Browsing by Author "Oteng-Ababio, M."

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Application of theory of planned behaviour to households’ source separation behaviour in Ghana
(Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, 2018-01) Alhassan, H.; Asante, F.A.; Oteng-Ababio, M.; Bawakyillenuo, S.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that encourage households’ source separation behaviour in Accra and Tamale Metropolises in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach Using a cross-sectional design, 855 households of Ghana were interviewed based on the theoretical framework of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). The ordered probit regression model was employed to examine the factors that influence households’ source separation intention. Findings The results indicated that educational attainment of head of household, total income of household, occupation type of household head, information, past experience with source separation, inconvenience in terms of time, space and availability of formal source separation scheme, attitude, subjective norm and the location of the respondents significantly predicted households’ solid waste separation intentions. Research limitations/implications The cross-sectional design does not determine causality but an association. Thus, future studies should examine actual household waste separation behaviour by using the experimental design to test the TPB model. Practical implications To promote solid waste separation at source, the public should be educated and provided with solid waste separation schemes that are efficient and compatible with households’ preference. Originality/value This study was partly motivated by the fact that despite the benefits associated with source separation, little attention has been given to formal source separation in Ghana. Moreover, there are limited studies on source separation behaviour in Ghana using the TPB as the theoretical framework.
Assessing rural communities concerns for improved climate change adaptation strategies in Northern Ghana
(Journal of Disaster Research, 2014-08) Samaddar, S.; Yokomatsu, M.; Dzivenu, T.; Oteng-Ababio, M.; Adams, M.R.; Dayour, F.; Ishikawa, H.
Northern Ghana is becoming vulnerable to risks induced by climate change. There is an urgent need to improve communities' ability to cope by implementing risk-preventive measures at the household and community levels. However, studies have shown that the existing risk communication system often fails to encourage the people to implement risk-preventive measures because community concerns are not seriously taken in the adaptation planning and management process. The present study systematically examines community concerns about existing risks and possible adaptation strategies by conducting group meetings in four rural communities in theWaWest District. Results show that local communities consider drought or water scarcity to be the most severe risk from climate change because it is directly affecting their livelihood, which ismainly rain-fed subsistence agriculture. As their livelihood is increasingly affected by drought, the local communities are becoming more exposed to floods and other natural calamities. Presently, the climate change adaptation strategies of the local communities are weak and ineffective. It is found that improved irrigation facilitated by rainwater harvesting, watershed management, and seasonal weather forecasting are the preferred adaption strategies. Though a high level of intention to adopt non-structural preventive measures is observed, local communities report that a lack of knowledge and insufficient financial resources aremajor impediments to their implementation.
An assessment of household’s perception of private security companies and crime in urban Ghana.
(Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2016-12) Owusu, G.; Owusu, A.Y.; Oteng-Ababio, M.; Wrigley-Asante, C.; Agyapong, I.
Amidst the growing incidence of urban crime in Ghana is the proliferation of private security companies (PSCs). As of December 2014, Ghana’s Ministry of Interior, responsible for the registration and regulation of PSCs, reported that there were as many as 176 licensed companies in ‘good standing’ (that is, companies which have renewed their operating licenses) in the country. In broad terms, the proliferation of PSCs reflects a global trend and represents a logical extension of economic liberalization and privatization efforts of the Ghanaian state. The broad proposition in the security literature is that as the state cuts back on public services such as policing and security, the popular doctrine of resilience shifts the burden of security to society and consequently justifying the use of private security organizations. While PSCs have proliferated in recent decades, little studies have been done regarding their conform‑ ity with the existing policy, institutional and legal framework that set them up and the public perceptions about their activities and crime prevention in Ghanaian cities. More importantly, the extent to which PSCs have impacted on crime incidence and the public’s perceptions on their operations and accessibility remain to be explored. Based on key informant interviews as well as a survey of 2745 households undertaken in key Ghanaian cities (Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi and Tamale), this study seeks to bridge these knowledge gaps by critically examining households’ perceptions of PSCs and crime in large Ghanaian metropolitan cities. Quite contrary to the dominant propositions in the literature, the household survey identifies job creation/business as the single most important driver for the prolif‑ eration of PSCs.
Beyond technical details: The stalled Kwabenya Engineered Sanitary Landfill Project in Accra, Ghana
(Taylor & Francis, 2011-08-23) Oteng-Ababio, M.
The development of a modern, sustainable system of waste management in developing countries is frequently delayed (and in some cases stalled) by causes that cannot be directly attributed to technical or economic reasons. One such project is the Kwabenya Engineered Sanitary Landfill Project which was conceived in 1991. This paper examines why the project was not actualized though the technical details and financial component were duly secured. Using mainly a qualitative research method, the study revealed that the authority’s poor governance practices spelt the doom of the project. Neither were the direct occupants of the land consulted during the project formulation stage nor were the host community’s fear of environmental reprisals addressed. This paper maintains that successful implementation of projects like a landfill demands the collective participation and acceptability of all stakeholders
Building Policy Coherence for Sound Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Management in a Developing Country
(Journal of Environment & Development, 2020-01-14) Oteng-Ababio, M.; van der Velden, M.; Taylor, M.B.
