ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Policy challenges on mercury use in Ghana's artisanal and small-scale mining sector

Mercury use in Ghana's Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) sector is a growing problem owing to the increasing numbers of people involved, locations of operation, extent of possible contamination of the natural environment and its impact on human health. For over two decades, many local and internationally-coordinated initiatives undertaken to mitigate its harmful effects in ASM communities have been mostly unsuccessful due to absence of alternative options acceptable for gold recovery and inadequate awareness of the short- and long-term health effects of mercury use. This paper examines major policy challenges in minimising mercury use in Ghana's ASM sector, arguing that a coordinated, integrated and sustained approach offers better promise in tackling the problem. Copyright © 2010 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Source: UG
Policy dialogue to improve health outcomes in low income countries: What are the issues and way forward?

Background: This paper has three objectives: to review the health development landscape in the World Health Organization African Region, to discuss the role of health policy dialogue in improving harmonisation and alignment to national health policies and strategic plans, and to provide an analytical view of the critical factors in realising a good outcome from a health policy dialogue process. Discussion: Strengthening policy dialogue to support the development and implementation of robust and comprehensive national health policies and plans, as well as to improve aid effectiveness, is seen as a strategic entry point to improving health sector results. However, unbalanced power relations, the lack of contextualised and relevant evidence, the diverse interests of the actors involved, and the lack of conceptual clarity on what policy dialogue entails impact the outcomes of a policy dialogue process. The critical factors for a successful policy dialogue have been identified as adequate preparation; secured time and resources to facilitate an open, inclusive and informed discussion among the stakeholders; and stakeholders' monitoring and assessment of the dialogue's activities for continued learning. Peculiarities of low income countries pose a challenge to their policy dialogue processes, including the chaotic-policy making processes, the varied capacity of the actors and donor dependence. Conclusion: Policy dialogue needs to be appreciated as a complex and iterative process that spans the whole process of policy-making, implementation, review and monitoring, and subsequent policy revisions. The existence of the critical factors for a successful policy dialogue process needs to be ensured whilst paying special attention to the peculiarities of low income countries and potential power relations, and mitigating the possible negative consequences. There is need to be cognisant of the varied capacities and interests of stakeholders and the need for capacity building, and to put in place mechanisms to manage conflict of interest. The likelihood of a favourable outcome from a policy dialogue process will depend on the characteristics of the issue under consideration and whether it is contested or not, and the policy dialogue process needs to be tailored accordingly.

Source: UG
Policy discourses on women's land rights in sub-Saharan Africa: The implications of the re-turn to the customary

This article examines some contemporary policy discourses on land tenure reform in sub-Saharan Africa and their implications for women's interests in land. It demonstrates an emerging consensus among a range of influential policy institutions, lawyers and academics about the potential of so-called customary systems of land tenure to meet the needs of all land users and claimants. This consensus, which has arisen out of critiques of past attempts at land titling and registration, particularly in Kenya, is rooted in modernizing discourses and/or evolutionary theories of land tenure and embraces particular and contested understandings of customary law and legal pluralism. It has also fed into a wide-ranging critique of the failures of the post-colonial state in Africa, which has been important in the current retreat of the state under structural adjustment programmes. African women lawyers, a minority dissenting voice, are much more equivocal about trusting the customary, preferring instead to look to the State for laws to protect women's interests. We agree that there are considerable problems with so-called customary systems of land tenure and administration for achieving gender justice with respect to women's land claims. Insufficient attention is being paid to power relations in the countryside and their implications for social groups, such as women, who are not well positioned and represented in local level power structures. But considerable changes to political and legal practices and cultures will be needed before African states can begin to deliver gender justice with respect to land.

Source: UG
Policy for Students and Staff with Special Needs: Facilities and Services

The object of this policy shall ensure that students and Staff of the University community with special needs have access to both facilities, services and a learning environment that is, wherever possible, comparable to that of their peers without special needs. This policy shall recognise that students and Staff with special needs are an integral part of the academic community. It shall take as its starting point the premise that accessible and appropriate provision is not ‘additional’ but a core element of the overall service which the University makes available to all students and staff.

Source: UG
Policy implementation: A Tool for Enhancing Tourism Development in Ghana

Examined in this study is the extent to which the tourism sector has contributed to the economy of Ghana, using the concept of implementation as the theoretical framework. The paper begins by providing an overview of theoretical considerations underlying tourism policy using an implementation model. The scholarly arguments surrounding the concept of tourism are then dissected. An assessment of policy interventions to boost the tourism industry is done. The study reveals that the tourism sector has made significant contribution to the economy of Ghana, though certain challenges persist. The paper recommends that robust policies be designed and effectively implemented to enhancing tourism development in Ghana.

