Theses

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A long essay or dissertation or thesis involving personal research, written by postgraduates of University of Ghana for a university degree.

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    Deliberation for Development: Ghana ’s First Deliberative Poll
    (Journal of Deliberative Democracy, 2019) Chirawurah, D.; Bawah, A.; Fishkin, J.; et al.
    This article poses the problem of public consultation in developing countries and applies a solution in Ghana as a test case. It describes the theoretical rationale for deliberative consultation with random samples, describes specific criteria for success, and then assesses an application under the challenging conditions of a developing country. It builds on notions of “deliberative democracy,” and shows how they can be practically realized in an African context through “Deliberative Polling” (DP). The challenge is that the context is one of the poorest parts of one of the poorest countries in Africa. Rather than consulting just stakeholders, or self-selected populations, or using conventional surveys, DP’s have the advantage of consulting random samples with deliberation in depth in confidential surveys so that the opinion changes can be evaluated at the individual level, free of social pressures for consensus. Is this practical in this context? A DP was conducted in Tamale, Ghana on issues of water, sanitation, hygiene, and food security. Criteria for success for DPs that have been applied in highly developed countries are discussed and then applied in Ghana under challenging conditions.
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    African Women, Technology and ICTs
    (The Palgrave Handbook of African Women's Studies, 2019) Frimpong Kwapong, O.A.T.
    Technology has much to offer women in their public and private lives. In view of this, the Strategic Development Goal (SDG) 5b seeks to utilize enabling technology, particularly information and communications technology, to empower women. Through a desk review, this chapter looked at the position of African women in the development, deployment, and utilization of technology in the broad sense with a special focus on information and communication technology. Factors that inhibit women’s full utilization of technology and some policy directives have also been enumerated in the chapter. Various interventions in the area of women and technologies have yielded results. African women are not only users of technology but also breaking through as developers in the technology space. Despite infrastructural and socio-economic challenges, women in Africa are capable of harnessing the full potential of technology to improve their lives. They should therefore be perceived as such and be supported accordingly.
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    Emotion Norms, Display Rules, and Regulation in the Akan Society of Ghana: An Exploration Using Proverbs
    (Frontiers in Psychology, 2018) Dzokoto, V.A.; Osei-Tutu, A.; Kyei, J.J.; et.al
    Proverbs are widely used by the Akan of West Africa. The current study thematically analyzed an Akan proverb compendium for proverbs containing emotional references. Of the identified proverbs, a focus on negative emotions was most typical. Emotion-focused proverbs highlighted four emotion regulation strategies: change in cognition, response modulation, situation modification, and situation selection. A subset of proverbs addressed emotion display rules restricting the expression of emotions such as pride, and emotional contagion associated with emotions such as shame. Additional themes including: social context influences on the expression and experience of emotion; expectations of emotion limits; as well as the nature of emotions were present in the proverb collection. In general, Akan emotion-related proverbs stress individual-level responsibility for affect regulation in interpersonal interactions and societal contexts.
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    Terrorism and Ethics In Counterterrorism In Africa
    (University of Ghana, 2017-07) Apronti, R.T.
    ABSTRACT The terrorism canker is not a recent phenomenon in the international world, although it has gained much popularity after the events of 11th September, 2001. For many years, acts of terrorism in di verse forms have killed and endangered the lives of many people, jeopardizing fundamental freedoms and seriously impairing the dignity of human beings. Terrorist acts are unconventional in nature and this makes it very challenging for states to devise legitimate and effective means of responding to terrorist attacks. The study examines the problem of countering terrorism and in such a manner that the aims of terrorists are not promoted and anti-terror laws are not used as a fade to pursue idiosyncratic conflicts, ethnocentrism and administer political abuses. The work inquires how counterterrorism can be pursued and at the same time human rights safeguarded in Africa. The stud y employs a qualitative method in the gathering of data. Information was obtained from books, journal articles and internet sources. Findings of the study elucidate the violation of human rights by Kenya, Egypt and Nigeria in their counterterrorism measures. The measures critiqued included their counterterrorism laws, anti-Money Laundering! Countering the Financing of Terrorism strategies, and the actual measures adopted on the ground in countering terrorism. Various Human rights instruments were used to juxtapose the counterterrorism measures adopted by the various countries to ascertain the extent to which their measures respect or violate Human Rights. Some Recommendations suggested are that the African Union should create an oversight Commission that will review counterterrorism laws adopted by states and ensure that they comply with Human rights regulations. Also, an African Court of Appeal should be adopted for victims of Counterterrorism-human right abuses to seek reparation for the violation of their rights.
