ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Financing Local Level Development Through the District Assemblies' Common Fund in the Upper East and Upper West Regions of Ghana

One of the key components under any decentralisation policy is the devolution of means. In the past, decentralisation policies of many developing countries failed to produce the desired impact because the issue of fiscal devolution was downplayed. In Ghana, it has been realised that the inability to decentralise fiscal resources, IS one of the major causes of the failure of successive local governments. This is because the central government had, over the years, transferred responsibilities to the local government units without· the corresponding means. To address this problem, the cornerstone of the new decentralisation policy was the transfer of means to the local governments to make them efficient and effective. The focus of this study was on the utilisation of financial resources by District Assemblies, with particular reference to the Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region and the Sissala and Nadowli Districts in the Upper West Region. The work sought to critically examine the prospects and problems of the District Assemblies' Common Fund (DACF), with respect to its utilisation at the district levels, with a view to assessing its effectiveness as a medium for promoting local level development. Three key issues were addressed. These were: 1) the effect of the DACF on the local revenue generation effort of the Assemblies. 2) the impact of the DACF on local level development; and 3) the capacity of the Assemblies to effectively and efficiently promote local level development. In addressing the above issues, data from both secondary a nd primary sources, relating to the DACF at the national, regional, district and local levels were collected and analysed using both quantitative and qualitative techniques. The study found that the DACF had a dominating effect on the expenditure and revenue patterns of the districts, and also contributed substantially to local level development. It further revealed that the Assemblies had limited capacity in terms of the quantity and quality of human and material resources to efficiently and effectively discharge their assigned development functions. The study recommended: • the strengthening of the capacities of the Assemblies to effectively manage development projects and efficiently utilise resources from the DACF. • an increase in the current allocation of the districts to reflect the provision made in the Constitution; and • greater autonomy to the districts to utilise the DACF to be in tandem with national policy guidelines, the general legal framework, the financial, human and material resources they possess and the physical and cultural environment within which they are ensconced.

Source: UCC
Financing local level development: A case study of Agona and Assin district assemblies (1993-1997)

This study takes a look at the issue of funding development at the local level. A case study of the Agona and Assin District Assemblies of the Central Region of Ghana in the period 1993-1997 is undertaken to help find solutions to the problem of inadequate funding for local development. The objective of the study was to analyze the system of financing local development, determine the degree of success of the system, establish the basis for the levels of success and propose an improved model of local level development financing. Data was obtained from both primary and secondary sources for the analysis, which was mainly descriptive. The analysis covered the revenues and expenditures of the two District Assemblies. The relationships between revenues and expenditures were also explored. The study found out that while both revenue and expenditure figures fell short of estimated figures at the end of each financial year, the districts assemblies continued to overspend their budgets by diverting resources from the capital budget to finance recurrent items. It was also observed that financial autonomy of the district assemblies was weakening because the assemblies continued to be dependent on central government transfers, especially the District Assemblies Common Fund, to finance their development expenditure due to a decline in raising own-source revenue. The implications of the findings are that attempts at improving local level development financing should consider restructuring local revenue instruments and policies, bringing in additional private investment and improving the budgeting, accounting and financial reporting systems in the district assemblies.

Source: UCC
Financing non-traditional exporters in Ghana

The study examined the sources of finance for Non-Traditional Exporters in Ghana. The study employed a descriptive survey of which the targeted population was the non-traditional exporters in Ghana. Secondary data were used and inductive research approach was employed. Furthermore, the data were analysed using documentary analysis. The study found that non-traditional exporters in are being supported by government in terms of finance. The study also found that non-traditional exporters rely on funding from banks for their export business. In addition, the study found that non-traditional exporters obtain funding from parastatal and NGOs such as African Development Bank (AfDB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). It is therefore, recommended that Government of Ghana should continue to support the non-traditional export sector in terms of finance in order to expand the sector for more foreign exchange earnings. Also, banks should have special package for only non-traditional exporters in order to boost the production level of non-traditional exporters by securing credit on time and provision of business advisory services. Finally, since parastatal or NGOs also support non-traditional exporters, the Government of Ghana should provide avenues or enabling environment to attract these international partners into the non-traditional export sector in the country for its export-led growth strategy.