This article explores the compatibility of Ghana’s e-waste policy (Act 917) in the country’s socioeconomic context. Our article starts with two main questions based on our empirical engagements with the act which, contextually, mimics the extended producer responsibility. First, we question the pessimistic imaginaries about the e-waste industry that seeks its outright trade ban or promotes a single version of recycling. Second, we query if the underlying assumptions and basic mechanisms of extended producer responsibility can create the enabling environment to actualize sound e-waste management. Based on prevailing context, the imaginaries appear socially peripheral, isolated, and powerless, and we call for a broader, unbiased, in-depth, critical systems thinking for understanding the complexities and multidimensional nature of the waste electrical and electronic equipment industry. We suggest that it is by fostering the positive synergies across sectors and among policies that environmentally sound e-waste policy outcomes can be achievable
Can poor neighbourhoods be correlated with crime? Evidence from urban Ghana.
(Ghana Journal of Geography, 2016) Owusu, G.; Oteng-Ababio, M.; Owusu, A.; Wrigley-Asante, C.
The subject of crime and poverty has long been of interest in the field of crime studies. Consequently, many studies in criminology have explored the extent to which crime correlates with poverty and the mechanisms that facilitate this relationship. Based on a household survey and a qualitative study conducted in different socio-economic neighbourhoods in four key cities (Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi, and Tamale), this paper explores the extent to which crime and poverty can be correlated in urban Ghana. This is interesting given the fact that limited studies have been undertaken on the subject of crime and poverty in urban Ghana, although a large body of literature exists on urbanization. The paper reveals that low-class and high-class neighbourhoods were assessed to be relatively safe compared with middle-class neighbourhoods—a conclusion that contradicts broad findings in the criminology literature. The relative safety of low-class neighbourhoods compared with middle-class neighbourhoods is attributed to strong social cohesion and the presence of guardianship at all times of the day in poor neighbourhoods. However, the findings of the paper also suggest a relationship between poverty and crime for specific crimes such as sexual and property offences, in line with the literature. The study recommends that crime prevention measures be place-specific and that urban planning in Ghana recognize in practical terms that a built-up environment can facilitate as well as prevent crimes.
Collective efficacy and fear of crime in urban neighbourhoods in Ghana
(Emerald Group Publishing Ltd., 2018) Frimpong, L.K.; Oteng-Ababio, M.; Owusu, G.; Wrigley-Asante, C.
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between neighbourhood characteristics and fear of crime, and further explore how this relationship is mediated by collective efficacy. The background to this is that while research, mainly based on the experiences of western countries is conclusive on how collective efficacy plays a mediating role between neighbourhood structural characteristics and fear of crime, the situation in developing countries remains poorly researched. Design/methodology/approach: The study drew from a baseline survey conducted in different socio-economic neighbourhoods in four cities in Ghana. With regards to the analysis, results from a series of ordinary least square multiple regression models were used to develop a path diagram to explain the direct and indirect relationships at the various study neighbourhoods. Findings: Results from the study showed variations of the extent of neighbourhood effect on fear of crime and collective efficacy in the different socio-economic neighbourhoods. More importantly, the study revealed that collective efficacy mediated the effect of a number of neighbourhood characteristics on fear of crime in low-income neighbourhoods compared to middle- and high-income neighbourhoods. Practical implications: The conclusion of the study brings to the fore the relevance of collective efficacy as a vehicle for building safer communities in Ghana since it relies on local initiatives in addressing criminogenic problems. More importantly, it is suggested that formal crime prevention efforts should be integrated with informal crime control measures, particularly in low-income neighbourhoods. Originality/value: Using extensive survey data collected in Ghana, the study examines the applicability of collective efficacy, a western-based socio-ecological theory in a developing country context. © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Conflicts and governance of landfills in a developing country city, Accra
(Elsevier, 2011-10-24) Owusu, G.; Oteng-Ababio, M.; Afutu-Kotey, R.L.
A key challenge associated with rapid urbanization in much of the developing world (including Ghana) is the disposal of municipal solid waste. This has engendered numerous conflicts between municipal authorities and communities located near landfills. While these conflicts have attracted much media concerns in Ghana, not enough academic research has been carried out to unearth the root causes and consequences of these conflicts. More importantly, increased urbanization and concomitant growth of real estates in peri-urban areas of large Ghanaian cities such as Accra, have meant that landfills must compete with residential land use resulting in closer proximity of landfill sites to residential neighbourhoods. Thus, increasingly due to the intense competition for land the capacity of the peri-urban areas of large cities to absorb urban-generated waste is compromised. This paper attempts to bridge this knowledge gap by highlighting the issues of conflicts and governance using two peri-urban landfills in Accra as a case study. It argues that landfill-related conflicts are the result of the existing land ownership system and the consequent outcomes of poor spatial planning and management of metropolitan fringe areas. The study concludes that resolving landfill-related conflicts must start with tackling the land question which should then create a space for promoting forward planning involving the active participation of chiefs and community members. Again, studies on the acquisition, management and governance of landfills in the developed world could provide useful lessons for Ghana and other developing countries
Connectivity in Chaotic Urban Spaces: Mapping Informal Mobile Phone Market Clusters in Accra, Ghana
(Journal of Asian and African Studies, 2021) Oteng-Ababio, M.; van der Velden, M.
