ABSTRACT
Health promotion has now become a major field of reflection and intervention within public health. It reflects a gradual shift from an essentially biomedical conception of health towards a comprehensive approach that takes into account the social, economic, cultural, political and environmental dimensions of health and illness processes. This course offers a sociological perspective on health promotion, considering it not merely as a technical approach to health intervention, but as a social, institutional, political and relational process. In particular, it seeks to understand how material living conditions, social positions, power relations, available resources and collective representations contribute to producing differentiated health outcomes. The course is organised around four complementary areas: the conceptual and ethical foundations of health promotion; the actors involved and institutional dynamics; the social, economic and environmental determinants of health; and, finally, intervention methodologies and strategies. Particular attention is given to empowerment, community participation, health democracy, intersectoral collaboration and action research. The overarching pedagogical aim is to enable students to understand the social mechanisms underlying the production of health inequalities and to develop the critical capacity required to analyse, design and evaluate health promotion policies and interventions.

ABSTRACT
Africa, despite its minimal contribution to the global greenhouse gases emissions, is disproportionally affected by climate change. This crisis primary driven by human activities, manifest in unpredictable weather patterns, decline in food production and livestock numbers, spread of vector-borne diseases, and melting ice caps. Despite awareness of the causes and impacts, the situation persists. This article argues that ethical leadership and sustainable development are crucial for addressing Africa’s climate challenges. Its analysis is based on two philosophical ethical theories: utilitarian ethical theory and deontological ethical theory. Utilitarian ethics, emphasizing the greatest good for the greatest number, guides leaders in making decisions that benefit the majority of their citizens through sustainable practices. Deontological ethics, focusing on moral duty and respect for individuals and future generations, underscores the need for ethical leadership that prioritizes environmental protection. By combining these ethical frameworks, this paper proposes a model for ethical leadership in Africa. This approach, informed by utilitarian ethics, deontological theory, and Plato’s concept of philosopher-king, provides a foundation for effective environmental protection and sustainable development, ensuring a more equitable and resilient future for Africa.

ABSTRACT
This study interrogates the interrelations between religious practices, spirituality and biomedical health-care seeking in the management of prostate cancer in Côte d’Ivoire (Abidjan), within a context characterised by therapeutic pluralism and the pronounced salience of religion. The central problematisation examines how socially and spiritually constructed symbolic meanings of illness shape patients’ care trajectories. The objective is to understand how faith, religious beliefs and spiritual practices influence therapeutic decision-making, medical adherence, and the temporalities of engagement with health services. Employing a qualitative methodology, the study draws on semi-structured interviews with men living with prostate cancer, health-care professionals and religious leaders, complemented by an interpretative discourse analysis. Findings indicate that the illness is frequently construed as a spiritual trial, a sanction, or a divine test, legitimising concurrent or alternating recourse to prayer, religious interventions and biomedical care. The discussion highlights logics of complementarity, alongside tensions between medical rationality and religious rationality. In conclusion, the study underscores the social utility of an integrative approach to care that is attentive to patients’ symbolic universes, thereby enhancing therapeutic adherence and the effectiveness of prostate cancer control policies in Côte d’Ivoire.

ABSTRACT
This study analyzes the factors explaining the reluctance of the population to formalize sharecropping contracts in the village of Abradine 1, Mé region, Côte d'Ivoire. Despite land tenure security initiatives implemented by the Ivorian government through the Rural Land Agency (AFOR) and the PAMOFOR project, the formalization rate remains very low: only five contracts formalized out of a target of four hundred and fifty. The objective is to understand to what extent social perceptions of formalization influence acceptance or rejection of this mechanism. The study relies on a qualitative approach grounded in documentary research, direct observation, twenty-six semi-structured interviews, and four focus groups conducted with the main land stakeholders in the village, analyzed through a systems approach, critical institutionalism, and social embeddedness theory. The results reveal four distinct logics underlying perceptions of formalization. A minority of stakeholders view it as a legal security mechanism that prevents land disputes and protects intergenerational agreements. The majority favor customary mechanisms based on trust, the spoken word, and the authority of traditional chiefs. These positions are complemented by a critique of the mechanism's concrete implementation and a stance of pragmatic detachment linked to the absence of a perceived benefit. The study concludes that reluctance operates simultaneously at three levels, normative, procedural, and pragmatic, stemming from the coexistence of state and customary norms compounded by a deficit of institutional trust. The effectiveness of land policies therefore depends on their capacity to integrate local systems of legitimacy, ensure transparency of procedures, and strengthen the participation of community stakeholders.

