Research Articles
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A research article reports the results of original research, assesses its contribution to the body of knowledge in a given area, and is published in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal. The faculty publications through published and on-going articles/researches are captured in this community
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Item Digital economy, financial development and energy transition in Africa: Exploring for synergies and nonlinearities(Applied Energy, 2024) Horvey, S.S.; Odei-Mensah, J; Moloi, T.; Bokpin, G.A.The transition to sustainable energy for all is a crucial aspect of the sustainable development goals, particularly Goal 7, which underscores the need for clean and affordable energy. This requires the development of digital infrastructure and a strong financial system. As a result, this study contributes to knowledge by exploring the synergies and nonlinear effects of the digital economy and financial development on renewable energy, which remains underexplored. To this effect, this study recruits the dynamic panel threshold and the generalised method of moments estimations to evaluate the linear, synergies and nonlinearities among these factors using a panel of forty-seven African countries. The key empirical results are stated as follows: (1) renewable energy is positively impacted by the digital economy; (2) the impact of the digital economy on renewable energy is moderated by financial development. This suggests that to ensure the propelling effect of the digital economy on renewable energy, there is a need for a stable and robust financial system; and (3) the study further found nonlinear effects of the digital economy and financial development on renewable energy, which takes a U-shaped relationship, implying that low level of digitalisation and financial development may hinder the transition to renewable energy, while high levels of these factors are essential to expedite the transition to a more sustainable energy system. Hence, African countries must embrace digitalisation and commit significant financial resources to developing their digital infrastructure to facilitate the achievement of the net zero agenda.Item Community perceptions, knowledge, and coping mechanisms concerning perennial climate change-related disasters along the Volta estuary of Ghana, West Africa(Scientific African, 2024) Mattah, M.M.; Mattah, P.A.D.; Mensah, A.M.; et al.Communities along the Volta estuary of Ghana remain vulnerable to perennial tidal wave attacks, coastal erosion, and flooding because of increasing sea level rise from climate change. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, community knowledge, and perceptions on disasters and disaster risks were explored. We also investigated perceived factors contributing to increase di sasters, how communities’ knowledge and perceptions informed their preparedness and response to the disasters. Focus group discussions, key informant interviews and households survey were conducted in nine selected communities from two adjoining districts located immediate east and west of the Volta estuary. Results indicated that communities were knowledgeable about the perennial climate change-related disasters occurring in their districts. A z-test conducted on the respondents’ knowledge of key environmental threats revealed significant variations between the two districts. With much experience, households were able to tell when a weather phenomenon could be disastrous. Households over the years have devised various strategies to predict, cope with and reduce the effects of disasters. Some strategies for predicting the occurrence of disasters included watching the size and position of the moon, watching for, and listening to the chirps of certain birds and observing the patterns presented by clouds in the sky. Other strategies for coping with disasters include reliance on social capital to support the vulnerable in society as well as migrating out of the study areas. Overall, 53.5 % of the households interviewed confirmed that between one (1) and four (4) members of their households had migrated to other places in Ghana and outside the country. The study concluded that communities in disaster-prone areas have good knowledge of their environment and should therefore be collaborated with to reduce the impact of disasters as stated in the Sendai Framework.Item MIASA Annual Report 2023(Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA), 2024-09) Baller, SusannItem Analysis of content, services, and resources available and accessible on websites of academic libraries(Digital Library Perspectives, 2024) Dei, D-G. J.Purpose – This study aims to review the content of academic libraries’ websites with specific reference to the general information, services, information resources, features and functionalities, instructional tools to support teaching, learning and research for the patrons and users, and the visibility or activeness of the navigational tools on the websites. Design/methodology/approach – The study focused on six categories of tertiary institutions: public universities, technical universities, chartered private universities, university colleges, colleges of education and nursing and midwifery schools. From each category, the researchers purposively selected five different institutions with library websites. Thus, 30 library websites were reviewed and analyzed for this study. Findings – The review disclosed a generally low content and information on the websites in terms of the availability of information resources and collections; the types of services available at the libraries via the websites; the features and functionalities of the websites; the instructional tools to support teaching, learning and research for the patrons and users; and the visibility or activeness of the navigational tools on the websites. Despite this, the public universities displayed more and above average