ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Livelihood Adaptation And Migration: A Case Of Selected Estuarine Communities Along The Coast Of Ghana

Globally, migration has become an important livelihood strategy for many poor households, with estuaries and seashores playing a central role as points of human settlement and marine resource use. In Ghana, estuarine wetlands support and attract fisher migrants for livelihood adaptation. This study evaluates the impact of estuarine ecosystems on fishers' livelihood migration patterns and anthropogenic stresses on Ghanaian estuaries. Fisher household heads from five estuaries communities were selected using multistage sampling. Data for the study was collected using 652 structured interview schedule, seven focus groups discussions, and 10 in-depth interviews. The results revealed the selected estuaries along Ghana's coast were degraded based on a 34-year LULC change analysis. The type of fishing gear (P = 0.001), Sanctions (P=0.000), and Experience in fishing (P=0.001) were revealed to have a significant negative influence on the degradation of the estuaries along Ghana's Coast. There was a strong positive correlation between ethnicity and migration among migrant fishers (Cramer's V = 0.71). The results also revealed conflicts over the use of the estuarine ecosystem between migrant and native fishers found in Anlo Beach, Faana and Kewunor communities. Overall, fisher‘s household livelihood security index was 67%. Understanding fisher migration patterns is necessary for managing Ghana's coastal ecosystems, especially estuaries. Uncontrolled migration might lead to overexploitation and resource degradation, compromising SDG 14 and fishers' livelihoods.

Source: UCC
Livelihood Diversification and Food Security of Smallholder Farmers in Central Tongu District of Ghana

The study examined the livelihood diversification and food security of smallholder farmers in Central Tongu district of Ghana. Cross-sectional descriptive survey design was used to collect data from 270 smallholder farmers in Central Tongu District using multi-stage sampling technique. Data gathered was analyzed using descriptive statistics, Tobit regression model and Simpson‟s index of diversification. Findings from the study disclosed that mean age of smallholder farmers was about 44 years old, with majority (65%) being males. Mean years of farming was about 22 years and mean household size was 5 people. Smallholder farmers who cultivated cassava as their main farm activity was 37%, those who cultivated maize as subsidiary farm activity was 15.8% and those who were engaged in trading as their subsidiary nonfarm activity was 31.8%. The level of livelihood diversification among smallholder farmers was 0.72 which indicated that they were moderately high in their livelihood diversification. Critical factors which positively and significantly influenced livelihood diversification included land size, access to land, access to water and membership of FBO. Few of smallholder farmers (2.2%) attained high food security and majority of smallholder farmers (85.9%) attained moderate food security. However, 10.4% of smallholder farmers attained low food security and 1.5% of smallholder farmers attained very low food security. It is recommended that government and other partners should encourage aged farmers to diversify their livelihood activities. Also, governmental policies and programs should focus on promoting economic development, social protection, innovation and entrepreneurship, access to water and land among smallholder farmers in Central Tongu District

Source: UCC
Livelihood strategies of the aged in ghana

The study analysed the livelihood strategies of the aged in Ghana between 2016 -2019. A mixed-method research design was adopted for the study. Secondary data from the Ghana Living Standard Survey seven (GLSS7) and primary data from the Ashanti Region were used for the study. Purposive and simple random sampling procedures were used to sample participants for the primary data collection. A total of 73 participants were engaged in the primary data collection. Interview and focus group discussion guides were used as research instruments. Data from the GLSS7 were processed with Statistical Product for Service Solutions version 21, while the primary data were processed with NVrVO. The quantitative data were analysed using both descriptive (frequencies and percentages) and inferential (independent sample t-test and regression) statistics, while narrative analysis was used for the qualitative data. The study found that most of the aged were still economically engaged. The aged had adopted multiple livelihood strategies, including pension benefits, remittances, agricultural activities, and incomes from businesses, to enhance their livelihood outcomes. This study is different from other studies because, it analyses the livelihood strategies from a rural-urban perspective. The study recommends that the government of Ghana should revise the retirement age to reflect the sturdy improvement in life expectancy to provide legal backing to the continuous economic engagement of the aged. Ghana should develop a policy to include various informal sectors into pension schemes to enable them to meet their basic needs to improve their livelihood outcomes.

