R4D Burundi

Identification of Xanthomonas vasicola (formerly X. campestris pv. musacearum), causative organism of banana xanthomonas wilt, in Tanzania, Kenya and Burundi

Fri, 25 May 2012 02:22 GMT

Document Type: Journal Article

Production Year: 2010

Citation: Carter, B.A.; Reeder, R.; Mgenzi, S.R.; Kinyua, Z.M.; Mbaka, J.N.; Doyle, K.; Nakato, V.; Mwangi, M.; Beed, F.; Aritua, V.; Ivey, M.L.L.; Miller, S.A.; Smith, J.J. Identification of Xanthomonas vasicola (formerly X. campestris pv. musacearum), causative organism of banana xanthomonas wilt, in Tanzania, Kenya and Burundi. Plant Pathology (2010) 59 (2) 403-403. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3059.2009.02124.x]

Summary: In Tanzania, banana xanthomonas wilt was first reported in the Kagera region of north west Tanzania in September 2005. Spread has continued, but not to other major banana growing areas. In Kenya, the disease was first reported in September 2006 in the Teso District of western Kenya. Spread has since been reported as slow. In Burundi, the disease was first observed during October 2006. Bacterial cultures were isolated from diseased racemes from Tanzania and Burundi, and from Kenya. All cultures were identified to species level using X. vasicola-specific primers and partial sequencing of the gyrase B gene. The identification of X. campestris pv. musacearum isolates from Burundi and Kenya was further confirmed using X. vasicola-specific primers.

SCARDA Inception Report Volume 2. Preliminary Institutional Analyses of Focal Institutions.

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 03:23 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous
Creator: Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)

Production Year: 2007

Citation: FARA, Accra, Ghana. 74 pp.

Summary: This document contains summary reports of rapid institutional analyses carried out with SCARDA ‘Focal Institutions’ towards the end of the Inception Phase of the Programme. Earlier scoping studies generated a large dataset on the capacities and the broad capacity strengthening priorities of the main agricultural research and development and training organisations in sub-Saharan African countries. Using criteria developed during the scoping studies, stakeholders at a Regional Inception Phase Review Workshop held in Accra in August 2007 selected a total of eleven institutions to be the Focal Institutions for SCARDA. The institutions were chosen taking into account their strategic importance in national agricultural research and development systems in their respective countries, the magnitude of their capacity needs, and the potential for generating impact within a short period of time.

Measuring the Impact and Value for Money (VFM) of Governance and Conflict Programmes.

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 09:50 GMT

Project Status: Current

Project Objectives: The objective was to set out how value for money can best be measured in governance and conflict programming, and whether the suggested indicators have a role in this or not.

This objective was taken to involve three core tasks: first, developing a value for money approach that applies to both the full spectrum of governance programmes, and those programmes undertaken in conflict-affected and failed or failing states; second, that the role of a set of suggested indicators should be explored and examined for their utility in this approach, and, further, that existing value for money frameworks (such as the National Audit Office’s use of the 3Es of ‘economy, efficiency and effectiveness’) should be incorporated.

Access to artesunate-amodiaquine, quinine and other anti-malarials: policy and markets in Burundi.

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 10:04 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous
Creator: Amuasi, J.H.; Diap, G.; Blay-Nguah, S.; Boakye, I.; Karikari, P.E.; Dismas, B.; Karenzo, J.; Nsabiyumva, L.; Louie, K.S.; Kiechel J.

Production Year: 2011

Citation: Malaria Journal (2011) 10 (34) [doi:10.1186/1475-2875-10-34].

Summary: Background: Malaria is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in post-conflict Burundi. To counter the increasing challenge of anti-malarial drug resistance and improve highly effective treatment, Burundi adopted artesunate-amodiaquine (AS-AQ) as first-line treatment for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria and oral quinine as second-line treatment in its national treatment policy in 2003. Uptake of this policy in the public, private and non-governmental (NGO) retail market sectors of Burundi is relatively unknown. This study was conducted to evaluate access to national policy recommended anti-malarials. Methods: Adapting a standardized methodology developed by Health Action International/World Health Organization (HAI/WHO), a cross-sectional survey of 70 (24 public, 36 private, and 10 NGO) medicine outlets was conducted in three regions of Burundi, representing different levels of transmission of malaria, and both urban and rural areas. The availability on day of the survey, the median prices, and affordability (in terms of number of days' wages to purchase treatment) of AS-AQ, quinine and other anti-malarials were calculated. Results: Anti-malarials were stocked in all outlets surveyed. AS-AQ was available in 87.5%, 33.3%, and 90% of public, private, and NGO retail outlets, respectively. Quinine was the most common anti-malarial found in all outlet types. Anti-malarials not recommended by the policy were mainly found in the private outlets (38.9%) rather than the public (4.2%) and NGO (0%) outlets. The median price of a course of AS-AQ was US$0.16 (200 Burundi Francs, FBu) for the public and NGO markets, and 3.5-fold higher in the private sector (US$0.56 or 700 FBu). Quinine tablets were similarly priced in the public (US$1.53 or 1,892.50 FBu), private and NGO sectors (both US$1.61 or 2,000 FBu). Non-recommended anti-malarials were priced 50-fold higher than the price of AS-AQ in the public sector. A course of AS-AQ was affordable at 0.4 of a day's wage in the public and NGO sectors, whereas it was equivalent to 1.5 days' worth of wages in the private sector. Conclusions: AS-AQ was widely available and affordable in the public and NGO markets of hard-to-reach post-conflict communities in Burundi. However greater accessibility and affordability of policy-recommended anti-malarials in the private market sector is needed to improve country-wide policy uptake.

