National Center for Technology Management

Mineral oil based lubricants are non-renewable, harmful to health and prone to price fluctuations. Thus, vegetable oils are considered as suitable alternatives to mineral oils for lubricant production. As such, new research into the use of non-edible vegetable oils for lubricant development is advocated to address these challenges. In this study, tribological evaluation of lubricant developed from non-edible vegetable mahogany (Khaya senegalensis) oil for industrial applications was conducted. Interestingly, the oil was characterized, modified for suitability and used to develop lubricants for industrial applications. Additionally, commercially available mineral oil based lubricant SAE 20/W50 was used as a control. The effect of ZDDP additive on the tribological performance of mahogany seed oil based biolubricant developed was also studied. The results show that the developed mahogany seed oil based biolubricant had alkaline pH of 7.56, high viscosity index of 147.12, appreciable viscosity, excellent cold flow of -9.2 ºC. Similarly, the coefficient of friction of the biolubricant developed reduced from 0.095 to 0.090when 1% of ZDDP was added and form 0.095 to 0.087 when 3% of ZDDP was added but the coefficient of friction increased from 0.095 to 0.099 with the addition of 5% of ZDDP. Therefore, developed mahogany seed oil biolubricant was observed to be suitable and environmentally friendly substitutes to mineral oil base lubricant SAE 20/W50 for application in metal cutting and lubrication of gears in food processing industry.

Organisations in the global community recognise that employees play a vital role in the growth, development and attainment of organisational set goals and objectives and as such, mechanisms are put in place to recruit employees with skills, ideas, and initiatives into the organisational systems. However, in most contemporary organisations, employees' initiatives in the organisational decision-making process have been undermined. This study examined organisational performance via the lens of employee participation in the decision-making process at Osun State University, Nigeria. Primary and secondary data were utilised for the study. The study adopted a descriptive research design, and the data gathered were analysed using descriptive statistics. Multi-stage sampling techniques were used to select 422 as the study population, which comprised academic staff, non-teaching staff, and the management team. A sample size of 20% of the population, consisting of 84 respondents, was then selected for questionnaire administration. The study's findings revealed that it enables employees to make decisions concerning a particular task, fosters creativity and innovation, enhances workplace harmony, and increases employees' efficiency, among other benefits. The study concluded that employee involvement in organisational decision-making cannot be undermined. It was recommended, among others, that employees should be given an enabling environment to contribute their quota to the realisation of institutional goals.

Agriculture has remained a critical sector for many African economies despite being less productive compared to services and manufacturing sectors. Agriculture serves as primary source of livelihood for about 60% of Africa's population and contributes roughly 23% to the continent's GDP. Despite its importance, agriculture in Africa faces numerous challenges, including inadequate access to resources (arable land, farm inputs, etc), Limited use of technology, climate change, infrastructure support, insecurity and banditry, etc. Precision Agriculture (PA) is slowly gaining traction across Africa with several initiatives demonstrating its potential to transform the sector. Cases of successful PA applications in Africa including the use of Fruit Look in South Africa for water-efficient farming and the Chameleon and Wetting Front Detector Sensors in Mozambique, Tanzania and Zimbabwe; which have significantly improved irrigation efficiency and productivity. PA adoption varies depending on infrastructure, access to technology, and government or private sector initiatives. The notable cases of PA implementation with varying degrees of success illustrates its impact and the opportunities it offers to smallholder farmers and large agricultural enterprises. R&D in PA can focus on various technologies, practices and solutions tailored to the unique conditions of African agriculture. To implement PA at the farm level in Africa, several actions are necessary. These initiatives should focus on enhancing access to technology, improving farmers' knowledge and addressing infrastructure challenges.

Promoting all efforts that centres around environmental sustainability is a collective responsibility. This paper recognizes the axiom that embracing green computing principles across all sectors, not just in corporations, leads to low-carbon development strategies and contributes positively to our planet. Hinged on this perspective, this study was poised to succinctly identify what drives the adoption of green computing policies, justify them, and recommend strategic policies based on the existing experience of other developed countries. The present study employed convenience sampling, a widely used non-probability sampling method, where participants are selected based on their availability and willingness to participate in the study. Limitations that hinder the adoption of green computing policies in some Nigerian organizations were examined. Primary data was collected from 52 participants, specifically top managers on the awareness, adoption, or practice of green computing policies in their affiliated organizations. Most respondents claimed awareness of green computing policies, while the use of power management features was considered the most adopted green initiative. However, when respondents were asked whether their organizations were doing enough to reduce their carbon footprint and operational cost through green computing initiatives, most respondents (61.5%) claimed their organization was not doing enough in this regard. It is important to note that this study considered several factors that are critical for the adoption of green computing, namely knowledge transfer, financing, availability of basic infrastructure (energy supply), presence of investors and the increasing number of recycling centres. Additionally, this paper reasoned that achieving a climate-resilient society, particularly through the adoption of green computing principles, necessitates ongoing and deliberate efforts focused on public awareness, green investment, and stringent corporate green policy guidelines, with a focused training approach for every member of the organization.