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    Democratic Elections As A Determinant Of Good Governance In Africa: A Comparative Study Of The Gambia And Ghana
    (University of Ghana, 2019-07) Frempong, D.A.
    Democratic elections and democratic governance in Africa have been major issues of debate for scholars around the world, focusing on arguments surrounding the nature that democracy in Africa should take in terms of the western style of democracy or developing Africa’s unique democracy. As a contribution to this conversation, this study discusses the conduct and implications of democratic elections and the state of democratic governance in Africa, using Ghana and the Gambia as case studies. Within the framework of democratic governance, the study adopts a comparative approach based on an exploratory research which employs qualitative methods to achieve the objectives of the research. It relies on both primary sources of data, including interviews, and secondary sources of data, including data from institutions such as Electoral Commissions from both countries under study, to conclude that elections are a central indicator but not the only indicator of democratic governance in Africa. Based on other indicators such as the existence of rule of law, accountability, representation, pluralism and participation in governance, the study further concludes that both countries still have a long way to go in terms of its practice of democratic governance. To this end, the study identifies some challenges that should be addressed by both countries to improve upon its practice of democratic governance, including inadequate accountability, low levels of participation by the citizens in local governance, the proliferation of party-sponsored violence, ineffective law enforcement system, and ineffective representation of the people.
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    Factors Associated With Non-Adherence To Anti Diabetic Medications Among Diabetic Patients In Some Selected Polyclinics In The Ablekuma Sub Metropolitan, Accra, Ghana.
    (University of Ghana, 2019-12) Abdul-Tawab, A.
    ABSTRACT Non- adherence to anti diabetic medication amongst diabetic patients has become a global issue. This has led to so many co-morbidities associated with diabetes hence increasing the morbidity and death related to it. Despites these issues studies examining non-adherence to anti-diabetic medications amongst type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients is rare. This study sought to examine non-adherence to anti-diabetic medications amongst type 2 DM patients in some selected polyclinic in the Ablekuma Sub-Metropolitan namely Mamprobi and Dansoman polyclinics. Using a structured questionnaire 179 type 2 diabetics were interviewed. Non-adherence to medications was measured using the morisky medication adherence scale. The results showed that about 70.4 % had poor glycaemic control with their fasting blood sugar (FBS) above 7.0mmol with prevalence of non-adherence being 66.5 % which means that most of the patients had poor adherence and this has negative implications on the management of patients with diabetes. There was significant association between non adherence to medical regimen and religion (p=0.002), educational level (p<0.001), occupation (p<0.001) and monthly income (p<0.001) but there was no significant linkage with age, sex and marital status. In addition, religion, occupation, educational background and income had significant association with non-adherence to medication but there was no significant association between marital status, age, sex. This study showed that non-adherent patients had a 1.26 increased chance of having poor glycemic control (i.e. FBS of more than 7. 0mmol.) due to non-adherence. Finally, the study showed that non adherence increased the chance of having poor glycemic control.
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    The ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons and Goods: Achievements, Challenges and the Way Forward
    (University of Ghana, 2002-08) Nenonene, D.Y.
    Everywhere in Europe, Asia, Central and Latin America, and in Africa, some form of economic integration/cooperation has been established. This widespread enthusiasm for economic integration derives from the belief that integration is the most viable strategy for development. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which was formed to seek the well-being of its nationals among others, has adopted a number of protocols to help facilitate the integration process. These include the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, Goods and Services. Recognising that free movement of persons. goods and services constitute the bedrock of the integration process, ECOWAS has called on all Member States to take appropriate measures to remove all obstacles and impediments to the realisation of these noble objectives. The study analyses the ECOWAS protocol on free movement, examines the level of implementation, highlights some problems encountered in its implementation and provides some recommendations for its successful implementation. The study should, therefore be of interest not only to the academia and the implementing agencies but also to all ECOWAS nationals and non-nationals who see economic integration as a viable strategy for development.
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    Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Sustainable Human Development in Africa
    (University Of Ghana, 2019-07) Nakouwo, S. N.
