ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
A look back, a path forward: Revisiting the mental health and well-being research and practice models and priorities in sub-Saharan Africa

Despite the enthusiasm to promote mental health in Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa more generally, the models and frameworks that underpin research and practice in these settings have focused exclusively on understanding and treating mental disorders, to the neglect of the mental health needs of the general, non-clinical population. We discuss the limitations of the bipolar and biomedical models as frameworks for mental health research and practice in the current paradigm. Using Ghana as a case example, we identify gaps in the mental health research priorities in sub-Saharan Africa, and discuss the limitations of the revised Mental Health Policy of Ghana in ensuring a mentally healthy population. Drawing on a consilience of evidence from the literature, we contend that, although important and laudatory, the current research approach and priorities, which remain overwhelmingly fixated on alleviating and treating symptoms of mental disorders, are insufficient to buffer against psychopathology and bolster positive mental health. We argue for the adoption of more global and empirically tested frameworks and population-based approaches to complement clinical approaches to reduce the population burden of mental health problems.

Source: UG
&quot;look me, hwϵ ha, ofainϵ kwϵm biϵ AHA mi fioo!!&quot;: Codeswitching at inter-ethnic traditional marriage ceremonies in southern Ghana

This paper investigates the use of codeswitching at traditional inter-ethnic marriage ceremonies in the southern part of Ghana. The study site is Accra, the multilingual capital of Ghana which is located in the south of the country, and was selected due to the high frequency of inter-ethnic marriage ceremonies which take place there. The data analysed were audio-visual recordings of interactions at such ceremonies, collected, by (Nuworsu, Anastasia 2015: Language use in inter-ethnic marriage ceremonies in Greater Accra. MPhil. thesis, Department of Linguistics, University of Ghana, Legon.). They were complemented with observations made at the event grounds, as well as follow up interviews with key actors during and after the events. The theoretical framework employed is based on a combination of Giles’ Communication Accommodation Theory, Hymes’s Ethnography of Communication and Myers-Scotton‘s Markedness Model. It is found that bilinguals who speak on behalf of families participating in the ceremonies often use codeswitching in innovative ways to convey various social messages. Significant uses were: (i) speakers use codeswitching to converge toward the speech of their in-laws in a bid to decrease the social and linguistic distance between the two families and (ii) they use it as a divergence strategy to, for instance, increase the social and linguistic distance between them when they wish to accentuate an ideological, or any other, difference between them. Overall, the study contributes towards insights about inter-group language practices in multilingual African settings, especially in urban areas.

Source: UG
Looking at agricultural innovation platforms through an innovation champion lens: An analysis of three cases in West Africa

The concept of an innovation platform is increasingly used in interventions inspired by agricultural innovation systems thinking, as a way of bringing stakeholders from a sector together to enable transformative change. An essential role on such innovation platforms is thought to be that of the 'innovation champion', but this role has so far not been unravelled. In this paper, by applying insights from management science to analyse three innovation platforms in West Africa from the Convergence of Sciences - Strengthening Innovation Systems programme (CoS-SIS), different types of innovation champions are mapped. The authors conclude that making a distinction among different types of innovation champions can be useful in identifying members for innovation platforms, but that the specifics of agricultural innovation appear not to be adequately captured by roles attributed to existing categories of innovation champions. Further research is needed to ascertain whether other categories exist, and how different innovation champions interact over time on agricultural innovation platforms.

Source: UG
Looking through the Lenses of Educational Management Information Systems (EMIS)

The study examined the user awareness and use of Educational Management Information Systems (EMIS) by educational stakeholders, e.g. educators, parents, guardians, students, educational NGOs and consultants and the public in the Greater Accra Region in Ghana. The descriptive research design was used for the study. Purposive sampling technique was employed in selecting the sample for the study. The coverage area for the study was the Greater Accra Regional Education Office, two other municipal and one metropolitan Education Office. The study sample size was 48 which included the Regional/ Metropolitan/ Municipal Directors of Education with their four Frontline Assistant Directors. Others that were included in the sample were EMIS Co-ordinators, EMIS officers, Circuit supervisors, Heads of Primary, Junior and Senior High Schools and Teachers. The instrument used for data collection was self prepared. In all, there were three research questions which were all captured by the instrument for data collection. The study revealed that: EMIS offices are present in the Regional and District Education Offices included in the sample in the Greater Accra Region; there is user awareness among educational stakeholders identified in the study, the core objectives of EMIS are being met; Ministry of Education sees the Annual School Census as the most important source of information regarding the situation of every school. It was further found that EMIS has no dedicated website. Also, EMIS users are usually those who are aware of its existence, hence awareness of EMIS informs its utilisation. Parents are rare users of EMIS. The study recommended that EMIS should have a dedicated and reliable website where users, patrons, researchers and stakeholders could rely on for educational information.

