ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Security in the 21st century: Trends, prospects and challenges

Within the social sciences, the concept of security and its implications for policy has attracted considerable attention particularly since the end of the Cold War. At the core of this is a constructivist move geared towards representing security in terms that reflect its contemporary usages. The evolving expansion of the notion of security has engendered policy relevant scholarship on a variety of issues. The panel explores some implications of the expanding conceptualisation of security in the 21st Century focusing on the trends, prospects and challenges. In Breaking the Cybersecurity Dilemma: Balancing National Security and Human Security in Cyberspace, Otoo explores the relevance of human security as a solution to the cybersecurity dilemma that arises as a result of the use of cyberspace as an operational domain for surveillance and cyber warfare. In Interrogating the Concept and Practice of Collective Security Regimes in the 21" Century, Darkwa examines the strengths and limitations of the current international collective security architecture and proffers options for enhancing its utility in addressing contemporary security challenges. In "Hacktivism and its Implications for International Security in the 21" Century'; Oduro Marfo also focuses on the implications of hacker for international security, foreign policy formulation and the theoretical debate in international relations regarding how states behave. In Historicising Security Policy Making in Africa: A Human Security Dimension, Attuquayefio attempts to influence a recalibration of security policy making by tracing the development of security policies in Africa and juxtaposing it by contemporary realities in security consideration. Finally, Appiah assesses the possibility of increased conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa if the regions extractives driven growth is not accompanied with better human development for its growing youthful population in The Chasm between rising Incomes and Human Development and its potential for Conflict in Resource Intensive Countries.

Source: UG
Security policy making in Africa: A human security perspective

The rubrics for security policy making in Africa since independence have been largely dictated by a confluence of intern al and external factors. These have included the country's colonial heritage; the Cold War and its vestiges at some point; post-independence governance dynamics that manifested in political instability and the inability of successive regimes to adequately define the boundaries between regime and state security. In all these the object has oscillated from maintaining the territorial integrity of the polity, to ensuring sovereignty both from an internal and external dimension. Consequently, the concept of National Security has provided the framework as well as serve as the lynchpin for security policy making. With the growing reality of population-centered threats worldwide, human security considerations are becoming sine qua non for effective security policy making globally. Within the African context, this demands the recalibration of the understanding and implementation of security policy. This paper traces the development of security policies in Africa and juxtaposes it by contemporary realities in security consideration. This is aimed at justifying the need for population centeredness in the consideration of security

Source: UG
Sedentary Behaviour and Mental Health in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-analysis

Background: A growing body of research is emerging examining the associations between sedentary behaviour and mental health in young people. The magnitude of the impact sedentary behaviour has on the mental health of young people has not been examined, though this has been investigated for physical health conditions. The aim of this article is to examine the associations between sedentary behaviour and mental health in young people aged 5-18 years of age using meta-analysis. Methods: Published studies in the English language were located via manual and computerised searches of PubMed, Science Direct, SPORTDiscus, PsychINFO, Medline, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases. Included were observational studies assessing an association between at least one sedentary behaviour and at least one aspect of mental health in young people aged 5-18 years. Effect sizes (ESs) were calculated for each study and an overall effect size was computed. Average effect sizes were also calculated for moderator variables. Results: Thirty-five studies were included (n=373,512); most studies examined screen-time as sedentary behaviour and five mental health outcomes were identified (depression, anxiety, self-esteem, psychological distress, and quality of life). The summary effect was small and significant (ES = -0.30, 95% confidence intervals = -0.20, -0.45, p<0.001), suggesting that sedentary behaviour is negatively associated with mental health in young people. Moderator analysis showed that television viewing had the largest effect size (ES = -0.47, 95% confidence intervals = -0.35, -0.62, p<0.001). Moreover, depression seems to be the main mental health outcome affected by sedentary behaviour (ES = 0.55, 95% confidence intervals = 0.42, 0.68, p<0.001). Conclusions: There was a small but a significant negative association between sedentary behaviour and mental health. High levels of sedentary behaviour are associated with increased depressive symptoms. This finding is consistent with a systematic review on adults which indicated that sedentary behaviour is significantly associated with mental health problems.

