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The Competitiveness of Beef Exports From Burkina Faso to Ghana.

ABSTRACT: Despite large volumes of cattle stocks in the Sahel, most exports of cattle products remain as live animal sales rather than meat. However, there is increased interest amongst donors and governments to increase value-added exports of beef. In this paper, we provide results from a simulation analysis that explores the prospective competitiveness and benefits of exporting beef from Burkina Faso to Ghana rather than live animals. The paper reviews trading patterns in live animals along the corridor and meat imports from overseas destinations to Ghana. Model results highlight limited competitiveness of the main products demanded in destination markets (offals). Market segmentation strategies, infrastructure development, and animal productivity all generate marginal improvements in competitiveness, but not enough to compete with third-country supplies. Only specific, largely external macroeconomic conditions provide for significant improvements in competitiveness. The paper further reveals the relatively modest employment gains associated with increased exports of meat in lieu of live animals. The analysis suggests a re-think on large-scale investments in downstream functions in the value chain, instead illustrating the fundamental role of upstream investments in productivity, animal health, and collective action to promote greater market integration between pastoralists and formal sector buyers.

SUBMITTER: Rich KM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8378806 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Clinical trials conducted in Africa often require substantial investments to support trial centres and public health facilities. Trial resources could potentially generate benefits for routine health service delivery but may have unintended consequences. Strengthening ethical practice requires understanding the potential effects of trial inputs on the perceptions and practices of routine health care providers. This study explores the influence of malaria vaccine trials on health service delivery in Ghana, Kenya and Burkina Faso.We conducted: audits of trial inputs in 10 trial facilities and among 144 health workers; individual interviews with frontline providers (n=99) and health managers (n=14); and group discussions with fieldworkers (n=9 discussions). Descriptive summaries were generated from audit data. Qualitative data were analysed using a framework approach.Facilities involved in trials benefited from infrastructure and equipment upgrades, support with essential drugs, access to trial vehicles, and placement of additional qualified trial staff. Qualified trial staff in facilities were often seen as role models by their colleagues; assisting with supportive supervision and reducing facility workload. Some facility staff in place before the trial also received formal training and salary top-ups from the trials. However, differential access to support caused dissatisfaction, and some interviewees expressed concerns about what would happen at the end of the trial once financial and supervisory support was removed.Clinical trials function as short-term complex health service delivery interventions in the facilities in which they are based. They have the potential to both benefit facilities, staff and communities through providing the supportive environment required for improvements in routine care, but they can also generate dissatisfaction, relationship challenges and demoralisation among staff. Minimising trial related harm and maximising benefits requires careful planning and engagement of key actors at the outset of trials, throughout the trial and on its' completion.

Project description:BackgroundEven though the international combat against Neglected Tropical Diseases such as schistosomiasis or soil-transmitted helminthiases depends on reliable therapeutics, anthelminthic pharmacovigilance has been neglected on many national African drug markets. Therefore, quality and composition of Albendazole, Mebendazole and Praziquantel locally collected in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Tanzania were analysed.MethodsSamples of 88 different batches were obtained from randomly selected facilities. Sampling took place in Northwest Tanzania, Western Burkina Faso, Southeast Côte d'Ivoire and Southwest Ghana. Visual examination of both packaging and samples was performed according to the WHO 'Be Aware' tool. Products were then screened with the GPHF Minilab, consisting of tests of mass uniformity, disintegration times and thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Confirmatory tests were performed according to international pharmacopoeiae, applying assays for dissolution profiles and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).FindingsDespite minor irregularities, appearance of the products did not hint at falsified medicines. However, 19.6% of the brands collected in Ghana and Tanzania were not officially licensed for sale. Mass uniformity was confirmed in 53 out of 58 brands of tablets. 41 out of 56 products passed disintegration times; 10 out of the 15 failing products did not disintegrate at all. Evaluating TLC results, only 4 out of 83 batches narrowly missed specification limits, 18 batches slightly exceeded them. Not more than 46.3% (31 / 67) of the tablets assayed passed the respective pharmaceutical criteria for dissolution. HPLC findings confirmed TLC results despite shifted specification limits: 10 out of 83 tested batches contained less than 90%, none exceeded 110%.ConclusionIn the four study countries, no falsified anthelminthic medicine was encountered. The active pharmaceutical ingredient was not found to either exceed or fall below specification limits. Galenic characteristics however, especially dissolution profiles, revealed great deficits.

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The Competitiveness of Beef Exports From Burkina Faso to Ghana.

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