Source: UG
Loops and Building Blocks: a Knowledge co-Production Framework for Equitable Urban Health

This paper sets out a structured process for the co-production of knowledge between researchers and societal partners and illustrates its application in an urban health equity project in Accra, Ghana. The main insight of this approach is that research and knowledge co-production is always partial, both in the sense of being incomplete, as well as being circumscribed by the interests of participating researchers and societal partners. A second insight is that project-bound societal engagement takes place in a broader context of public and policy debate. The approach to co-production de scribed here is formed of three recursive processes: co designing, co-analysing, and co-creating knowledge. These ‘co-production loops’ are themselves iterative, each representing a stage of knowledge production. Each loop is operationalized through a series of research and engagement practices, which we call building blocks. Building blocks are activities and interaction based methods aimed at bringing together a range of participants involved in joint knowledge production. In practice, recursive iterations within loops may be limit ed due of constraints on time, resources, or attention. We suggest that co-production loops and building blocks are deployed flexibly.

Source: UG
Lophelia reefs of North and West Africa–Comparing environment and health

The health status of cold-water coral reefs on the West African coast was investigated with the main objective of obtain ing knowledge of the adaptive capacity of Lophelia pertusa to environmental stressors. Three coral sites were studied, in Northern Morocco, in the Morocco/Mauritania region (both in 2020) and, in the Ghana and Ivory coast region (visited in 2012, 2017, and 2019). Area cover of live colonies, explored through underwater videos, was used as an indicator of reef health and compared with the environmental variables: reef position, depth, water mass, temperature, dissolved oxygen con centration (DO), carbonate chemistry (pH, aragonite saturation (ΩAr), macronutrients and particles (visual). For a broader picture of the adaptations presented by Lophelia our results were compared with reefs in contrasting environments. Of Ghana and Mauritania healthy reefs (i.e., having areas with more than 20 % cover of live colonies) were found to reside at DO concentrations between 1.1 and 1.6 ml L−1, in corrosive waters (pH 7.7 and ΩAr 1.0) with high nutrient concentrations. By contrast, the reefs of the North of Morocco, sitting in well-oxygenated waters with oversaturated ΩAr, had no or few live colonies. Our fndings together with data from other studies show that Lophelia has a wide tolerance to hypoxia and acidifcation, and that in relation to climate change increased temperature and silting could pose more serious threats. These fndings highlight the importance of continued studies of Lophelia reefs in contrasting environmental conditions to better understand their adaptation potential to climate change-related stressors

Source: UG
Loss assessment in the production of gari from cassava (Manihot esculenta)

This paper reports the results of experiments carried out to establish losses that occur at the different stages in the processing of cassava into gari at both local and improved technology centres. An average loss of 6.1% occurred during cassava processing into gari at the peeling stage for local and 4.7% at improved technology centres. The grating process recorded average losses of 5.9% at both local and improved technology centers. The losses at the dewatering stage ranges from 3.0% for local and 5.6% for improved technology centres. The sifting process recorded losses of 4.3 and 5.4% for local and improved technology centres respectively. The total average loss in cassava processing into gari for local centres was 19.3% while that for improved technology centres 21.5%. A garification rate of 0.32 and 0.33 was established for local and improved technology centres respectively.

Source: UG
Loss of cultivars in Yam (Dioscorea spp.): Case studies from Northern Ghana

Yam, Dioscorea spp. is endemic to the West African sub-region, with nine species cultivated in Ghana. D. rotundata is the most popular of the yams in terms of area cultivated and usage. Study conducted in northern Ghana tried to determine reasons for loss or maintenance of landraces, as well as the best farmer practices that ensure their conservation, in four communities in northern Ghana under the traditional cultivation methods. The study also provided information on the diversity of yam landraces that are currently under cultivation. Field studies involved focus group discussions, using the four square analysis after Grum et al. (2008). Farmers identified 50 types of D. rotundata under cultivation. On average, older farmers cultivated a greater number of landraces than younger farmers. Ten traditional, cultural practices associated with yam cultivation were also identified by farmers, for ensuring diversity of yams within their farms. Threatened landraces were usually planted on very small farm areas by few households. Cultivation of some yam landraces was discontinued, mainly because of decreasing soil fertility and vulnerability to drought.

