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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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Item 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.Item Nutrition intakes and nutritional status of school age children in Ghana(Journal of Food Research, 2017) Owusu, J.S.; Colecraft, E.K.; Aryeetey, R.; et al.This paper compares the nutrition intake and nutritional status of school children from two public schools in neighbouring communities of Ghana with different school feeding programmes. One hundred and eighty-two caregiver and school-age child pairs were interviewed concerning socio-demographics, dietary practices, and food security in a cross-sectional design. The independent t-test was used to compare the contribution of the publicly funded Ghana School Feeding Programme and Private School Feeding Programme meals to the total daily nutrient intakes of the children. Predictors of the nutritional status of the children were assessed using logistic regression models. The private school feeding programme contributed more energy, protein, and micronutrients as compared to the government school feeding programme. About two-thirds (67.0%) of the children were stunted, underweight, or anaemic. The child’s age was a significant predictor of stunting. Undernutrition was prevalent among children from both programmes. Improved quality of diet from the feeding programmes may contribute to addressing malnutrition in these children.Item Comparison of Two School Feeding Programmes in Ghana, West Africa(International Journal of Child Health and Nutrition, 2016) Owusu, J.S.; Colecraft, E.K.; Aryeetey, R.N.O.; et al.Background: Malnutrition of children in Ghana continues during school years. There is limited information on how school meals meet nutrient recommendations in Ghana. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the energy and nutrient content of meals served by Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) and Non-Governmental School Feeding Programme (NGSFP) and adherence to nutrient recommendations. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study design involving the observation of school meals at two sites: GSFP and NGSFP. The average weights of a week’s meal were converted to energy and nutrient equivalence and compared with international recommendations. Differences were assessed with t-tests. Results: NGSFP provided significantly higher portion size (416 ± 96 g vs. 243 ± 50 g; p=0.007), energy (776 ± 427 kcal vs. 315 ± 24 kcal; p=0.042) and fats (17± 8 vs. 6 ± 2; p=0.019) but similar micronutrient contributions to GSFP. NGSFP met energy and macronutrient recommendations set by the World Food Programme; whereas, GSFP did not meet the recommendations. Conclusion and Recommendations: The NGSFP had more energy and macronutrients per serving size than the GSFP. Regulation of meals served by GSFP should be reviewed to ensure they contribute to the adequacy of children’s diets as well as meet recommendations set by the World Food Programme.Item Factors influencing the use of adequately iodated salt in Ghana(African Journal of Food Science, 2012) Ahiadeke, C.; Ackah, C.; Aryeetey, R.; Acquah, A.Ghana is one of the largest producers of salt in the West African region yet, access to and the use of adequately iodized salt is not widespread. Using the Ghana Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2006, this paper examined the factors influencing the use of adequately iodized salt in Ghana. Factors that influence the use of adequately iodized salt include knowledge, access to information, and wealth status. Where access to formal education opportunities was not available, access to information through media still served as an important instrument to educate the public and increase the community’s knowledge on the nutritional value of consuming adequately iodized salt. Based on these findings, it was recommended that the cost of iodized salt should be reduced to make it more affordable particularly for the poor since wealth is an important factor influencing the use of adequately iodized salt. Furthermore, monitoring and ensuring enforcement of the law of salt fortification with iodine would help Ghana achieve universal salt iodization.Item Interactive programmes on private radio stations in Ghana: An avenue for impoliteness(Journal of African Media Studies, 2018) Thompson, R.A.; Anderson, J.A.This study aims to show the impoliteness strategies employed during some radio interactions. The data used here are mainly recordings of the morning shows of some private radio stations in Ghana. We establish that all the recorded utterances have some features that correspond with at least one of Culpeper’s (1996, 2005) impoliteness strategies, which are bald-on-record impoliteness, positive impoliteness, negative impoliteness, off-record impoliteness, and withhold politeness. However, many of the participants prefer the use of the on-record strategies to the off-record strategies of impoliteness. We, therefore, assert that many participants in interactive radio programs in Ghana prefer to convey messages to their addressees in a more direct and unrestrained manner, with little or no attention to their (addressees’) face needs. These participants attack the faces of more powerful people not only to demean their social status but also to demand quicker results and gain some psychological relief.Item Are Sub-Saharan African Countries Losing it on Oil and Gas Revenue Management Too? Evidence from Ghana(International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, 2019) Ali-Nakyea, A.; Amoh, J.K.; Mohammed, N.A.The judicious management of revenues from natural resources has been challenging. This paper examines the effectiveness of Revenue Management. Laws for oil and gas revenues in Ghana. This is to assess whether Ghana has learned any lessons from the challenges of mineral revenue management. The study found that the management of the minerals and mining sector revenues is disturbing and some imminent problems identified in the management of the recent oil and gas revenues. The study recommends the adoption of Drysdale’s five principles of effective natural resource revenue management to avoid such problems associated with an influx of natural resource wealth. We recommend a consolidation of Petroleum Revenue Management Act, 2011 (Act 815) and the Petroleum Revenue Management (Amendment) Act, 2015 (Act 893) to provide consistency in interpreting the oil and gas Revenue Management Laws. We posit that with