Welcome to UGSpace

UGSpace is the institutional repository of the University of Ghana. UGSpace is an open access electronic archive for the collection, preservation and distribution of digital materials.

  • facilitate the deposit of digital content of a scholarly or heritage nature
  • and ultimately share, preserve and promote the intellectual output of the University in a managed environment.
 

Communities in UGSpace

Select a community to browse its collections.

Now showing 1 - 5 of 15
  • Review books or articles provide a critical and constructive analysis of existing published literature in a field, through summary, analysis, and comparison, often identifying specific gaps or problems and providing recommendations for future research. These are considered as secondary literature since they generally do not present new data from the author's experimental work. Review articles can be of three types, broadly speaking: literature reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses. It also the researcher to stay abreast of new literature in the field.
  • Grey literature consists of research and information produced outside conventional publishing channels, such as reports, policy briefs, working papers, and conference materials. It offers valuable insights and data that complement peer-reviewed sources, supporting research, policy, and practice.
  • The J. H. Kwabena Nketia Archives preserve Ghanaian and African cultural heritage through music, oral traditions, photographs, and audiovisual collections. Guided by Professor Nketia’s vision that African traditional arts must be collected, preserved, practiced, and continually inspire creative expression, the Archives serve as a living resource for scholarship, teaching, and innovation

