2030 UN Agenda [Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)] is fast approaching. The construction sector is critical to achieving many SDGs, including Goal 5. Studies regarding achieving Goal 5 (Gender Equality) in the construction industry, especially women’s consultancy participation in developing countries, are scarce and complexly interrelated. Societal problems and divergence may have contributed to this. Therefore, this study explores issues hindering gender equality and suggests measures to promote more women construction consultants through policy to improve achieving Goal 5 in Nigeria. The research employed face-to-face data collection via a qualitative mechanism to achieve this. The study covered Abuja and Lagos. It accomplished saturation at the 20th participant. The research utilised a thematic method to analyse the collected data from knowledgeable participants. The perceived hindrances facing Nigerian construction consultants’ gender equality were clustered into culture/religion-related, profession-related, and government-related encumbrances. Achieving Goal 5 will be a mirage if these issues are not addressed. Thus, the study recommended measures to motivate women to study construction-related programmes and employment opportunities, including consultancy services slots through programmes and policy mechanisms to achieve Goal 5. As part of the implications, the study suggests that Nigerian construction consultants and other stakeholders need to make feasible improvements to achieve gender equality (Goal 5).
Cassava’s adaptability to different agroecological conditions, high yield, as well as its ability to thrive under harsh climatic conditions, makes it an essential food security crop. In South Africa, the cassava value chain is currently uncoordinated and underdeveloped, with a couple of smallholder farmers growing the crop for household consumption and as a source of income. Other farmers regard it as a secondary crop and hardly any producers grow it for industrial purposes. Hence, this study sought to analyze the determinants of household participation in the cassava value chain in South Africa. The study employed the multivariate probit model to analyze the determinants of household participation in the cassava value chain in South Africa, using a primary dataset collected through a simple sample method from smallholder farmers in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo provinces. Results show that livestock ownership has a positive and significant effect on the likelihood of farmers participating in the value chain by growing cassava for household food consumption. Also, findings reveal that hiring labour in cassava production and an increase in the yield during the previous season increases the probability of farmers’ interest in selling cassava tubers along the value chain. Hence, the positive and statistically significant influence of hiring labour during cassava production in driving the farmers’ interest in selling cassava tubers and cuttings implies that the development of the cassava value chain presents great opportunities for creating jobs (employment) in the country. Also, policy interventions that ensure land tenure security and empower farmers to increase their cassava yields are bound to encourage further participation in the value chain with an interest in selling fresh tubers, among other derived products to generate income. Lastly, programmes that empower and encourage youth participation in the cassava value chain can increase the number of farmers interested in selling cassava products.
The linkages between adequate service delivery and sustainable development have been given a little academic attention in the South Africa’s local municipalities. For this reason, the achievement of sustainable development has been difficult which has culminated in the occurrence of service delivery protests. These service delivery protests have posed critical threats to social security thus affecting the possibility to achieve sustainable development in South Africa. the paper findings showed that the delivery of inadequate services to the citizens is triggered by the failure to equally include citizens in the process. One of the threats that the paper found is the fact that these service delivery protests have become a major issue and any move to solve them without citizen participation has been unsuccessful. The paper findings also showed that that the lack of adequate service delivery to the citizens causes human insecurities which in turn affect the achievement of sustainable development. This is because the occurrence of the service delivery protests deteriorates national economic growth and human growth. They affect foreign investors and international tourists by instilling fear in them and yet they are contributors to sustainable economic growth that leads to sustainable development. The findings of this paper also presented that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies can increase citizen participation during service delivery. It is through the use of citizen participation that openness, transparency, accountability, and representation principles that promote the delivery of adequate services are possible. The paper found that using AI technologies would also foster trust between the service provider and service receiver needed for delivering adequate services, thus achieve sustainable development in South Africa.
Addressing society’s current ethical dilemmas necessitates urgent reinforcement of moral standards. Transforming student behavior necessitates integrating legal and social measures through proactive youth cultivation within educational institutions. This study focuses on a participatory, strategic approach to managing ethics in private vocational colleges in Thailand. The researchers gathered data through structured, in-depth interviews and opinion surveys from a sample group of 400 individuals, which included directors and department heads of these colleges. The research identified two main dimensions and eleven factors essential for moral education management in private vocational colleges. The first dimension encompasses six critical factors: resource management, structural policies, educational services, personnel, financial management, and materials and equipment management. The second dimension includes five key factors: school strategies, administrative policies, teacher roles, student engagement, and community stakeholder involvement. Statistical analysis supports the causal relationship model, revealing a Chi-Square value of 33.492 and a P-value of 0.055. This comprehensive approach aims to foster sustainable moral development and cultivate desirable societal behaviors among students. It contributes to national stability and aligns with educational and vocational development plans, effectively addressing broader socio-economic challenges. The findings underscore the importance of strategic, ethical management in private vocational education institutions as a cornerstone for nurturing a morally responsible student body and supporting national development goals.
Copyright © by EnPress Publisher. All rights reserved.