Source: UCC
Fingerprinting of black pod disease-resistant theobroma cacao L. accessions using microsatellite molecular markers

Black pod is a disease of Theobroma cacao L. and can cause up to 100% losses in crop yield. Breeding for resistance can reduce or prevent the incidence of the disease. This study was therefore designed to assess black pod disease resistance in 205 accessions of five populations; ‘T’ clones, progenies of ‘T’ clones, Amazonia, Series II hybrids and a control population of susceptible accessions by the leaf disc method and genetic fingerprinting using 13 mTcCIR microsatellite molecular markers. Scores from the leaf disc test were 1.24, 1.50, 1.68, 1.97 and 3.33 for the ‘T’ clones, progenies of ‘T’ clones, Amazonia, Series II hybrids and the controls respectively. This indicates that the ‘T’ clones were the most resistant. A total of 127 alleles were detected with the mTcCIR microsatellite primers.Out of these, 23 were found unique to the ‘T’ clones. The observed (HO) and expected (HE) mean heterozygosity over all the populations were 0.625 and 0.656 indicating a heterozygote deficit among these populations despite the high genetic variability. Cluster analysis also indicated low genetic diversity among populations but a high genetic difference between individuals within a population.Therefore, the ‘T’ clones could be employed in breeding for resistance to the black pod disease. The unique and rare alleles found in the ‘T’ clones could have accounted for their high resistance. The low genetic base observed indicates the need for introduction of exotic varieties in breeding programmes to broaden the genetic base of the cocoa germplasm in Ghana.

Source: UCC
Fire Safety Preparedness of Public Universities in the Central Region of Ghana

This study explored the fire safety preparedness (FSP) of public universities in the Central Region of Ghana. This study was proposed against the background of a lack of empirical evidence on FSP routines and processes in public universities in the region. The study employed a convergent parallel mixed-method design and adopted both the census approach and the purposive sampling procedure to obtain data from the Heads of Departments (HoDs) and Fire Safety Officers (FSOs) respectively. A total of 149 HoDs were involved in the study. The instruments used for data collection was self-administered questionnaire, which was supplemented with semi-structured interviews and field observation checklist. The data from the retrieved questionnaire and observational checklists were analysed using descriptive statistics in the form of frequencies and percentages. The responses from the interview were transcribed and analysed thematically. The results demonstrate that efforts of the public universities in the Central Region of Ghana to operationalise Fire Safety Measures [FSM] (i.e., fire safety equipment [FSE], emergency exits [EEs], fire safety signage [FSS] and notices), and reinforce compliance are generally inadequate. The majority of HoDs and FSOs opined that the major challenge to that effect was as a result of the negligence on the part of the facility users on the campuses rendering the public universities unprepared for fire outbreaks. Against this backdrop, the study concludes that public universities are not fully prepared for unforeseen fire disasters. The study therefore recommends that university leadership need to review and operationalise fire safety policies to effectively and efficiently execute fire safety operations to safeguard lives and properties as required by fire safety legislative instruments.

Source: UCC
Firm reputation and financial performance of SMEs: the Ghanaian perspective

Our paper examines the effects of firm reputation on financial performance of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana by controlling for firm specific variables such as firm age, firm size, owner/manager’s age, leverage and access to capital. It contributes to our knowledge on how firm reputation enhances the financial performance of SMEs in developing economies. We employed primary data from 423 SMEs within the Accra Metropolis. Standard regression analysis was used to analyse the data. We documented a significant positive association between firm reputation and firm performance, denoting that high corporate reputation by an SME enhances its performance. In addition, with the exception of firm size, there was a significant positive relationship between all the control variables and financial performance of SMEs.

Source: UCC
Firm unique characteristics and access to short-term finance among enterprises in Ghana

The relationship between Enterprise unique characteristics and access to short term finance from formal financial institutions was examined in this study. The secondary data set from the 2013 Enterprises Survey conducted by the World Bank on selected enterprises across the whole Ghana was employed for the study. The study adopted a qualitative analysis such as descriptive statistics, percentages and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to address the stated objectives. The outcomes suggested that enterprise unique features such as size, age and business location are important variables in explaining enterprises access to finance in Ghana. That is access to finance improves as firm size increase suggesting that micro and small enterprises can be said to be more constrained in accessing bank loans than their counterparts medium and large enterprises. Also, older enterprises were found to have moderate perception of access to finance as a major obstacle as compared to younger enterprises. Enterprises operating in Accra and other business centres were found be more constrained than other operation outside such locations. The study recommend that the concentration on supports for micro and small enterprises must continue but must expand alongside given loans to include technical advice on how to overcome the fear of accepting the responsibility of taking a loan. Also, major supporting policies from government agencies and NGOs must consider other unique characteristics such as age and business location of enterprises. For example, Younger enterprises can be given support irrespective of size since they are equally financially constrained.