This article investigates the proliferation of informal mobile phone markets and contributes to the understanding of the changing urban economic geographies in Africa. It enriches comparative research by modestly bringing new theoretical ideas to bear, and explores how the spatial geography of mobile phone markets mediates urban governance. We argue that regardless of where in Accra mobile phone markets emerge, the same kind of processes and activities develop, and this recognition contrasts other works, which either focus on the city as a whole or on specific sites. Using key informant interviews, augmented with cognitive mapping, we observe the geography of mobile phone repairs and sales, intersecting socioeconomic factors, and a collaborative culture among participants. Ultimately, our article touches upon the issues of power and agency by elucidating the relational dynamics between the informal operators and city authorities.
Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) and Built Environmental Manifestations in Accra and Kumasi, Ghana
(Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 2015) Owusu, G.; Wrigley-Asante, C.; Oteng-Ababio, M.; Owusu, A.Y.
Households in Ghanaian cities have responded to crime by fortifying their houses, a practice referred to as crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED). Though little researched in Ghana and Africa in general, this article, based on in-depth interviews with police officers, city planners and community members as well as a household survey, reveal that CPTED through target hardening is a widespread practice across different socio-economic residential neighborhoods of Accra and Kumasi. It was found that rising crime rates and the fear of crime have led to adoption of target hardening measures such as high walls, metal burglar-proofed windows and doors, security doors/special door locks and so on, which tend to create ‘security islands’ with limited impact on community crime incidence. While CPTED has been widely applied in Western cities to restructure the physical layout of communities to reduce crime through community efforts, there are marked differences in the Ghanaian context. In particular, households’ responses to crime through target hardening have the tendency in the longterm to weaken social cohesions, with limited impact on community crime levels.Interestingly, the household survey results show relatively low level of community solidarity in middle and upper-class neighborhoods as measures for fighting crime.
Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) and built-environmental manifestations in Accra and Kumasi, Ghana
(Crime Prevention and Community Safety, 2015-10) Owusu, G.; Wrigley-Asante, C.; Oteng-Ababio, M.; Yaa Owusu, A.
Households in Ghanaian cities have responded to crime by fortifying their houses, a practice referred to as crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED). Though little researched in Ghana and Africa in general, this article, based on in-depth interviews with police officers, city planners and community members as well as a household survey, reveal that CPTED through target hardening is a widespread practice across different socio-economic residential neighborhoods of Accra and Kumasi. It was found that rising crime rates and the fear of crime have led to adoption of target hardening measures such as high walls, metal burglar-proofed windows and doors, security doors/special door locks and so on, which tend to create 'security islands' with limited impact on community crime incidence. While CPTED has been widely applied in Western cities to restructure the physical layout of communities to reduce crime through community efforts, there are marked differences in the Ghanaian context. In particular, households' responses to crime through target hardening have the tendency in the long-term to weaken social cohesions, with limited impact on community crime levels. Interestingly, the household survey results show relatively low level of community solidarity in middle and upper-class neighborhoods as measures for fighting crime. © 2015 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.
Crossing conceptual boundaries: re-envisioning coordination and collaboration among women for sustainable livelihoods in Ghana
(Local Environment, 2018-01) Oteng-Ababio, M.
This paper explores the complexities, degree of organisation and embedded potentials in selected informal worlds of work involving women in Agbogbloshie, a site that has achieved both national and international notoriety for its ostensible environmental and social unrest challenges. The analysis provides empirical evidence to show how informality remains a persistent, substantial and the defining feature of Ghana’s economy in terms of its fostering growth and creating jobs, although its overall role in the national development discourse is largely ignored or seldom considered. Drawing on participant observation and qualitative field-based survey data, the paper presents the multi-dimensional ways migrant women from northern Ghana adopt to innovate, network and “graduate” from e-waste-related activities to engage in long-distance trade, which, in turn, serves as a catalyst for spin-off activities that manifest differently between the south and the north of the country. It also sheds light on how these women, with little prospect of formal employment, negotiate contemporary economic shifts and create an occupational continuum that defies strict compartmentalisation. The paper adds to the expanding corpus of writings on informalisation as a growing, noteworthy and integral feature of Sub-Saharan Africa’s economy.
Determinants of perceived insecurity in a low-income neighborhood in Accra, Ghana
(JOURNAL OF URBANISM, 2019-07-29) Wrigley-Asante, C.; Frimpong, L.K.; Amu, J.T.; Owusu, G.; Oteng-Ababio, M.
