SDGs Collaborative Research Unit Exploration of Practical Wisdom and Resilience Overcoming Downside Risk
-Collecting grassroots voices in Africa under COVID-19

Policy recommendation

“Recommendations for infectious disease control in sub-Saharan Africa”

Events

Final symposium

Second Symposium

Conference on “Innovative resilience: African peasants’ local remedies in the face of COVID-19”in Harare, Zimbabwe

Workshop at Stellenbosch University, South Africa

Second round table meeting at the Japan Society for Afrasian Studies (JSAS) Annual Conference 2023

Research forum at the 60th Annual Conference of the Japan Association for African Studies

First Symposium

First round table meeting at the Japan Society for Afrasian Studies (JSAS) Annual Conference 2022

Presentations

Hanai, Kazuyo “Research report” (International Symposium on Hitachi Fund Support for Research Related to Infectious Diseases- Initiatives and Insights Learned in Infectious Disease Control from the COVID-19 Pandemic Experience-, 26th February 2025)

Ohira, Wakiko “Politicization of COVID-19 in Uganda: a critical reflection on government interventions and citizens’ perceptions” (Ritsumeikan University, 26th September 2024)

Hosoi, Tomohiro, Scarlett Cornelissen, and Chizuko Sato “Risk perceptions, resilience and evaluation of government policies during the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Africa: A Study of the middle class” (6th South Africa-Japan University Forum (SAJU 6), 27th August 2024)

Otchia, C. S. “Beliefs and Shots: Understanding the Dynamics of Faith, Religion, and Misinformation in COVID-19 Vaccination Uptake in Ethiopia.” (Second Symposium, 9th February 2024)

Ohira, Wakiko “Examining Grassroots Perceptions of Government Interventions during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Uganda” (Second Symposium, 9th February 2024)

Hosoi, Tomohiro “Middle-Class Experience of COVID-19 in South Africa” (Second Symposium, 9th February 2024)

Hosoi, Tomohiro “Risk Perception and Evaluation of Government Policies During COVID-19 Pandemic in South Africa” (The Japan Society for Afrasian Studies (JSAS) Annual Conference, 7th October 2023)

SSALI, Vick Lukwago “The Politicization of COVID-19 in Uganda: A Critical Reflection on Government Interventions, Associated Risks, and Resilience Levels.” (JSAS Annual Conference, 7th October 2023)

Hanai, Kazuyo “Risk trade-offs in COVID-19 policy” (The 60th Japan Association for African Studies (JAAS) Annual Conference, 13rd May 2023)

Otchia, C. S. “Risk Perceptions of COVID-19 in Africa: Belief, Values, and Personality” (The 60th JAAS Annual Conference, 13rd May 2023)

Kinyua, Laban Kithinji “The COVID-19 Disruptions in Kenya’s Higher Education: Closure, Fatigue, and Paths” (The 60th JAAS Annual Conference, 13rd May 2023)

Muchetu, R. G. et al. “Farmerʼs perception of the effects of COVID 19 on agricultural markets and livelihoods in Zimbabwe” (The 60th JAAS Annual Conference, 13rd May 2023)

Otchia, C. S. “Exploration of Practical Wisdom and Resilience Overcoming Downside Risk -Collecting grassroots voices in Africa under COVID-19” (JSAS Annual Conference, 9th July 2022）

Articles

Hanai, K., C. S. Otchia, L. K. Kinyua, & R. G. Muchetu (2023). The 60th JAAS Annual Conference, Forum Report “Exploration of Practical Wisdom and Resilience Overcoming Downside Risk: Collecting Grassroots Voices in Africa under COVID-19”. Journal of African Studies, 2023(104), pp.41-56.

Kinyua, L. K., O. Mubangizi, & M. Obare (2025). We Hustled, We Emerged Stronger: Students’ Resilience in Countering the Risks of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Kenya and Tanzania. in Practical Wisdom and Resilience Overcoming Downside Risk: Grassroots Voices in Africa Under COVID-19, pp.111-129, Springer.

Muchetu, R. G. & W. Chambati (2025). Peasants Survive Again: Risk Perception and Implications for COVID-19 Resilience in Urban and Rural Areas of Zimbabwe. in Practical Wisdom and Resilience Overcoming Downside Risk: Grassroots Voices in Africa Under COVID-19, pp.63-90, Springer.

Otchia, C. S. (2025). Establishing Misinformation as a Key Downside Risk in COVID-19 Vaccination: Evidence from Ethiopia. in Practical Wisdom and Resilience Overcoming Downside Risk: Grassroots Voices in Africa Under COVID-19, pp.131-150, Springer.

Otchia, C. S. & K. Hanai (2025). Risk Perceptions of COVID-19 in Seven African Countries. in Practical Wisdom and Resilience Overcoming Downside Risk: Grassroots Voices in Africa Under COVID-19, pp.25-36, Springer.

Otchia, C. S., K. Hanai, J. C. Maswana, & A. Ishikawa (2025). Resilience Under Pressure: The Impact of COVID-19 on Self-Esteem Among Vulnerable Women in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. in Practical Wisdom and Resilience Overcoming Downside Risk: Grassroots Voices in Africa Under COVID-19, pp.151-169, Springer.

Sato, C., S. Cornelissen, & T. Hosoi (2025). Risk Perception and Evaluation of Government Policies During COVID-19 Pandemic in South Africa. in Practical Wisdom and Resilience Overcoming Downside Risk: Grassroots Voices in Africa Under COVID-19, pp.37-62, Springer.

Ssali, V. L., W. Ohira, D. Musinguzi, & N. J. Musoke (2025). Politicization of COVID-19 in Uganda: A Critical Reflection on Government Interventions and Citizens’ Perceptions. in Practical Wisdom and Resilience Overcoming Downside Risk: Grassroots Voices in Africa Under COVID-19, pp.91-109, Springer.

Books

Awards