Source: UG
Policy implications for using ICTs for empowerment of rural women in Ghana

Using rural household survey data collected from 1000 female household heads selected from all the ten administrative regions in Ghana, this paper explored the policy implications for using ICTs for empowerment of rural women. A contingent valuation (CV) method was used to quantitatively estimate the influence of selected socio-economic factors on rural women’s willingness to pay for alternative information delivery technologies. Even though the government sets the overall national ICT policy, the results from this study suggest some merit in allocating considerable authority to regional and local authorities in setting priorities and approaches to empowering rural women through the use of ICT. The study results also point to a need to cast rural empowerment policies and programs within the broader poverty reduction policies of the government and also within the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The results again indicate the need to formulate policies and programs to prevent duplication of efforts and critical “Political Will”.

Source: UG
Policy Insights from High-Income Countries to Guide Safe, Nutritious, and Sustainable Alternative Proteins for Low- and Middle-Income Countries

The United Nations has encouraged governments to promote sustainable healthy diets to address undernutrition, obesity, and climate change. This perspective paper examines policy insights from selected high-income countries in Asia, Europe, and North America to un derstand how traditional and novel alternative proteins (AP) may support sustainable healthy diets in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) where populations experience malnutrition in all forms. AP products must be affordable, locally sustainable, and culturally acceptable to improve diet quality and health. Food-based dietary guidelines are a policy tool to guide AP product formulation, manufacturing, processing, labeling, and marketing to ensure that these products complement traditional plant- and animal-source proteins in sustainable healthy diets. This paper suggests that a new food categorization taxonomy is needed to guide AP product recommendations. Decision-makers must harmonize multisectoral policies to ensure LMIC populations have access to sustainable healthy diets to achieve a protein transition and food systems transformation by 2050.

Source: UG
Policy Interventions in Curbing Irregular Migration from North Africa into Europe: The Case of Egypt and Morocco

Reducing irregular migration is a policy priority of most states in North Africa. In the last decade, North African countries have implemented a range of practical measures to prevent and reduce irregular migration to, through and from the region to Europe. With various states taking different approaches to irregular migration dependent on their overall policies and peculiar experiences of irregular migration, this study aims to understand the policy interventions that the Egyptian and Moroccan governments have implemented in curbing irregular migration flows into and from their countries. By studying the individual national policies and regional and bilateral agreements on migration regulation, the study sought to examine the similar and varied approaches by Egypt and Morocco in curbing irregular migration from their respective countries into Europe The comparative analysis is supported by content analysis of existing literature on migration policies and empirical data from interviews. Based on the comparative analysis, the study reveals that Egypt‟s and Morocco‟s geographical position between Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe have made migratory flows in North Africa more complex in nature. It is found that though governments of Egypt and Morocco have all stepped up their efforts in managing irregular migration, Morocco seems to be in the lead, even though the country still faces irregular arrivals and exits. In the context of the study results, it is recommended that an integrated approach with broader stakeholder collaborations is needed to effectively tackle the issue of irregular migration. A shift away from ad hoc security-based approach to a more humanitarian policy framework is recommended to enable the two North African States benefit from migration and effectively deal with the challenges of irregular migration

Source: UG
Policy Networks and Forest Resource Management in Ghana

This paper employs a policy network model to explore the formal and informal interactions and structures which characterize forest management in Ghana. A comprehensive analysis of primary and secondary data reveals that forest management in Ghana has historically been influenced by complex relations of power and networks between local communities and the Forest Services Division. While resource constraints have often been used by state forestry officials to justify inability to control deforestation, the paper concludes that the problem is also compounded by the pervasiveness of patronage relationships between and among forestry officials, timber contractors, illegal chainsaw operators and farmers. Based on these findings, the paper recommends that strengthening of state forestry organizations must be accompanied by greater transparency on the part of forestry officials. It is also recommended that the interests of people in forest fringe communities must be carefully considered whenever a forest policy is being designed

Source: UG
Policy Regulating the Placement of Advertisement (November 2011)

