Welcome to UGSpace
UGSpace is the institutional repository of the University of Ghana. UGSpace is an open access electronic archive for the collection, preservation and distribution of digital materials to:
- facilitate the deposit of digital content of a scholarly or heritage nature
- and ultimately share, preserve and promote the intellectual output of the University in a managed environment.
results
Discover Items
Communities in UGSpace
Select a community to browse its collections.
- Review books or articles provide a critical and constructive analysis of existing published literature in a field, through summary, analysis, and comparison, often identifying specific gaps or problems and providing recommendations for future research. These are considered as secondary literature since they generally do not present new data from the author's experimental work. Review articles can be of three types, broadly speaking: literature reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses. It also the researcher to stay abreast of new literature in the field.
- Grey literature consists of research and information produced outside conventional publishing channels, such as reports, policy briefs, working papers, and conference materials. It offers valuable insights and data that complement peer-reviewed sources, supporting research, policy, and practice.
- The J. H. Kwabena Nketia Archives preserve Ghanaian and African cultural heritage through music, oral traditions, photographs, and audiovisual collections. Guided by Professor Nketia’s vision that African traditional arts must be collected, preserved, practiced, and continually inspire creative expression, the Archives serve as a living resource for scholarship, teaching, and innovation
Recent Submissions
Item type:Item, Access status: Open Access , Illegal Mining and Sustainable Water Management in Rural Ghana: A Study of the Tain District.(University of Ghana, 2025) Ekye, E.Water insecurity is a growing concern in Ghana’s rural areas, where environmental degradation and weak governance converge to undermine sustainable resource management. In particular, the expansion of illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) poses serious threats to water systems, livelihoods, and institutional legitimacy. This study investigates the interplay between illegal mining and sustainable water governance in Ghana’s Tain District. Framed by polycentric governance theory, the research explores how institutional fragmentation, traditional authority dynamics, and civic exclusion affect water resource management in mining-affected rural communities. Despite the presence of national frameworks such as the Water Resources Commission Act and Ghana’s National Water Policy, enforcement remains weak, politicized, and poorly coordinated. Using a qualitative case study design, the study draws on in-depth interviews with 28 purposively selected participants, including institutional officials, traditional leaders, and community stakeholders. Data were thematically analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s (2022) framework. Findings reveal that illegal mining has severely degraded local water bodies such as the Tain River and Sukasu stream, increasing household water costs, health risks, and reducing agricultural productivity. Institutional actors operate in silos, while traditional authorities exhibit dual roles, either resisting or enabling mining, undermining coherent governance. Civic awareness is low, and public participation in water decision-making is minimal. The study concludes that illegal mining is not only an environmental threat but a governance crisis. Ensuring water sustainability requires integrated, inclusive reforms focused on institutional synergy, traditional leadership engagement, civic education, and viable livelihood alternativesItem type:Item, Access status: Open Access , Prospects and Challenges in the Implementation of Technical and Vocational Education and Training Policy in Ghana(University of Ghana, 2025) Wiafe-Akenten, N.A.This study explored the prospects and challenges in the implementation of the TVET policy in Ghana, with a focus on the roles and interactions of implementing agencies and key stakeholders, analyzing how these actors carry out their mandates, the operational constraints they encounter, and the emerging opportunities for strengthening policy execution and outcomes. The research further explored the potential of TVET as a pathway for Ghana’s socioeconomic advancement. Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has increasingly been recognized as a driver of human resource development and industrial transformation. In recent years, countries have introduced major reforms to strengthen the TVET sector to align it with national development priorities and Ghana is not an exception. Guided by the interpretivist research paradigm, the study adopted a qualitative research approach and employed a purposive sampling technique, drawing data from nineteen participants. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview guide and was analyzed thematically to identify emerging patterns and meanings. The findings revealed that while implementing agencies have made progress in areas such as standard setting, training, curriculum implementation and delivery, quality assurance, and stakeholder coordination remains a challenge. Sustained effectiveness across implementation is hindered by limited administrative capacity, inadequate funding, infrastructural deficits, and weak monitoring mechanisms. The institutional restructuring following the merger of multiple TVET bodies also generated transitional tensions that affected coordination and efficiency. Nonetheless, the study identified opportunities for improvement, which includes the establishment of a dedicated national TVET fund, strengthening autonomy to implementing agencies, upgrading and expanding infrastructure to meet technological advancements, and strengthening collaboration with the informal sector. The study concludes that given recent reforms, TVET holds significant prospects for Ghana in youth employment creation, skills development and industrialization, however, the realization of the full potential depends on strengthening capacity, consistency, and commitment of implementing agencies and fostering continuous stakeholder engagement for collective ownership of the policy to sustain effective implementation.Item type:Item, Access status: Open Access , Hearing Aid User Satisfaction at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (SADL).