Lectures and Speeches

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    COVID-19, Health and Healthcare Services In Ghana
    (University of Ghana, 2022-05-26) Owusu, Y.A.
    The COVID-19 pandemic has now literally been downgraded in Ghana, with most of the restriction protocols eased. Nevertheless, COVID-19 is still with us, and still needs to be treated with caution, even as newer variants are announced every now and then. Of uttermost importance is the trail of effects it brought to citizens’ health, and healthcare services the world over, including Ghana. Some of these effects will last for decades. Based on Ghana’s COVID-19 recovery and case-fatality rate, relative to those of other African countries and the world’s average COVID-19 related indicators, Ghana has successfully managed and treated the pandemic. Ghana was the first country internationally to receive vaccines from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization’s (GAVI) COVAX facility, the COVID-19 vaccine drive initiative supported by the WHO and UNICEF, for African and other less developed countries. GoG planned to vaccinate all its adult population, estimated at 20 million, by the end of 2021, to generate herd immunity. COVID-19 has had a strong negative psycho-social effect on several aspects of the livelihoods of citizens. Among others, this situation stemmed from the financial insecurities engineered by the pandemic, the fear of infection, deaths from it, and the fear of death. In Ghana, another contributory factor to the psycho-social stress and mental health burden unleashed by COVID-19 is the stigma and stigmatization, and the reduced social space associated with the infection, and its concomitant social restrictions. This is against the background of Ghana’s current mental healthcare services being at a very low ebb and with very low funding. Furthermore, Ghana and Africa have a reduced capacity for COVID-19 research. As is the case globally, COVID-19 also highlighted the inequities in access to and distribution of healthcare infrastructure in the country. Locally, these are the usual dichotomies of the north-south, rural-urban, and Greater Accra Region versus the-rest-of-the-country divides. For instance, as at September 28, 2021, 10 regions in Ghana did not have any suitable COVID-19 accredited testing laboratories while 29 out of the 36 accredited laboratories with the capacity to test for COVID-19 (constituting 80.56%), were in the Greater Accra Region, mostly in wealthier enclaves of Accra. GoG and the Ghana Health Service’s concentration on COVID-19 had a high opportunity cost in terms of financing, logistics for, and healthcare provision for other equally important diseases and healthcare needs such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and maternal and child healthcare. Furthermore, research has shown that some citizens stopped seeking healthcare for essential services for fear of COVID-19 infection. Similarly, some elderly, very experienced healthcare personnel quit working to protect themselves. There was also a very high healthcare worker stress and psychosocial burden. These thwarted efforts to promote good health, led to worsened ailments and loss of lives which were not directly related to COVID-19, and may have long term effects on the healthcare space and citizens’ health in Ghana. On a positive note, the pandemic occasioned the expansion of the healthcare infrastructure and services, and the much needed increase in the healthcare manpower in Ghana. The pandemic has also led to lessons on self-reliance in providing healthcare logistics, as well as increased voluntarism in providing healthcare support from citizens. Given the massive negative impact of the pandemic on the mental health and psychological well-being of citizens, GoG, the Ghana Health Service, and allied agencies should step up mental health, clinical psychology, and psychosocial services to support citizens to cope with the fallout and the increased demand for mental and psycho-social healthcare related to the pandemic. There is the need for pragmatic efforts to distribute healthcare infrastructure more evenly, regionally, and also across the rural-urban, north-south divides, particularly in the provision of suitable laboratories that can test for the pandemic, in order to more equitably and efficiently prevent infections and treat persons who get infected by COVID-19 nationwide. GoG should ensure that at least one well-resourced COVID-19 testing center/laboratory is built in each region to facilitate more timely testing, treatment and needed documentation, such as for external travel, in the wake of the pandemic’s geopolitics. Increased and continuous self-reliant in providing our healthcare supplies, including vaccines, is recommended. There is the need for Ghana to be camera-ready for unavoidable future epidemics and pandemics. GoG and private partners should facilitate the intensification of scientific and social research on COVID-19 as well as other epidemics in Ghana. This should include the impact of the pandemic on healthcare workers.
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    In The Eyes Of The Beholder: Dissection Of Ghana’s Health System Towards 2030 And Beyond.
    (University of Ghana., 2022-06-16) Yawson, A.E.
