• Energy Research

Climate change is a global problem, which affects the various geographical regions at different levels. It is also associated with a wide range of human health problems, which pose a burden to health systems, especially in regions such as Africa. Indeed, across the African continent public health systems are under severe pressure, partly due to their fragile socioeconomic conditions. This paper reports on a cross-sectional study in six African countries (Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Namibia, Ethiopia, and Kenya) aimed at assessing their vulnerabilities to climate change, focusing on its impacts on human health. The study evaluated the levels of information, knowledge, and perceptions of public health professionals. It also examined the health systems’ preparedness to cope with these health hazards, the available resources, and those needed to build resilience to the country’s vulnerable population, as perceived by health professionals. The results revealed that 63.1% of the total respondents reported that climate change had been extensively experienced in the past years, while 32% claimed that the sampled countries had experienced them to some extent. Nigerian respondents recorded the highest levels (67.7%), followed by Kenya with 66.6%. South Africa had the lowest level of impact as perceived by the respondents (50.0%) when compared with the other sampled countries. All respondents from Ghana and Namibia reported that health problems caused by climate change are common in the two countries. As perceived by the health professionals, the inadequate resources reiterate the need for infrastructural resources, medical equipment, emergency response resources, and technical support. The study’s recommendations include the need to improve current policies at all levels (i.e., national, regional, and local) on climate change and public health and to strengthen health professionals’ skills. Improving the basic knowledge of health institutions to better respond to a changing climate is also recommended. The study provides valuable insights which may be helpful to other nations in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Entrepreneurship has been identified as a catalyst for creating opportunities and enhancing productivity. The Asian economy is one of the fastest growing economies and entrepreneurially inclined continents of the world, owing to the phenomenal strides of China’s economic activities. Despite these, the region is still characterized as developing in terms equality, real income growth and welfare distributions. Thus, one wonders the extent the entrepreneurial strides impact on the continent; and, to what extent are the socio-economic structures of the Asian economy relevant for achieving sustainable entrepreneurship development. Thus, by employing the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM), this study assesses the extent to which the current wave of entrepreneurship outcomes can actualize the Global Development Goals slated for 2030. The findings show that improvement in life expectancy and decrease in inequality influenced entrepreneurial outcomes via the basic requirement channel; while higher education which is an efficiency enhancing channel stimulates income than innovations; thus, indicating the need for continuous investments for nascent training; while investments in research and development is an institutional channel that promotes entrepreneurial outcomes. Thus, if the global goals will be actualized, policy makers should strengthen infrastructures and create enabling environments that will improve entrepreneurial outcomes within Asian economies.