Source: UG
Loss of the American Brig Commerce

The following Narrative of my misfortunes and sufferings, and my consequent travels· and observations in Africa, is submitted to the perusal of a candid and an enlightened public with much diffidence, particularly as I write without having had the advantages derived from a~ academic ·edu-cation, and being quite unskilled in the art of composing for the press. My aim has been merely to record in plain and unvarnished language, scenes in which I was a principal actor, of real and heart-appalling distresses. The very deep and indelible impression made in my mind by the extraordinary circumstances attending my ~ate ship-wreck and the consequent miserable captivity and wretched-ness of myself and my surviving shipmates, and believing that a knowledge of many of these incidents might prove useful and interesting to the world, as wen as peculiarly instructive to my sea-faring brethren, together with the strong and repeated solicitations of many valuable friends, among whom was the Honourable James Munroe, Secretary of State, and several distinguished members of Con-gress; urged by these considerations, and with a view of being enabled by my labours to afford some relief to the surviving sufferers and the destitute families of that' part of my late crew whose lot it was to perish in Africa, or who are still groaning out the little remains of their existence in the cruel bonds of Barbarian slavery, I was induced to undertake the very arduous and difficult task (though labouring under sllch disadvantages of preparing and publishing a work that proves to be so large and expensive

Source: UG
Loss reserve variability and loss reserve errors: An empirical analysis of the Ghanaian property and liability insurance industry

The purpose of this study is to assess the level and variability of Ghanaian property and liability insurer’s reserve estimates to examine its sources and ascertain if reserve errors are random or not (i.e. manipulated or not). Design/methodology/approach: – It uses information on insurer claim reserve provisions, claims outstanding, claims incurred and claims paid for the period of 2000-2010. Categorizing the sources of variation as endogenous and exogenous, the authors use the panel correlated standard error regression model to determine sources and magnitude of industry reserve error. Findings: – The study finds that size, age, lag of loss reserve error, inflation rate and real gross domestic product are significant in determining the degree of reserve error variation. Type of ownership (domestic or foreign) is, however, not a significant source of variation. Further, the authors found that industry reserve errors are random (not manipulated) across firms, suggesting that sampled insurers act independently on reserve error decision making and are not influenced by industry trends and competition. Research limitations/implications: – The main research study limitation is the difficulty involved in obtaining annual statements from insurance companies in Ghana. Reluctance of companies to make statements available impeded on the smooth flow of the study during data collection. Practical implications: – Policy-wise, this suggest that regulatory bodies can uniquely set reserve error levels for existing firms with little influence on competition. Further, the Ghanaian insurance regulator does not to focus on the type of ownership (foreign or local) when setting regulatory standards. However, size of the company and age (length of operation) should be considered. Originality/value: – This paper is the first empirical study to examine the loss reserve error and loss reserve variability of Ghanaian property and liability insurance companies. © 2014, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Source: UG
Loss Reserve Variability and Loss Reserve Errors: An Empirical Analysis of the Ghanaian Property and Liability Insurance Industry.

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to assess the level and variability of Ghanaian property and liability insurer’s reserve estimates to examine its sources and ascertain if reserve errors are random or not (i.e. manipulated or not). Design/methodology/approach – It uses information on insurer claim reserve provisions, claims outstanding, claims incurred and claims paid for the period of 2000-2010. Categorizing the sources of variation as endogenous and exogenous, the authors use the panel correlated standard error regression model to determine sources and magnitude of industry reserve error. Findings – The study finds that size, age, lag of loss reserve error, inflation rate and real gross domestic product are significant in determining the degree of reserve error variation. Type of ownership (domestic or foreign) is, however, not a significant source of variation. Further, the authors found that industry reserve errors are random (not manipulated) across firms, suggesting that sampled insurers act independently on reserve error decision making and are not influenced by industry trends and competition. Research limitations/implications – The main research study limitation is the difficulty involved in obtaining annual statements from insurance companies in Ghana. Reluctance of companies to make statements available impeded on the smooth flow of the study during data collection. Practical implications – Policy-wise, this suggest that regulatory bodies can uniquely set reserve error levels for existing firms with little influence on competition. Further, the Ghanaian insurance regulator does not to focus on the type of ownership (foreign or local) when setting regulatory standards. However, size of the company and age (length of operation) should be considered. Originality/value – This paper is the first empirical study to examine the loss reserve error and loss reserve variability of Ghanaian property and liability insurance companies.