    Abstract In the Eyes of the Beholder: Dissecting Ghana’s Health System towards 2030 and beyond The health system of Ghana is key to the nation’s quest to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030. The drive to achieve quality and timely access to health care, limiting financial barriers to health care by the citizenry and making the health system financially sustainable are the key ingredients of Ghana’s roadmap for achieving UHC and the health-related components of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Ghana’s health system has undergone functional and structural changes over the last four decades, which were meant to improve access to quality health care. In the late 1970s, the Primary Health Care (PHC) concept of the World Health Organization (WHO) was adopted as a means to achieve Health For All (HFA) by year 2000. This global concept was contributed to immensely by population level studies at the Danfa Rural Centre of the University of Ghana Medical School. The PHC, however, failed to achieve HFA by year 2000 because it was driven mainly by players in the health field; predominantly urban oriented and services to members of the rural communities were dependent on voluntary personnel. The introduction of the Community-based Planning and Health Services (CHPS) in the health system in the 1990s was in response to these challenges. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), to be achieved by year 2015, were improvements on the PHC. The MDGs positioned health as a developmental issue, yet the concept had the downsides of not including non-communicable diseases and the goals being related to country specific performance. The health system is currently developing the Health Sector Medium Term Development Plan (HSMTDP) using the UHC to achieve the health-related SDGs by 2030. There are, however, major systemic level and population level risks that mitigate against our national capacity to achieve UHC by 2030. I am a physician, a public health practitioner, a health planning, policy and financing expert, an academic and researcher with close to 20 years’ experience working in the health sector. Having had the opportunity to undertake health system strengthening activities for the Ministry of Health (MOH), Ghana Health Service (GHS) and its agencies and Development Partners in all districts of the current 16 regions of Ghana, at different periods over the last decade, I am well-positioned to conduct this evaluation of the health system of Ghana. I have dissected the health system, conducted analysis, made the issues plain to inform and, offer suggestions. My inaugural address highlights the systemic factors that pose risks to the health care system focusing on elements within the WHO Framework for the Health System- finance, leadership and Governance, human resources, and service delivery – as well as population level risks ageing, obesity, chronic conditions, and access to health services by the citizenry. This evaluation dissects the health system and puts in perspective the history of health financing in Ghana (since independence) and relates it to the current financing architecture. I use empirical evidence – based on my lead role conducting a World Bank Resource Mapping Exercise for the MOH – to critique the current financing architecture , the financial contributions of Government of Ghana and that of Development Partners (DPs) and why the need to make ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ count. Though the health system is inherently structured to improve physical access, how do other socio-economic factors militate against this and how pro-poor is the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS)? The lecture highlights key leadership and Governance risks and health system resilience using the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study, and what lessons the nation must glean from this towards 2030 and beyond. I emphasise the inequities in the distribution of human resources, over-and-under production of different cadres of health workforce and what direction is needed for efficiency gains in training and skills development. The lecture uses empirical evidence and national level data to illustrate the unwarranted parallel systems of clinical care and public health service delivery and the relatively high contribution of the private health sector – which must not be ignored towards 2030. Service delivery at the community and primary care level is fraught with challenges, especially at the sub-district levels. The lecture points to what essential package of services is most beneficial and what changes are needed to strengthen the sub-district health system. Population ageing is a major health and social policy concern. How is Ghana positioning itself to deal with the increasing proportion of older adults, demand for geriatric and palliative care and need for resources to cater for the increasing cost of health care and for pensions? Increasing age is associated with increased risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The lecture demonstrates with evidence, through population level surveys, review of national health facility-based data, and from a large qualitative national-level study, the burden of NCDs, and the factors contributing to this rising trend. Obesity, a major risk for NCD is demonstrated to explain the observation that middle-age-spread as used in the Ghanaian parlance is a reality, not a myth. Though NCDs constitute high morbidity and mortality burdens accounting for six of the ten leading causes of death among adult Ghanaians, it would be interesting to discover how much of the health budget is spent on these? The lecture highlights access to health care by the sexes, why the phenomenon of hegemonic masculinity is real in Ghana, and why the health system should be structured to target male-dominated population groups especially for preventive services. I provide an interesting observation – based on evidence – to show the seeming protective role of marriage at the population level. The lecture explains in plain language, the peculiar challenges of rural dwellers, urban and high-income earners, older adult women, and the need for specific health system responses towards 2030 and beyond. This evaluative exercise through a physician’s eyes, brings to the fore systemic and population level factors which can thwart Ghana’s efforts at achieving the HSMTDP and the UHC 2030 and beyond. I provide policy options and recommendations on health and social policy implementation strategies informed by context-specific health systems research. Profile Professor Alfred Edwin Yawson has over 19 years of medical practice and research experience. He has a BSc. (Honours) in Medical Sciences and MB ChB, from the University of Ghana Medical School (UGMS), an MSc in Health Policy, Planning and Financing from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Diploma in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine of the University of London, United Kingdom (UK). He is a