ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Index to the Legon Observer Volumes Two through Nine, 1967-1974

The Legon Observer was published from July 1966 until July 1974 when it ceased publication. (A special statement was issued as explanation of the cessation in October 1974.) During this period, the journal was the leading organ of social, economic and political commentary in Ghana. In 1971, The Legon Society on National Affairs published an index to volume one. The present index covers the contents of volumes two to nine, and thus completes the indexing of all the issues of Legon Observer ever published. To ensure uniformity the arrangement of the earlier index has been followed as far as possible. More subject headings and form headings have been added, naturally, due to the volume of material handled in the current index. For a complete list of subject headings,

Source: UG
Indian diaspora in Ghana: cultural and family heritage of tourists’ travel preference

Purpose – The literature has acknowledged the importance of diaspora studies because of the influx of funds into the local economy, including the tourism and hospitality sector. However, little empirical research appears to be known about the subject matter, principally within the developing country perspective. This study aims to respond to research calls by investigating the impact of diasporic cultural heritage, family heritage on travel preference of West African Indian migrant visitors to their homeland. Design/methodology/approach – This research is guided by the theory of acculturation. A quantitative data were gathered from a sample of 312 diasporas, and the regression analysis was used to analyze the data. Findings – The study finds that cultural heritage and family heritage have positive and significant impact on travel preference of migrant visitors to their homeland. Further analysis of the independent sample t-test reveals a significant difference between Indian Ghanaians and Ghanaian Indians in their thought of cultural heritage. However, no significant differences were found in the Indian Ghanaian and Ghanaian Indian’s family heritage and travel preference to their homeland. Research limitations/implications – This study is destination-specific of Indian migrant visitors. The application of the study’s outcome to other diaspora would demand a larger sample size for generalization to be made. The study offers compelling insights on cultural heritage, family heritage and travel preference to marketing a diaspora tourism site. Originality/value – The study expands the application of the theory of acculturation within the diaspora literature and establishes that integration and separation strategies of the theory explain the positive interests of the migrant visitors’ traveling preference to their homeland.

Source: UG
Indications and findings of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in patients presenting to a district hospital, Ghana

Introduction: upper gastrointestinal (UGI) symptoms are among the commonest complaints for which patients seek medical attention. Characteristics of patients undergoing UGI endoscopy (UGIE) at the district hospital in Ghana are largely unknown. This study was to document the demographic characteristics, indications and endoscopic findings of patients undergoing UGIE at the district hospital in Ghana. Methods: this study used a cross-sectional design to consecutively recruit 371 patients referred to the Endoscopy Unit of the St. Dominic Hospital , Akwatia for UGIE. Demographic data and indications for the UGIE were recorded. Endoscopic findings per each participant were recorded. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection was confirmed by rapid-urease examination of gastric antral and body biopsies at endoscopy. Results: there were 159(42.9%) males out of the 371 patients. The age ranged from 4 to 94 years with a median age of 46 years. Dyspepsia was the commonest indication occurring in 282(76.0%) patients. The commonest endoscopic diagnosis was gastritis which occurred in 261(70.4%) patients. The prevalence of H. pylori obtained by immediate rapid-urease-campylobacter like- organism (CLO) test was 44.9%. Conclusion: the main indication for UGIE in the studied patients was dyspepsia and most of these patients had gastritis on endoscopy. Only few patients had normal findings. The prevalence of H. pylori in this population was low compared with most of the previous studies done in the country. There is the need to establish more endoscopy centres within the district hospitals in the country and more health professionals trained to perform them.

Source: UG
Indicator-based assessment of the liveability of communities in the Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana: A transdisciplinary approach

Local knowledge of spatiotemporal patterns of liveability is vital for choosing where to live and where revital isation efforts must concentrate. We employed transdisciplinary learning to identify 12 liveability indicators and applied them to assess the liveability of 81 communities of Accra, Ghana. The results show that crime and rent are the top two most important liveability indicators. The least three indicators are the availability of jobs, entertainment, and flood susceptibility. Out of 81 communities grouped into five quantiles, ten fell in the 1st quantile (most liveable), 24 communities were in the 2nd quantile, 3rd had 24, 4th 17, and 5th nine communities respectively as least liveable. 1st quantile communities are mainly high-income communities, whiles 5th quantile communities are mainly middle-income communities that have become commercial areas. Not surprisingly, high-income communities like the Airport residential area, East Legon, and Dzorwolu all fall into the 2nd quantile as all these communities are gradually turning into mixed commercial and residential places. The study indicates that low-income communities lack social amenities and resources, which can be attributed to a lack of state social intervention policies. This may mean local administration systems (district assemblies) failing as Ghana’s development agents.