This study examines perception of safety and security, factors that influence this perception and the consequences of feeling insecure within Nima, a low-income neighborhood in Accra, Ghana. The study is important because previous studies on crime and insecurity in urban areas in Ghana have concentrated on interurban analysis, with limited attention given to the safety and security dynamics within a particular neighborhood. Our study thus provides an insider perspective on security and safety issues in the Nima neighborhood. A mixed-methods approach was used in both the data collection and analysis of the results. The study found that a majority of the respondents perceived Nima to be safe, which is contrary to outsiders’ perception and media reports about the neighborhood. For those who had some safety concerns, it was revealed that their safety concerns were largely accounted for by neighborhood-level factors such as availability of street lights and social cohesion and these contributed to behavioral and psychological reactions to feelings of insecurity among some respondents. We argue that addressing safety concerns of individuals will be more effective if broader structural issues are addressed in the neighborhood.
(Dis) continuities in Scale, Scope and Complexities of the Space Economy: The Shopping Mall Experience in Ghana.
(Springer, 2015-06) Oteng-Ababio, M.; Arthur, I.K.
Contrary to common assumptions, the (re)emergence of organized shopping malls in Ghana is not a new development. Accounts of their existence date back to the pre-colonial era, when their character, status and operations were as popular as the malls of today. What is missing in current narratives is an analysis of how these malls— consisting of elegant apartment designs integrated with appreciable green spaces and centrally located food courts to entice visitors to lengthen their stay—impact the urban economy and the traditional retail structure. Using participant observation, semistructured interviews and a survey, we examine the role of malls in the local economy and their possible ramifications on the retail structure. The paper interrogates whether the emerging malls can crowd out their seemingly ‘fortified’ informal predecessors. The results demonstrate two key findings. First, that positive outcome is intrinsically tied to the manner in which malls are conceptualized, especially with increasing trade liberalization and its reinvigorating impact on the informal retail structure. Our findings frame the continuity of the informal sector as important to the success of the malls. Second, that malls must respond positively to the rising demands and tastes of postmodern consumers and the middle class by investing in attractive, iconic architecture—or they risk being pushed out of business by the ever-growing activities of the informal retail sector. Our results are congruent with current literature that questions some of the conceptual and policy framings of informality, and we opine that such framing makes evident the sector’s significant contribution to urban poverty alleviation.
(Dis)continuities in Scale, Scope and Complexities of the Space Economy: the Shopping Mall Experience in Ghana
(Urban Forum, 2015-06) Oteng-Ababio, M.; Arthur, I.K.
Contrary to common assumptions, the (re)emergence of organized shopping malls in Ghana is not a new development. Accounts of their existence date back to the pre-colonial era, when their character, status and operations were as popular as the malls of today. What is missing in current narratives is an analysis of how these malls—consisting of elegant apartment designs integrated with appreciable green spaces and centrally located food courts to entice visitors to lengthen their stay—impact the urban economy and the traditional retail structure. Using participant observation, semi-structured interviews and a survey, we examine the role of malls in the local economy and their possible ramifications on the retail structure. The paper interrogates whether the emerging malls can crowd out their seemingly ‘fortified’ informal predecessors. The results demonstrate two key findings. First, that positive outcome is intrinsically tied to the manner in which malls are conceptualized, especially with increasing trade liberalization and its reinvigorating impact on the informal retail structure. Our findings frame the continuity of the informal sector as important to the success of the malls. Second, that malls must respond positively to the rising demands and tastes of postmodern consumers and the middle class by investing in attractive, iconic architecture—or they risk being pushed out of business by the ever-growing activities of the informal retail sector. Our results are congruent with current literature that questions some of the conceptual and policy framings of informality, and we opine that such framing makes evident the sector’s significant contribution to urban poverty alleviation. (PDF) (Dis)continuities in Scale, Scope and Complexities of the Space Economy: the Shopping Mall Experience in Ghana. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271732106_Discontinuities_in_Scale_Scope_and_Complexities_of_the_Space_Economy_the_Shopping_Mall_Experience_in_Ghana [accessed Sep 18 2018].
The divergence between acceptability of municipal services and urbanization in developing countries: insights from Accra and Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana
(Geografisk Tidsskrift - Danish Journal of Geography, 2017) Oteng-Ababio, M.; Smout, I.; Amankwaa, E.F.; Esson, J.
In most developing countries, the provision of municipal services and infrastructure invariably fails to match the pace and demands of urbanization. The outcome is often increased informality due to improper planning, official bureaucratic barriers and perhaps insufficient and shrinking public resources, which then makes leveraging private capital for public service provision imperative. Drawing on in-depth qualitative fieldwork in two Ghanaian cities, this paper aims to extend literature on the divergence between service provision and urbanization in developing countries. More specifically, it attempts to qualify recent macro-level data indicating that access to water, sanitation and electricity services in Accra and Sekondi-Takoradi is improving substantively. Contrary to dominant policy narratives circulating in Ghana, we illustrate how the acceptability of key municipal services within urban settings is often inadequate, and how acceptability is tied to spatial and temporal factors. We then identify and examine the reasons underpinning these variations. Through exploring residents’ perceptions of key services, and examining critically the possibility and feasibility of meeting urban service needs through leveraging private resources, this paper contributes to broader academic debates over urban service provision, while also feeding into contemporary policy discussions concerning how to achieve several of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. © 2017 The Royal Danish Geographical Society.
Door of Hope or Despair: Students’ Perception of Distance Education at University of Ghana
(Anadolu University, Eskisehir, 2011-07-23) Oteng-Ababio, M.