(University of Ghana, 2025) Osei, S.N.Y.Background: Communication, social interaction, and quality of life are all greatly impacted by hearing loss. The major rehabilitative treatment for sensorineural hearing loss is the use of hearing aids (HAs), however in many low-and middle-income countries, including Ghana, satisfaction and utilisation rates are still poor. Improving hearing health outcomes requires measuring user satisfaction with HA. Aims: To assess hearing aid utilization and satisfaction among users attending the Hearing Assessment Centre at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) in Accra, Ghana. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 98 hearing aid users aged 21–68 years at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. Participants completed the Satisfaction with Amplification in Daily Life (SADL) questionnaire. Data was analysed using SPSS version 22, with descriptive and inferential statistics (Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests) applied to determine associations between participant demography, characteristics and satisfaction levels. Results: Most participants (69.4%) had used their current hearing aids for a period of up to 10 years, (50.0%) of the users used them for 4-8 hours daily. The mean global satisfaction score was 4.4 ± 0.32, indicating that 67.3% of users were satisfied overall. The Service and Cost subscale recorded the highest mean score (4.9 ± 0.43), while Negative Features recorded the lowest (3.8 ± 0.73). Significant associations were found between satisfaction and age (p < 0.001), educational level (p < 0.001), employment status (p = 0.016), and daily HA usage (p = 0.018). Conclusion: Hearing aid users at the KBTH reported high levels of satisfaction regarding service quality and equipment reliability. But problems with feedback and background noise still exist. Demographic and usage parameters had an influence on satisfaction, highlighting the significance of user education and technological innovation to improve listening comfort and long-term adoption.Item type:Item, Access status: Open Access , Utilisation of Oral-Based HIV Self-Testing: Secondary Data Analysis of the HIV Self-Testing Project Implemented by Ghana HIV and Aids Network (GHANET) in 2024.(University of Ghana, 2025) Akwetey, G.T.Background: HIV self-testing (HIVST) represents a key innovation in expanding access to HIV diagnosis, particularly among populations reluctant to test at health facilities. In Ghana, oral-based HIVST kits have been widely distributed to improve early diagnosis and bridge testing gaps. However, limited evidence exists on the actual utilisation of the kits after distribution. Objective: This study assessed the utilisation of oral-based HIV self-testing kits and examine the socio demographic and behavioural factors influencing their use among recipients under the 2024 HIV Self-Testing Project implemented by the Ghana HIV and AIDS Network (GHANET). Methods: A secondary data analysis was conducted using records of 77,573 participants from all thirteen regions of implementation in Ghana. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to explore associations between socio demographic, behavioural, and promotional factors and the utilisation of HIVST kits. Results: Overall, utilisation of HIVST kits was 95.78%, indicating a high level of acceptance. The mean age of participants was 30.4 years (SD = 0.04), and 62.6% were males. Utilisation was significantly associated with age (p < 0.001), sex (p = 0.001), occupation (p < 0.001), and region (p < 0.001). Participants who had previous HIV testing experience were more likely to use the kits (AOR = 0.51, p < 0.001), while those assisted with instructional videos were over twice as likely to utilise them (AOR = 2.44, p < 0.001). Conclusion: University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The study found that utilisation of oral-based HIVST kits in Ghana was impressively high, reflecting successful implementation of the self-testing initiative. Nonetheless, variations across demographic and regional lines suggest a need for tailored behavioural support, continuous education, and targeted interventions to sustain high utilisation rates.Item type:Item, Access status: Open Access , A Stratification Method for Identifying Subgroups at High-Risk for Type 2 Diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa(Nature Communications, 2026-05-19) Iddi, S.; Adetunji, K.E.; Mathema, T.; Kisiangani, I.; et al.Type 2 diabetes is rising globally, with sub-Saharan Africa facing the steepest projected increase. In low-resource settings, limited screening contributes to high rates of undiagnosed disease, delaying intervention. Traditional risk models often rely on single-factor thresholds or population averages, which can miss combinations of demographic, anthropometric, and lifestyle factors relevant in African contexts. However, emerging evidence suggests that interactions between multiple risk factors provide more accurate, region specific characterizations of risk. We applied a multidimensional subgroup discovery algorithm to cross-sectional data from three African populations and identified combinations of risk factor cutoffs that define high-risk sub groups.Themostconsistentprofile,suchaswaist-to-hipratiogreaterthan0.9, physical activity less than or equal to 2448 metabolic equivalent-minutes per week, and family history, shows elevated risk across regions and outperforms guideline-based definitions. Here we show that core anthropometric and familial factors are stable across populations, while others are region-specific, improving predictive performance for screening.