School dropout remains a major obstacle to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 in low-income and fragile contexts, where it reinforces intergenerational poverty and social inequalities. In Burkina Faso, rural poverty, insecurity, and gendered social norms combine to produce persistent dropout, particularly in hard-to-reach areas. This article examines how machine learning models can be integrated into routine education data systems to support early detection and prevention of primary school dropout. Using administrative data on 12,217 pupils from 55 schools taking part in the KIX-SEEDS ‘Une classe dans la main’ initiative (2024-2025), six supervised algorithms were evaluated on a modelling cohort of 11,365 pupils, including 200 cases of school dropout, using training, validation and test sets comprising separate schools. Despite the rarity of the events, administrative data enabled...

Cowpea is widely cultivated legume in Burkina Faso. However, rainfall fluctuation and soil poverty are major constraints to its production. This study aimed to identify superior cowpea genotypes combining favorable agronomic traits and earliness. To achieve this, 52 MAGIC genotypes and two checks were planted using an alpha lattice design with two replications at Kamboinsé, Farako-Bâ, and Saria during the 2019 and 2022 rainy seasons. The likelihood ratio test applied to the restricted maximum likelihood model showed a significant genotype × environment interaction for grain yield, hundred-seed weight, and days to 95% maturity. Heritability on genotype-mean basis (h²mg), reflecting genotypic efficiency in multi-environment trials, was low for grain yield (0.28) and high for maturity (0.67) and hundred-seed weight (0.77). AMMI analysis revealed significant mean squares for the first four i...

This study aimed to evaluate the qualitative phytochemical profile of the hydroethanolic extract of Annona senegalensis leaves and to validate its biological properties. High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) analysis, quantification of phytochemical compounds, followed by in vivo evaluation of antioxidant, analgesic and neuroprotective activities were performed using standardized methods. HPTLC analysis revealed a rich profile of phenolic and terpenic compounds, with rutin and quercitrin identified as prominent constituents and further confirmed by spectrophotometric quantification. The confirmed phytochemical profile is closely correlated with in vitro antioxidant properties (IC50 of 27.81 ± 2.35 µg/mL) and significant inhibition of lipid peroxidation (70.84 ± 2.06%). The extract was well tolerated and showed anxiolytic and analgesic effects without producing sedation. The...

Background Access to Family Planning (FP) services remains limited in many low-income countries, particularly in Burkina Faso. Understanding the availability, readiness, and geographic accessibility of contraceptive services is essential to improve delivery and utilization. Methods We conducted a secondary data analysis from two databases linked using geospatial information. The Harmonized Health Facility Assessment (HHFA) facility census was performed in 3,056 health facilities in Burkina Faso. A nationally representative female population-based survey was also conducted with 6,947 women in reproductive age by the Performance Monitoring for Action (PMA). The indicators on FP services included the offering, the provision of short- and long-acting methods, the availability and the accessibility to the facility offering any contraceptive method. Women were linked to the nearest health fac...

Amaranthus sp. (amaranth) is a versatile plant whose grains have significant agri-food and nutritional potential, yet remain underutilized in Burkina Faso. Therefore, with a view to promoting the use of amaranth grains, an evaluation of grain productivity of 15 elite genotypes was conducted during the 2024 growing season. This evaluation was conducted in three locations (Loudan, Gampela, and Farako-Bâ) using a completely randomized Fisher's block design. The data collected covered 10 variables primarily related to growth, phenology, and yield. The collected data were subjected to a two-factor analysis of variance (genotypes and location) followed by Newman-Keuls comparison. The results revealed a highly significant difference (P < 0.01) among genotypes for all agronomic traits evaluated. A highly significant effect of location on the agronomic performance of the genotypes was observed. F...

Agroecological innovation can support vegetable farmers in responding to climate change and market instability, yet such innovations remain insufficiently documented, limiting their wider adoption. This study analysed agroecological innovations observed on vegetable farms in Burkina Faso with the aim of supporting their scaling up. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 75 participants, comprising 67 producers and 8 key informants selected through purposive sampling. Data collection focused on changes in agroecological vegetable-farming activities, including production, resource management, and marketing. Thematic analysis was used to identify innovations, assess their adoption rates by locality, and establish a typology according to their intrinsic nature and intensity. A total of 32 innovations were identified across several activity areas. Adoption varied among localities in r...

Photovoltaic (PV) generators often require module interconnection to achieve target voltage and current, but non-identical modules can introduce electrical mismatch. The use of photovoltaic (PV) installations is becoming increasingly widespread in electricity generation. The performance of these PV installations is closely linked to that of the PV modules, which present electrical performance issues. Connecting them in series or in parallel helps to improve their electrical performance (voltage and current). This study experimentally compares the electrical performance of asymmetric series and parallel couplings of non-identical monocrystalline silicon PV modules under outdoor, unshaded conditions. The objective of this work is to conduct a comparative study of the electrical performance of different combinations of PV modules. The internal electrical parameters (Rs, Rsh, FF, η) of serie...

Cet article développe et fait la validation de premier niveau d'une échelle d'orientation des néo-bacheliers et des étudiants. La première étape d'élaboration des items s'inspire de l'échelle originale des ancres de carrière de E. H. Schein (1978 ; 1990) dont l'adaptation, l'examen et la contextualisation par un comité d’experts et des étudiants et le prétest ont permis d'assurer une validité de contenu de ce nouvel outil. En s'appuyant sur les trois premières étapes de ce processus à travers l’élaboration d’une liste préliminaire d’items, leur examen et réduction par des enseignants experts (N = 02) et des étudiants (N = 31), ainsi que leur prétest cognitif avec trois groupes de discussion, cela a permis de renforcer la validité de contenu de l’échelle. L’analyse des données quantitatives recueillies auprès d’un échantillon de 345 néo-bacheliers issus de différentes localités du Burkina...

This article develops a compartmental mathematical model to investigate the impact of excessive social media use on the academic performance of higher education students. Students who are heavily subscribed are classified ‘infected or addicted’ individuals. Their influence on the other naive non-subscribers leading them to become one and by self-curiosity are defined as direct and indirect transmission routes, respectively. The model incorporates two primary control interventions: early awareness programs and continuous regulation of accessibility. Qualitative and numerical analyses of the model dynamics are thus carried out investigating the effectiveness and the benefits of these control measures. The results suggest that a combined strategy, implementing both control interventions at optimal efficacy levels, significantly reduces the ‘addiction’ rate, thereby fostering a healthier aca...

The leaves of Capparis sepiaria and Maerua angolensis are consumed by some populations in Burkina Faso and are traditionally associated with gastrointestinal uses. This study evaluated the anti-ulcer and analgesic activities of aqueous leaf extracts of both plants in mice. Gastroprotective activity was assessed using ethanol-induced gastric ulcer models under acute and chronic conditions, while analgesic activity was evaluated using acetic acid-induced abdominal contortions. In the acute model, Capparis sepiaria extract at 500 mg/kg produced 92% protection of the gastric mucosa, compared with 96% for sucralfate. The ulcer index decreased from 10 at 300 mg/kg to 4.83 at 500 mg/kg for Capparis sepiaria. In the chronic model, the ulcer index decreased from 0.83 in the ulcer control to 0.08 with selected extract treatments, and extracts of both plants showed a better healing of ulcer lesions...