Distance Education has globally become one of the important solutions for increasing admission into the universities, decongesting campuses and efficient utilization of time and space. To ensure the sustainability of the programmes’ noble objectives calls for periodic re-evaluation of its modus operandi including the assessment of the perception of its intended beneficiaries. Using exploratory factor analysis, this study analyzes the perceptions of DE students from the University of Ghana. The results of the study show that students have positive perception on the usefulness, satisfaction and flexibility of the programme but have a negative attitude towards examination related issues. The underlying factors include the untimely delivery and poorly edited modules as well as poor arranged examination schedules. The study recommends the implementation of electronic mediated services as one of the main ways of making the objectives of DE a reality
Double Standards, Single Purpose: Deconstructing The ‘FENCE WALL’ For Sustainable Municipal Waste Management.
(University of Ghana., 2022-06-23) Oteng-Ababio, M.
ABSTRACT In 2017, when the President of the Republic of Ghana pledged to make Accra the neatest and best city in Africa by the end of his first term of office, he unequivocally conceded that the country was in peril. However, he gave Ghanaians hope that strategies had been forged to deal with the situation. The challenge, however, arises when the strategy for righting the wrong itself happens to be the Achilles heel. How do we profess sustainable waste management when all we do is collect municipal solid waste from households to DUMPSITES? Or when municipal waste management is treated as an action or an event instead of a process? Or when we promise to breastfeed the waste management department of the various assemblies, but instead make the department an orphan by our actions or inactions? Or when we put profit before people in the waste industry? From a fascinating history of waste management to a critical review of policy options, my presentation explores the waste problem in Ghana with rigorous research, compelling examples, deep insights, and pertinent suggestions about the path forward. I examine how waste, in its diverse forms, has been defined, conceptualised, produced, managed, experienced, imagined, circulated, concealed, and aestheticised in contemporary urban environments and across different creative and cultural practices. The objective is to explore the future imaginaries and opportunities to make positive changes to the waste industry towards the future we want. My motivation is anchored on the position that managing municipal waste is inextricably linked to the rate of urban growth, the level of development, climate change dynamics, and the prospect of promoting human-centred and environmentally friendlier management futures. Indeed, the ability of cities and their governing authorities to improve the waste sector provides enormous opportunities to mitigate future climate variability and generate co-benefits, including improved human and environmental health. Urging the authorities to appreciate, embrace and indeed, consciously work towards sustainable waste and resources management, I elaborate on the concepts of the waste hierarchy and its transition towards a circular economy which is based on three principles: eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials, and regenerate nature. These concepts are offered as starting points to ensure that the waste sector becomes a net reducer of greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, I argue that the quest for the future we want is not only about instituting effective waste collection systems but also about improving their treatment infrastructure to mitigate future climate change. In my critique of the current waste management architecture, I have analysed, maintained, and empirically demonstrated that in their quest for an efficient management system, city authorities’ ‘waste war’ adjudication strategies so far have grossly ignored the known historical focus on socially all-inclusive planning designs. In its stead, they have adopted what appears to be a ‘stomach-direction approach’ that unduly promotes a market-led agenda, largely ignoring the good public nature of waste. The present prescriptive rights-based discourse, tempered as it is with a neo-liberal cost-recovery approach, implies that not everyone (including residents in slums and informal settlements) will be able to pay for the right services. This raises concerns about whether the focus of the service is on cost-recovery or the pursuit of social and environmental justice (public good). A cyclical system thus ensued where the generation of waste has consistently outpaced the efforts to dispose of it cleanly. Additionally, the material recovery from waste is easier said than done, as in most cases, what is technically feasible is economically unfeasible. And what is financially feasible - such as setting waste on fire–as is often done–is exceedingly harmful to the environment and human health. I submit that careful consideration of how each society engages with service provision and its normative dimensions should be at the centre of sustainable waste management policies. I have further argued that such an approach transcends ideology and institutional exigencies and moves towards the realm of practical reasoning, everyday ethics, and embodied practice. I maintain that in seeking an innovative way to see, think, and understand the waste war and perhaps build one of the cleanest cities in Africa, there is a need first to deconstruct the fence wall and expose all the barriers to the future we want. We need to question what went wrong and what has been assumed thus far. The challenge is not simply to call for new and improved solutions; indeed, it is not a problem at all—if by ‘problem’ is meant an issue separate from a society that must be confronted, deconstructed, and solved. As the French philosopher Gabriel Marcel would argue, we deal here with a ‘mystery’—a situation in which we are inextricably involved and in which we must call ourselves into question if we are to see clearly again. The fence wall must go! And to that extent, I dare recommend that until the evidence—along with institutional and financial instruments—shows otherwise, Ghanaian authorities will do well to integrate proven innovative management practices in their backyard. PROFILE Background Martin Oteng-Ababio is a Professor of Geography at the Department of Geography and