University of South Africa

Africa's energy security remains fragile amid unreliable supply, high import exposure, and climate shocks, even as the continent pursues a low carbon transition. This study examines how climate-oriented finance and renewable energy deployment relate to energy security in 16 African countries from 2000 to 2021 using a Panel Vector Autoregression framework. To ensure conceptual clarity, external financial inflows, foreign direct investment and mitigation related development finance, are distinguished from renewable energy consumption as an energy system outcome. Energy security is measured using energy import dependence, energy intensity, and energy productivity. Results show that shocks to renewable energy consumption are followed by medium run improvements in energy intensity and productivity, alongside volatile short run dynamics. In contrast, foreign direct investment exhibits weak average effects in pooled models, becoming more evident when conditioning on institutional quality and income groups. Robustness checks using alternative finance proxies and stratified models confirm the main patterns. The findings are interpreted as time ordered dynamic relationships rather than structural causal effects. • Reframed abstract and introduction to foreground Africa’s energy security and financing constraints, linking strategy. • Expanded and structured contributions across theory, empirics, and policy, distinguishing finance flows and renewables. • Strengthened theory and empirics by integrating development and energy theories, synthesizing African literature, and justifying. • Improved transparency by motivating Panel VAR, comparing alternatives, and interpreting dynamics against theory and evidence.

The integration of highly effective electrocatalysts has revolutionized traditional sensing devices, paving the way for innovative applications in environmental monitoring and healthcare diagnostics. This study focuses on the performance, stability, selectivity, and sensitivity of metal-metal-carbon-based electrocatalysts CQD-TiO 2 -MnO 2 and evaluates their effectiveness in the electrochemical detection of Cryptosporidium . The electrocatalysts were synthesized using a hydrothermal method and characterized through various techniques to confirm their integration. Results showed that CQD-TiO 2 -MnO 2 demonstrated superior electrochemical kinetics compared to the Mil101(Fe)-CQD-TiO 2 electrocatalyst. This CQD-TiO 2 -MnO 2 variant also had a higher electrochemically active surface area, which contributed to a lower limit of detection (LOD) for Cryptosporidium at 0.0012 ng mL -1 , along with a high sensitivity of 0.197 mA ng mL -1 . The aptasensor exhibited good performance across different water matrices, yielding recovery rates ranging from 65% to 96%. These findings demonstrate the sensor's resilience to matrix effects and its suitability for practical environmental monitoring, underscoring its viability for on-site and routine water-quality assessments. • Metal-metal-carbon-based electrocatalysts yield better stability and sensitivity • The aptasensor demonstrated excellent performance across different water matrices • CQD-TiO 2 -MnO 2 -based sensors are well-suited for point-of-care applications

The updated Namibian mathematics curriculum presents new prospects for improved educational outcomes, but its effectiveness hinges on the efficacy of the support structures provided to teachers to implement it in the classroom. This study examines the advantages of the revised mathematics curriculum in Namibia and the academic support that was provided to teachers to facilitate the effective implementation of the new programme in the Ohangwena region of Namibia. This is a qualitative case study of seven secondary schools in the Ohangwena region. Data were collected from seven purposively sampled Maths, Science and Technology Education department heads and seven mathematics teachers, using a semi-structured interview guide. The data collected were analysed thematically, using NVivo 14 software. The study discovered that the benefits of updating Namibia’s mathematics curriculum included that it promotes learners’ critical thinking skills, it is more inclusive by allowing all learners to access all levels of mathematics and the curriculum has been benchmarked to ensure alignment with national and international standards. The study also revealed that mathematics teachers were enabled to implement the new programme through the provision of training workshops, the availability of expert support and resources through the social media platform, WhatsApp and other educational resources. In general, the study’s emphasis on teacher support may contribute to the Ministry of Education of Namibia giving consideration to increasing the financial and resource distribution to schools. The findings of the study may also assist policymakers and curriculum developers in drafting improved future policies.

The science of metallic degradation and its control have developed significantly over the past decades. Beginning with traditional corrosion inhibitors such as chromates, nitrates and phosphates which are well-known for their effectiveness and environmental hazards, the field has recorded great progress with the development and implementation of safer alternatives. This recent shift is premised on global regulatory measures, increasing environmental campaigns, promotion of green chemistry ideals and industrial demands. Latest advances in the field now promote the use of eco-friendly materials like bio-based ionic liquids, biopolymers, plant extracts and biosurfactants for corrosion protection. This review captures the surface and interfacial activities of these sustainable corrosion inhibitors which are extensively explored using cutting-edge experimental and computational techniques. Electrochemical insights, together with corrosion inhibition efficiencies ranging from 80 to 99 % for typical eco-friendly inhibitors have been obtained using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) techniques. Modern analytical techniques including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have resulted in structural and mechanistic insights at the electrode/electrolyte interface. Recent advancements in molecular modelling and machine learning have further enhanced the understanding of inhibitor-metal interactions and rational design of eco-friendly inhibitors. Overall, this review succinctly highlights recent progress in eco-friendly inhibition approach, outlines green chemistry metrics, identifies key challenges and proposes future research directions to accelerate industrial implementation. • The perspectives of eco-friendly corrosion inhibitors were discussed. • The interfacial mechanism of eco-friendly corrosion inhibitors was highlighted. • The key factors and green metrics of eco-friendly corrosion inhibitors were discussed. • The mini-review provides a roadmap for next-generation materials for corrosion control.

The current study was conducted to assess the effect of partial replacement of soyabean meal (SBM) (Glycine max) with defatted winged termite meal (WTM) (Macrotermes natalensis) inclusion levels on the performance, blood, and bone composition of Ross 308 broiler chickens in 42 days feeding trial. A total of 150 one-day-old, unsexed broiler chicks were allocated to 3 dietary treatments, replicated 5 times with 10 chickens per pen in a completely randomized design (CRD). Broilers were fed isonitrogenous, and iso-energetic experimental diets formulated to include WTM as follows: a control diet without WTM = WTM0; a basal broiler diet with 50g/kg of WTM = WTM5; a basal diet with 100g/kg of WTM = WTM10 to replace SBM. Average feed intake (FI), body weight gain (BWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were measured at 1 to 14 days (starter), 15 to 28 days (grower) and 29 to 42 days (finisher). Hematology, serum biochemistry and right tibia bone traits of birds were determined on day 14, 28 and 42 in each growth phase. WTM inclusion had no effect (P > 0.05) on MR, BWG and FCR of broilers throughout the growth stages except FI that was higher (P< 0.05) in broilers fed WTM5 followed by WTM10 and WTM0 at starter phase. WTM inclusion had no (P> 0.05) influence on most hematology and serum parameters the growth period. However, elevated (P< 0.05) aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and bilirubin observed in chickens fed WTM5 than other groups at finisher phase. Dietary WTM inclusion had no influence (P> 0.05) on the majority of bone traits throughout the growth phase except bone density (TBD) that was higher (P< 0.05) in birds fed WTM5 than other treatment groups at starter phase whereas better (P< 0.05) bone breaking strength (BBS) was observed in birds on WTM5 compared to WTM0 and WTM10. It was concluded that WTM up to 10% could be partially included in diets without compromising growth performance, blood, and bone traits of Ross 308 broiler chickens during starter, grower and finisher phase.