    We investigated the role played by foreign direct investment in sustainable human development achievement in Africa. We examined the impact of FDI on Human Development Index (HDI) and on each of its three dimensions (i.e. health, education, and income) for 52 African countries over 28 years from 1990 to 2017. The Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) estimation was employed to estimate four models jointly as a system of equations to measure the contribution of foreign direct investment to human development achievements on the African continent. We ascertained that FDI has a positive impact on Income Index and a negative impact on other human development indicators. We also found that countries with developed financial markets turn to benefit more from FDI than those with less developed financial markets. Thus, the financial sector is a channel through which FDI passes to better affect all the dimensions of human development. GDP per capita, Domestic Investment (Gross capital formation), and openness to trade were also found to positively influence HD and its dimensions in Africa. Empirical evidence was also established that democratic regimes are favourable environment for the achievement of human development in Africa. Finally, our findings held that countries with high degree of freedom performed better in terms of HD achievements than those with low degree of freedom. We concluded that African countries need targeted economic and social policies as well as developed financial markets to be able to reap the benefits of FDIs in terms of the achievements of sustainable human development. Keywords and Terms: Financial Development, Foreign Direct Investment, Seemingly Unrelated Regression, Sustainable Human Development.
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    Cross-Border Banking and Depositor Market Discipline in Africa
    (University Of Ghana, 2019-07) Mutala, H.Y.A.
    This thesis focuses on the effect of cross-border banks on bank risk and market discipline in the presence of explicit deposit insurance and depositor market discipline incentives using a dataset that covers many countries in Africa. Based on different estimation techniques, this thesis provides the following robust results. First, cross-border banks have better: asset quality, liquidity, and diversification mean scores than their domestic counterparts. Simultaneously, cross-border banks also experience higher overhead expenses, higher volatility in earnings, lower capital levels, higher market risk, and lower stability than domestic banks. These findings lend credence to both the diversification hypothesis and market risk hypothesis. Second, cross-border banks operating in countries with explicit deposit insurance arrangements have higher loan loss provision (lower asset quality), a higher standard deviation of return on assets (higher variation in earnings), higher market risk (lower Sharpe ratio), and lower stability (lower Z-score). This study, therefore, reveals a benign form of regulatory arbitrage hypothesis within cross-border banks in Africa. Third, depositor market discipline via the priced based mechanism and the quantity-based mechanism exist in Africa. This evidence supports a complete test for depositor market discipline. This finding is based on robust evidence from the capital adequacy ratio and the ratio of corporate loans to total loans of cross-border banks. Fourth, the study finds that the capital level of cross-border banks serves as an incentive for depositors to monitor the risk of cross-border banks. Fifth, the study finds that when depositors monitor and discipline banks for excessive risk-taking, it is strong enough to influence banks to reduce their risk-taking levels among Good Banks. This last evidence supports a true form of test for depositor market discipline in Africa. This study makes the following contributions to the literature: First, to gain new insights into the effect cross-border banking has on bank risk, it makes use of unexamined samples. The evidence the study provides on depositor market discipline within the cross-border banking context is also new in the literature. Lastly, the finding that the capital level of cross-border banks serves as an incentive for depositors to monitor cross-border bank risk, is also new in the literature. This study has revealed the important role depositors can play in the monitoring and policing of cross-border bank risk. The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and bank regulators should, therefore, take note and put in place structures that will enable depositors to have access to cross-border bank information such as capital level and corporate loan concentration level constantly.
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    Ghana-Cote D’ivoire Relations in Post ITLOS Maritime Boundary Judgement
    (University Of Ghana, 2019-07) Narh, G.A.M.K.
    The continent of Africa and natural resources are two things that are always placed together, be it negatively or positively. The vast wealth in natural resources has brought the continent to its knees due to the sheer violence and instability it caused in years past. In contemporary times, there have been newer discoveries such as oil, gas, uranium and others but this has led to some natural-resource-based boundary conflicts among some African states. A case in point is the maritime boundary dispute between Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire. This study sought to assess how the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) judgement has been implemented by the two states and assesses their reactions and relations after the verdict has been given and its directives operationalized. The study uses a qualitative approach as it explores the field of natural resource-based conflicts in Africa and specifically delves into the ITLOS judgement on the Ghana- Cote d’Ivoire dispute. The research findings include the fact that the implementation process for the judgement’s directives have been peaceful and this is related as normal state practice for countries that resort to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) settlement bodies. It also finds that the implementation process of the judgement has led to an upsurge in cooperation between the two states in multiple sectors yielding significant mutual benefits and greatly improving bilateral relations. The research recommended that the two states should focus on implementing all the directives of the judgement and must seek to secure sustainable bilateral cooperation.