The University has a mission to “develop world-class human resources and capabilities to meet national development needs and global challenges through quality teaching, learning, research and knowledge dissemination.” In order to further this mission, the campuses of the University must be maintained as serene environments that promote teaching and learning. It follows therefore that the University Campuses cannot be allowed to become free-for-all areas for all manner of commercial advertising. Commercial activity cannot however be prohibited from the University’s premises. The Legon campus in particular which provides residence for both staff and students, must also simultaneously function as a conventional settlement with the provision of banking, retail, and other facilities. There is therefore the need to manage the presence of commercial entities within the campus to ensure that their activities (particularly as relates to marketing and advertising) do not detract from the academic environment that the University seeks to engender. Events and activities organised by both staff and students create a requirement for the dissemination of information to the University community in the form of posters, banners, etc. This includes activities organised by student clubs and associations, Halls of Residence, and academic departments. In addition to this, the University currently has a policy of promoting entrepreneurship within the student body, and the marketing/advertising needs of students involved in small commercial ventures cannot therefore be ignored. Finally, it must also be recognised that the alumni, faculty, staff, and students of the University of Ghana are attractive to vendors of all sorts as a market for their products. As a result, there will be strong pressure from vendors to market and advertise their products to members of the University community. Whilst this has the potential to create a nuisance, it is also a potential source of significant additional income to the University that cannot be ignored. Policy Regulating the Placement of Advertisement at the University of Ghana 1 This policy therefore seeks to rationalise and manage these competing requirements by defining rules, regulations and procedure to govern the placement of all manner of signage and advertising on the premises of the University of Ghana. This policy will also cover advertising within official publications of the University, advertising on Radio Univers, and on the University website and intranet pages.

Source: UG
Policy Responses to fight COVID-19; the case of Ghana

This paper focuses on the policy responses of Ghana’s government with a focus on three areas: health, economic, and social. Ghana has made several policy interventions in these three areas. The study highlighted the adoption of the 3T approach in health, CAP-20 in economics, and free water and subsidized electricity for citizens as social interventions. The study concludes that the measures undertaken by the Government of Ghana have yielded significant results even though some challenges with delivery mechanisms are identified. The available statistics as of October 25, 2020, on the COVID-19 situation in Ghana further affirm the gains.

Source: UG
Policy talk: Incentives for rural service among nurses in Ghana.

Objective To determine how specific job attributes influenced fourth year medical students' stated preference for hypothetical rural job postings in Ghana. Methods Based on discussions with medical student focus groups and physicians in practice and in the Ministry of Health, we created a discrete choice experiment (DCE) that assessed how students' stated preference for certain rural postings was influenced by various job attributes: a higher salary, free superior housing, an educational allowance for children, improved equipment, supportive management, shorter contracts before study leave and a car. We conducted the DCE among all fourth year medical students in Ghana using a brief structured questionnaire and used mixed logit models to estimate the utility of each job attribute. Findings Complete data for DCE analysis were available for 302 of 310 (97%) students. All attribute parameter estimates differed significantly from zero and had the expected signs. In the main effects mixed logit model, improved equipment and supportive management were most strongly associated with job preference (? = 1.42; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.17 to 1.66, and ? = 1.17; 95% CI: 0.96 to 1.39, respectively), although shorter contracts and salary bonuses were also associated. Discontinuing the provision of basic housing had a large negative influence (? = -1.59; 95% CI: -1.88 to -1.31). In models including gender interaction terms, women's preferences were more influenced by supportive management and men's preferences by superior housing. Conclusion Better working conditions were strongly associated with the stated choice of hypothetical rural postings among fourth year Ghanaian medical students. Studies are needed to find out whether job attributes determine the actual uptake of rural jobs by graduating physicians.

Source: UG
Polio eradication in Ghana: past, present, and future

Most research activities involve the use of molecular methods such as regular PCR (PCR), quantitative PCR (Q-PCR), genomic sequence and analysis using different software, genetic engineering, probe hybridization techniques, biological and molecular cloning, evaluation of immune markers for laboratory diagnosis of infections, serological assays involving the use of rapid tests, ELISA-based evaluations and immunofluorescent assay techniques.

