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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:
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- 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 , Viral Disease Control Strategies Effect on Technical Efficiency of Layer Farmers in the Bono Region of Ghana(University of Ghana, 2025) Ayertey, D.Viral diseases among layer chickens threaten income of small to medium holder commercial farmers in Ghana. Strict adherence to biosecurity measures aids in controlling the spread of these diseases and hence improves production efficiency thus increasing income. Limited knowledge, high cost of chemicals, irregular veterinary visits and negligence on the part of farmers constrain farmers from implementing good biosecurity practices. The study sought to assesses technical efficiency and biosecurity practices influencing technical efficiency levels of layer production in Bono Region of Ghana. A normalized Cobb-Douglas production function is employed using cross sectional data of 161-layer producers in 2 districts (Dormaa Central and Dormaa East) in Bono Region. Inputs such as feed consumption, water consumption, vaccination and other medications and hired labour (man-days) were used and the output being crates of eggs produced per thousand birds. The study found that the quantity of feed and water consumption are the most significant factors negatively and positively affecting the egg levels of layer production. All the input variables respond positively to the output except feed consumption. Layer producers are about 92% efficient in terms of production. Majority of the farmers representing 53.3% were from the ages of 41 to 50 years with a mean age of 44 years. Layer farmers are largely dominated by males representing 81% of the sample size interviewed. However, Membership of farmer-based organizations, deworming, disinfection and rearing of other birds are the key factors that significantly explain the variations in production efficiency. Other biosecurity factors that were mentioned and mostly practiced were the use of footbath, litter disposal, deworming, frequent in house cleaning and veterinary visits on farms. The findings suggest that irregular visits by veterinary officers to farms for increased education are important. This education should focus on the significance of practicing biosecurity measures on farms. Additionally, farmers need to be educated on the early detection of viral poultry diseases and its control mechanisms. Ensuring strict adherence to combinations of biosecurity practices by layer farmers is key. These actions can lead to an increase in efficiency levels, ultimately resulting in higher output. It is recommended that, there should be implementation of comprehensive vaccination schedules and timely vaccination of birds among these farmers.Item type:Item, Access status: Open Access , Immune Or Vulnerable? African Stock Markets’ Response To U.S.–China Trade Wars And Geopolitical Tensions(Future Business Journal, 2025-11-12) Korsah, D.; Danso, S.K.This study examines the dynamic impact of the U.S.–China trade war and geopolitical risks on African stock mar ket returns. Using Wavelet Coherence analysis and the Quantile Vector Autoregression (QVAR) model, we capture both time–frequency dynamics and regime-specific connectedness. Drawing on data from seven major African stock exchanges, Geopolitical Risk (GPRI) and U.S.–China Trade Tension (UCTI) indices from January 2007 to February 2024, the results reveal that African markets are not immune but exhibit state-dependent vulnerability. During calm market conditions, trade tensions dominate as the main shock transmitter, whereas geopolitical risks become more influential in crisis periods. The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) emerges as a key transmitter of shocks, while the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) remains the largest receiver. These findings underscore the need for targeted regional risk manage ment and coordinated policy responses to enhance Africa’s financial resilience against external shocks.Item type:Item, Access status: Open Access , Essays on The Nexus Between Corporate Governance, Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Profitability: Empirical Evidence from Listed Firms in Africa(University of Ghana, 2025) Appiah, K. P.Corporate governance (CG) structures and corporate social responsibility (CSR) have been proposed as mechanisms through which firms can promote corporate profitability. However, the key issues that remain unclarified in the empirical literature, are whether or not corporate governance structures have same effects across sectors and across stakeholder and shareholder profits, whether or not there is a short-run and long-run effects of CSR on shareholder and stakeholder profits across different sectors and whether or not there is a non-linear and synergetic effects of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on corporate profitability, particularly within the context of listed firms across different sectors in Africa. This thesis, therefore, focuses on investigating the nexus between corporate governance structures, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and the interactions between CSR dimensions on stakeholder and shareholder profits in African listed firms across different sectors. The thesis employs a dynamic Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) panel data strategy of 369 listed firms in Africa between 2006 and 2020. The first study specifically examines corporate governance structures and finds that their effects on stakeholder and shareholder profits vary significantly across sectors. It