Source: UG
Indicators of Physical Activity Among Children and Youth in 9 Countries With Low to Medium Human Development Indices: A Global Matrix 3.0 Paper

ackground: This study compares results of physical activity report cards from 9 countries with low to medium human development indices, participating in the Global Matrix 3.0 initiative. Methods: Country-specific report cards were informed by relevant data and government policy documents, reporting on 10 core indicators of physical activity for children and youth. Data were synthesized by report card working groups following a harmonized process. Grade assignments for each indicator utilized a standard grading rubric. Indicators were grouped into one of 2 categories: daily behaviors and settings and sources of influence. Descriptive statistics (average grades) were computed after letter grades were converted into interval variables. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients were calculated for all correlation analyses. Results: Mean grades for daily behaviors were higher (C) than those for settings and sources of influence (D+). Twenty-nine out of the possible 90 grades were assigned an incomplete. There were moderate to strong positive and negative relationships between different global indices and overall physical activity, organized sport and physical activity, active play, family, community and environment, and government. Conclusions: Findings demonstrate an urgent need for high-quality data at the country level in order to better characterize the physical activity levels of children and youth in countries with low to medium human development indices.

Source: UG
Indicators of Physical Activity Among Children and Youth in 9 Countries With Low to Medium Human Development Indices: A Global Matrix 3.0 Paper

Background: This study compares results of physical activity report cards from 9 countries with low to medium human development indices, participating in the Global Matrix 3.0 initiative. Methods: Country-specific report cards were informed by relevant data and government policy documents, reporting on 10 core indicators of physical activity for children and youth. Data were synthesized by report card working groups following a harmonized process. Grade assignments for each indicator utilized a standard grading rubric. Indicators were grouped into one of 2 categories: daily behaviors and settings and sources of influence. Descriptive statistics (average grades) were computed after letter grades were converted into interval variables. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were calculated for all correlation analyses. Results: Mean grades for daily behaviors were higher (C) than those for settings and sources of influence (D+). Twenty-nine out of the possible 90 grades were assigned an incomplete. There were moderate to strong positive and negative relationships between different global indices and overall physical activity, organized sport and physical activity, active play, family, community and environment, and government. Conclusions: Findings demonstrate an urgent need for high-quality data at the country level in order to better characterize the physical activity levels of children and youth in countries with low to medium human development indices.

Source: UG
Indigenes' and migrants' access to land in peri-urban areas of Accra, Ghana

In many parts of the developing world, it has been observed that growing population pressure and the development of market economies as a cause and consequence of urbanisation are leading to significant changes in land tenure practices and related rights. Increasingly, land rights in urban and peri-urban areas are becoming more individualised and privatised, in contrast to communal or usufruct rights. Using questionnaire surveys and focus group discussions, this article explores migrants' and indigenes' access to peri-urban land in Ghana's largest metropolis, Accra. The study found that an increase in land transactions due to the emergence of land markets in this land-scarce area of Ghana is resulting in usufruct and inheritance rights over land under customary tenure regimes no longer being guaranteed, as many people belonging to land-owing families (indigenes) in peri-urban Accra are left to compete for less land with migrants or strangers. The implications of this situation for urban development in Ghana are explored. © Liverpool University Press 2009.

Source: UG
Indigenisation of orchestral music in Ghana: the Pan-African Orchestra in perspective

This article investigates the indigenisation of Western orchestral music in Ghana by focusing on the Pan-African Orchestra (PAO), founded by Nana Danso Abiam in 1988. The factors that influenced the establishment of the PAO and its approaches to indigenisation are examined. Primary research data consist of interview sessions with Abiam, members of the PAO, its patrons, as well as selected cultural officers of the orchestra. Secondary sources consulted include published and unpublished documents, recordings of performances and relevant sheet music. It is concluded that the PAO’s purposeful attempts to combine different indigenous African elements and/or approaches have strengthened notions of the indigenisation of orchestral music in Ghana, which may be linked to the cultural reengineering efforts of Kwame Nkrumah, political revolutionary and former president of Ghana.

