ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Role of community colleges and other TVET institutions in advancing sustainable development by supporting access, diversity, and inclusion for nontraditional student populations

The Sustainable Development Goals link access to higher education, parti cularly for non-traditional populations, as a way to fight poverty and ensure prosperity. This article examines the experiences of several under-researched categories of non-traditional students who attend Community Colleges and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges in multiple jurisdictions worldwide. The article begins to fill in the gap with comparative data on how these institutions advance equity, diversity, and inclusion through access to higher education. The implications of Community Colleges and TVET are analyzed using the lens of Neo-Liberalism and the Capabilities Narrative. The study extends the scope of the inquiry into the contributions these institutions make to sustainable development. The arti cle uses a comparative multi-case study approach to examine the Community Colleges and TVET Colleges in different jurisdictions worldwide.

Source: UG
The Role Of Community Participation In Intermittent Preventive Treatment of Childhood Malaria in South-Eastern Ghana

The Epidemiology Department contributes to the mission of the institute through basic and applied epidemiological research on, but not limited to, malaria and other diseases of public health importance. It is also home to the Social Science Unit of the Institute, including the Health Support Centre for HIV/AIDS and other communicable and noncommunicable health problems.

Source: UG
The role of community participation in intermittent preventive treatment of childhood malaria in southeastern Ghana

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
The role of community radio in information dissemination towards youth development in Ghana

Purpose: Community radio attempts to place the power of communication in the hands of community members, particularly the youth, so that they can create and broadcast materials that address local community issues. The purpose of the study is, therefore, to look into the potential impacts of community radio and the function it plays in youth development. Design/methodology/approach – This study employed a qualitative research approach to investigate the role of community radio in information dissemination towards youth development in Ghana. Two community radio stations were selected for the study, and through the use of semi-structured interview, qualitative data were collected from 42 participants, comprising two programme managers and four radio producers and 36 youth. The qualitative research approach enabled in-depth understanding of the phenomenon of the study. Findings – This study found that both community radio stations aired youth-centred programmes that were beneficial to the development of the youth within the stations’ coverage communities. The results further reveal that community radio offers the opportunity and platform for the youth to engage in political authorities for development and also entertain themselves. Originality/value: The authors consider this study original both in conceptualization and design. The main question being interrogated stems from identified gaps in the literature, and this study intends to fill these knowledge gaps. This study’s originality also stems from the fact that there is a paucity of information on the subject of study in the context of Ghana

Source: UG
The role of community-based health planning and services strategy in involving males in the provision of family planning services: A qualitative study in Southern Ghana

Background: Reproductive health and Family Planning (FP) services have been of global concern especially in developing countries where fertility rates are high. Traditionally FP services had always targeted females with little or no attention given to males. To ensure equitable distribution of health services, Ministry of Health (MOH), Ghana adopted the Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) as a nationwide health policy with the aim of reducing obstacles to physical and geographical access to health care delivery including FP services. However, not much is known about the extent to which this policy has contributed to male involvement in FP services. This qualitative descriptive study was therefore designed to explore male involvement in FP services in communities with well functioning CHPS and those with less or no functioning CHPS structures. The study further solicited views of the community on the health status of children. Methods. This was a qualitative descriptive study and adapted the design of an ongoing study to assess the impact of male involvement in FP referred to as the Navrongo experiment in Northern Ghana. Twelve focus group discussions were held with both male and female community members, six in communities with functional CHPS and six for communities with less/no-functional CHPS. In addition, fifty- nine (59) in-depth interviews were held with Community Health Officers (CHOs), Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) and Health Managers at both the districts and regional levels. The interviews and discussions were tape recorded digitally, transcribed and entered into QSR Nvivo 10§ssup§©§esup§ for analysis. Results: The results revealed a general high perception of an improved health status of children in the last ten years in the communities. These improvements were attributed to immunization of children, exclusive breastfeeding, health education given to mothers on childcare, growth monitoring of children and accessible health care. Despite these achievements in the health of children, participants reported that malnutrition was still rife in the community. The results also revealed that spousal approval was still relevant for women in the use of contraceptives; however, the matrilineal system appears to give more autonomy to women in decision-making. The CHPS strategy was perceived as very helpful with full community participation at all levels of the implementation process. Males were more involved in FP services in communities with functioning CHPS than those without functioning CHPS. Conclusion: The CHPS strategy has increased access to FP services but spousal consent was very important in the use of FP services. Involving males in reproductive health issues including FP is important to attain reproductive health targets. © 2013 Adongo et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Source: UG
Role of CTX-M-15 gene in spread of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases among immunocompetent patients in Ghana