emphasizes that corporate governance structures should be sector-specific to enhance profitability and highlights the persistent benefits of corporate governance in the long run, except for the Consumer Staple and Consumer Discretionary sectors. The second study investigates the effects of CSR on shareholder and stakeholder profits. It reveals that different CSR activities have varying effects across sectors. Governance-related CSR benefits stakeholder and shareholder profits in financial and consumer staple sectors, while social-related CSR enhances profits in Africa as a whole, financial, and consumer discretionary sectors. Environmental related CSR only improves profits in the full sample and consumer discretionary sector. The study emphasizes the need for sector-specific CSR guidelines and careful selection of CSR activities. The third study explores the non-linear and synergetic effects of CSR on profitability. It identifies an inverted non-linear threshold effect of social and governance CSR on shareholder profitability, suggesting that excessive CSR activities can harm shareholder profitability beyond a certain threshold. Synergies are found between social and governance CSR on shareholder profitability and between social and environmental CSR on stakeholder profitability. The study highlights the importance of cautious selection and coordination of CSR activities, as well as the positive long-term effects of CSR on profitability. This thesis makes several contributions in the literature: First, it enriches the empirical and theoretical literature by addressing and providing new insights on the nexus between corporate governance and shareholder and stakeholder profitability especially regarding the varying effect of corporate governance structures not only across stakeholder and shareholder profitability, and also across sectors and industries, as well as the short-run and long-run relationships in the nexus. Secondly, providing evidence on the heterogeneous effect of CSR and firm profitability across different sectors and across shareholder and stakeholder profits, as well as ascertaining evidence on the short-run and long run effects of CSR on shareholder and stakeholder profits. Thirdly, by seminally, providing evidence of a non-linear threshold effect of CSR, which can inform practitioners and managers of the extent/level beyond/below which CSR yields positive and or negative effects on shareholder and stakeholder profitability. Likewise, for the purpose of providing justification and incentive for CSR expanding, the study attempts to show how that CSR benefits exist in the future/long-run.Item type:Item, Access status: Open Access , Dynamics of Soil Organic Carbon and Microbial Activities Under Different Land-Use and Agro-Ecological Zones of Ghana(University of Ghana, 2022) Asamoah-Bediako, A.Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays major roles in maintaining soil productivity, especially in tropical agriculture, where the application of external inputs is low. The SOC stock is affected by a host of factors such as land-use, soil type, organic resource addition and the dynamics of SOC under varying climate conditions. It is the aim of the study to as sess the impact of land-use type: namely, forest or uncultivated lands (UC), cultivated lands (CT), and woodlot (WL) under different agro-ecological zones on the dynamics of SOC and microbial activities in some Ghanaian soils. The assessment of the SOC com position involved the determination of a range of chemical SOC fractions including (i) hot water extractable C (HWEOC), (ii) potassium permanganate extractable organic C (POX-C), (iii) acid hydrolysable (HCl-C) and (iv) non-acid hydrolysable (non-HCl-C). Biological fractionation included microbial biomass C (MBCmic) and N (MBNmic). Other SOC dynamics were characterized by the basal respiration (BR), metabolic quo tient (qCO2), microbial quotient (qMIC), mineralization quotient (qM) and carbon min eralized (Cmin) in a 365-day incubation study. The cumulative C mineralized during the incubation study was fitted to the first order double exponential models that separate C pools into potential mineralizable C (C0), labile pool (C1) and recalcitrant pool (C2) with their respective turn-over rates (k, k1 and k2) and half-lives (t1/2). The kinetic parameters from the first order equation were correlated with the chemical and biological fractions of C, and the microbial indices correlated with the organic C fractions. The results showed that land-use systems affected the various C pools, with the forest or uncultiv ated system recording the highest total C (TC) stocks, HWEOC, POX-C, MBCmic, MBN mic and C mineralization. Regarding agro-ecological zones, the savannah zones (Interior, Coastal) recorded lower values of total C, and MBCmic, but higher C values in HWEOC, POX-C, and HCl-C. The MBCmic and MBNmic values followed the order uncultivated > woodlot > cultivated across the land-uses systems. With respect to agro-ecological zones, the highest MBCmic and MBNmic were recorded for the Forest-savannah transition zone followed by the Semi-deciduous forest zone. The MBCmic was positively and sig nificantly correlated with the POX-C (r = 0.245*), TC (r = 0.475***), BR (r = 0.541***) and qMIC (r = 0.715***), but negatively significantly correlated with qCO2 (r = 0.715***). Curve fitted to the incubation data showed that the cultivated land-use of the Interior savannah zone recorded the lowest C0 values, whereas the Semi-deciduous zone recorded the highest C0. Most of the C were estimated to be in the Cs (recalcitrant pool) with high half-life. The C0 was positively correlated with POX-C (r = 0.743****), HWEOC (r = 0.540****), HCl-C (r = 0.663***), non-HCl-C (r = 0.614***), Cmin (r = 0.984***). The CMI recorded the highest value in UC and WL soils. It was concluded that the conversion of UC lands to CT resulted in a rapid decline in C stored in soils, shifting the hitherto conserved C to labile and recalcitrant forms. Labile fractions of SOC showed a rapid response to land-use changes and can thus be used as a sensitive indicator of SOC dynamics.Item type:Item, Access status: Open Access , Risk Assessment of Radioactivity Levels in Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) Along the Nzima Coastline of Ghana(University of Ghana, 2024) Nyarko, B. E.Evaluation of naturally occurring radioactive material concentrations was conducted to establish the radioactivity levels of 238U, 232Th, 228Th, 226Ra, 228Ra and 40K in sea water, sand, and sediment along the coastal area of Western Ghana. The corresponding health hazards and risk associated with exposure to these radionuclides were also assessed. The findings from this study contributes to the environmental impact assessment and provide baseline information to assist in the selection of a site for the building of the planned nuclear power plant in Ghana. The radioactivity concentrations were determined by gamma and alpha spectrometry analyses using a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector and an alpha analyst, respectively. The total samples collected were 80 beach sand samples, 80 sea sediment samples and 80 sea water samples. The results of activity concentration in the beach sand samples using the high- resolution gamma-ray spectrometry was 21.97±3.6 Bqkg-1 for 238U; 22.41±4.5 Bqkg-1 for 232Th; 344.98±90.7 Bqkg-1 for 40K and 21.31±1.8 Bqkg-1 for 226Ra; 20.65±6.4 Bqkg-1 for 228Ra and 20.42±2.4 Bqkg-1 for 228Th. The results of the sediment samples were 21.24±3.8 Bqkg-1 for 238U; 21.77±3.7 Bqkg-1 for 232Th; 305.54±68.4 Bqkg 1 for 40K and 19.00±1.4 Bqkg-1 for 226Ra; 16.54±4.6 Bqkg-1 for 228Ra and 26.86±2.9 Bqkg-1 for 228Th. The sea water samples also provided values of 1.55±0.6 BqL-1 for 238U; 2.05±0.5 BqL-1 for 232Th; 11.83±1.6 BqL-1 for 40K and 0.86±0.1 BqL-1 for 226Ra and 2.65±0.4 BqL-1 for 228Th. The calculated average activity concentration of beach sand samples using alpha spectrometry analysis for 232Th, 238U, 234U and 230Th were 1.10 ±0.3 Bq.kg-1, 2.02±0.6 Bq.kg-1, 1.34±0.7 Bq.kg-1, and 1.66±0.8 Bq.kg-1, respectively. That of the sea sediment were estimated to be 2.69±0.4 Bq.kg-1, 3.11±0.8 Bq.kg-1, 1.53±0.6 Bq.kg-1, and 2.23±0.8 Bq.kg-1 for 232Th, 238U, 234U and 230Th, respectively. The estimated average absorbed dose rate (D), radium equivalent activity (Raeq) and the annual gonadal dose (AGD), for beach sand samples were 36.62 nGyy-1, 77.12 Bqkg-1, and 259.85 μSvy 1 , respectively. The estimated average annual effective dose (AED) from soil samples was 0.11 mSv y-1, which is below the recommended value of 1 mSv y-1 for the public. The external hazard index (H𝑒𝑥𝑡) and the internal hazard index for beach sand were 0.21 and 0.27, respectively. The activity utilization index and the representative level index also gave average values of 0.47 and 0.11, respectively. The estimated mean cancer risk for beach sand was 0.17×10-3. The estimated absorbed dose rate (D) for sea sediment was 35.41 nGyy-1, while the mean value obtained for radium equivalent activity (Raeq) was 75.29 Bqkg-1. The average estimated annual effective dose (AED) from soil samples was 0.11 mSv y-1. The average estimated annual gonadal dose (AGD) was 250.55 μSvy-1. The external hazard index (H𝑒𝑥𝑡) and the internal hazard index recorded mean values of 0.20 and 0.26, respectively. On the other hand, the activity utilization index and the representative level index recorded average values of 0.48 and 0.12, respectively. All the hazard indices show that the samples from the western coast area do not pose any significant hazard. The Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk (ELCR) of sea sediment was 0.15×10-3 which is within the globally accepted reference level of 0.29×10-3 as recommended by UNSCEAR. These values suggest that the risk of cancer due to exposure to these radionuclides is minimal for the coastal population. An empirical model was developed using statistical techniques in R programming to assess the risk of exposure to Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) along the coastal areas of Western Ghana. The analysis focused on determining the relationships between key radionuclides, using a multiple linear regression approach. The 228Ra radionuclide was set as the dependent variable, while 232Th, 228Th, and 40K were the independent variables. R code scripts were employed for data manipulation, regression analysis, and diagnostic checks. The output of the model provided the intercept and coefficients for the predictor variables, highlighting that 232Th had the strongest positive influence on 228Ra levels, while 40K had an insignificant impact. Statistical diagnostics such as p-values, R-squared, and adjusted R-squared values were calculated to evaluate the model's fit, revealing that the model explained 99.36% of the variability in 228Ra concentrations which suggests its close relationship to the predictor variables. Residual diagnostics, correlation tests, and multicollinearity assessments were also performed to ensure the model's validity and to interpret the relationships among radionuclides accurately. The overall codebase supported effective data analysis, provided a robust predictive model for radiation risk assessment, and stressed on the need for targeted monitoring of key radionuclides, particularly 232Th, to ensure effective management of NORM-related risks in the western coast of Ghana.