information, services, information resources, instructional tools and navigational tools on their library websites, followed by the technical universities, chartered private universities and university colleges. Conversely, the colleges of education and nursing and midwifery schools were to a large extent unable to provide information relating to electronic resources, instructional tools and navigational tools. Research limitations/implications – The study was limited to 30 library websites from all six categories of tertiary institutions in Ghana. From the study, the management of the universities and the libraries must appreciate the significant role of websites in providing information and resources in support of teaching, research and learning at the institutions. In this regard, they need to provide the necessary support and resources for the effective deployment and operationalization of websites. Originality/value – To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is the first of its kind as no study seeks to provide a comprehensive analysis of the content of academic libraries’ websites with specific reference to the general information, services, information resources, features, functionalities, instructional tools to support teaching, learning and research for the patrons and users, and the visibility or activeness of the navigational tools on the websites.Item An exploratory study of the mandate and functions of national pharmaceutical services units: global trends and the cases of Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, and Nepal(Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice, 2024) Koduah, A.; Kusu, N.; Ahimon, H.; et al.Background: National pharmaceutical services units (NPSUs) – organisational units within the central government usually responsible for pharmaceutical services and management – have an increasingly narrow mandate. Anecdotal evidence points to an increasing focus, almost exclusively, on logistics management, while pharmaceutical care and policy oversight have become fragmented. This study examined NPSUs’ current functions and mandates, and proposed what should be the critical functions and roles of these units going forward. Methods: Using case studies of Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya and Nepal, the study relied on a literature review and in-depth interviews. We triangulated and synthesised the findings to identify NPSUs by level in the health ministry’s hierarchy and reporting line, mandate, and function.Results: We identified medicine regulation, procurement and supply chain management, selection and rational use of medicines, and pharmacy practice regulation as four broad sets of functions that NPSUs commonly have as their mandate. A clear position in the Ministry of Health’s hierarchical structure, the legal or administrative framework that mandates an NPSU’s functions, and national pharmaceutical policies and regulations to guide the pharmaceutical sector are three critical factors for effective functioning. It is essential to have a legislative framework that at a minimum identifies one NPSU as responsible for pharmaceutical policy and governance, serving as the steward for the pharmaceutical system. This role encompasses pharmaceutical system coordination and administrative functions, formulating and implementing policies for organising, managing, financing, regulating, monitoring, and evaluating the pharmaceutical system. As such, we recommend that NPSUs should at a minimum have four broad sets of functions: pharmaceutical policy and governance, medicine regulation, pharmacy practice regulation and procurement and supply chain management. Conclusion: The study substantiates the need for a pharmaceutical policy and governance unit that stewards the pharmaceutical system and is empowered to monitor and evaluate system performance and coordinate efforts for system strengthening.Item Breast cancer radiotherapy in Sub-Saharan Africa: a comparative study of acute toxicity between conventional and hypofractionated treatment regimens(ecancer, 2024) Daniels, J.; Obeng-Mensah, T.; Kyei, K.A.Hypofractionated radiotherapy for breast cancer has been increasingly adopted glob ally due to its comparable efficacy and reduced treatment burden. The study compared the incidence and severity of four main acute radiation-induced toxicities between breast cancer patients treated with conventional versus hypofractionated radiotherapy. Stratified purposive sampling was used to recruit participants into two groups: group #1 received conventional radiotherapy (50 Gy in 25 fractions over 5 weeks), whereas group #2 received hypofractionated radiotherapy (40.05 Gy in 15 fractions over 3 weeks). A closed-ended questionnaire administered by the researcher was used for quantitative data collection. The Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events tool (version 5) was used for grading acute toxicities. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (version 23). The study involved 53 patients with a mean age of 47.9 years (± 12.4) ranging from 26 to 75 years. The patients had breast cancer ranging from stage IIA (13.2%) to IIIC (9.4%). A considerable majority (62.3%) were treated with conventional fractionation whereas 37.7% were treated with a hypofractionated regimen. Dermatitis was the most prevalent side effect among patients in both groups #1 (67%) and #2 (70%). There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of dermatitis, pharyngi tis, chest wall/ breast pain and fatigue between the two groups. However, the mean inci dence of overall acute toxicity was significantly lower in group #2 (2.15 ± 1.14) compared with group #1 (2.42 ± 1.48), with a p-value of 0.001. Comparatively, the conventional 50 Gy dose regimen was associated with more acute radiation-induced toxicity.Item A systematic review and meta-analysis show a decreasing prevalence of post-stroke infections(BMC Neurology, 2024) Awere-Duodu, A.; Darkwah, S.; Osman, A-H.; Donkor, E.S.Background Infection is