Resource Development and the Acting Provost of the College of Education, University of Ghana. As an Urban Environmental Geographer, Professor Oteng-Ababio has over a decade and a half experience in teaching, researching and providing consultancy and mentorship. His research interests span broadly from urban studies with a speciality in the waste economy and environmental management policies, waste governance and waste-induced entrepreneurship, to a variety of role-players in the recycling industry, infrastructure services, environmental risk reduction, and the problems of informality. Professor Oteng-Ababio hails from Nsuta-Ashanti in the Sekyere Central District and attended Nsuta Roman Catholic Primary School and continued at Nsuta Local Authority (No.2) Middle School and then proceeded to the Nsutaman Catholic Secondary School, where he obtained his GCE Ordinary Level certificate. He later pursued his sixth form education at Tema Secondary School. Professor Oteng-Ababio holds a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Resource Development with Archaeology, a Master of Philosophy in Geography and Resource Development, and a Doctorate degree in Geography and Resource Development (Urban Studies) all from the University of Ghana. In 2008, Professor Oteng-Ababio also obtained postgraduate certificates in Community Risk Assessment, and Disasters and Development, both from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Professor Oteng-Ababio began his career as a lecturer in August 2009 at the Department of Geography and Resource Development, University of Ghana. Through the unwavering Grace of God and a personal commitment to hard work, Professor Oteng-Ababio was promoted to the rank of Senior Lecturer in January 2012, Associate Professor in April 2014, and then finally a Professor in 2018. Before taking a lectureship position at the University of Ghana, Professor Oteng-Ababio worked with the then Bureau of National Investigation (BNI), now the National Investigation Bureau (NIB). He also had a stint with the Revenue Agency Governing Board (RAGB), as the Coordinator of the Revenue Protection Unit (RPU). University Roles and Responsibilities Professor Oteng-Ababio served as the Senior Hall Tutor for Hilla Limann Hall between 2012 and 2015. This was the period in the history of the University that the Hall became the most sought-after hall of residence on campus. In October 2018, he assumed the headship of the Department of Geography and Resource Development, University of Ghana, and also served as the Acting Director of the Centre for Urban Management Studies until August 2021 when he was appointed as the Acting Provost of the College of Education. Professor Oteng-Ababio has been the Principal Investigator (PI) for the Periperi U (Partners Enhancing Resilience for People Exposed to Risks) consortium, a partnership of research units and departmens from twelve (12) African universities which focus on advancing research and capacity buidling in risk and vulnerability reduction action on the African continent. The University of Ghana has been a member of this consortium since its inception some fifteen (15) years ago. Professor Oteng-Ababio’s academic career has been interspersed with international collaborations and fellowships. He has served as a guest lecturer at the Department of Geography, University of Miami, a visiting research fellow at the Columbia University, USA, and the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. He has also served as a visiting scholar at the Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Japan; and a visiting research fellow of the Research Alliance for Disasters and Risk Reduction (RADAR), a research centre based at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Membership of Professional Bodies Professor Martin Oteng-Ababio has served as a member of several bodies including United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Global Development Network, Urban Climate Change Research Network, African Urban Risk Analysis Network, International Society for Urban Health, the Academy of Medical Service (London), Association of American Geographers, and Ghana Geographical Association. Teaching and Thesis Supervision and Examination Prof. Oteng-Ababio’s teaching portfolio includes undergraduate and graduate courses such as History of Geographic Thought; Geography of Developing World; The City: Origins, Internal Structure and Economic Function; Cities in Economic Development and Problems of Urban Management; Theories and Analytical Methods for Integrated Disaster Risk Reduction; Policies and Strategies for Integrated Disaster Risk Reduction; Integrated Disaster Risk Reduction; Applied Integrated Disaster Risk Reduction; Global Trends and Perspectives of Environmental Sanitation; Sustainability of the Built Environment; and Historical & Contemporary Dynamics of the City. Indeed, even as the Acting Provost of the College of Education, Professor Oteng-Ababio continues to teach all his undergraduate and graduate courses and undertake supervision of thesis at his department and at the Institute of Sanitation and Environment as well as the Centre for Migration Studies. Prof. Oteng-Ababio is a member of the Graduate Supervisory Committee in the Department of Geography and Resource Development of the University of Ghana. He has examined over 80 graduate theses (PhD, MPhil, and MSc) from the University of Ghana, University of Cape Coast, University for Development Studies, Tamale, and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi. He is also an External Assessor for promotion for the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, University for Development Studies, Tamale, and University of Cape Coast. He serves as Assessor for the National Accreditation Board. Research Prof. Martin Oteng-Ababio is an Urban Environmental Geographer, and his research interests span the intersection of urbanisation, urban planning and development, waste management, environmental management, and disaster risk-related and climate change issues. His research publications cover areas including sustainable waste management, policy and practices (including waste entrepreneurism); infrastructure for urban housing; e-waste processing, environmental health and food security; rural-urban connections, crime and poverty nexus, sustainable market actors for responsible trade; climate change resilience in urban mobility, sustainable wastewater systems; and sustainable development of the circular economy. Through his research, Professor Oteng-Ababio has