Background: Patients with faecal carriage of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL)- producing Enterobacterales serve as reservoirs and sources of dissemination and infection. Objective: This report examined immunocompetent patients for faecal carriage of ESBL producing Enterobacterales in a district care hospital setting in Ghana. Methods: Between March 2019 and May 2020, cross-sectional sampling was performed to enrol patients and conduct questionnaire-structured interviews for factors that predispose patients to ESBL faecal carriage. Faecal samples from study patients were quantified for ESBL producing Enterobacterales. The ESBL genes were characterised by polymerase chain reaction and sequencing. Results: The overall proportion of ESBL faecal carriage was 35.5% (n = 38/107). The blaCTX-M gene, mostly CTX-M-15, was detected in 89.5% (n = 34/38) of the ESBL-producing isolates. The other ESBL types included blaSHV (n = 3) and blaOXA (n = 1). The CTX-M-15-positive isolates, when present in a faecal sample compared to the non-ESBL-CTX-M-15 isolates, constituted the predominant faecal Enterobacterales, with significantly higher colony counts than all other enterobacteria in that sample. In multivariate regression, independent risk factors for faecal carriage of ESBL-producing Enterobacterales were hospitalisation in the past year, infections since admission, use of antibiotics in the past 6 weeks, and admission from another hospital. Conclusion: The study found that CTX-M-15-producing isolates were the predominant faecal Enterobacterales, and that further investigations are needed to determine the reasons behind this dominance. What this study adds: The CTX-M-15-producing isolates dominance in this study shows the misuse and abuse of antibiotics in an African medical facility and indicates the potential role of immunity in controlling ESBL spread, which is to be investigated further.

Source: UG
The Role of Culture in Knowledge Sharing in a Public-Sector Organization in Ghana: Revisiting Hofstede’s Model

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the role of culture in knowledge-sharing drawing on Hofstede’s culture framework. The case study research design was employed as the research design. Semistructured interview guide was used as the data gathering instrument. Data analysis was done using the thematic analysis technique. Under power distance, four themes were identified as being crucial in knowledge sharing in Afiya Kwabre District Assembly. These factors are decision-making involvement, power and status, delegation of responsibilities, and respect and fairness. In addition, three major themes emerged under uncertainty avoidance—broadening knowledge, job security, and group membership. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Source: UG
The role of e-government in sustainable public procurement in developing countries: A systematic literature review

Despite their relatively lower national income, studies suggest that developing countries have consistently advanced their e-government structures. However, there is little knowledge on how governments’ deployment of electronic and internet technologies may be leveraged to stimulate sustainable supply chain management, particularly Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) practices. From a Systematic Literature Review (SLR), this paper affirms such allusions by scholars and reports that government deployment of electronic and internet tools indeed promotes SPP towards the bigger agenda of sustainable development (SDG 12.7). In this paper, 68 articles of heterogeneous research methods published in peer-review journals since 2001–2017 are systematically reviewed. This paper concludes that efforts in building a robust ICT infrastructure, online portals, and human capacity to use ICT offer developing countries inter alia an informative platform for sharing and communicating SPP requirements. E-government also facilitates a wider sample for market readiness assessment and an integrated e-procurement system towards effective SPP monitoring and evaluation. This study has significant implications for promoting sustainability in the downstream supply chain practices in public sector organizations in the developing country context.

Source: UG
Role of E-learning in teaching health research ethics and good clinical practice in africa and beyond