The study examined the effect of foreign exchange income on financial performance of deposit money banks in Nigeria. The specific objectives of the study were to ascertain the effect of nominal exchange rate, real exchange rate, and exchange rate on return on asset of deposit money banks in Nigeria. nominal exchange rate, real exchange rate, and exchange rate were the independent variables, while return on asset was the dependent variable. The study adopted an ex-post-facto research design, covering the period between 2011 and 2020. Secondary data were extracted from the annual reports and accounts of sampled deposit money banks in Nigeria. Multiple regression techniques were used for test of hypotheses. From the data analysis, it was revealed that nominal exchange rate has a significant negative effect on return on asset of deposit money banks in Nigeria. real exchange rates have a significant positive effect on return on asset of deposit money banks in Nigeria. However, exchange rate has a nonsignificant negative effect on return on asset of deposit money banks in Nigeria. This implies that among the foreign exchange income variables, nominal exchange rate and real exchange rate can be used to predict return on asset of deposit money banks in Nigeria. The study, therefore, recommends that federal money the sources of deficit financing. They should reduce their public debt so as to allow foreigners invest in securities with naira denomination. They should reduce the extent the deplete our foreign exchange reserve because such moves increase the exchange rate, which affects banks performance negatively. The central bank of Nigeria and the ministry of finance should reduce the rate they give out dollars to politicians because it affects our exchange rate and banks’ performance negatively.

O presente trabalho é um relato de experiência, baseado no que foi vivenciado em sala de aula com os alunos do Colégio Estadual José Ferreira Pinto, durante o período de 10 meses, desde novembro de 2022 a setembro de 2023, participando da Residência Pedagógica (RP). Tendo como objetivo expor o relato de uma residente e enaltecer a importância da RP na formação docente. Na escrita deste relato será levado em consideração o posicionamento da residente, dos estudantes e da preceptora. A apresentação dos resultados está organizada e subdividida em eixos, de modo a evidenciar o quão significante é participar da Residência durante o processo de formação na licenciatura. Assim, será visto ao longo do trabalho as narrativas de experiência da residente em primeira pessoa. Para um discente que tem a pretensão de lecionar e beneficiar positivamente sua prática enquanto docente, é fundamental que faça parte de um programa institucional como a Residência Pedagógica, visando contribuir para a sua identidade profissional. Sabe-se que para ser professor precisa-se ter conhecimentos práticos e teóricos e a RP consegue reunir parte dos dois, favorecendo sempre o licenciando. Pensando no quesito da interdisciplinaridade, que é o intuito do subprojeto em questão, os estudantes tiveram a oportunidade de conectar conceitos da sua área com as demais. Podendo levar a conclusão de que a Residência Pedagógica é capaz de aprimorar a prática docente do estudante de licenciatura e contribuir para a formação da identidade profissional desse, ajudando-o a ter mais autonomia, independência, aproximando esse estudante cada vez mais do âmbito escolar, permitindo ainda que ele transite por outras áreas que nem sempre são estudadas na graduação.

ABSTRACT This paper reviews research on business incubators in Africa, as a policy tool for supporting entrepreneurial businesses. Combining bibliometric and narrative approaches, it identifies five themes in the literature: incubator types and support; incubator performance and innovation; incubator impact on businesses and economy; incubator role in start-ups; and incubator as enabler of learning. It also highlights gaps for future research, including the lack of studies on climate change and industrialization; the limited evidence on how to improve incubator support; the absence of studies on adaptive, responsive and inclusive incubators; and the scarcity of rigorous impact evaluations. The paper concludes that incubators are useful for enterprise development in Africa but need collective research and policy efforts to strengthen their contribution.

Municipal solid waste (MSW) management must be sustainable in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and address health, environmental, and disposal challenges caused by the vast amounts of trash generated. MSW management going wrong puts locals in danger. In Pakistan, the production of municipal solid trash is rising daily. Urban settlers and other organizations gather a lot of waste in various forms, usually defiling and making our surroundings uninviting. Due to the indiscriminate dumping of various wastes, the soil quality in the metropolitan area has decreased as a result of solid and liquefied waste disposal. Significant environmental concerns regarding soil and water pollution arise from transferring contaminated garbage and mixed fluid outside of waste disposal borders. The impacts of municipal garbage disposal on soil and water quality at open waste dumping sites were the main focus of this review. Using a soil and water quality index, in many regions of the world especially in regions where waste management practices are insufficient, the contamination of soil and water owing to incorrect municipal solid waste disposal is a serious environmental hazard. Open dumping, unregulated landfilling, and illegal dumping are examples of improper waste disposal practices that can result in pollution that affects the quality of the soil and water. They must also seek to identify sustainable waste management solutions. The effect of these emitted gaseous emissions has, however, been thoroughly researched. To safeguard the environment and public health, quick action must be made to control trace element pollution.