emerged as one of the leading African urban development experts. His contribution to the fields of waste management and urban development has provided a richer understanding of the urban development dynamics in Ghana. He collaborates extensively with several researchers in Ghana, Africa and beyond to undertake his transdisciplinary research work. Professor Oteng-Ababio’s work on waste management issues in Ghana has attracted global recognition and impacted the lives of urban residents, particularly the urban poor. His research has received several citations with a high h-index and i10-index. The World Scientist and University Rankings 2022 ranked him as the 20th top scientist at the University of Ghana and 46th in Ghana. He has granted interviews on his research on reputable media platforms such as Ghana Broadcasting Corportion, Ghana Television, City TV and News, and Joy FM. He has also been featured in scientific documentaries produced by world-leading media houses such as Deutsche Welle, Alliance France Internationelle, Professor Oteng-Ababio has to his credit 95 peer-reviewed journal publications, 18 book chapters, and 3 monographs. He also has a number of refereed conference proceedings, policy briefs, newspaper publications, and over 30 consultancy reports. Professor Oteng-Ababio has attended and presented his research at over 70 conferences and workshops globally as a keynote speaker, presenter or discussant. Professor Oteng-Ababio has succeeded in placing his research at the service of society. Through his research, he has informed various societal concerns and intervention projects related to solid waste management, e-waste management, informality, service provision, disaster risk reduction and urban planning and development. The issues addressed by his research are highly relevant in the context of the sustainable development goals, especially given the necessity of developing and promoting proper environmental sanitation and making cities inclusive, safe and resilient. Grants and Consultancies Professor Oteng-Ababio has attracted numerous grants from a variety of funding organisations to the University of Ghana to support his research and has served as a consultant on many waste management and urban development related projects for organisations such as UN-Habitat; Millennium Cities Initiative; African Urban Risk Analysis Network (AURAN); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); Global Development Network (GDN); Sustainable Development Solution Network (SDSN); the European Union; International Development Research Centre (IDRC); Department for International Development (DFID); Danish Development Agency (DANIDA); GIZ; International Growth Centre (IGC); and Ghana Statistical Service. Recently, Professor Oteng-Ababio served as the lead consultant for GIZ in developing risk management approaches for climatic and health risks in Ghana. He has designed and facilitated workshops to build the capacity of selected Metropolitan and Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the Greater Acara region for contingency planning. He also pioneered and facilitated a number of simulation exercises for the National Fire Service and National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) on responding to and managing market fires in Accra. Professor Oteng-Ababio serves on the United Nations Sustainable Development Solution Network which is made up of a team of academics and practitioners responsible for promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in selected countries, including Ghana. Extension Activities Professor Oteng-Ababio has served as a member of statutory boards and ad-hoc committees and is currently the Chairman of the University Security Committee. Professor Oteng-Ababio has considerable experience in fundraising activities. He has mobilised funds from several organisations to support his administrative and extension services to the University of Ghana. As the Senior Hall Tutor of Hilla Limann Hall, he led the Hall and the leadership of the Junior Common Room (JCR) to mobilise funds to erect the statue and fountain for former president Dr. Hilla Limann. He also created a conducive learning environment in the Hall by providing the appropriate infrastructure (including furniture and air conditioners) in all the Reading Rooms in the Hall. Furthermore, he initiated and instituted a Saturday morning walk around the University for tutors and students. It was during his tenure that the hall independently raised funds to purchase a brand-new saloon car to aid administrative work. During his tenure as the Head of the Department of Geography and Resource Development, Professor Oteng-Ababio’s administrative and fund-raising acumen was quite apparent. Through fundraising activities, he led a dedicated team to organise the Department’s maiden alumni homecoming, during which the first departmental cloth was unveiled. Through his instrumentality, a 30-Seater Civilian bus was acquired by the team for the Department to replace its old 18-seater Urvan bus acquired in 1989. Professor Oteng-Ababio further set up and furnished with modern facilities, the Professor George Benneh Graduate Reading room for PhD students. As the Acting Provost of the College of Education, Prof Oteng-Ababio has been described variously as “the Transformative Provost”. Indeed, a letter signed by the Vice-Chancellor, dated May 18, 2022, bears enough testimony to this. The letter reads in part: “I thank you for channeling your efforts into securing our lands and finding creative and innovative means of supporting UG in generating funds to increase revenue. I am also pleased to note that, your initiatives to increase the visibility of our centres and city campuses are laudable”. As the Patron of the Geography and Resource Development Students Association (GREDSA), Professor Oteng-Ababio sought funding to erect a canopy shed at the foyer of the Department. As the President of the Ghana Geographical Association (GGA), he mobilised funds to support the Association’s events including its 2015 annual conference in Tamale. Since 2017, Professor Oteng-Ababio has been the President of Tersus Ghana, a Consortium (Think Tank) of Environmental Sanitation and Waste Management Researchers from tertiary institutions in Ghana. He also doubles as the President of the Research Associates of the Environmental Sanitation Providers Association (ESPA) research group, and the Chairman of the Man-made Disaster Technical Committee of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO). Professor Oteng-Ababio is