Fellow of the West African College of Physicians (Community Health), Fellow of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons (Public Health), and an honorary Associate Professor of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). He has excellent health systems and operational research background through a post-doctoral research and mentoring training at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, USA. He was the best overall student for the BSc Medical Sciences Degree (1999) and the best in Community Health, at the MB ChB UGMS graduating class of 2002, a discipline in which he is now a professor. He is a country expert on the WHO Global Network on Long-term care, a member of the WHO Team for the Multi-country Study on AGEing and Adult Health (SAGE) and the principal investigator for the WHO World Health Survey Plus (WHS+) for Ghana. Health System Strengthening Activities Professor Yawson has contributed immensely to the strengthening of the health system in Ghana and other West African countries. He was trained in 2011 as a UNICEF consultant on The Bottleneck Analysis (BNA) Tool and Approach, an evidence-based context specific health planning and management tool. In 2013, he led the training and facilitation of all then ten regional and district teams of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in health systems planning and budgeting using the BNA approach which formed the basis for the development of the five-year medium-term strategic plan of the GHS (2014- 2018). He led the use of the BNA to develop national strategic plans for Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV and Adolescent HIV Services, Nutrition and Vitamin A Supplementation, Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), and Newborn Care. He has supported the Ministry of Health (MOH) and GHS over the years and led the development of Ghana’s Full Portfolio Plan Application for Gavi Programme Support Rational (PSR) which secured over US$17 million for the EPI programme in Ghana, for the period 2020-2024. In 2019, he supported UNICEF Ghana to develop a proposal which secured a grant of US$1,010,000 for a 2-year implementation research in selected districts in the Eastern Region of Ghana on ‘Scaling Pneumonia Response Innovations (SPRINT), use of dispersible Amoxycillin and Oxygen therapy for treatment of children with pneumonia’ aimed at improving care of children. He is an active member of many technical working groups of the MOH/GHS, including the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) which provides technical advice to the Minister of Health, GHS and the EPI. The NITAG played a key role in guiding the roll out of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme. Consultancies at National Level Professor Yawson is a consultant for the World Bank and Global Financing Facility (GFF) and is currently developing a resource mapping tool for resources and expenditure to support Ghana’s Health Sector Medium Term Development Plan (HSMTDP) and the Roadmap to achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2030. He led the development of the current National Malaria Strategic Plan (NMSP 2021 -2025) of the National Malaria Control Programme, GHS, the ‘Five-year Volta River Authority (VRA) Health Services Limited Strategic Plan’ to support its operationalization as a limited liability company in 2019 and, is a COVID-19 Strategic Advisor to Gold Fields Ghana. He has a rich network of institutions and organizations for which he has provided services to support Ghana’s health system including the World Bank, Global Fund, Global Financing Facility, WHO, UNICEF, USAID, JICA, GIZ, PATH and FHI 360. Consultancies at International Level Professor Yawson, has extended health policy, planning and health financing support to other countries in West Africa (Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia). In 2013, he led the development of costed HIV strategic plans for Anambra and Kaduna States and over, 40 Local Government Authorities (LGAs) in Nigeria. In 2017, he developed the ‘Elimination of mother- to- child transmission of HIV and Paediatric HIV Treatment and Care, 2018- 2020’ for the Ministry of Health and Sanitation in Sierra Leone. In 2015, he led The Gambia to develop a proposal which won a grant for the national roll out of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination for adolescent girls and has since been a regular visitor to support the Ministry of Health of that country. Most significantly, in 2017, he facilitated the development of a Health Equity Assessment Technical Guide and Training Manual to strengthen national systems in HIV and nutrition services for all UNICEF consultants in the Central and West African Region in Dakar, Senegal. Research, Teaching, and Mentoring Being a physician, public health practitioner, academic and researcher, he has published several peer-reviewed publications to facilitate knowledge and skill-sharing and to bridge the gap in health policy and research. His over 130 scholarly articles have focused on, health systems; health policy, planning, and financing; ageing and chronic non-communicable diseases; and HIV and AIDS. His research places special emphasis on vulnerable populations such as older adults, children with non-communicable diseases and persons living with HIV and AIDS, to determine inequities in access to healthcare as well as barriers to primary health care and universal health coverage. He has skills in both quantitative and qualitative research methods and applies these effectively to provide a comprehensive view of the systemic challenges of the health system. He employs relevant health planning and management tools to guide decisions for effective health service coverage, health service utilization and quality of healthcare delivery in health facilities in resource limited settings. He has particularly focused on non-communicable diseases, and in 2021, with the support of the German Cooperative Agency (GIZ), conducted a nationally representative quantitative and qualitative assessment on ‘Health System Factors and the implementation of a successful non-communicable disease programme in Ghana’. Prof. Yawson has been actively involved in the national COVID-19 response with involvement in surveillance and disease monitoring through the Disease Surveillance Department, Public Health Division, GHS. He was instrumental in the generation of empirical and local evidence - resulting in five publications in the early phase of the pandemic- for action in Ghana. He has led and been on several grants, contributing to resource mobilization, and mentoring of students and faculty on NIH-funded D43 as well as other grants through the University of Ghana and other institutions including the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana. He is currently the co-investigator on some NIH-funded grants , Ghana Integrated Approach to Cancer Research (GRACE) Program, with MOFFIT Centre, Tampa, USA, Collaborative care for cardiometabolic disease in Africa (CREATE), in