Browsing by Author "Owusu-Sekyere, E."
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Item Exploring the realities of resilience: Case study of Kantamanto Market fire in Accra, Ghana(International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2015-02) Oteng-Ababio, M.; Sarfo, K.O.; Owusu-Sekyere, E.This paper chronicles the socio-economic and institutional factors that underpin the unflinching resilience of survivors in the May 5, 2013 Kantamanto Market fire incident in Accra, Ghana. The research adopted a mixed-method case study model that combines secondary sources and primary data gathering through semi-structured interviews of 25 returned market survivors, supported by 15 expert interviews among local and other government officials, practitioners and academics who are engaged in disaster management and urban planning. The empirical data reveal the importance of strengthening social relationships and cohesion as well as the crucial role of social capital in all stages of disaster management processes: prevention and preparedness, planning, warning communication, physical and psychological impacts, emergency and disaster response, recovery and reconstruction; and how these collectively motivate the survivors' return decision. Concluding, the paper opines that appreciating the interconnection and multidimensionality of social capital can enhance disaster management and optimistically opines that, that trajectory seems to be a crucial issue for future disaster research agendas. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd.Item Landfill externalities and property values dilemma–emerging insights from three Ghanaian cities(Journal of Contemporary African Studies, 2017) Oteng-Ababio, M.; Owusu-Sekyere, E.; Amoah, S.T.Though debates about the negative impact landfill exerts on land and property values are by no means historically new, research into the case of developing countries has only recently begun. This article attempts to synthesise existing literature on the subject through the analysis of three case studies to enhance our understanding, especially the contextual conditions surrounding the relationship. Applying this theoretical framework to the disposal practices occurring in three cities in Ghana, this article offers insight into the culpability of landfills in negatively impacting property values. In an illuminating analysis, we argue that most engineered landfills in the country serve as a catalyst in correcting the ills of uncontrolled urbanisation (governance, attitudinal and financial constraints, etc.). We opine that landfills’ relationship with host communities must be understood in relation to our overall underdevelopment, coupled with the increasing economic and technical challenges shaping much of the country’s history. © 2017 The Institute of Social and Economic Research.Item The Societal Significance of Informal Economics during the COVID-19 Pandemic in an African City(International Journal of Social Quality, 2023) Owusu-Sekyere, E.; Alhassan, H.; Jengre, E.; Amoah, S.T.; Opare-Asamoah, K.; Toku, A.The COVID-19 pandemic compelled many African countries to make decisions that lim ited livelihood choices. This article examines how informal traders (IT) in Kumasi, Ghana responded to the COVID-19. It explores the livelihood capacities, socioeconomic, socio cultural, and sociopolitical values of informal economics. Using data from multiple sources, the purchase and sale of personal protective equipment (PPE) emerged as the dominant livelihood activity. The results show that IT innovated their way of trading, realigned liveli hood activities, and created cross-sectoral networks that enhanced social cohesion. The emerging informal market catalyzed spin-off activities that linked values of the informal sector to the public, distributing agencies, producing companies, and the government. We argue that IT constitute a “natural” and “indispensable” share of Ghana’s urban economic, cultural, and governance space. The values of IT expressed within and between these distinct societal spheres should be amplified in the development discourses of countries like Ghana