Source: UG
Poliovirus antibody levels and lameness among individuals in three regions of Ghana

Introduction: Ghana recorded the last case of poliomyelitis caused by wild poliovirus in 2008 and the country was declared polio-free in 2015. Polio-neutralizing-antibody levels in the population of three geographically representative regions of Ghana was determined, to identify possible immunity gaps. Methods: Cross-sectional, hospital (1–70 years old) and school (primary, 1–15 years old)-based studies were undertaken in three regions in 2016. Individuals who visited the three teaching hospitals of the regions and were referred for haematology investigations were invited to participate in our study. Neutralizing-antibody titers to polio serotypes P1, P2, and P3 were assayed by WHO-standards. Antibody titers of ≥8 were considered protective. In the school lameness survey, clinical and epidemiological data were obtained from parents and their lamed children. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted on subject characteristics, to assess potential factors for failure to seroconvert. P-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: Neutralizing-antibodies against poliovirus types 1, 2 and 3 were detected in 86% (264/307), 84% (258/307) and 75% (230/307) of the samples, respectively. Overall, 60.1% (185/307) were seropositive for the three polio serotypes and 2.9% (9/307) were seronegative. Polio neutralizing-antibodies (P1and P2) decreased with age (p < .001). Low seroprevalence of polio-neutralizing-antibodies was significantly associated with low school attendance of mothers (p < .001). Prevalence of residual paralysis was <1.0/ 1,000 among the school children. Conclusion: Our study population is moderately protected against the three poliovirus serotypes. However, immunity appears to be lower with a higher age and low mother’s education. This may suggest the need for young-adult booster-dose to minimize the risk of wild poliovirus infection

Source: UG
Polite Requests in Non-Native Varieties of English: The Case of Ghanaian English

Although Several Studies have been carried out on the theory of politeness , the definition of this notion varies among linguists and according to languages and cultures: what is polite and socially appropriate in one context or culture may be considered impolite or excessively polite in another. Further, rules of politeness may be transferred from a first language to a second language by learners who maintained hybridized usage due to these transfers. In this article we demonstrate the maintenance of some of these transfers in politeness strategies in Ghanaian English . This variety is influenced by the cultural norms of politeness of some Ghanaian languages whose speakers fuse native speaker conventions with English politeness conventions . We discuss herein some hybridized forms that result from cultural transfers from one Ghanaian language, Akan.

Source: UG
Political Apparatchiks and Governance in Ghana’s Fourth Republic

Political apparatchiks play a major role in ensuring the electoral victory of their respective political parties. They are also expected to strive hard to keep their parties in power to ensure that they deliver on their promises to make the life of the ordinary citizenry more comfortable and decent. However, their activities sometimes pose a severe challenge to governance. Using Ghana’s Fourth Republic as a cases study, this paper discusses the evolution and role of political apparatchiks and the challenges their activities pose to governance in Ghana

Source: UG
Political business cycle and bank liquidity creation in Ghana: the role of financial sector transparency

This study examines how financial sector transparency (FST) achieved through credit information sharing helps reduce the BLC growth induced by PBC in an emerging economy in Africa. The study employs twenty-seven banks in Ghana over three (3) different political election cycles between 2006 and 2016. The results are estimated using robust random effect panel models with technological and year-effect controls. The results shows that (i) PBC increases liquidity creation by banks, (ii) FST administered through credit information sharing encourages BLC; (iii) the joint term of PBC and FST yields a negative synergetic effect on BLC and (iv) promoting FST dampens the growth in liquidity creation induced by PBC in Ghana. These results imply that bank managers, regulators and policymakers must be mindful of liquidity creation especially during election periods, since it can lead to soaring credit defaults and losses. Also, FST can be used as tool for suppressing growth in liquidity creation induced through PBC by helping banks screen out bad political dealings and politicians.

Source: UG
Political business cycles and economic growth in Africa

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand both the incidence and the impact of the African political business cycle (PBC) in the light of a literature which has argued that, with major extensions of democracy since the 1990s, the cycle has both become more intense and has made African political systems more fragile. It answers two very important macroeconomic questions crucial to the validity of the opportunistic model. It, first, answers the question of whether election cycles contribute to money growth in the light of government expenditure, and second, whether election cycles have an effect on economic growth in the light of money supply. Design/methodology/approach The study employs data from 39 African countries from 1990 to 2014 to address these important empirical questions using panel regression techniques. Findings The paper found PBC to be present in Africa. It also found that such cycles do not translate to economic performance in African countries. The paper therefore indicates the need for African policy makers to take measures to eliminate or lessen the scale of PBCs. Social implications There are many ways in which today’s political choices affect future well-being. Recently, economists have concluded that we pass on the inflationary (or deflationary) consequences of current policies to the future generation. Originality/value This paper is unique in its approach to investigate the objectives.

Source: UG