| Abstract | Welcome to Volume 2, Number 1 of Journal of African Development Studies. JADS is conceived and born out of a dire need to address theories, philosophies and practices of development issues in Africa. Articles pertinent to this presented with strong conviction to continue and support development endeavors in the continent. To this end, in this edition, four articles were selected after we had gone thorough a stringent evaluation. The selected papers capture topical issues of interest to scholars, practicing managers and policy makers in Africa.
In the first paper, Mpofu has succinctly presented factors that led to the slowing down of tourism performance in Zimbabwe, 2000-2005. The study is justified on the basis that understanding the tourism trends is vital in measuring the performance of the industry. The decline was so significant that the country was relegated from 4th position to 10th among the destination in Africa. The study attributed the downturn in demand to several political & economical factors. Among these, breakdown of the rule of law; lack of democracy and racial polarization are the case in points. Thus, Mpofu has suggested that Zimbabwe needs to drastically change the county?s current image as perceived by the outside world and restore the confidence of the traveling public.
Edwin has also raised basic questions what casual interface between unemployment, slums youth, poverty and vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. Countries like Ethiopia and Kenya were seen as they have poor city residents and an increasing urbanization and high HIV/AIDS prevalence. In other words, the study sought to capture the interface of slum deprivation and tendency of risky sexual behavior among slum youth in Addis Ababa & Nairobi cities of Ethiopia and Kenya respectively. He found that there is a casual relationship between unemployment, slum youth, poverty and vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. Thus, the need to treat slum youth as a subpopulation uniquely vulnerable to reproductive health problems and to expand more recourse in slums settings.
Daydanandan and Haileselassie, on the other hand, have presented the major socioeconomic and institutional factors that affect loan repayment capacity of small farmers in Tigray national State. The study revealed that level of education; loan amount; experience in credit use; livestock ownership; appropriateness of repayment period and off farm and non-farm income are factors positively and significantly affect loan repayment performance. The have suggested that government, cooperative NGOs are to play their own role in reducing the price of farm inputs as well as diversification of non-farm and off ?farm activities for additional income of the family. They added that more attention should be given to the livestock sectors in the areas of feed recourse improvement and management; control/prevent animal diseases and parasites as well as development of marketing facilities for animal and animal products.
The last paper analyzes on transportation for sustainable socioeconomic development in African cities in the new millennium. Belew added that transport development and their impact on the environment are the major issues. A possible solution for traffic congestion, accident and environmental problems in the new Millennium should consist of strict policy. Regulating vehicles, infrastructure, and behavior (education, prevention, awareness, and repression) should be a primary work of national and local governments in Africa
Finally, we continue to appreciate the help of the Ethiopian Civil Service College for the financial support, and the peer reviewers and editors who have helped evaluate manuscript and make sure they are of the highest possible quality.
The Editor-in-Chief
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