Source: UCC
Livelihood Vulnerability and Adaptive Capacity of Smallholder Oil Palm Farmers in Kwaebibirem Municipality of Ghana

Several studies reveal that smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa are the most likely to experience livelihood vulnerability. This study therefore, investigate livelihood vulnerability and adaptive capacity of smallholder oil palm farmers in Kwaebibirem Municipality of the Eastern Region of Ghana. A cross-sectional survey design was employed and a simple random sampling technique was used to select 204 smallholder oil palm farmers. A structured interview schedule was used to correct primary data. Principal Component Analysis was conducted to determine factors that best explain the exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity of the farmers. Composite livelihood vulnerability Index was used to calculate respondents’ levels of exposure, sensitivity, adaptive capacity and livelihood vulnerability. It was found that farmers' exposure to vulnerability is moderate to high especially to institutional constraint. The sensitivity indices were 0.54 and 0.81 respectively indicating that farmers’ sensitivity was moderate to high. The adaptive capacity of the farmers was found to be moderate and they can use several strategies including, farm practices strategy, institutional strategy, on and off-farm strategy, information strategy, intervening strategy, selling strategy, transacting strategy, marketing strategy, chemical control strategy, organizational strategy and certified material use strategy. In Kwaebibirem Municipality, smallholder oil palm farmers are vulnerable. It is recommended that, Department of Agriculture educate the farmers on good agronomic practices and livelihood strategy diversification to increase their options at reducing livelihood vulnerability.

Source: UCC
Livestock ownership and poverty reduction in Northern Ghana

This study determined the effect of livestock ownership on household poverty in Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions of Ghana. Specifically, the study determined the effects of medium-sized and large-sized ownership of livestock on household poverty and examined the effect of type of livestock (cattle, sheep and poultry) ownership on household poverty together with the joint effect between size and type of livestock ownership on household poverty. Employing the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) estimation technique, the study found that medium-sized and large-sized livestock ownership reduces household poverty through improvement in consumption expenditures. Results on types of livestock owned revealed that livestock such as cattle and poultry significantly reduce household’s poverty. As to the joint effect, the study revealed that owning large-sized livestock (being cattle) more significantly reduces household poverty than owning large-sized livestock other than cattle. Moreover, owning medium-sized livestock (being sheep) likewise more significantly reduces household poverty level than owning medium-sized livestock other than sheep. It is therefore recommended that all poor households, especially households in the Upper West Region focus on cattle and poultry rearing in an attempt to reduce their poverty levels. Also, poor households in Upper East and Northern Regions should focus on the production of cattle and sheep respectively.

Source: UCC
Livestock Production and Consumption Practices in the Assin South District and Cape Coast Metropolis of the Central Region of Ghana

The study was undertaken in the Assin South District and Cape Coast Metropolis, both located in the Central Region of Ghana. The aim was to evaluate the practices of livestock production and meat consumption in these areas. The research used a descriptive survey design, involving 77 livestock farmers and 202 meat consumers selected purposively to respond to questionnaires. The data collected were analyzed using the descriptive statistical tool of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23, and the results were presented in frequency tables. The findings indicated that chicken was the most prevalent livestock species kept in the study areas, with the majority of livestock producers mainly focusing on poultry production. Livestock farmers in these areas primarily utilized intensive and semi-intensive housing systems for their animals. They reported experiencing multiple disease outbreaks annually, with Newcastle disease being the most common. In terms of consumption practices, beef was the preferred meat among consumers in the study areas. Additionally, the price of meat was identified as the primary factor influencing consumers' meat purchasing decisions. However, it was worrying to find out that animals known to be sick were sometimes slaughtered by some farmers as well as animals which were on treatment. There were instances where dead carcasses were dressed and sold for human consumption. As a result, it was recommended that the government, specifically the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, provide training programmes and workshops for farmers aimed at disease prevention, early disease detection and management practices. Furthermore, efforts should be made to educate consumers on the importance of avoiding the consumption of meat from animals that do not respond to treatment or those that died naturally.

Source: UCC
The lmpact of In-servi cTeeacher Trainin gThrough an Outreach Program on the Content Knowledge of Basi cSchoo lMathematic sTeachers in Ghana

Background and Objectives of the Study In 1987, the government of Ghana instituted a nation-wide reform in the educational system beginning from the basic school' level. The main aims of this reform were (1) to improve the access and participation of all school age children, (2) to improve the quality of education, and (3) to change the duration of pre-university education from 17 years to 12 years. The reform changed the curricula of all pre-university institutions as well as their subjects of study, including mathematics. The curriculum reform in mathematics, in particular, consisted not only of the reorganization of the existing curriculum and introduction of new content, but also of the introduction of new ways of teaching and assessing student learning (MOE, 2000). This reform was mainly influenced by the idea of pragmatism in education from the United States of America