ABSTRACT
Mobile phone applications have increasingly been developed to support prevention, reporting and response to violence against women (VAW). However, the availability of digital tools does not necessarily translate into awareness or use, particularly in informal urban settlements where poverty, unequal access to technology and social stigma may constrain digital help-seeking. This study examined awareness and use of mobile phone applications addressing VAW in Mathare, Nairobi City County, Kenya. The study was guided by Resource Theory and Social Exchange Theory and used an exploratory mixed-methods design. The study targeted residents of Hospital and Utalii wards and included women, men and key informants involved in VAW response. A general sample of 200 respondents was planned; 185 completed structured questionnaires, while 15 key informant interviews and two focus group discussions involving 20 participants were completed. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data were analysed thematically. Physical violence (22.4% among women and 13.3% among men) and sexual violence (16% among women and 10% among men) were the most prevalent forms reported. Smartphone ownership was relatively high among respondents, at 59% for women and 63.3% for men, but awareness of VAW-specific applications was low: only 30% of women and 26% of men who owned smartphones reported awareness of such applications. Use was lower still. Key barriers included limited digital literacy, language barriers, financial dependence, privacy and security concerns, and inadequate network access. Respondents identified digital literacy initiatives, simple interfaces, multilingual and secure applications, mobile-phone acquisition initiatives, trusted institutional partnerships and community-based access as important strategies. The study concludes that improving digital responses to VAW in Mathare requires more than increasing access to smartphones. It requires an integrated

ABSTRACT
Boda-boda transport has emerged as one of the most significant socio-economic innovations in contemporary Kenya. It has transformed the mobility of people and goods, created widespread employment for young men and women, and contributed to the growth of local economies. Despite its immense value, the sector is increasingly associated with indiscipline, lawlessness, and moral decline. Riders frequently disregard traffic regulations, contribute to rising road accidents, and in some cases engage in criminal activities. This dual character of the boda-boda sector presents a complex moral dilemma that demands more than technical solutions. This paper employs Structural Functionalism and African Communitarian Ethical Theory (Ubuntu) to examine the socio-economic importance of boda-boda transport and its attendant moral challenges. Structural Functionalism provides a framework for understanding how boda-boda transport functions as a social system that both stabilizes and destabilizes society, while African Communitarian Ethics offers a moral lens grounded in the sacredness of life, communal harmony, and moral responsibility. The paper argues that the crisis of indiscipline in the boda-boda sector reflects a deeper moral and spiritual disorder that can only be addressed through a combination of structural regulation and moral reawakening. It concludes that reorienting boda-boda transport towards communal responsibility and respect for life, inspired by African religious values, can transform the sector into a moral and developmental asset for the nation.

ABSTRACT
This paper focuses on the Bamenda Grassfields regalia, a potent symbol of cultural identity in Cameroon’s North-West Region. This regalia has played a significant socio-cultural, political and economic role from inception. The paper therefore unveils its origin, distinctive characteristics, reasons for the observable transformational trends, implications of these mutations on the cultural identity of Bamenda Grassfielders and proposes sustainable strategies for safeguarding its authenticity and cultural integrity amid the growing influence of modern technology, contemporary fashion trends and globalization. The paper argues that although the Bamenda traditional regalia is undergoing numerous transformational trends, it has retained its historical authenticity which converges with the projection of Grassfields cultural identity while continuing to retain its strength as a symbol of national integration in Cameroon. To ensure a logical presentation of data, the chronological-cum thematic approaches were used in analyzing information gathered through qualitative and quantitative approaches. The results of our investigations revealed four main issues: That the regalia was well preserved until recently; that it witnessed changes in its designs and usage; that the transformational trends significantly affected the integrity of the attire; and that the regalia inspires and depicts cultural identity and national unity in Cameroon.