Browsing by Author "Owusu, P."
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Item Gold Mining Effects on Water Quality in Domenase and Nkotumso along River Offin, Upper Denkyira West District(West African Journal of Applied Ecology, 2023) Gyekye, K.A.; Owusu, P.; Ofori, A.Artisanal gold mining (ASM) has been an important source of primary livelihood activity for poor populations in Ghana. The sector now functions as a vital social safety-net and, in some cases, provides the only source of of income in employment-constrained economies and helping copious poor households survive during increasingly uncertain times. However, artisanal mining is linked to the release of heavy metals into the mainstream environment, causing water pollution. In this study, heavy metals namely mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb) and iron (Fe) were quantitatively analysed using PinAcle 900T Perkin Elmer Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The samples were taken from the core water source area of Domenase and Nkontomisa on the Offin River in the Upper Denkyira West District of the Central region of Ghana. The decreasing trend of metals was observed in water as Hg > Pb > As > Mn >Fe, while the average distribution of these heavy metals in water was 0.11, 0.02, 0.02, 0.122, and 0.184 mg/L, respectively. Nkotumso. In Domenase, the decreasing trend of metals was observed in water as Pb > Hg > As > Fe >Mn. and their averages were 0.028, 0.09, 0.018, 0,188, and 0.090 mg/L, respectively. The concentration of Hg, As, and Pb in the water samples were above the WHO (2011) permissible limits, except Mn and Fe, which were below the guideline limit. The pH range of 6.24-6.53 was noted for Nkotumso and 5.24-5.83 (strongly to moderately acidic) for Domenase. The pH of water samples collected from Nkotumso was within WHO (2011) guideline values, whereas the values of Domenase were not. The results indicate that the water is not suitable for drinking or other domestic purposes, such as cooking, since Heavy metals such as Hg, As, and Pb, which are known to be carcinogenic, were high. The study recommends that continuous monitoring of Hg, As and Pb in the water and other aquatic biota of Nkotumso and Domenase along the River Offin should be assessed to ensure the safety of the ecology in the vicinity of the river.Item Overcoming the Resource Curse: Does Resource Governance Matter?(University of Ghana, 2015-03) Owusu, P.; Osei-Assibey, E.; Agbloyor, E. K.The relationship between natural resource-richness and economic growth and development has been a focus of discussion for decades but recent debate was started in the 1990s. There has not been agreement as to how natural resources are vital to economic growth. This paper re-examines two main aspects of resource curse and growth literature, the first has to do with the measurement of natural resource endowment and economic growth while the second one has to do with the institutional quality. We employed standard empirical growth model, both OLS and 2SLS estimators with cross sectional data average over the periods 2008-2012. Our results reveal a direct positive link between natural resources endowment and economic growth, the positive association between resource and economic growth are strong in the natural resources rents per capita. In addition, our findings also indicate no evidence of negative effects of natural resources through the institutional quality. The possible implication to be drawn from this study is that countries should establish robust natural resource mechanism to cater for the uncertainties in this sector. Finally, government of resource endowed economies should have a special account where windfall gains from the resources sector can be deposited pending economic and social infrastructure.Item A qualitative study exploring factors contributing to gender inequality in Rural Ghana(Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 2013-01) Dako-Gyeke, M.; Owusu, P.Gender inequality hinders the development efforts of countries worldwide, especially developing countries. Despite Ghana government's efforts to address gender inequality, the issue continues to prevail, and invariably retards development mostly in rural communities. This qualitative study, explored factors that perpetuated gender inequality in Kyebi, in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Purposive and convenience sampling techniques were utilized to recruit twenty-five participants and in-depth interviews were conducted to gather data for the study. The findings of the study revealed that deep rooted patterns of culture and socialization continue to perpetuate gender inequality in rural communities denying women equal access to services as well as to physical and social capital. Based on the findings of our study, we draw attention to the need for research and policy interventions that would reduce gender inequalities and ensure women's active participation in social and economic development.