Source: UG
Indigenizing radio in Ghana

Radio is hailed as Africa’s medium of choice in the global communication age. Introduced as a colonial tool of information, education and entertainment in the early 1930s, radio broadcasting was mainly in colonial languages as colonial administrators perceived local language broadcasting a threat to their empire building and ‘civilization’ agendas. The fortunes of local language broadcasting did not dramatically change in the independence era when broadcast media were in the firm control of the state. From the beginning of the twenty-first century, however, mostly resulting from a more liberalized media environment, local language broadcasting has undergone unprecedented growth. Drawing on written archival material, including internal communication among policy-makers, audi ence letters, key informant interviews and findings from a recent audience study, this article charts the progressive development of local language radio broadcast ing in Ghana, and engages with the role played by early audiences and broadcast ers in indigenizing broadcast content.

Source: UG
Indigenous African soil enrichment as a climate- smart sustainable agriculture alternative

We describe for the first time a current indigenous soil management system in West Africa, in which targeted waste deposition transforms highly weathered, nutrient- and carbon-poor tropical soils into enduringly fertile, carbon-rich black soils, hereafter “African Dark Earths” (AfDE). In comparisons between AfDE and adjacent soils (AS), AfDE store 200–300% more organic carbon and contain 2–26 times greater pyrogenic carbon (PyC). PyC persists much longer in soil as compared with other types of organic carbon, making it important for long-term carbon storage and soil fertility. In contrast with the nutrient-poor and strongly acidic (pH 4.3–5.3) AS, AfDE exhibit slightly acidic (pH 5.6–6.4) conditions ideal for plant growth, 1.4–3.6 times greater cation exchange capacity, and 1.3–2.2 and 5–270 times more plant-available nitrogen and phosphorus, respectively. Anthropological investigations reveal that AfDE make a disproportionately large contribution (24%) to total farm household income despite its limited spatial extent. Radiocarbon (14C) aging of PyC indicates the recent development of these soils (115–692 years before present). AfDE provide a model for improving the fertility of highly degraded soils in an environmentally and socially appropriate way, in resource-poor and food-insecure regions of the world. The method is also “climate-smart”, as these soils sequester carbon and enhance the climate-change mitigation potential of carbon-poor tropical soils.

Source: UG
Indigenous and Exogenous Sources. The Akan People: A documentary History

The sources in this volume are separated into two categories: indigenous and exogenous. Alongside the well-written prefatory essay that provides a context for reading and using the sources provided in the book, Part One gives an overview of Akan cultural history and consequently of this collection at large. The first contribution from Kenya Shujaa assesses the current states of knowledge about the Akan past and equips readers with some of the major research questions that have guided investigations into Akan prehistory. This essay inter alia focuses on the question of Akan origins and the processes of urbanism and state formation. Shujaa approaches the study of Akan history from a landscape perspective, employing multiple scales of analysis in her review. What is interesting about her contribution is her masterful synthesis of Ghanaian archaeology, history, and linguistics in recreating Akan history. Following Shujaa, Kwame Daaku’s ‘History in the Oral Traditions of the Akan’ offers a prelude to the category of indigenous sources that follow his contribution.

Source: UG
Indigenous Beliefs and Biodiversity Conservation: the Effectiveness of Sacred Groves, Taboos and Totems in Ghana for Habitat and Species Conservation

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of sacred forests, taboos, and totems associated with various animal species in Ghana for biodiversity conservation. The Nkodurom and Pinkwae Sacred Groves have been preserved by local communities through beliefs enforced by a range of restrictions and taboos. In both cases, the groves are the only relatively intact forest in severely degraded landscapes and farmlands. The mollusc Tympanotonus fuscatus, three species of turtles (Green, Olive Ridley, Leatherback), and the Black heron are exploited by many coastal communities in Ghana, but in all cases, the species are protected by some communities through traditional beliefs and taboos. An analysis of the distribution and abundance of these species along the Ghana coast showed much higher numbers in the areas where the species are protected by traditional beliefs systems. The densities of Tympanotonus fuscatus ranged from 172.3 to 326.2m-2 at the site where they were protected, compared to 46.7m-2 where they were exploited, while over 80% of all turtle nest records and 54% of Black Herons sightings occurred at the sites where the species are traditionally protected. The paper discusses the value of traditional strategies as a tool for species and habitat conservation and calls for a global assessment of indigenous conservation systems, and promotion of those systems that have potential to augment biodiversity conservation efforts in Africa.

