For decades, the African continent has been perceived in a negative way and it has not been easy to change this international perception of the continent. During the past few years a deep change has taken place in the continent and in the eyes of the world. Africa is now open for business and Africa is also able to compete effectively in the international luxury market. The luxury market is constantly rising but it is not fully present on the African continent yet. The objective of this thesis is to decide whether or not luxury companies should tap into that new market with a widespread penetration. Therefore, a market entry strategy, followed by a market research was conducted throughout the thesis. The luxury companies' international motives were analyzed. Then their current situation analysis led to the analysis of the geographic zone, Africa. It is about finding if the African market offer favorable conditions to luxury companies by examining the external environment and also the internal environment by analyzing the current luxury industry situation in Africa in order to confirm the market attractiveness of this area. The study was delimited to the West African Region, region that reseals a great market potential and a broad emergence of the middle class in perpetual search for self-esteem, given by luxury goods. African consumers' behaviors were also revealed and analyzed in this study. Thus, recommendations were elaborated in order to give some guidelines to the luxury firms if they decide to enter within the West African market.

The purpose of this study was to investigate maritime terrorism, maritime piracy and acts of armed robbery of ships and the influence of specific role-players on the issue both internationally and regionally. The study investigated established measures to regulate and combat these threats and the reasons why some areas are more affected than others. The study focused on maritime terrorism, piracy and armed robbery of ships in East and West Africa and Southeast Asia in the 21st century (1 January 2000 to 31 December 2008), specifically as these are the regions most affected by such incidents. The study aimed to establish the following: <ul> <li> Which socio-economic, and political factors in individual states influence the occurrence of maritime terrorism, piracy and acts of armed robbery of ships and could piracy and acts of armed robbery of ships be eradicated if the socio-economic and political issues in affected countries receive more attention?</li> <li> Is the eradication of maritime piracy and terrorism at all possible considering the social problems facing underdeveloped countries, the effectiveness of current international measures in combating piracy and acts of armed robbery of ships, as well as current trends in global terrorism and organised crime?</li> <li> Why are all underdeveloped countries not affected by the problem of maritime piracy?</li> <li> Is there any proof that the use of force against pirates leads to an escalation in violence?</li> <li> What forms of interaction exist between maritime pirates and terrorist groups in these areas, and will the elimination of piracy and acts of armed robbery of ships have a major effect on the continued existence of maritime terrorism?</li></ul> Both socio-economic conditions and political factors in a given country or region have an influence on the occurrence of piracy, acts of armed robbery of ships and maritime terrorism, but could be countered by other factors such as the presence of strong law enforcement agencies. The level of violence existing in a country also plays a role. As the objectives of pirates and maritime terrorists differ, very few examples of interaction between these groups exist. Both pirates and terrorists adapt to measures instituted by the international community and change their tactics and areas of operations accordingly. Copyright / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Political Sciences / unrestricted

Les orientations en matière de lutte contre le VIH/Sida s’accordent sur la nécessité de mettre en œuvre une offre de prévention plus diversifiée pour limiter les nouvelles infections auprès des populations les plus touchées par l’épidémie. En Afrique de l’Ouest, les hommes ayant des relations sexuelles avec les hommes (HSH) sont particulièrement vulnérables à l’infection par le VIH. Dans ce contexte, la réponse des programmes VIH repose principalement sur les services de santé offerts par les associations communautaires. Cependant, peu de données sont disponibles sur les HSH séronégatifs bénéficiant d’une offre diversifiée de prévention en Afrique de l’Ouest, aussi bien sur leurs motivations à être suivi dans des services communautaires que sur leurs comportements sexuels à risque. Ce travail s’appuie sur les données recueillies dans une cohorte interventionnelle (CohMSM) offrant aux HSH séronégatifs un suivi trimestriel préventif mise en œuvre par des associations communautaires (Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo). Les résultats montrent que les besoins de ces participants sont en faveur d’une offre de santé sexuelle globale. L’accès à la PrEP est également considéré par les HSH comme un besoin prioritaire au regard de leurs comportements sexuels à risque. Cette thèse a également permis de mieux identifier les HSH présentant un risque élevé d’exposition à l’infection par le VIH. Le suivi préventif offert semble aussi réduire les pratiques sexuelles à risque des HSH les plus exposés au risque d’infection. Ces résultats contribuent ainsi à mieux appréhender la mise en place d’une offre diversifiée de prévention auprès des HSH dans un cadre communautaire. / The new HIV/AIDS guidelines recommend a combined package consisting of multiple preventive strategies to limit new infections among the most affected populations. In West Africa, men who have sex with men (MSM) are especially vulnerable to HIV infection. In this context, the response of HIV programs primarily relies on healthcare services provided by community-based organizations. However, there is limited data regarding HIV-negative MSM accessing a combined preventive package in West Africa as well as on their motivations for being followed-up in community-based services and on their risky sexual behaviors. This work used the data collected from an interventional cohort (CohMSM) offering a quarterly preventive follow-up to HIV-negative MSM in community-based settings in four West African countries (Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo). The results demonstrate that the needs of the participants are in favor of a comprehensive sexual health offer. Access to PrEP is also considered by MSM as a priority need in view of their high-risk sexual behaviors. This also helps to better identify MSM who are at high-risk of exposure to HIV infection. Furthermore, the quarterly preventive follow-up also appears to reduce risky sexual practices in MSM most at risk. Thus, these results contribute to a better understanding of the implementation of a combined prevention package for MSM in a community setting.