the experiences in the minerals and mining sector emphasized and the implementation of our recommendations, Ghana would be better informed on how to establish an effective and efficient framework to manage oil and gas revenues to spur Ghana beyond aid.Item Local economic development and poverty reduction in developing societies: The experience of the ILO decent work project in Ghana(Local Economy, 2019) Azunu, R.; Mensah, J.K.There have been a series of contest analyses of the developmental role of international development partners in sub-Saharan Africa. However, evidence abounds that while international development partners have over the past three decades participated actively in local economic development the academic literature has barely focused on this area. As a result, very little is known about how development partners-led local economic development has translated into poverty reduction and economic prosperity. Through a qualitative case study of the ILO decent work project in Ghana, this study provides an empirical assessment and impact of development partners’ role in conceptualizing, implementing, and monitoring local economic development interventions in sub-Saharan Africa. The findings show that ILO decent work project has led to the creation of jobs, enabled participants to improve their businesses, improve their economic situation, and meet their health needs and also adopt strategies to pull themselves out of poverty. The outcome of this paper is useful for both national and international development agencies in their attempt to improve societal development.Item Antiretroviral therapy maintenance among HIV-positive women in Ghana: the influence of poverty(AIDS Care, 2019) Poku, R.A.; Owusu, A.Y.; Mullen, P.D.; et.alThis study examines the role of poverty in the acquisition of and adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and prescribed clinical follow-up regimens among HIV-positive women. We conducted in-depth interviews with 40 women living with HIV (WLHIV) in Ghana and 15 stakeholders with a history of work in HIV-focused programs. Our findings indicate that financial difficulty contributed to limited ability to maintain treatment, the recommended nutrient-rich diet, and clinical follow-up schedules. However, enacted stigma and concurrent illness of family members also influenced the ability of the WLHIV to generate income; therefore, HIV infection itself contributed to poverty. To further examine the relationship between finances, ART adherence, and the maintenance of recommended clinical follow-up, we present the perspectives of several HIV-positive peer counselor volunteers in Ghana’s Models of Hope program. We recommend that programs to combat stigma continue to be implemented, as decreased stigma may reduce the financial difficulties of HIV-positive individuals. We also recommend enhancing current support programs to better assist peer counselor volunteers, as their role directly supports Ghana’s national strategic HIV/AIDS plan. Finally, additional investment in poverty-reduction across Ghana, such as broadening meal assistance beyond the currently limited food programs, would lighten the load of those struggling to combat HIV and meet basic needs.Item Analysis of Ghanaian teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education(International Journal of Inclusive Education, 2018) Butakor, P.K.; Ampadu, E.; Suleiman, S.J.Social and inclusive education as captured under the Sustainable Development Goals enjoined most countries to implement policies to bring about education for all students. Inclusive education recognises that students come from diverse backgrounds with varied characteristics, which include different learning capacities and cognitive development. The purpose of this study was to examine Ghanaian teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education. The Multidimensional Attitudes Toward Inclusive Education Scale (MATIES) developed by [Mahat, M. 2008. “The Development of a Psychometrically Sound Instrument to Measure Teachers’ Multidimensional Attitudes toward Inclusive Education.” International Journal of Special Education 23: 82–92.] was administered to 280 selected teachers in Ghana. The results of Confirmatory Factor Analysis revealed that the three-factor structure of the MATIES theorised by [Mahat, M. 2008. “The Development of a Psychometrically Sound Instrument to Measure Teachers’ Multidimensional Attitudes toward Inclusive Education.” International Journal of Special Education 23: 82–92] was not supported by the Ghanaian sample. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a correlated four-factor solution. These four factors were labelled Behavioural, Affective, Positive Beliefs, and Negative Beliefs. The reliability coefficients for these four subscales were 0.90. 0.86, 0.77, and 0.73, respectively. Analysis of variance revealed that males exhibited more negative beliefs towards inclusive education than females; more experienced teachers exhibited lower behavioural attitudes than their counterparts with less teaching experience.Item Left Behind, but Included: The Case of Migrant Remittances and Financial Inclusion in Ghana(The African Finance Journal, 2019) Amidu, M.; Abor, J.Y.; Issahaku, H.Migration is often viewed negatively because of the homelessness, city congestion, and other ills it has often been tagged with. But, ‘Every coin has a flipside’. Using data from the Ghana Living Standard Survey (Round 6), this study explores how remittances sent by migrants promote access to and usage of a broad range of financial services. We employ a novel econometric methodology, the endogenous switching probit regression which effectively handles selection on observables and unobservables as well as endogeneity. Treatment effect predictions show that remittances increase the probability of receiving households owning an account, saving, accessing credit, and holding insurance policy by 14 percentage points, 8 percentage points, 4 percentage points, and 11 percentage points respectively compared to analogous non-receiving households. Remittances confer similar financial inclusion benefits on a randomly selected household and the counterfactual –the financial inclusion level of those households that did not receive remittances had they received remittances. This implies that remittances foster the financial inclusion of the left behind. This unambiguous impact of remittances on financial inclusion calls for a more balanced view by policymakers and other stakeholders regarding both internal and external migration.