Artemisinin combination therapies: policy and market surveys in Burundi and Sierra Leone.

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 10:18 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous
Creator: Amuasi, J.H.; Karikari, Y.; Boakye, I.; Deley, A.; Blay, S.; Karenzo, J.; Nsabiyumva, L.; Jambai, A.; Baker, S.; Diap, G.

Production Year: 2009

Citation: Poster presentation from American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 58th Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, USA, 18-22 November 2009.

Summary: To ensure that the new antimalarial formulation ASAQ (artesunate + amodiaquine) for treatment of uncompliated Plasmodium falciparum malaria became rapidly and widely acessible to patients following its launch, DNDi conducted a policy and market survey in 6 African countries that had already adopted ASAQ as first-line treatment; data from 2 countries were available at the time of writing. It was concluded that more needed to be done to improve availability of the treatment.

Domestic Resource Mobilization in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Burundi.

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 04:57 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous
Creator: Girukwigomba, A.

Production Year: 2010

Citation: North-South Institute, Ottawa, Canada, 40 pp.

Summary: Following a brief description of the methods used, this paper analyzes the political and economic context of Burundi. It then examines the performance and constraints of the mobilization of savings. It goes on to analyzes the effects of the international financial crisis on Burundi’s economy, and in particular on the mobilization of savings. Finally, it makes recommendations for national decision makers and donors regarding ideas and strategies that could contribute to a greater mobilization of domestic resources.

SCARDA Project Performance Management Plan

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 09:54 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous

Production Year: 2009

Citation: Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa, Accra, Ghana. 61 pp.

SCARDA Annual Report 2009

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 09:48 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous

Production Year: 2010

Citation: FARA (Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa), Accra, Ghana. 64 pp.

Summary: The programme on Strengthening Capacity in Agricultural Research and Development in Africa (SCARDA) commenced in April 2007. Its purpose is to improve the capacity and performance of participating NARS in key areas of their agricultural research for development functions.

The Year 2009 was characterized by two donor-commissioned SCARDA programme reviews: Mid-Term Review (MTR) conducted in April 2009 followed by an Update Review in September 2009. The recommendations of the MTR had far-reaching implications on the continuity of the Programme, and this necessitated an urgent Programme-wide Strategies and Lesson-learning (PSL) Workshop, which was convened in late April 2009 to harness inputs from all the project partners to respond appropriately to the recommendations.

Despite a number of difficulties, the programme registered some modest achievements towards output delivery. The gains of programme implementation highlighted in this Report arose mainly from intermittent activity implementation in the first and last two quarters of the year. Most of the activities initially planned for 2009 had to be reconsolidated for full implementation in 2010.

SCARDA Annual Report 2008

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 09:09 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous

Production Year: 2010

Citation: Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa, Accra, Ghana. 52 pp.

Summary: The overall purpose of SCARDA is ‘To strengthen the institutional and human capacity of African agricultural research and development systems to identify, generate and deliver research outputs that meet the needs of poor people’. This purpose is being achieved through an innovative approach that addresses the whole integrated capacity strengthening needs of 12 national agricultural research and development institutions that are known as Focal Institutions. A wider range of Satellite Institutions is also involved. Firstly to benefit from capacity strengthening events in which they can participate. Secondly so that they can learn about the SCARDA approach and, when convinced of its merit, participate in out and up-scaling it. The Focal Institutions are located in East and Central Africa in Burundi, Rwanda and Sudan, in West Africa in The Gambia, Ghana, Congo Brazzaville and Mali and in Southern Africa in Botswana, Lesotho, and Zambia.

There have been credible achievements in several areas and these are discussed in the main body of the report. The most notable achievement has been in the design of an innovative approach to strengthening capacity in agricultural research management.

Domestic Resource Mobilization in Africa. Burundi.

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 05:12 GMT

Document Type: Miscellaneous
Creator: North-South Institute

Production Year: 2010

Citation: Project Brief, (2010), North-South Institute, Ottawa, Canada, 2 pp.

Summary: The North-South Institute has been working with African, UK and Canadian partners on case studies exploring the potential for domestic resource mobilization (DRM) in five Sub-Saharan countries: Burundi, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda. DRM refers to savings and investments that are generated by both the public sector (primarily through taxation) and the private sector (as a channel for private savings by households and domestic firms). Interest in DRM as a means to support sustainable growth and reduce dependence on external aid has been growing: in 2002, the Monterrey Consensus made improved DRM the first of its leading recommended actions; and, the current global economic crisis has only drawn more attention to DRM’s potential, due to declining flows in external assistance and global remittances. This summary sets out our key project findings for Burundi.