2 Abstract Background Despite the recent increase in health research involving humans on the African continent, the level of knowledge in Health Research Ethics (HRE) and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) is arguably still very poor in Africa. Conventional training opportunities in HRE or GCP are not widely accessible to the majority of people in Africa. Most of the currently available e-learning courses are clearly designed for either different contexts or from different perspectives, which, to some extent, reduces their relevance to research conducted in African settings. Although short-term face-to-face workshops as well as long term training play a significant role in training researchers or Ethics Review Committee members in HRE and GCP, there is need to cater for candidates who may not be able to leave their work stations. E-learning is a convenient mode of teaching that suits candidates in many different circumstances and thus complements other forms of training. Methods and Findings A package of e-learning courses was developed and made freely available to any interested candidates in Africa or elsewhere. The package consisted of a basic HRE course in English and French, an advanced HRE course in English and a GCP course in English. Over 2500 candidates have enrolled, with over 1000 having successfully completed and awarded certificates for the respective courses. This paper presents trends and descriptive statistics of collected data and discusses future prospects. Conclusions: Results from this project demonstrate that e-learning plays a major role in teaching HRE and GCP in Africa in particular and worldwide in general. Having web-based courses developed from an African perspective could go a long way in addressing some ethical and practical hurdles encountered in African settings. There is need to scale up use of the web as a training tool 3 so as to complement other methods and modes of training available

Source: UG
The Role of Ecowas in Managing Post- Election Crises in West Africa: The Case of Ivory Coast and the Gambia.

The study examined ECOWAS’s consistency in its operationalisation of the 1999 and 2001 protocols in managing post elections crisis. The 2010/2011 Ivorian Crisis and the Gambian 2016/2017 crisis bordering on unconstitutional change of government were the case studies. Given the provisions of the 1999 and 2001 Protocols, it was obvious that ECOWAS was bound to intervene in the two crises to shore up to its legitimacy and redeem its image. In the two cases, ECOWAS deployed its pacific and enforcement mechanisms in resolving the crises. To that extent, the study concludes that ECOWAS has been consistent in deploying its protocols in managing post-election crises. However, social phenomena are ambivalently similar and dissimilar. The structural properties of the two crises are similar but are as they are unique because of the context Besides, French interests in the Ivorian crisis was preponderant, which eventually rendered ECOWAS’ role in the Ivorian Crisis peripheral. The Gambian Crisis counted only as an aberration to global normative consensus on unconstitutional change of government. As such ECOWAS played the dominant role in resolving the Gambian crisis. The work recommends that ECOWAS, the Media and Civil Society Organisations should be more proactive to incipient conflict in order to save cost and time and enhance its expediency; because the use of force, though within the remit of ECOWAS is putative, and may yield unintended consequences.

Source: UG
The Role of Education, Religion and Politics in Resolving the Dilemma of the Modern African State

The cultural practices and value system of the African has helped maintain peaceful co-existence among various tribes thereby holding the nations together in one piece. A nation of twenty-four million people as is Ghana and over seventy different languages and so many different ethnic groups would have disintegrated as is the case with some other countries of the world had it not been for the heritage that was passed on from the ancestors. The sustainability of this peace and tranquility is all threatened in the modern state that is poised to move away from the culture and value system of old. The advent of politics of insults is a good testament to this. Resolving the dilemma of the modern state is about how to bring modern educational systems and philosophies to bear with the indigenous value system in such a way that restores harmony, trust and peaceful co-existence among various socio-cultural, religious and ethnic dimensions in the country. This paper was born out of a focus group discussion of a team comprising politicians, people of faith, policy makers, teachers and learners. Issues pertinent to the resolution of the dilemma of the modern state discussed emphasized the roles of education, religion, politics, and policy making. Discussants agreed that the time is right for such discussions and pointed out that resolving the dilemma would mean how best to interface the difference between education, religion, politics and policy making, education providers and learners

Source: UG
The Role of Electoral Commissions in Promoting Democratic Governance in Africa: The Case of Ghana, 1992 – 2016.

1992 marked the dawn of liberal democratic governance in Ghana that made it possible for liberties such as having political stability and freedom from arbitrary detention and arrest to be enjoyed without creating any constitutional crises. The activities and role of the Electoral Commission of Ghana have been very indispensable in this regard to Ghana‟s democracy. This study seeks to examine the role of Ghana‟s Electoral Commission in promoting its democratic governance in the Fourth Republic. This study was based on relevant literature and empirical study undertaken by the researcher. The study found that the Commission has received tremendous support from institutions such as the judiciary, the media and civil society organizations in complementing and carrying out its mandate. It was also realized that it has not been all rosy for the Commission as it is faced with issues of funding and stiff opposition from political parties in implementing some of its reforms. However, the constitutional institutions saddled with the conduct of elections and the security agencies conducted themselves very well and helped resolve problems to the satisfaction of all. This study concludes that, activities of the Commission have led to increased citizen participation, high acceptance of election results, building inter-party understanding, and ensuring continuity and legitimacy to political actors. Thus, strengthening and contributing positively to Ghana‟s democratic governance. The Commission has also won a lot of international praise and become a benchmark for a lot of countries on the African continent. The study recommends a move to the proportional electoral system from the majoritarian system that Ghana currently exercises, adopt an improved technology for printing ballots and voter registration as well as producing a national bio-data of citizens to improve the voter register. It also advocates for an enhanced collaborative service with stakeholders and wane itself from donor support.