a common complication in the acute phase after stroke; a systematic review in 2011 reported a post-stroke infection prevalence of 30%. Despite the plethora of primary data on post-stroke infections in recent times, a systematic review that synthesizes the data to provide comprehensive information to guide preventive, control, and management efforts is yet to be undertaken. This systematic review, therefore, aimed at bridging this gap by describing the epidemiology of post-stroke infections including the global prevalence and the associated mortality rates. Methodology A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science resulting in 2210 studies, of which 73 studies covering 32,109,574 stoke patients were included in the systematic review. Prevalence data on defined post-stroke infections were extracted for analysis in RStudio version 4.3.3. Results The pooled prevalence of post-stroke infections and mortality rates were 9.14% and 15.91% respectively. The prevalence of post-stroke infections was highest for pneumonia (12.4%), followed by urinary tract infection (8.31%). Geographically, the prevalence of post-stroke infections for the various continents were Europe (10.41%), Africa (10.22%), South America (8.83%), North America (8.15%), Asia (8.09%), and Australia (7.88%). Common etiological agents of post-stroke infections included multidrug-resistant organisms particularly, Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (15.4-31.8%), Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (9.8-15.4%), and Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (38.5%). Conclusion This systematic review indicates about a 3-fold decline in the global prevalence of post-stroke infections in the last decade. Pneumonia is the most common post-stroke infection. Europe and Africa have the highest prevalence of post-stroke infections.Item Career development experiences of policewomen: insights from Ghana(Career Development International, 2024) Quartey, S.H.Purpose – This study explores the career development experiences of policewomen in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach – This study used phenomenology to explore the career development experiences of policewomen. The policewomen were purposively selected from the Ghana Police Service. The data were gathered from 23 policewomen. The data were thematically analyzed with the help of the NVivo 14 qualitative software application. Findings – Career leadership orientations, career support mechanisms and career environments shaped the career development experiences of policewomen. These major themes, with related sub-themes and codes, enhance our understanding of these experiences. Practical implications – The senior management of the Ghana Police Service can eliminate institutionalized gender biases against policewomen by formulating and implementing gender-inclusive and women-sensitive staff development policies. Originality/value – This study first highlights the importance of career leadership orientations, career support mechanisms and career environment in understanding the career development experiences of policewomen.Item Defining ‘Smart Rural’ in the Framework of Regional Digitalisation(IST-Africa 2021 Conference Proceedings, 2021) Lindblom, P.; Kolog , E.A.; Nygren, E.; Sutinen, E.In this paper, we explored how a smart development framework could be harnessed for enhancing small and medium enterprise (SME) activities in rural communities. With this aim, this study considered and compared the landscape of the SME ecosystems in Ghana and Finland. Alongside the deprived countryside or remote work context, it has become clear that contemporary digital platforms and collaborative media represent an integral part of smart development. In addition, remote working possibilities help tackle challenging times or even a state of emergency, such as the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. We created our Smart rural development model (SRDm) to facilitate the digital transformation of SMEs and strategies in peripheral settings. Our SRDm was developed from the exploration of smart development literature in regional settings, and filtering numerous initiatives utilutilizedhin digitalization SME development context. The key target groups who can benefit from our research endeavor are the various strategic development organizations, financing authorities, and of course regional stakeholders, policymakers, business clusters, SMEs, and individuals.Item What influences cancer treatment service access in Ghana? A critical interpretive synthesis(BMJ Open, 2022) Tuck, C.Z.; Aryeetey, R.N.O.; Akparibo, R.; et al.Objectives Multiple social-cultural and contextual factors influence access to and acceptance of cancer treatment in Ghana. This research aimed to assess the existing literature on how these factors interplay and could be susceptible to local and national policy changes. Design This study uses a critical interpretive synthesis approach to review qualitative and quantitative evidence about access to adult cancer treatment services in Ghana, applying the socioecological model and candidacy framework. Results Our findings highlighted barriers to accessing cancer services within each level of the socioecological model (intrapersonal, interpersonal community, organizational and policy levels), which are dynamic and interacting, for example, community-level factors influenced individual perceptions and how they managed financial barriers. Evidence was lacking about determinants of treatment non-acceptance across all cancers and in the most vulnerable societal groups due to methodological limitations. Conclusions Future policy should prioritize multilevel approaches, for example, improving the quality and affordability of medical care while also providing collaboration with traditional and complementary care systems to refer patients. Research should seek to overcome methodological limitations to understand the determinants of accessing treatment in the most vulnerable populations.