Source: UG
Love beyond east and west: How cultural models of selfhood predict frequency of being in love

The purpose of this paper is to understand the implications of different dimensions of cultural models of selfhood for the frequency of being in love across cultures. This is achieved by analyzing large cross-cultural datasets encompassing 49 and 70 countries. In doing so, this paper extends the current discussion regarding the impact of cultural contexts and individual mindsets on the experience of being in love by correlating eight dimensions of independent and interde pendent selves (Vignoles et al., 2016). Across eight different self-construal dimensions, we found that the strongest correlate of being in love was the self-expression (vs. harmony) dimension, where a higher frequency of feeling in love, measured by Likert scale from never to all the time, was associated with greater self-expression, both at the country and at the individual levels. Our results refine the discussion on the impact of Individualism/Collectivism on love experiences by demonstrating that it is specifically the self-expression aspect of individualistic/modernized countries that contributes to a higher frequency of being in love.

Source: UG
Love is Dead

There are certain things people do not generally feel comfortable to talk about. One of these is “Love”. Whether as a verb or as a noun “love” is an uncomfortable subject, except of course for the lovers themselves, and this, only whilst it lasts. If ever I have the chance, I will get from mobile phone databases the number of times the word “love” has been used in the Short Message System (SMS), popularly called “text messaging”. I am almost certain it will be the most frequently used word, and that it has been used trillions of times by the millions of subscribers in the last decade. Love is also a very strong force. People die for the love of Country; others die for the love of God, or is it religion (some suicide bombers, for example); and of course there is the Romeo and Juliet kind of love. Love is so strong that I personally advise friends not to fall into it. I prefer to walk into it. I do not exactly recommend strolling into it and strolling out, but falling is a big deal whichever way you see it. At worst, walk briskly into it. Just don’t fall into it. I also advise friends not to love with their heart alone, but with their hearts and their heads.

Source: UG
Low Birthweight, Retention in HIV Care, and Adherence to ART Among Postpartum Women Living with HIV in Ghana

Care for low birthweight (LBW) infants can contribute to psychological difficulties and stigma among mothers living with HIV, creating challenges for antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence and retention in HIV care. We explored how caring for LBW infants affects maternal ART adherence and retention in care. We conducted 30 in-depth interviews with postpartum women living with HIV in Accra, Ghana: 15 with LBW infants and 15 with normal birthweight (NBW) infants. Compared to mothers with NBW infants, mothers with LBW infants described how caring for their newborns led to increased caregiver burden, prolonged hospital stays, and stigma—contributing to incomplete ART adherence and missed clinical appointments. For a few women, care for LBW infants created opportunities for re-engagement in HIV care and motivation to adhere to ART. Results suggest women living with HIV and LBW babies in Ghana face increased challenges that impact their adherence to care and ART. © 2018, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Source: UG
Low Consumption of Indigenous Fresh Dairy Products in Ghana Attributed to Poor Hygienic Quality

This cross-sectional study was aimed at assessing consumer perceptions and microbiological quality of the fresh cow's milk products available in selected dairying communities in Ghana. Twenty-six focus groups (FGs) were conducted to understand the perceptions on barriers and facilitators to dairy consumption. These included six FGs for lactating mothers and five FGs for each of the following categories: pregnant women, women of reproductive age with children younger than 5 years, not pregnant and nonlactating women, and males. A separate quantitative survey followed and included 176 women of reproductive age (18 to 49 years) and 90 males (18 to 59 years) from 15 dairying communities in the Greater Accra, Eastern, and Central regions of Ghana. Also, 120 locally sourced fresh milk products were assessed for counts of total coliforms, fecal coliforms, and Enterococcus spp., and presence of pathogenic Streptococcus spp. , Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae by using standard microbiological methods. Fecal coliforms in dairy products, such as brukina, wagashi, and yogurt exceeded the specified limit of 10 CFU/mL, while the prevalence of E. coli and K. pneumoniae were 70 and 65%, respectively. Generally, respondents perceived indigenous dairy as unsafe. These perceptions were formed on the basis of visual cues of environmental and personal hygiene. Of the indigenous milk products consumed, brukina, a fermented milk and millet gruel (33%) and wagashie, a soft unfermented cheese (29%), were the most popular. However, only 19% of wagashie and 21% of brukina consumers believed these products were safe. Consistently, the odds of consuming a particular milk product was significantly higher if the consumer believed it was safe. Poor sanitation and unhygienic processing of otherwise healthy but perishable indigenous milk products has justifiably fueled the mistrust of consumers and may hinder potential intervention efforts to increase milk production and consumption in Ghana.

Source: UG