Tarefe: 23 Juni 2020

Waziri wa Mifugo na Uvuvi, Mhe. Luhaga Joelson Mpina amemteua Prof. Malongo Richard Mlozi kuwa Mwenyekiti wa Bodi ya Wakala ya Vyuo vya Mifugo Tanzania (LITA). Uteuzi huo umeanza rasmi tarehe 20/06/2020 na Bodi itazinduliwa tarehe 06/07/2020 katika Ofisi za Serikali Mtumba, Dodoma. Kwa taarifa zaidi tafadhali gonga hapa

17th June 2020

Dr. Madaha has presented a paper online at the DSA Conference 2020. The international conference took place from June 16 to 19, 2020. The theme of the conference was, “New Leadership for Global Challenges Where and how leadership is emerging at global, regional and local levels to address critical issues?” Dr. Madaha's participation was sponsored by Development Studies Association of the UK. The title of the paper is “The Performance of Local governments in the delivery of Agricultural public services: the case of rural Tanzania”

Abstract of the Paper

The existing structure of Tanzanian local governments have not changed significantly as compared to the one established during the colonial British administration in 1950s. Using a case study approach, the article focuses on the effectiveness and efficiency of local government authorities in delivering public agricultural services in Tanzania. Overall, local governments, among other things, have failed to deliver public services effectively and efficiently in the agriculture sector as intended. Instead, they serve the interests of local elites including corrupt ones. For that reason, there is a call for a centralized welfare system with fewer amalgamated local governments to reduce expenses, rectify the shortfalls of the market economy in general and improve the performance of the local governments.  The paper contributes to the fields of local government, qualitative methodology and development studies.

Keywords: local government, qualitative methodology, corruption, agriculture, Tanzania in Sub-Saharan Africa

Date: 5th June 2020

Joyce Mwakatoga has published an article in a peer-reviewed international journal. The title of an article is Adherence to Iron-Folic Acid Supplementation and Associated Factors among Pregnant Women in Kasulu Communities in North-Western Tanzania. The article can be accessed at https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijrmed/contents/

Abstract

Pregnant women are at a high risk of anaemia, with iron-folate deficiency being the most common cause of anaemia among pregnant women. Despite the well-known importance of iron and folic acid supplementation (IFAS) during pregnancy, adherence to these supplements is relatively low and associated factors were not well identified in the study area. This study is aimed at investigating adherence to IFAS and associated factors among pregnant women in Kasulu district, north-western Tanzania. Methods. A health facility cross-sectional survey with a mixed-method approach was conducted in Kasulu district from March to April 2019. A structured questionnaire was given to 320 women with children aged 0-6 months to assess factors associated with adherence to IFAS among pregnant women. Data were entered into SPSS version 22.0 for analysis. Binary logistic regression was further employed to determine the factors associated with adherence to IFAS. Focus group discussions were done with 19 pregnant women and 15 mothers of children aged 0-6 months to obtain more clarifications on the factors associated with adherence to IFAS. Furthermore, in-depth interviews were done with six health care providers to explore their perceptions of IFAS. Results. Out of the 320 respondents of the survey, 20.3% (n = 65) adhered to IFAS. Factors associated with adherence to IFAS among pregnant women included time to start ANC (AOR = 3:72, 95% CI: 1.42, 9.79), knowledge of anaemia (AOR = 3:84, 95% CI: 1.335, 10.66), counseling on the importance of the iron-folic acid (AOR = 3:86, 95% CI: 1.42, 10.50), IFAS given during clinical visit (AOR = 15:72, 95% CI: 5.34, 46.31), number of meals consumed (AOR = 3:44, 95% CI: 1.28, 9.21), number of children (AOR = 3:462, 95% CI: 1.035, 11.58), and distance to health facility (AOR = 0:34, 95% CI: 0.131, 0.886). Qualitative findings revealed that delayed first ANC visit, lack of remainder for pregnant women to take IFAS, low awareness about the negative effects of anaemia, low of knowledge of IFAS and management of side effects, negative beliefs about the use of IFAS, and follow-up mechanism were major reasons for poor adherence. Conclusion. Adherence to iron-folic acid supplementation during pregnancy was low. Strengthening systems for creating reminding mechanism, raising community awareness through educational programs to pregnant women and health providers could improve adherence to IFAS.