Source: UG
Indigenous Breastfeeding Practices among Lactating Women in the Builsa North District

Optimal breastfeeding is the most preferred means of feeding infants most especially babies below six months of age. This ideal practice, however, has eluded some babies in certain communities in Ghana due to various traditional beliefs and practices. The Theory of Reasoned Action guided this study to explore the indigenous breastfeeding (IBF) practices among lactating women in Northern Ghana. The study employed a qualitative exploratory descriptive design. Fifteen (15) lactating mothers were purposively sampled from the Siniensi community to participate in the study. Data was obtained from the participants through individual face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured interview guide. All interviews were audio taped, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic content analysis. Seven major themes emerged from the data which included; beliefs about IBF practices, opinions of referent others, motivation of lactating mothers to comply with the practice, attitude towards the behaviour, subjective norms about the behaviour, intentions of lactating mothers about the behaviour and knowledge deficit about exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) practices. The findings of the study established that lactating mothers categorised their beliefs about IBF practices into beliefs before the initiation of breastfeeding (BF), beliefs during the period of BF and beliefs about experts’ advice. These findings suggest that IBF practices are difficult to avoid because of cultural beliefs. Findings of this study have implications for nursing practice and future research.

Source: UG
Indigenous chicken market participation and smallholder farmers’ well-being outcomes in Chiredzi and Mwenezi Districts of Zimbabwe

Climate change and extreme weather conditions remain major threats to the attainment of well-being outcomes such as food security in sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, it is critical to identify and promote resilient value chains in order to ensure food security in the wave of extreme weather conditions such as drought. This study seeks to evaluate the effects of participating in indigenous chicken markets on smallholder farmers’ food and nutrition security in terms of household dietary diversity score. Cross-sectional data collected from 215 randomly selected farmers in Chiredzi and Mwenezi districts, Zimbabwe was used in this study. The endogenous treatment effect model was employed to determine the effects of market participation on household dietary diversity score. The findings showed that 76% of interviewed farmers participated in indigenous chicken markets. On average, participating in indigenous chicken markets increases the likelihood of having a higher household dietary diversity score by about 60%. This suggests that engagement in indigenous chicken value chain strengthens smallholder farmers’ resilience through attainment of food and nutrition security. Therefore, investment in capacity building of smallholder farmers to engage in indigenous chicken value chains should be prioritised and to support market engagement, indigenous chicken production contract arrangements with private firms should be promoted.

Source: UG
Indigenous cosmology, art forms and past medicinal practices: towards an interpretation of ancient Koma Land sites in northern Ghana. Anthropology and Medicine 18

The ancient cultural tradition in the middle belt region of northern Ghana with its stone circle and house mounds, contains varied material culture. The unique contextual arrangements of the material culture within the stone circle mounds and the diverse ceramic art forms, as well as their ethnographic analogues in West Africa, indicate the mounds association with past shrines that have multiple functions, including curative purposes. The archaeology of the mounds and ethnographic associations related to past indigenous medical practices is reviewed and discussed. This paper will also consider how some of the figurines through which the Koma tradition has achieved ‘fame’ possibly functioned as physical representations of disease, perhaps underpinned by intentions of transference from afflicted to image. The notions of protection and healing are also examined with reference to the resorted and disarticulated human remains sometimes recovered from the sites.

Source: UG
Indigenous evolution of plasmodium falciparum pyrimethamine resistance multiple times in africa.

OBJECTIVES: Resistance to pyrimethamine in Plasmodium falciparum is conferred by mutations in the gene encoding dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). It is known that DHFR double mutants have evolved independently in multiple geographic areas, whereas the triple mutant prevalent in Africa appears to have originated in south-east Asia. In this study, we investigated whether other triple mutants may have evolved independently in Africa. METHODS: We determined the DHFR genotypes and haplotypes of five microsatellite loci flanking the DHFR locus between 4.49 kb upstream and 1.48 kb downstream of 159 isolates collected from three African countries (Republic of Congo, Ghana and Kenya). RESULTS: The CIRNI type of DHFR triple mutant (with mutations underlined at amino acid positions 51, 59 and 108) was predominant in the Republic of Congo (82%) and Ghana (81%) and was the second most prevalent in Kenya (27%), where the CICNI type of DHFR double mutant was dominant. Three distinct microsatellite haplotypes were identified in the DHFR triple mutant. One haplotype was identical to that originating in south-east Asia. The other two haplotypes occurred in Ghana and Kenya, which were unique, previously undescribed and identical to those of the two DHFR double mutants found in the same locations. CONCLUSIONS: This study presents strong evidence for the unique, multiple independent evolution of pyrimethamine resistance in Africa. Indigenous evolution of the triple mutant from the double mutant appears to have occurred in a step-wise manner in Kenya and Ghana or in nearby countries in east and west Africa.

Source: UG