Source: UG
Sediment and nutrient deposition in Lake Volta in Ghana due to Harmattan dust

Harmattan is a dust-laden north-easterly wind that blows from the Sahara towards the Gulf of Guinea in the period November to March. It is the dominant wind in the north of Ghana while at the coast in the south it only occurs sporadically and here westerly or south-westerly winds dominate. Some of the dust is trapped in the vegetation, in lakes and other inland waters, and a little on the bare land. In this study, we determine the amount of sediment and nutrients that are deposited by this wind in big water bodies, exemplified by the dust deposition in the Harmattan period in the man-made Lake Volta. These depositions are compared with similar inputs by the rivers. On average, approximately 146,000. t of mineral matter and 42,000. t of organic matter are deposited per year in the Lake during the Harmattan periods. This is the equivalent of approximately 1% of the suspended sediment input by the rivers. The total amounts of Ca, P and Mg deposited during the Harmattan period are3000. t, 350. t and 810. t, respectively. About 40% of the Ca deposited is readily or plant available, for P and Mg it is about 50% and 20%, respectively. If the amount of readily available nutrients coming from the Harmattan dust is held against the influx of readily available (dissolved) Ca, Mg and P from the rivers to Lake Volta, it appears that the Harmattan dust accounts for only 0.7‰ Mg, 4.8‰ Ca, and 2.1% P. It must therefore be concluded that the contribution of nutrients to Lake Volta by the Harmattan dust is very limited. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.

Source: UG
Sediment yield of a forest river basin in Ghana

The Pra River Basin, located in south central Ghana is a forest basin that has been engulfed by certain anthropogenic activities particularly illegal small scale mining (popularly called galamsey) and serious concerns have been raised by stakeholders within the basin of the level of pollution due to the release of sediments into the water bodies. This study was undertaken to assess sediment yield levels within the Pra Basin through field data collection to ascertain stakeholder's perceptions and suggest remedial measures to the land degradation problem in the basin.Suspended sediment concentration measurements were undertaken for 10months in selected stream discharge measuring stations within the basin by coupling dip and integrated sampling approaches. Samples were analyzed using the evaporation method. Daily mean suspended sediment concentration was calculated from which monthly and annual suspended sediment yields were derived. Suspended sediment concentration (mg/l) and sediment yield (tyr-1) of the Pra Basin were found to be very high resulting in a high annual specific suspended sediment yield (tkm-2yr-1). Illegal small scale gold mining along the rivers and alluvial gold mining within the basin were found to be the probable cause for the high sediment levels of the rivers. To promote coordinated development and sustainable management of the resources of the basin, there is the need to resource agencies in charge of regulating natural resource utilization to control land use activities particularly galamsey. This will reduce fluvial sediment concentration and sustain good water quality of the rivers and promote socio-economic development in the basin. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.

Source: UG
Sedimentation and sediment core profile of heavy metals in the Owabi reservoir in Ghana

Tropical reservoirs are important for numerous socioeconomic and ecological reasons, including water supply, fishing and flood control. These functions are easily compromised, however, when reservoirs undergo accelerated sedimentation with increased inputs of chemical contaminants. The present study applied the concept of sediment core analysis to evaluate the sedimentation rate in Owabi Reservoir, which has served as a source of drinking water supply in Kumasi, Ghana, for nearly a century. The temporal variation of contamination from heavy metals was also assessed over this period. The sedimentation rate for Owabi Reservoir was estimated to be 6.82 mm/year, suggesting a relatively low rate of sedimentation, which is ecologically healthy in preventing a rapid loss of reservoir water volume. Heavy metal concentrations in the sediment cores taken from the reservoir reflected varying degree of contamination from the 1930s to 2010s. The concentration of iron (Fe) (1,560–1,770 mg/kg) was found to be the highest among the metals in the sediment core, while mercury (Hg) concentration (0.01–0.04 mg/kg) was the lowest. Lead (Pb) contamination peaked in the 1980s. Arsenic (As) and mercury (Hg) contamination exhibited more recent peaks in the 2000s, coinciding with recent widespread issues of artisanal and small‐scale gold mining (ASGM) in Ghana. Thus, even though ASGM activities are known to occur in remote districts, releases from such activities might eventually contaminate reservoirs designated as urban drinking water supplies

Source: UG
Seed quality and relative lignan profiles of sesame prospected from northern Ghana