Ghana, Kenya and Mozambique with University of Leicester, UK, Development and evaluation of community-based approaches and donor care intervention models for improving availability and safety of blood for the management of severe anemia in Ghana (BLIS), with University of Minnesota, USA, Ghana Laboratory Network Project; a collaborative project between the University of Michigan; Johns Hopkins School of Public Health; the University of Ghana School of Public Health and, NIHR Global Health Research Group on Digital Diagnostics for African Health Systems, with University of Sheffield. He has strong links and research collaborations with other universities, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of Leicester, University of Sheffield, Leeds Beckett University, UK and Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Germany. He has been the co-investigator on the WHO Multi-country Study on AGEing and Adult Health (SAGE), since 2014, and the current principal investigator for the WHO World Health Survey Plus (WHS+), Ghana, 2022. The SAGE is a collaborative effort between WHO, MOH, and Department of Community Health, UGMS. The MOH adopted the SAGE Wave 1, 2007-2008 as the main data source for The National Ageing Policy, 2010. Within the College of Health Sciences (CHS), publications from the SAGE data, feature prominently in the research dossier of many promotion applications. It has resulted in over 80 peer reviewed publications, been used for PhD and master’s level theses, and has been presented at many conferences locally and internationally. He has supervised over 140 medical student dissertations, and over 40 masters, PhD, and Fellowship thesis/dissertations, and has supported and mentored many young faculty in the CHS. University Boards and Committees Professor Yawson has served on several statutory and ad hoc committees of the University of Ghana, CHS, SPH and UGMS, and is currently a member of the Vice-Chancellor’s Committee to review the Statutes of the University of Ghana. He has been in university management position as Head of Department for the past seven years where he has been the head of two different departments, Dept. of Biostatistics-SPH, and Dept. of Community Health-UGMS. He has also acted for the Deans of two different schools, SPH and UGMS, of the CHS at different periods since the 2017-2018 academic year. He has been a member of the Ethical and Protocol Review Committee, CHS, since 2012, the Research Committee, CHS from 2016 -2020 and the Scientific and Technical Committee, KBTH since 2016. He has actively contributed to research capacity building in the CHS, supports the training of undergraduate and postgraduate students of public and private medical schools, and offer clinical services at the Medical School Clinic, Korle-Bu. Professional Associations and Organizations Professor Yawson has been actively involved with the accreditation processes and assessments of medical schools in Ghana for the Medical and Dental Council and accreditation of health-related programmes for the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, over the last six years. He is a member of many professional associations, such as West African College of Physicians, Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, Ghana Medical Association, Medical and Dental Council, and Commonwealth Association for the Ageing (Commonage). He is currently the Vice-President/ Chairman of the Ghana Chapter of the WACP, since 2018 and supports activities of all faculties within the College for the training of specialist physicians for the health care system. He is an external examiner for the School of Medicine and Dentistry and the School of Public Health, KNUST, the University of Warwick, UK and an Honorary Associate Professor, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK. Family Professor Yawson is from C6 Eguabado Street, Saltpond, a dedicated husband and father, has a lovely wife (Anita Ohenewa Yawson), four wonderful children (David, Jeffrey, Anna Vera, and Jesse), and is a firm believer in Christ.
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    Taking The Gown To Town: Reflections Of A Scholar-Activist On Media In Ghana’s Democratic Journey.
    (University of Ghana, 2022-04-28) Gadzekpo, A.S.
    Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo, Professor of Communication Studies and Former Dean of the School of Information and Communication Studies has advocated for an improved environment where journalists must feel safe and confident to do their job without fear of attacks. Prof. Gadzekpo shared this important insight as she delivered her inaugural lecture on the topic: “Taking the Gown to Town: Reflections of a Scholar-Activist on Media in Ghana’s Democratic Journey”. Prof. Gadzekpo commenced the lecture by addressing the link between media and democracy stating that a well-functioning press nurtures democracy. She explained that the media as the fourth estate the realm complements and simultaneously acts as a check on the three other arms of government. “As the maxim underscoring the symbiotic relationship between democracy and media holds, where there is democracy, there must be free media and where there is free media, the political system being practised is bound to be democratic”, she reiterated. Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo in addressing the Ghanaian Media Ecosystem, enumerated the rankings of Ghana in the World Press Freedom index as published by Reporters without Borders (RSF) and stated that despite the rankings, Ghanaian media are free to operate. She emphasised that the spread of local language media staitions across the country has been especially empowering as it has allowed many more Ghanaians to benefit from and participate in issues of national interest. Prof. Gadzekpo indicated that the radio particularly has brought previously marginalised local languages into the public sphere, and encouraged the production of programmes better suited to the needs of the communities in which the languages are situated. Airing concerns and evaluating the ecological factors affecting media performance, Prof. Gadzekpo indicated that the lack of any broadcasting legislation was a glaring lacuna in the country’s regulatory system, which critics argue is mostly responsible for excess frequencies in the broadcast space. According to Prof. Gadzekpo, the failure of successive governments to enact a broadcast code compounded by the lack of transparency in how frequencies are allocated by the National Communications Authority (NCA), has contributed to the political capture of Ghanaian media and skewed authorisation in favour of commercial station applicants. Sympathising with the media on attack from economic forces, Prof. Gadzekpo said “A variety of factors such as fierce competition from digital media, poor capitalization, among others, have led to a decline in sources of revenue for legacy media. This already precarious condition has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic which has resulted in constricting revenue sources even further and led to job losses across the media industry”. Criticising the media in its democratic practice in Ghana, the lecturer declared that the media in Ghana have been accused of being partisan, polarised, factionalised, unprofessional and unethical. She cited that some of these criticisms such as sloppiness in reporting, the lack of verification to establish facts, weak research and biased reporting dated back to the beginning of Ghana’s democratic journey. Prof. Gadzekpo said, “Although strong allegations have been leveled against the media, and public trust in them seems to be wavering, there is plenty of evidence to show that the media have played and continue to play very positive roles within the Ghanaian society”. She added that the media have discharged their normative functions in five roles namely; the monitorial, the radical, facilitative, collaborative and cultural glue role. Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo noted that the monitorial role required journalists to play a surveillance role by monitoring the environment and providing relevant information to people on activities around them, trends and threats. She elaborated further that the media’s performance on the monitorial role has been mixed since the media were providing reasonable and critical information to the public. However, the quality of information they provide could be superficial and not what the people need to make decisions. The lecturer in her delivery emphasised that the radical role draws from the principles of equality and freedom. She noted that the role called upon the media to strive for equality, justice and the elimination of concentrations of social power within society so that all, especially the marginalised in society, can be included in all societal decisions. She maintained that while the media have shown commitment to equality and freedom, media business was made of mostly males with a few women owning media organisations. “It bears in mind that no matter a journalist’s religious convictions, ethnic loyalties or political views, they have an obligation to educate the public that part of living in a democracy is to tolerate views and values that may go against their own”, Prof. Gadzekpo said. Examining the facilitative role of the media, Prof. Gadzekpo revealed that the media would provide an inclusive public space for pluralistic debate and civic engagement on public affairs so that the collective wisdom of society would inform governance. She, however, opined that implicit in the facilitative role was also a mobilising role requiring the media to rally and encourage public learning and participation. Prof. Gadzekpo added that the nature of social media allowed people to express themselves without traditional gate-keepers allowing marginalised voices as well as minority and unpopular viewpoints to be accommodated in public disclosure. Diving into the collaborative role, Prof. Gadzekpo emphasised that the media is perceived as contentious which is suggestive of collusion between media and the state. This, according to her, was partly because journalistic independence was seen in liberal democratic practice as being upheld when the relationship between journalists and the power elite was adversarial rather than friendly. She added that the support for collaborative role countered the media being used to promote state interests and coinciding with the interests of the public. “In developing countries, such as Ghana, collaboration between the media and state institutions are desirable for developmental purposes”, the lecturer insisted. She noted that the cultural glue role perceived the media as vital in the preservation and propagation of the culture of a people. Hence, the media have the responsibility of preserving tradition and promoting a common cultural heritage in the interests of future generations. She encouraged the media to act as a cultural unifier that brings people of diverse ethnicities together, highlighting the common norms and values that define them as a unique people to promote tolerance/co-existence, and additionally play a constructive role during conflicts. As part of the recommendations, Prof. Gadzekpo added that there is the need for retrospection on the part of the media and genuine attempts to address the litany of complaints that diminish people’s trust in the media. Concluding her lecture, Prof. Gadzekpo said “We must remember that the media are a public good and must be supported to survive, if nothing else in the interest of democracy”.
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    The Continuous Struggle for Space - Coastal Erosion in Ghana.
    (University of Ghana., 2022-03-31) Addo, K.A.
    ABSTRACT The coastal zone refers to the interface between the land and sea. This very important environment comprises a range of coastal lands and aquatic systems that support a wide range of critical habitats and unique biodiversity. The coastal zone is home to a large percentage of the human population. About 60% of the world’s megacities are situated in the coastal zones and 40% of all the people on the planet live within 100 kilometers of the coastal zone. Several infrastructural systems that form the backbone of our society can be found within the coastal zone. The coastal zone exhibits the closely interconnected and interdependent relationships between humans and coastal resources. This interconnectedness amplifies the most urgent questions of limits and equilibrium, sustainability and conservation, as well as exploitation and development in today’s world. Managing coastal zones presents several challenges as they are complex and fragile environments that are continually changing. Coastal zones have been shaped in the past by the dynamic interaction of marine, terrestrial and atmospheric processes. However, in recent times, extreme climatic events, sea-level rise and increasing human activities are increasing the coastal system’s vulnerability, making it susceptible to coastal hazards. Although variations in sea levels are natural responses to climate change, geodetic variations, movements of the seafloor, and other earth processes, human actions such as drainage of wetlands and withdrawal of groundwater may also contribute to the rise in sea levels through coastal land subsidence. Local anthropogenic activities such as coastal resources exploitation and extraction; infrastructural developments to accommodate increasing coastal population and industries; destruction of coastal vegetation (e.g. mangroves); upstream watershed management (e.g. construction of dams on major rivers for hydropower generation and irrigation); dredging of waterways for shipping and commerce; beach sand mining; and the construction of ports and coastal defense structures (e.g. groynes, seawalls, revetments) have opened up the coast to energetic wave attack, reduced sediment inflow into the littoral system, blocked sediment transport pathways, reduced beach sand volumes or rendered the coastal systems less resilient to