Source: UCC
LMS-Enabled Blended Learning Use Intentions among Distance Education Tutors: Examining the Mediation Role of Attitude Based on Technology-Related Stimulus-Response Theoretical Framework

Distance education delivery has shifted from the mere meaning of distance due to the use of abridged technologies. Current distance education utilizes technologies that have made the term distance a metaphor. The affordances of technology have promoted student-student interaction; teacher-student interaction as well as student-student interaction across boundaries. This has been possible due to blended leaning that combines both the online component in addition to the face-to-face sessions. One of the technologies that have made blended learning possible in distance education is the Learning Management System (LMS). However, intentions towards the use of LMS have been a crucial element in contemporary literature especially in Africa. Consequently, one of the key determinants of LMS use intentions is attitude towards the technology. Hence, this study is focused on unraveling the key determinants of attitude based on a Technology-Related Stimulus-Response Theoretical Framework (TR-SR-TF) while addressing empirically, the mediating role of attitude on these determinants. In view of this, the study employed a survey design with the questionnaire as an instrument for data collection from a sample of 267 course tutors in distance education. The results from a Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) approach revealed performance expectancy, effort expectancy and facilitating conditions as key antecedents of attitude towards LMS for blended learning. Again, attitude had a significant mediating effect on all three antecedents in determining behavioural intention towards LMS use for blended learning in distance education. The results of the study suggests that factors such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy and facilitating conditions should be critically addressed while implementing LMS-enabled blended learning because the former factors have a direct effect on attitude towards use intentions of blended learning for distance education delivery.

Source: UCC
LMS-enabled blended learning utilization in distance tertiary education: establishing the relationships among facilitating conditions, voluntariness of use and use behaviour

Distance education has evolved partly through technologies that defined them in the various generations of distance education delivery. However, in the twenty-first century, the use of Learning Management System (LMS) has changed the face of distance education delivery. Even the traditional face-to-face based distance education mode is now adopting the LMS as a mediating technology between instructors and students. However, in the usage of LMS-enabled blended learning, several factors have been cited in the literature as enablers towards actual usage of LMS technology. Factors such as facilitating conditions, voluntariness of use and actual use behaviour have been important in contemporary literature. Despite their importance, the chasm in the literature is the nuances existing in terms of relationships between these three factors. This study fills the gap by defining a model based on the three factors to provide an in depth empirical study on their relationships and how they influence LMS-enabled blended learning uptake of distance education by tutors. The study thus employs a cross country survey to collect data from 267 tutors and offer analysis by way of a Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) approach. The study revealed important relationships among facilitating conditions, voluntariness of use and use behaviour of LMS-enabled blended learning such that facilitating conditions predicted voluntariness of use and actual use behaviour; voluntariness of use determined actual LMS use behaviour for blended learning in distance education. The study finally provided recommendations based on the findings for policy and practice of LMS-enabled blended learning in distance education

Source: UCC
Loan Default on Financial Performance of Kakum Rural Bank

ABSTRACT When repaid with interest, credit is a main operation of banks that produces a significant percentage of their revenue. However, when the majority of the loans disbursed are non-performing, this poses a substantial danger to the bank's viability. The study's major goal is to look at the influence of nonperforming loans on Kakum Rural Bank's financial performance. The study's specific objectives were looking at the trajectory of non-performing loans from 2015 to 2019, determining the reasons of non-performing loans at Kakum Rural Bank, and studying the increase and impact of bad loans on general operations. The research used a descriptive and explanatory technique in its research design. A total of 76 people were chosen from the Bank's credit officers, branch managers, operations staffs, management staff, and clients, and information was gathered using questionnaire and interview guide. The researcher used panel regression or the longitudinal model. According to the research, the bank's non-performing loans increased from 2016 to 2019. Again, the analysis found that inadequate monitoring and a lack of credit officer logistics were the root reasons of non-performing loans. The research also shows that debt and ROA have a strong and favorable relationship. Non-performing loans have a positive and significant impact on a bank's financial performance, according to the study. According to the research, banks should develop a credit monitoring team that would regularly monitor borrowers' behavior, and bank management should get the technical and expertise necessary to analyze the trend and bad loans cases in order to take the necessary measures

Source: UCC
Local Business Climate in Ghana – Insights for Policy Direction

This study provides insights for enhancing the business climate in Ghana. The primary objective of the study was to identify the most relevant binding constraint(s) on the activities of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the manufacturing sector of Sunyani Municipality and Berekum District of Ghana. Accordingly, a survey of 85 manufacturing MSMEs was conducted. In spite of energy crisis in Ghana at the time of research, the most relevant binding constraints to the enterprises surveyed were poor access to technology including technological support services, and poor access to market (which will be discussed in subsequent paper). The findings contradict policy focus on addressing governance and regulatory bottlenecks, and inadequate physical infrastructure. This underscores the importance of local business climate surveys in addition to national surveys in establishing the right policy focus for enhancing the business climate of localities within a country.