Source: UG
The role of employee environmental commitment in the green HRM practices, turnover intentions and environmental sustainability nexus

Purpose – The study sought to examine the mediating effect of employee environmental commitment (EEC) in the relationships between green human resource management practices (Green HRMPs) and environmental sustainability (ES) and employee turnover intentions (ETI). Design/methodology/approach – Using a cross-sectional survey approach, data was sourced from 296 respondents from five manufacturing firms listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and SmartPLS. Findings – Results showed that EEC had a partial mediation effect on the relationship between Green HRMPs and ES at the organisational level but fully mediated the relationship between Green HRMPs and ETI at the individual level. Practical implications – It is evident from the findings that Green HRMPs improve ES and employee stability. Therefore, practitioners and educational institutions should consider integrating environmental concerns into their functional processes and operations. In addition, governments as policymakers should formulate and strengthen the enforcement of already-existing environmental management and sustainability policies that promote the integration of green practices and initiatives in both private and public entities. Originality/value – Little is known about Green HRM and its effect on organisational and individual-level outcomes, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study presents empirical evidence from an emerging economy.

Source: UG
The Role of Epstein-Barr Virus in Modulating Key Tumor Suppressor Genes in Associated Malignancies: Epigenetics, Transcriptional, and Post-Translational Modifications

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is ubiquitous and carried by approximately 90% of the world’s adult population. Several mechanisms and pathways have been proposed as to how EBV facilitates the pathogenesis and progression of malignancies, such as Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Burkitt’s lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and gastric cancers, the majority of which have been linked to viral proteins that are expressed upon infection including latent membrane proteins (LMPs) and EpsteinBarr virus nuclear antigens (EBNAs). EBV expresses microRNAs that facilitate the progression of some cancers. Mostly, EBV induces epigenetic silencing of tumor suppressor genes, degradation of tumor suppressor mRNA transcripts, post-translational modification, and inactivation of tumor suppressor proteins. This review summarizes the mechanisms by which EBV modulates different tumor suppressors at the molecular and cellular levels in associated cancers. Briefly, EBV gene products upregulate DNA methylases to induce epigenetic silencing of tumor suppressor genes via hypermethylation. MicroRNAs expressed by EBV are also involved in the direct targeting of tumor suppressor genes for degradation, and other EBV gene products directly bind to tumor suppressor proteins to inactivate them. All these processes result in downregulation and impaired function of tumor suppressors, ultimately promoting malignances.

Source: UG
The Role Of Ethnicity And Religion In Shaping Nigeria's Foreign Policy In The Post Cold War Years

The end of the Cold War has brought about a new dimension in international politics, whereby the thinking of state actors and non-state is no longer guided by East-West considerations. Multi-polarity has emerged with a new set of global concerns which are influencing the domestic set up of many nation- states. Most of these concerns have tended to have ethno-religious undertones, consequently inspiring internal reaction. The "domestication" of sensitive international issues very often impacts on the foreign policy decision-making process, especially in a pluralistic society with conflicting interest groups. This has been a common feature in Nigeria'S foreign policy since independence. This study examines the influence of ethnicity and religion in shaping Nigeria's foreign policy in the post-Cold War era. The research has revealed that Nigeria's multi-cultural, multi-religious, multi-ethnic characteristic is to a very large extent, influential in her foreign policy process. The numerous crises in Nigeria are predominantly triggered by ethno-religious factors which have equally impacted on Nigeria's relations with state and nonstate actors in the international community. Some contemporary global issues, particularly the war against terrorism have engendered resentment within certain segments of the Nigeria nation. Recommendations are made to reverse the destabilizing role of ethnicity and religion in Nigeria's foreign policy process and improve the existing climate of suspicion and acrimony.

Source: UG