naturally fight coastal hazards. The increasing human development and encroachment on the strip of land that separates human activities from the shoreline’s dynamic processes is denying the shoreline the much-needed space for it to naturally evolve. This has resulted in a “coastal land squeeze” situation. The continuous struggle for space between humans and the shoreline disturbs the equilibrium state of the coastal environment and accelerates changes in the coastal zones, which results in terrible consequences with environmental and economic implications. Twenty-five (25) coastal erosion hot spots have been identified along the coast of Ghana that are eroding at varying rates and intensity due to the significant geomorphological variability. The eastern coast, where the Volta Delta is located, is the most vulnerable. Coastal communities that are the front-line of the direct effect of the coastal erosion hazard are experiencing the impacts in various forms. Coastal erosion has displaced households, destroyed sources of livelihood, damaged properties and almost wiped out an entire community (Fuvemeh in 2021). Challenges in the coastal zone are projected to accelerate under increasing sea-level rise. This will expose low lying vulnerable coastal communities to coastal erosion hazards. The impact of sea-level rise on coastal infrastructure will be high since it has not been factored into the design and maintenance of several coastal infrastructures. Under IPCC projected sea-level rise scenarios, landmark features such as the Christianborg Castle, Independence Square and Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum located in Accra will erode between 50 and 150 years’ time with 2002 as the baseline year. It is, therefore, not surprising that the Office of the President was relocated from the Christianborg Castle in Osu-Accra to its present location (Jubilee House). Future projections again suggest that between approximately 4.7x106 m2 and 8.2x106 m2 of coastal land will be eroded in Accra alone by the year 2252 (2002 as baseline year) over an estimated length of about 40 kilometres. Present and future coastal erosion challenges call for the development of pragmatic management strategies based on research. Sustainably managing coastal erosion is progressively becoming a huge challenge in Ghana. We find ourselves in this current management quandary mainly because of the local ‘political’ and ‘economic’ pressures, which are backed by limited science and policy intent. Ghana has resorted to ‘fighting’ coastal erosion instead of managing it – a war we may never win. The approach adopted to manage coastal erosion is mainly the hard engineering method – i.e., construction of groynes (shore-perpendicular structures used to maintain eroding up-drift beaches or to restrict longshore sediment transport) and revetments (shore parallel structures constructed to protect coastal properties). The hard engineering approach seeks to resist the natural coastal system dynamics instead of enhancing their resilience. Using groynes have the potential to accelerate coastal erosion in adjacent down-drift areas, which may require the need for additional hard structures that are practically inappropriate. Placement of revetments will decrease the release of sediments from the sections they protect, which impact negatively on the sediment budget along adjacent shorelines and increase erosion on the adjacent beaches. This business-as-usual ‘one solution fits all problems’ approach is not sustainable, environmentally unfriendly, and difficult to maintain. The temporary success stories are just a postponement of the problems or a transfer of the problems to the adjacent shoreline. Shifting the status quo and changing the paradigm from ‘fighting with nature’ to ‘building with nature’ should be the basis upon which we can develop sustainable and effective strategies for coastal erosion management in Ghana. There is an urgent need to develop a new coastal management culture based on consistent shoreline statutes assessment due to the emerging global geophysical changes and a set of coastal management policies driven by research. This lecture seeks to discuss the coastal processes in the coastal zone that result in coastal erosion, and how the continuous struggle for space between anthropogenic activities and shoreline evolution has exacerbated coastal erosion problems in Ghana. The lecture will present Ghana’s approach to managing coastal erosion and present my research work on coastal erosion dynamics, innovative approaches to monitor coastal erosion as well as methods developed for shoreline evolution trend analysis in data-sparse coastal nations. PROFILE Personal Details: Professor Kwasi Appeaning Addo is a Professor in Coastal Processes in the Department of Marine and Fisheries Sciences, University of Ghana. He comes from Akyem Begoro in the Fanteakwa North District of the Eastern Region, Ghana. His parents, the Late Mr. Samuel Yaw Addo and Mrs. Mercy Gyamfuah Addo are both from Begoro. He is the third of five siblings with two elder brothers and two younger sisters. Professor Appeaning Addo is married to Dr. (Mrs.) Irene Appeaning Addo, a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana and a Professional Architect and they are blessed with three children – Kwabena Appeaning Addo, Amma Gyamfuah Appeaning Addo, and Adwoa Agyapomaa Appeaning Addo. He enjoys gardening as a hobby and loves listening to classical music during his leisure hours. He is a Presbyterian and worships with the Calvary Congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana in Haatso-Accra where he served as a Presbyter from 2014 to 2018. Educational Background: Professor Kwasi Appeaning Addo started his primary education at the Effiduase Methodist Primary and the Koforidua Methodist Primary ‘C’ Schools respectively. He continued at the Nana Kwaku Boateng Experimental School also in Koforidua where he wrote the Common Entrance Examination in 1981. He then proceeded to the Koforidua Secondary Technical School (SECTECH) for both his Ordinary and Advanced Levels and completed in 1986 and 1988 respectively. He did his post-Advanced Level National Service at the Okrakwadwo Health Center in the Eastern Region. He then proceeded to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology for his undergraduate studies in Geomatic Engineering in 1989 and completed in 1993. He had his post-Undergraduate National Service at the Assin District Assembly in Assin Fosu in 1994, where he also became the Central Regional President of the National Service Personnel Association. In the year 2000, Professor Appeaning Addo enrolled for his MPhil Studies in Geomatic Engineering at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. During his Masters’ studies, he developed a research interest in coastal processes and its impact on coastal zone management and planning. In 2004, he was awarded a GETFUND Scholarship to pursue his PhD studies in coastal processes at the School of Civil and Geosciences, the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in