Source: UCC
Local delivery of T-bet shRNA reduces inflammation in collagen II‑induced arthritis via down regulation of IFN-γ and IL-17

Abstract.Th1 and Th17 cells are involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). T-bet, a Th1-specifc transcription factor, appears to drive the maturation of Th1 and IFN-γ secretion. In the present study, we established the T-bet shRNA recombinant plasmid (p-T-shRNA) and explored its possible anti-inflammatory effect in a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model by local injection of plasmid vectors. For the initiation of CIA, DBA/1J mice were immunized with type II collagen (CII) in Freund's adjuvant and the CII-immunized mice were treated with p-T-shRNA. Levels of T-bet, IFN-γ, IL-17 and RORγt mRNA in splenocytes and synovial joints were measured by quantitative real-time PCR and T-bet expression in joint tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry staining. The intracellular IFN-γ and IL-17 were analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM). The results demonstrated that therapeutic administration on the local joints with p-T-shRNA significantly suppressed IFN-γ and IL-17 gene expression and improved the pathogenesis of arthritis in CIA mice, while administration of a plasmid expressing T-bet (pIRES-T-bet) accelerated the disease onset. Our study suggests that T-bet may be developed as a potential target for arthritis therapy

Source: UCC
Local governance as a strategy for educational development in Mali

This paper aims to contribute to the issue of local governance as a strategy for educational development in Mali. Based on the theoretical aspects of governance, it presents the arguments and issues of local involvement in the management of education. It then analyzes the policy approval by the local actors, based on a field survey conducted in the regions (Kayes, Koulikoro, Segou, Sikasso) and the District of Bamako. Finally, it assesses the development of education in different regions through the index of educational development

Source: UCC
Local Government Planning And Disaster Risk Management In The Accra Metropolitan Area Of Ghana

The study draws on the chaos theory, stakeholder theory and the integrated planning approach to argue that local government authorities need to rethink the integration of Disaster Risk Management [DRlVl] into local government plalming for effective management of risks. A mixed method approach was used for the study. The study design was descriptive and explorative. The stratified random and purposive sampling procedure were used to sample the respondents for the study. Interview guide, interview schedule, and observation guide were used to collect the data. The SPSS version 25 was used to analysed the quantitative data while the qualitative data was analysed using the thematic analysis. The study found that even though there are Acts and laws that regulate the physical planning and disaster management at the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies [MMDAs1, in practice, there appears to be discrepancies due to institutional challenges. Again, the MMDAs are not able to use development control measures to control physical development due to poor enforcement which has led to increase in residents' vulnerability to disaster risks. Additionally, DRM has not been effectively integrated into the MMDAs' local development planning because of unavailability of an integration guideline. The study concludes that MMDAs are not adequately prepared to manage disasters at the local level. The study therefore recommends that MMDAs should be empowered to deal with disasters at the local level. A policy guideline for integration of DRM into MMDAs plalming processes should be provided. DRM agencies should effectively collaborate \"'ith all stakeholders , especially communities to achieve effective disaster risk management.

Source: UCC
Localization of management in multinational enterprises in developing countries: a case study of policy and practice

The Ghanaian mining industry went through various stages of development prior to the World Bank’s negative assessment in the mid-1980s. This blamed the state ownership model, characterized by lack of adequate capitalization, obsolete technologies (Agbesinyale, 2008) and mismanagement, among other factors, for the decline in the sector. The Bank then recommended far reaching reforms in the mining sector within the context of the neoliberal structural adjustment programme. In the late 1980s, the industry began to recover due to the inception of the World Bank/IMF-led Mineral Sector Reform and the World Bank/IMF conditionality of the privatization of stateowned enterprises. The reform led to the Minerals and Mining Act of 1986 which provided incentives to investors in the sector. This law has been revised and the Minerals and Mining Act 2006 implemented. Since the World Bank/IMF structural adjustment programme which was implemented in Ghana from 1983, there has been massive involvement byWestern multinational companies (MNCs).With the country’s huge gold reserves estimated at 1600 tones and resources amounting to 2550 tones, with total gold production expected to increase to over 100,000 kg per annum by 2018 (Austrade, 2007), multinational gold mining companies are likely to continue to invest in Ghana

Source: UCC