Recent Submissions

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Determinants Of An Extended Metric Of Agricultural Commercialization In Ghana
(Scientific African, 2024-07-23) Abu, B.M.; Sarpong, D.B.; Osei-Asare, Y.B.; Okyere, C.Y.; Kim, T.
For smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, increasing productivity and agricultural commercialization are mooted as one of the pillars for agricultural development. However, the measurement of agricultural commercialization has been restricted to the household crop commercialization index (HCCI) that focuses on crops neglecting livestock. This study develops an extended metric of agricultural commercialization named household crop-livestock commercialization index (HCLCI), which combines crop and livestock commercialization with the argument that it is superior to the overly used HCCI. Fractional regression is used to estimate the determinants of the extended metric using secondary and primary data from Ghana. Results indicate that agricultural commercialization is low when examined with the HCCI and the HCLCI. However, the HCLCI (at 26.44 % and 29.76 %, respectively, for the GLSS7 and primary data) is much lower relative to the HCCI (at 35.20 % and 38.24, respectively) but higher than the live stock commercialization index (10.93 % and 8.21 %, respectively). The underlying simultaneous factors that boost agricultural commercialization are infrastructure variables (i.e., road, market, transport, and bank), institutional variable (i.e., agricultural cooperatives) and scale of produc tion (i.e., land endowment and crop production diversity). These findings imply that Ghana needs to invest in infrastructure and farmer institutional development to boost agricultural commercialization.
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Determinants Of Livelihood Diversification In An Integrated Agricultural And Non-Agricultural Livelihood System In Ghana
(Scientific African, 2024-10-07) Kolog, J.D.; Asem, F.E.; Mensah-Bonsu, A.; Atinga, R.A.
The diversification of livelihoods by households has been widely acknowledged as a way to overcome food insecurity and poverty challenges in developing countries. Diversification of livelihoods helps spread the risk among multiple livelihood earning activities to provide house holds with a range of their food needs all year round. By examining the integrated livelihood systems of 405 rural farm households in the Upper East Region of Ghana, empirical evidence is provided in this study using the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework to advance arguments in the literature for the creation of sustainable strategies that improve diversified livelihood systems. The mean diversification indices estimated were 0.45 for agricultural diversification systems, 0.32 for non-agricultural diversification systems and 0.59 for integrated agricultural and non-agricultural diversification systems. With the use of the Cragg two-step regression model, we demonstrate that the decision to diversify and the extent of diversification of rural livelihoods are distinct decisions and are influenced by distinct sets of factors. Similarly, for the three categories of livelihood diversification studied, the effect of these factors also differed. The results emphasize the significance of access to good road network, credit and market information in encouraging rural farm households to diversify their livelihoods. In the short term, improving access to credit and market information through community-based initiatives can provide immediate support to rural households. Communities should also organize local markets and cooperatives to strengthen their economic resilience. While government and stakeholders should focus on long-term infra structure projects, these community actions can complement such efforts and contribute to achieving global and regional goals targeting food insecurity and poverty eradication.
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The Charcoal Footprint Of Greater Accra On The Afram Plains: Urban Energy Consumption And Forest Degradation In Ghana
(Trees, Forests and People, 2024-09-25) Arko, T.; Mensah, A.; Obani, P.; Adomako, J.; Denton, F.
Rapid urbanisation in sub-Saharan Africa is leading to increased energy consumption and a growing reliance on charcoal as a fuel source, with significant environmental implications. This study examines the impact of charcoal consumption in Greater Accra, Ghana, on the Afram Plains ecosystem. Employing a mixed-methods approach, including geographical analysis, quantitative data collection, and sustainability assessment, we evaluate the charcoal footprint of Greater Accra. Our findings reveal that charcoal remains the dominant cooking fuel in Greater Accra despite increased access to electricity, resulting in an estimated loss of 354,479 trees annually in the Afram Plains. This demand creates an ecological deficit of 18,850 hectares/yr, significantly exceeding the ecosystem’s regenerative capacity. We observe complex dynamics between urban energy needs and rural resource sustainability, highlighting socio-economic factors driving persistent charcoal use. The study proposes a conceptual framework integrating urban demand, rural supply, ecological impact, and natural regeneration. Our research contributes to urban sustainability literature, offering insights for policymakers to develop more sustainable energy strategies, including quota systems for harvesting, promoting alternative cooking fuels, community-based forest management, and improved charcoal production technologies. This case study provides valuable lessons for other rapidly urbanizing regions facing similar sustainability challenges in sub-Saharan Africa.
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From Breath to Strength: Does Mindfulness Improve Handgrip Strength Among Older Adults in India? A Propensity Score Matching Analysis
(Psychogeriatrics, 2025-06-05) Muhammad, T.; Pai, M.; Ali, W.K.; Agyekum, B.; Srivastava, S.
Background: The integration of mindfulness activities into the daily lives of older adults has demonstrated profound benefits for their overall well-being and vitality. However, evidence on how mindfulness correlates with muscle strength in older adults remains limited. To fill this gap, we explored the association between mindfulness activities and handgrip strength (HGS) in older adults in India. We also examined whether this association varies by sex. Methods: We employed a propensity score matching technique, leveraging data from the nationally representative Longitudinal Aging Study in India (2017–2018), comprising 27071 adults aged 60 and above. HGS was measured using a handheld Smedley Hand Dynamometer while participants self-reported their engagement in mindfulness activities. Results: Seventeen % of the men and 11.5% of the women engaged in mindfulness activities. Analysis of the matched sample revealed that the average treatment effect (ATE) that represents the average effect across the entire population was 1.28kg for men and 0.60kg for women, indicating that, on average, participation in mindfulness activities was associated with modest im provements in HGS for both sexes. Further, in the PSM matched regression models, for men, engagement in mindfulness activ ities was consistently associated with higher HGS across all models including the average treatment effect on the treated (ATT), on the untreated (ATU), and ATE, with the largest effect seen in the ATE model (β=1.08, 95% CI: 0.77–1.40). For women, the association was weaker and significant only in the unmatched and ATE models. Conclusions: Engagement in mindfulness activities was associated with modest but meaningful improvements in HGS among older adults in India, with the associations being much more pronounced in older Indian men. These findings underscore the significance of integrating mindfulness practices into public health initiatives aimed at promoting healthier aging.
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Secondary Cities At The Residential Housing Frontier: Examining The Determinants Of Private Renters’ Residential Satisfaction In Ghana.
(Habitat International, 2024-06-22) Mensah, S.L.; Okyere, S.A.; Frimpong, L.K.; Asiedu, A.B.; Zaami, M.; Abunyewah, M.
Decades of political ambivalence, housing injustice, and a neoliberal housing sector aided by the government’s lax approach to housing provision have meant that, private rental housing remains the predominant sector for housing urban residents and their shifting geographies into secondary cities. Residential satisfaction in urban areas provides an important socio-spatial view of the housing sector in secondary cities and its implications for the inclusive and sustainable development of small and medium-sized cities. Yet, a large set of studies into the private rental housing sector has paid little attention to the influence of housing services (i.e. satisfaction with maintenance services, utility services and privacy) on residential satisfaction amongst private rental households. Using an ordinal logistic regression model and based on a sample size of 246 private rental households, this paper examined the influence of sociodemographic and housing services (i.e. satisfaction with maintenance services, utility services and privacy) variables on residential satisfaction amongst private rental households living in Cape Coast, Ghana. The chi-square test revealed a significant relationship between duration of stay (χ2 = 15.908, p = 0.003), satisfaction with maintenance service (χ2 = 98.477, p = 0.000), satisfaction with utility services (elec tricity and water) (χ2 = 45.934, p = 0.000), satisfaction with privacy (χ 2 = 41.252, p = 0.000) and residential satisfaction. Further, the logistic regression analysis also showed a significant negative relationship between maintenance services (β = − 3.928, p < 0.001), utility services (electricity and water) (β = − 1.033, p < 0.001), privacy (β = − 2.716, p < 0.01) and residential satisfaction. The findings call for the attention of both researchers and policymakers to recognize the inseparable relationship between housing and the broader built environment and to address challenges confronting the rental housing sector—considering that the quality of the residential environment is directly linked to the quality of life and the socio-physical well-being of residents.