the United Kingdom. Professor Appeaning Addo had certificate training in the Exclusive Economic Zone Management and Operational Course in 2012 and in Maritime Boundary Delimitation and UNCLOS Article 76 (CARIS LOTS) in 2013. He also had training in teaching in higher institutions at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 2005. Professional Background: Professor Appeaning Addo began his career as a Geomatic Engineer in 1994 at the RUDAN Engineering Limited, a private consultancy firm in Accra where he was involved in executing Geomatic Engineering projects all over Ghana. In 1999, he joined the Accra Polytechnic (now Accra Technical University) as a lecturer in the Department of Building and Civil Engineering. While lecturing at the Accra Technical University, he took up a part-time lectureship in Physical Oceanography and Coastal Geomorphology in the Department of Oceanography and Fisheries in the then Faculty of Science (now Department of Marine and Fisheries Sciences), School of Biological Sciences, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, in 2008. He was appointed full-time faculty member in 2010 to teach Physical Oceanography at the graduate level, as well as Coastal Engineering and Coastal Geomorphology at the undergraduate level. Through hard work and the Grace of God, Professor Kwasi Appeaning Addo was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2013, Associate Professor in 2015, and Professor in 2020. Membership of Professional Bodies: Professor Kwasi Appeaning Addo has served as a member of several bodies including the Ghana Institution of Engineers, Ghana Institution of Surveyors, Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society, Society of Wetlands Scientists, American Geophysical Union, Union for African Population Studies, Partnership for Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction, and the University Teachers’ Association of Ghana. Research and Areas of Expertise: Professor Appeaning Addo’s research focus has been on nearshore coastal processes, shoreline dynamics and coastal erosion complex interactions; shorelines and river systems linkages; new approaches (drone and video) in coastal systems monitoring; sea-level rise and subsidence interrelationships; nature-based solution; integrated and sustainable green ports concepts; and in recent times sargassum pathways. Through his research, he has emerged as one of the leading coastal geomorphologists in Africa today. His contribution to the field of coastal processes and shoreline dynamics has provided an understanding of the coastal systems in Ghana and the Bight of Benin. He collaborates extensively with several researchers in Ghana and abroad to undertake his research works. Professor Appeaning Addo’s research work in coastal erosion dynamics in Ghana and West Africa has gained global recognition and impacted significantly on coastal erosion management. It has received several citations, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He is the 8th most cited researcher in coastal erosion studies globally and has granted interviews on his research work on high-profile media platforms such as the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Aljazeera, Deutsche Welle (DW), Le Monde Afrique and the Ghana News Agency (GNA). He was also featured in a scientific documentary on climate change, which was shown during the plenary session at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP21). He has to his credit 94 journal publications including Nature Climate Change, book chapters and books. He has presented the results of his research work in several conferences, seminars, and workshops globally as a keynote speaker, presenter or discussant. He has also consulted for several organizations (local and international) on coastal erosion-related issues. Some Innovative Research Works of Prof Kwasi Appeaning Addo 1. His pioneering work in developing a methodology by combining satellite remote sensing, photogrammetry, and in-situ approaches in shoreline evolution studies in data-sparse environments, opened a new chapter in this area of research globally. The approach he developed has been used in several countries for coastal erosion and shoreline morphology studies. It has also become the main source of reference in coastal erosion studies in several data-sparse countries. 2. His ground-breaking methodology in monitoring dynamic coastal systems using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (drone) has revealed the potential of using drone technology as a tool for effective communication of coastal hazards and coastal disaster management. The Canadian Geographic in 2016 described his work as an “innovative research in a developing country”. Again, his research work using a drone in Ghana was used to develop teachers’ workbooks for teaching in schools in Canada. A presentation on the drone research was well received and applauded by a scientific audience at the School of Geography and the Environment, the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom in 2016. This same research gave Prof. Appeaning Addo the recognition and subsequent invitation as the first African Associate Editor of the prestigious Science Advances Journal in 2019. 3. His research work on the negative effects of using hard engineering coastal defense structures to manage coastal erosion made a strong case for a rethink of developing alternative approaches to managing coastal erosion using localized soft engineering approaches. This has enhanced advocacy on managing coastal erosion with nature in the West Africa sub-region and beyond. 4. His work with colleagues from the Netherlands for the first time developed an integrated approach to sustainable port development for developing nations that embrace engineering, ecosystem services, and governance under the ‘Green Port’ concept. This innovative ‘African-specific’ design framework that integrates and optimizes ports’ environmental, economic, and public benefits is inclusive, serving both commercial and socio-economic objectives. Professor Appeaning Addo has succeeded in placing his research at the service of society and within the scope of the much-needed fusion between coastal processes and human activities, especially under sea-level rise challenges. Through his research work, he has informed various societal concerns related to marine spatial planning, sea-level rise, subsidence, coastal threats, coastal erosion dynamics, and coastal resource assessment. The issues addressed by his research are highly relevant in this critical time of climate change, especially given the necessity of developing and promoting adaptive capacities to sea-level rise along the vulnerable coasts of Ghana, the Bight of Benin, and West Africa. Grant Support: Professor Appeaning Addo has attracted significant grants from various funding agencies to the University of Ghana to support his research work. These include International Development Research Center (IDRC), British