The main focus of this work is genocide in one of the former German colonies. German South West Africa, in the present day known as Namibia, faced such a frightening event at the beginning of 20th century that very few situations in human history can compare to it. This work tries to bring the reader closer to the situation in southwest Africa in the period of German colonialism, especially to the genocide of the Herero and Nama nations. The main goal of this diploma thesis is based on defining the term genocide and the description of contemporary events in German South West Africa. The key aim is to find certain connections between genocide committed by the German Empire in German South West Africa and genocide perpetrated several decades later by Nazi Germany in Eastern Europe during Second Word War.

The aim of this thesis is to look at the role of the United States Peace Corps as a tool of soft power in the context of international relations and at the use of soft power as an effective part of diplomacy. This thesis has looks at the role of the Peace Corps in former British colonies in West Africa between 1961 and 1970.The project has focused the relationship of the newly independent British colonies with the United States in a period of intensive ideological interest of the USSR in this part of the world. The primary materials used in the paper have been journals and newspaper articles published by the Peace Corps, testimonials of former Peace Corps volunteers and scholarly publications on the topic of the Peace Corps, West African-American relations and relations between West Africa and the USSR. The Peace Corps played an important role in establishing relations between the US and West African countries in the 1960's with a special emphasis on education.

This study examines the role of non-governmental organizations contributing to sustainable development by addressing the violence during periods of an election in West Africa. More specifically, it highlights the role non-governmental organizations have as service-providers and facilitators in between journalists and the police in West Africa. The project aims to explain how the operations of non-governmental organizations that work for ensuring peace and security through independent media contribute to the fulfillment of the sustainable development goals to ensure peaceful societies. The study answers the research questions How can an NGO become an enabling actor for sustainable development? And What are the factors that determine how successful such efforts can be? Using a mixed method of a literature review and semi-structured interviews with people working on non-governmental organizations, the results show how non-governmental organizations are trustworthy due to their neutral role. The identified factors of success have mainly to do with the amount of legitimacy and resources of NGOs. The challenges are mainly to gain trust, both when it comes to the public and institutions. Further, this study shows that NGOs have a political actor with some challenges that they can overcome through legitimacy.  Keywords: West Africa, independent media, non-governmental organizations, sustainable development