The sesame seed contains oil, protein, dietary fibre, and several minerals and it is also a store of lignans. Lignans are key selection factors for sesame quality due to their health, nutritive and market value. In Ghana sesame growers rely on wild or undocumented planting seeds which are of mixed colouration and its lignan content is ambiguous. The objective of this study was to segregate street sesame seeds into component colour fractions and subsequently evaluate the consistency of lignans in the seed fractions. Sesame seeds were collected from street vendors in northern Ghana and were segregated into seed fractions based on the pericarp colour. The viability of seed fractions stored at different temperatures (ambient, 5 ◦C, 0 ◦C) over time and lignan contents of single or bulk mixed seeds were verified. The collected seeds were of mixed colouration with approximately 4 % debris, 40 % white, 36 % cream, and 20 % dark coloured seeds by weight. The viability of the seeds was 67–85 % depending on pericarp colour. White seed fractions which had the highest proportion by weight had a significantly (p = 0.0275) higher viability (85 %) than the dark seeds which had the least viability (67 %). The seeds lost viability over time. However, seeds stored at 0 ◦C maintained a viability of 77 % at the fourth year. There were differences in the relative abundance of lignans for both bulk seeds and, single seeds with different pericarp colours. The most abundant occurring lignans in the seeds were sesamin, ses amolin and sesaminol and its downstream glucosides. The source of seed or pericarp colour was not predictive of seed viability or lignan composition. These findings provide baseline data on seed quality including an improved storability under cold environments. It also gives an insight into how mixed seeds of variable pericarp colours can have distinct characteristics. Although the mixed coloured seeds had no implications for varied quality including lignan content, the in ternational market for sesame requires that seeds are of consistent colour.

Source: UG
Seed systems for African food security: linking molecular genetics and cultivator knowledge in West Africa

A challenge for African countries is how to integrate new sources of knowledge on plant genetics with knowledge from farmer practice to help improve food security. This paper considers the knowledge content of farmer seed systems in the light of a distinction drawn in artificial intelligence research between supervised and unsupervised learning. Supervised learning applied to seed systems performance has a poor record in Africa. The paper discusses an alternative – unsupervised learning supported by functional genomic analysis. Recent work in West Africa on sorghum, African rice and white yam is described. Requirements for laboratory-based analytical support are outlined. A science-backed ‘farmer first’ approach – while feasible – will require a shift in policy and funding by major investors.

Source: UG
Seed Viability, Seedling Growth and Yield in White Guinea Yam

The yam is an economic tuber crop utilized for food, feed, and various industrial applications. Botanical seed viability, seedling growth, and development are among factors that influence plant population dynamics, development, structure, and sustainability. However, little is known about seed viability, growth, and yield potential of seed-progenies developed using different mating designs. This study assessed seed germination, seedling growth, and yield traits in seed-progenies developed using North Carolina I (NC-1) and polycross mating designs. For this, seed germination and seedling nursery trials established using seed-progenies from different yam crosses were used. Results revealed that days to first seed germination (DAYFG), days to 50% germination (DAYSG), coefficient of velocity of germination, seed emergence speed (SES), germination index, final germina tion percent, and seedling vigor index significantly (p < 0.05) varied within and among NC-1 and PC-derived families. The mean days to first seed germination (DFSG) and DAYSG seed-progenies of NC-1 were significantly lower than the polycross progenies. Moreover, the seedling-progenies from the polycross produced a higher number of stems and more elongate tubers than those originated from the NC-1 mating. Progenies of family TDr1687 from a polycross mating were among the families that had the highest stem number (2.2), longest tuber (7.5 cm), and widest tuber (2.8 cm). The inter-family means of both NC-1 and polycross had a non-significant variation for mean tuber weight per plant. Our results suggest the relevance of seed germination and seedling attributes for selection of superior progenies at the early generation stage trials in yam breeding.

Source: UG
Seed weight and protein and tannin contents of 32 cowpea accessions in Ghana

Cowpea seeds of 32 accessions had 100-seed weight of 9.0 to 15.3 g and protein and tannin contents 16.4 to 27.3% and 0.12 to 2.38, respectively. Seeds that had the highest tannin levels were either brown mottled, dark mottled, brown or flesh-coloured. There was a significant negative correlation between 100-seed weight and protein content.