Council, Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), DANIDA, Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), National Geographic, Norwegian Government, Dutch Research Council (NWO) – WOTRO, Delta Alliance, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Past Global Changes Bern-Switzerland (PAGES), Paleontological and Scientific Trust (PAST), International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA), DGIS-UNESCO-IHE Programmatic Cooperation (DUPC) and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Teaching/Theses Supervision/Theses Examination: Before taking up appointment at the University of Ghana as a lecturer in 2010, Professor Appeaning Addo had teaching experience at the Accra Technical University. He also obtained significant teaching experience at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in the United Kingdom, where he was a practical/laboratory demonstrator for the School of Civil and Geosciences. He was a Visiting Scholar to the University of Southampton in 2016 to teach coastal processes focusing on ‘Cliffed and Rocky Coasts’ as well as ‘Coastal monitoring using drones’ in the Erasmus Mundus MSc in Coastal and Marine Engineering and Management (CoMEM) program. Since 2019, he has been a Guest Lecturer in Coastal Engineering at the Africa Center of Excellence in Coastal Resilience (ACECoR) at the University of Cape Coast. Professor Appeaning Addo has examined 45 graduate students’ theses (PhD, MPhil, and MSc) in Ghana, South Africa, Ivory Coast, Benin, and France since 2010. He has contributed to theses supervision at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Professor Kwasi Appeaning Addo has been a member of 32 graduate supervisory committees in the University of Ghana, the University of Abomey-Calavi in Cotonou-Benin, the University of Bordeaux in France, the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands, and UNESCO-IHE in the Netherlands since 2008. He measures the successful learning of his students when they develop self-motivation and a strong desire to succeed. Therefore, it is not surprising that some of his PhD graduates are Research Fellows and Lecturers in Universities in Ghana and beyond and are continuing research activities within the coastal environment. He has supervised two (2) Post-Doctoral Research Fellows at the University of Ghana. Professor Appeaning Addo is also an External Assessor for promotion for the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi; University for Development Studies, Tamale; Koforidua Technical University; Accra Technical University, and Center for Scientific and Industrial Research as well as Oceanography and Coastal Management Program Assessor for the National Accreditation Board. Extension Activities: Professor Appeaning Addo has served as a member of statutory boards and ad-hoc committees in the University of Ghana since 2010. He has also served in several capacities at both national and international levels. He was the Head of the Department of Marine and Fisheries Sciences from 2015 to 2018, Acting Chair of the International Programmes Office (IPO) Advisory Board in 2021, member of the University Academic Board, the College of Basic and Applied Sciences (CBAS) Academic Board, the Office of Research and Innovation (ORID) Board, the School of Graduate Studies Board, the Regional Institute for Population Studies (RIPS) Management Committee, and currently the Director of the Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies (IESS). He is also a member of the Governing Council of the Methodist University College and the Group of Experts for the Third Cycle of the Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment, including Socioeconomic Aspects (Regular Process); He also serves as an Associate member of UNESCO Land Subsidence International Initiative (LaSII) and member of the following bodies: the Expert Group of the High-Level Panel for Sustainable Ocean Economy involving 14 Heads of State; the International Pool of Marine Experts, United Nations (UN) Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea; and the Scientific Committee of the World Bank WACA project in Ghana. Additionally, he is the Technical Advisor to the Scientific Committee of the West African Coast Observation Mission (WACOM) and Convener of the Sargassum Network in West Africa. Professor Appeaning Addo was an Advisor to the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Coastal Erosion – Republic of Ghana in 2010; and a Member of the Laboratory Equipment and Appointments Committee of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development – Somanya in 2019 and 2020.
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    Ghana Asks: Legon Answers
    (University of Ghana., 2022-06-30) Amfo, N.A.A.
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    “Yen Ara Asaase Ni" Remix - Tuning Up the Contribution of Law in the Ghana we Desire.
    (University of Ghana, 2023-04-27) Mensa-Bonsu, H.J.A.N
    This second Lecture focuses on the constitutional framework in general, and issues arising thereunder, in particular. Through the lens of state-resilience, I share ideas on some constitutional issues that have featured in public discourse this past decade. As advocacy and agitations for constitutional review have increased in tempo, so has the need to address the average citizen’s appreciation of the issues at stake. For this reason, I discuss the nature of a constitution, its purpose, and its beneficiaries; and also reflect on the challenges our ethnic, religious and class diversity pose for us in our efforts to build one nation out of these many peoples. I then highlight the basic underpinnings of our Constitution, such as the principles of the rule of law and how these support state-resilience. I also discuss the citizen’s duties and note that it is the part of the bargain of democracy that is much less popular than its converse: rights. I make the point that sustaining constitutionalism and democratic governance is not just about enjoying human rights, but also about performing reciprocal duties, such as honouring one’s tax obligations. Finally, I also examine issues that are pertinent to some categories of vulnerable citizens - the aged and persons with disability - towards whom we have a duty of humanity. Such persons require more support of the State, and from the State, to enjoy their human rights – a fact which the Constitution itself recognises with appropriate provisions. Is the State doing enough in this regard, beyond passing a Disability Act? Are State agencies doing their utmost to assure their welfare? I conclude with the position that the Constitution, even in its current state, is capable of serving its purposes as it has done these thirty past years. However, Constitutions do not implement themselves and so we must do our part, first to sustain its integrity, and then support its institutions to deliver on their mandate, so that, harnessing the technologies of our time, the State can continue to play its role in providing a fulfilling life for all its citizens.