By investigating the foundation of the Jesuit Vice-Province of West Africa (VPAO), this dissertation analyzes how a global Roman Catholic men’s religious order adjusted to political and ecclesiastical changes in the wake of African independence movements, the Second Vatican Council, and the Generalate of Pedro Arrupe. Although the founding of the VPAO attempted to harmonize the work of the Jesuits in Africa with a renewed Jesuit global ethos, it stumbled over the meaning and application of Africanization, a stated priority for the Roman Catholic Church since the time of Pope Benedict XV. This dissertation argues that prior to the creation of the Vice-Province, in 1973, Jesuits emphasized different aspects of Africanization in their two largest missions of Chad and Cameroon. French Jesuit Frédéric de Bélinay founded the Chad Mission. In the missionary context of establishing the Catholic Church in Chad, his successors Joseph du Bouchet, Paul Dalmais, Henri Véniat, and Charles Vandame adopted a “bottom-up” Africanization or vernacularization that included building churches, educating the masses, biblical and catechetical translations, and the production of grammars and religious art. The Jesuits de-Latinized the liturgy, Christianized the yondo (Chad’s initiation rite), and raised up lay personnel able to carry out the work of evangelization. They failed, however, to build a local clergy and Chadian leadership for the church. In Cameroon, with its particular context of mission devolution and nation building, the Jesuits emphasized the “top-down” Africanization of leadership. They developed the field of African Studies, and trained a Cameroonian diocesan clergy and an elite generation of public servants. However, western Jesuit missionaries generally remained unwilling to cede leadership positions to their African colleagues. The failure of European missionaries either to build a local clergy in Chad or to promote a Cameroonian leadership demonstrated an incomplete Africanization that carried over into the creation of the VPAO. The first Cameroonian Jesuits Eboussi Boulaga, Engelbert Mveng, Meinrad Hebga and Nicolas Ossama expressed great disappointment at the creation of the VPAO. They believed that the leadership and territorial map of the VPAO were symbolic of a neocolonial organization, and a setback to Africanization. Thus, the Cameroonian reception of the VPAO represented a local resistance to Jesuit globalism as defined by western ecclesial authorities. / 2022-06-30T00:00:00Z

Millions of people use mobile phone banking daily, and business leaders should understand the factors influencing mobile phone banking adoption among users. Based on the theory of technology acceptance model and the innovation diffusion theory, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between usefulness, ease of use, risk, cost, and mobile phone banking adoption in Burkina Faso. One hundred and six mobile phone banking users living in the city of Ouagadougou completed the online survey created to measure consumers understanding of mobile phone banking. Results of the multiple linear regression analysis indicated a statistically significant relationship between the predictor variables and mobile phone banking adoption, F(5,101) = 36.07, p < .001. Three of the predictors contributed significantly to the model, with usefulness recording the highest beta value (Ã? = .692), cost the next highest beta value (Ã? = .225), and ease of use the next highest beta value (Ã? = .173). The 4th predictor, risk, did not contribute significantly to the model, recording a negative beta value (Ã? = -.058). Results may enhance local business leaders' understanding of mobile phone banking adoption, which could result in more effective business strategies to increase the affordability, availability, and quality of mobile banking services for Burkina Faso residents. Development of the mobile phone banking industry could enable business leaders to foster access to affordable financial services for individuals and contribute to the development of Burkina Faso's local economy and trade.

Foreign-born African immigrants (FBAI) have a high rate of severe hypertension (HTN) and psychosocial-cultural factors have underlying roles in this, as in other chronic diseases. Literature lacks studies on FBAI women living with HTN. This study explored the HTN experience of FBAI women in the Washington Metropolitan area. This qualitative phenomenological study, was guided by a theoretical framework that included the Health Belief Model, Patient Centered Access to Health Care and the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping. Highly educated health care professional of 15 women participated in in-depth interviews. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis. Key findings included (a) most had a family history of HTN and believed HTN is deadly but reported going into denial after their initial diagnosis; (b) many did not practice lifestyle modifications and did not consider it a priority to take their medications as prescribed by their clinicians; (c) many preferred their ethnic foods to American food; (d) many used herbs from West Africa, though some were concerned about long-term side effects; (e) many had medical insurance and easy access to HTN services, but reported that clinicians did not listen to their concerns or provide culturally appropriate guidance; and (f) some recommended that HTN treatment services for FBAI should be designed better to address cultural patterns of communication, diet and exercise. The results of this study may contribute to social change by offering more culturally sensitive HTN services that would likely increase treatment compliance among FBAI women

The Economic Community of West African StatQs (ECOWAS) was established by treaty in 1975 to promote the economic and political well-being of its 16 regional members. As a coordinated effort of geographically associated states ECOWAS joins an expanding group of regional integration schemes created by developing countries. As an international organization with some claim to supranational authority the success of the ECOWAS scheme is of practical and theoretical importance. Success in this sense implies an increasing level of interaction among the ECOWAS members and the development of a regional economic and political position toward non-member states. This coordination of member states' national policy within a regionally constituted political body offers an interesting laboratory for the examination of regional integration efforts. This paper seeks to establish the degree of integration achieved by the ECOWAS members to date and to chart the progress of that integration over time.