Source: UG
Seed-Borne Fungi Associated with Diverse Rice Varieties Cultivated in the Western North Region of Ghana

Rice is a major staple in the Ghanaian diet. However, its production is constrained by fungal diseases. A survey was conducted in 2018 in three selected districts in the Western North Region of Ghana using a structured questionnaire and face-to-face interaction with 230 farmers to assess their knowledge, perceptions of seed-borne fungal diseases, and management practices. Additionally, fungi associated with farmer’s seeds were isolated and identifed through the Agar and Blotter tests. Findings indicate that 72.7% of the farmers in the selected districts relied on their saved seeds for planting. Thirteen fungal genera were associated with the rice seed samples collected from the three districts. The Juaboso district had the majority (13) of seed-borne fungi. The seed samples were categorized into various forms of discolouration, and significant differences (P < 0.05) existed among the seed samples for this parameter. The AGRA rice, a farmer saved seed from Juaboso, had the highest level of seed discolouration (41.96%). Fungi identifed to be associated with the dark brown/ brown discolouration of rice seeds were Bipolaris spp., Fusarium spp., Macrophomina phaseolina and Aspergillus spp. Te only fungus associated with the yellow/pale yellow colour was Bipolaris spp. The fungi Bipolaris spp., Curvularia spp., and Botryodiplodia spp. were associated with the dark spot discolouration. Alternaria spp., and Aspergillusspp. were observed on the greyish white seed discolouration sample. Fungi are associated with rice cultivation and vary according to district and rice variety. A complex of pathogenic and saprophytic fungi therefore infects rice grains both in field and storage conditions.

Source: UG
Seeking “conversations for accountability”:

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to ascertain how upward accountability processes can be enabling in, or constraining to, the effective deployment of development aid funding. Design/methodology/approach – The paper derives its primary insights from in-depth interviews and focus groups with non-governmental organization (NGO) fieldworkers working and delivering development aid in Northern Ghana. It analyses inductively the perspectives of fieldworkers to explain their experiences of upward accountability. Findings – The fieldworkers’ perception of upward accountability was mainly one of external control, in response to which they enacted a skilful form of compliance accountability. This perception of control failed to stifle their initiative and intrinsic commitment to beneficiaries. The fieldworkers craved “conversations for accountability”, in which they had a voice in the development of upward accountability metrics, thereby enabling them to fulfil their sense of felt responsibility to beneficiaries. While aspects of “conversations for accountability” were emerging in fieldworker-funder interactions, it was unclear to what extent funders were committed to further advancing them. Overall, the analysis unveils how felt responsibility mediates for, and partly diminishes, the perceived negative impacts on aid effectiveness of upward accountability processes informed by a focus on control. Originality/value – The authors examine the potential of upward accountability processes using in-depth analyses of the actual experiences of those involved in delivering NGO services at the grassroots level. The authors contribute to emerging work in this vein by enriching the authors’ understanding of local constituencies’ experiences of accountability processes more generally, especially the impact these mechanisms have on NGO operational activities. The authors also unveil the mediating role fieldworkers’ “felt responsibility” to beneficiaries’ plays in moderating the perceived negative impacts on aid effectiveness of upward accountability processes.

Source: UG
Seeking “conversations for accountability”: Mediating the impact of non-governmental organization (NGO) upward accountability processes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to ascertain how upward accountability processes can be enabling in, or constraining to, the effective deployment of development aid funding. Design/methodology/approach The paper derives its primary insights from in-depth interviews and focus groups with non-governmental organization (NGO) fieldworkers working and delivering development aid in Northern Ghana. It analyses inductively the perspectives of fieldworkers to explain their experiences of upward accountability. Findings The fieldworkers’ perception of upward accountability was mainly one of external control, in response to which they enacted a skilful form of compliance accountability. This perception of control failed to stifle their initiative and intrinsic commitment to beneficiaries. The fieldworkers craved “conversations for accountability”, in which they had a voice in the development of upward accountability metrics, thereby enabling them to fulfil their sense of felt responsibility to beneficiaries. While aspects of “conversations for accountability” were emerging in fieldworker-funder interactions, it was unclear to what extent funders were committed to further advancing them. Overall, the analysis unveils how felt responsibility mediates for, and partly diminishes, the perceived negative impacts on aid effectiveness of upward accountability processes informed by a focus on control. Originality/value The authors examine the potential of upward accountability processes using in-depth analyses of the actual experiences of those involved in delivering NGO services at the grassroots level. The authors contribute to emerging work in this vein by enriching the authors’ understanding of local constituencies’ experiences of accountability processes more generally, especially the impact these mechanisms have on NGO operational activities. The authors also unveil the mediating role fieldworkers’ “felt responsibility” to beneficiaries’ plays in moderating the perceived negative impacts on aid effectiveness of upward accountability processes

Source: UG