also a member of a newly established consultancy firm, EnvironQuest, Ghana, with its headquarters in Nigeria. Mentorship Professor Oteng-Ababio has provided mentorship for several students and younger faculty. He has strong interest in skills development and capacity building of his students, and he invests time and resources in them to make sure they succeed academically and professionally. He ensures his students are self-motivated and develop a strong desire to accomplish their career aspirations and future endeavours. This is how he measures students’ success. It is therefore not surprising that since 2009 almost all his national service personnel (teaching assistants) have pursued at least a master’s programme and several of them have proceeded to obtain a Doctorate degree. Some of his PhD graduates are Lecturers and Research Fellows in Universities in Ghana and beyond and are continuing research activities within waste management and the urban environment. He currently supervises two Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships and serves as a mentor to a number of research fellowships for young faculty members. Awards Professor Oteng-Ababio has received many academic awards. In 2011, he was awarded the second prize winner by the Global Development Network (GDN), a Japanese Government Award for Outstanding Research on Development. In 2012, he was the proud recipient of the Best Paper Award at the Africa Disaster Reduction Conference in South Africa. In April 2015, he was again the recipient of the 2013/2014 Best Researcher Award from the School of Social Sciences, University of Ghana. In 2016, Prof Oteng-Ababio’s article in Habitat International was awarded the highly cited research paper for the year. In 2019, Prof won the Dean of School of Social Sciences, Best Mentorship Award for 2018/2019 academic year in University of Ghana. Editorial boards Besides serving in several capacities on numerous statutory boards and committees in the University of Ghana, Professor Oteng-Ababio serves on both national and international editorial boards including Ghana Social Science Journal, Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, and Disaster Prevention and Management journals. He is also a reviewer for several internationally reputable peer-reviewed journals. Personal Details Professor Martin Oteng-Ababio comes from Nsuta, Ashanti Region. He is the 3rd of 7 siblings of the late Obaapanin Grace Oforiwaa (Yaa Bedwa). His father was the late Joseph Stephen Oteng and both parents also hail from Nsuta in the Ashanti Region. Professor Oteng-Ababio is married to Mrs Sylvia Oteng-Ababio and has seven children – Prince, Gloria, Jessica, Nervisa, Nadia, Margaret and Margaretta. He enjoys watching soccer as a hobby. He is a Catholic and worships with the St. Thomas Aquinas Congregation on the Legon campus.
Downgrading - an overlooked reality in African cities: Reflections from an indigenous neighborhood of Accra, Ghana
(Elsevier, 2012-06-13) Melara Arguello, J.E.; Grant, R.; Oteng-Ababio, M.; Ayele, B.M.
African cities contain a range of low-income ethnic and cultural enclaves that defy conventional ‘slum’ typecasts and intervention guidelines. Further, new forms of urbanization (e.g. gated communities and informal settlements) have received heavy emphasis in recent urban geographic research. Such research emphases have many unintended consequences; one of which is that traditional indigenous neighborhoods in the older city are glossed over. This paper focuses on urban downgrading in Korle Gonno, a prominent and established indigenous community in Accra, Ghana. Using mixed-method data (including surveys), the results illustrate that a traditional neighborhood encounters many of the same dimensions of urban poverty as the more famed slums in the city, yet it experiences different poverty trajectories. We argue that the prevailing slum profiling techniques fall short of capturing these trajectories; more nuanced approaches that capture continuity and discontinuity with past and present socioeconomic processes are necessary. Attention must be rebalanced toward understanding the deterioration of these neighborhoods if policymakers, planners and urban theorists are to obtain a comprehensive picture of poverty dynamics and appropriate interventions in African cities
E-Waste Imports And Management Practices In Ghana: 'A Case Study Of Accra-Tema Metropolitan Area'
(University of Ghana, 2014-06) Okine, H. A.; Oteng-Ababio, M.; Ofori, B. D.; University of Ghana, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies
Ghana like many West African countries has become a recipient of large volumes of used electrical and electronic equipment (UEEE), popularly christened, e-waste. This study was conducted to analyse the flow of UEEE imports into Ghana, how such imports are handled and managed; and further assess the potential environmental and health challenges associated with the current management practices. The methodology involved analysis of data on the flow of used computer imports to Ghana, observations and interviews on UEEE imports handling procedures at the Tema Port. Also, heavy metals analysis of soils from control and e-waste sites, and of urine samples from e-waste workers and control group were conducted. The results indicated that though some UEEE /e-waste imports are from developing nations, the larger share of such imports is from the developed regions, particularly Europe and North America. A partial support was thus found for the pollution haven hypothesis. Effective mechanisms for controlling and managing obsolete or non-functional UEEE import flows in Ghana are currently non-existent. Enforcement officials at the Tema port lack the requisite or adequate logistical, technical and legal capacity to effectively handle or tackle such flows. Significantly higher Pb, Sb, As, Hg and Zn concentrations were found in soil from the ewaste recycling/disposal sites compared with those of the control site. Furthermore, significantly higher levels of Pb, Cu and Zn and Sb were found in urine of e-waste workers compared with those of the control group. This suggests heavy metal contamination of soil and exposure of e-waste workers to these metals through e-waste recycling activities which could have adverse environmental and health implications. It is recommended that urgent steps are taken to minimize the importation of non-functional UEEE to Ghana. Adequate and more efficient strategy should also be put in place to properly manage e-waste so as to protect human health and the environment