Source: UCC
First isolation of a new species of Leishmania responsible for human cutaneous leishmaniasis in Ghana and classification in the Leishmania enriettii complex

An active case detection approach with PCR diagnosis was used in the Ho District of the Volta Region, Ghana that identified individuals with active cutaneous leishmaniasis. Three isolates were successfully cultured and DNA sequences from these were analysed (ribosomal RNA internal transcribed spacer 1; ribosomal protein L23a intergenic spacer; RNA polymerase II large subunit), showing them to be Leishmania, identical to each other but different from all other known Leishmania spp. Phylogenetic anal- ysis showed the parasites to be new members of the Leishmania enriettii complex, which is emerging as a possible new subgenus of Leishmania parasites containing human pathogens.

Source: UCC
First Isolation of a New Species of Leishmania Responsible for Human Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Ghana and Classification in the Leishmania Enriettii Complex

An active case detection approach with PCR diagnosis was used in the Ho District of the Volta Region, Ghana that identified individuals with active cutaneous leishmaniasis. Three isolates were successfully cultured and DNA sequences from these were analysed (ribosomal RNA internal transcribed spacer 1; ribosomal protein L23a intergenic spacer; RNA polymerase II large subunit), showing them to be Leishmania, identical to each other but different from all other known Leishmania spp. Phylogenetic analysis showed the parasites to be new members of the Leishmania enriettii complex, which is emerging as a possible new subgenus of Leishmania parasites containing human pathogens.

Source: UCC
First isolation of a new species of Leishmania responsible for human cutaneous leishmaniasis in Ghana and classiﬁcation in the Leishmania enriettii complex

An active case detection approach with PCR diagnosis was used in the Ho District of the Volta Region, Ghana that identiﬁed individuals with active cutaneous leishmaniasis. Three isolates were successfully cultured and DNA sequences from these were analysed (ribosomal RNA internal transcribed spacer 1; ribosomal protein L23a intergenic spacer; RNA polymerase II large subunit), showing them to be Leishmania, identical to each other but different from all other known Leishmania spp. Phylogenetic anal- ysis showed the parasites to be new members of the Leishmania enriettii complex, which is emerging as a possible new subgenus of Leishmania parasites containing human pathogens.

Source: UCC
First Isolation of Leishmania from Northern Thailand: Case Report, Identification as Leishmania martiniquensis and Phylogenetic Position within the Leishmania enriettii Complex

Abstract Since 1996, there have been several case reports of autochthonous visceral leishmaniasis in Thailand. Here we report a case in a 52-year-old Thai male from northern Thailand, who presented with subacute fever, huge splenomegaly and pancytopenia. Bone marrow aspiration revealed numerous amastigotes within macrophages. Isolation of Leishmania LSCM1 into culture and DNA sequence analysis (ribosomal RNA ITS-1 and large subunit of RNA polymerase II) revealed the parasites to be members of the Leishmania enriettii complex, and apparently identical to L. martiniquensis previously reported from the Caribbean island of Martinique. This is the first report of visceral leishmaniasis caused by L. martiniquensis from the region. Moreover, the majority of parasites previously identified as ‘‘L. siamensis’’ also appear to be L. martiniquensis.

Source: UCC
First Isolation of Leishmania from Northern Thailand: Case Report, Identification as Leishmania martiniquensis and Phylogenetic Position within the Leishmania enriettii Complex

Since 1996, there have been several case reports of autochthonous visceral leishmaniasis in Thailand. Here we report a case in a 52-year-old Thai male from northern Thailand, who presented with subacute fever, huge splenomegaly and pancytopenia. Bone marrow aspiration revealed numerous amastigotes within macrophages. Isolation of Leishmania LSCM1 into culture and DNA sequence analysis (ribosomal RNA ITS-1 and large subunit of RNA polymerase II) revealed the parasites to be members of the Leishmania enriettii complex, and apparently identical to L. martiniquensis previously reported from the Caribbean island of Martinique. This is the first report of visceral leishmaniasis caused by L. martiniquensis from the region. Moreover, the majority of parasites previously identified as ‘‘L. siamensis’’ also appear to be L. martiniquensis.

Source: UCC
Fis Is Essential for the Stability of Linear Plasmid pBSSB1 and Affects the Motility of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhi

pBSSB1 is a 27 kb non-bacteriophage-related linear plasmid first found in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi), but the mechanism underlying the replication of pBSSB1 is currently unknown. Previous reports showed that the factor for inversion stimulation (Fis) encoded by fis can affect the replication, transcription and other processes through binding DNA. Here, a fis deletion mutant of S. Typhi (Dfis) was prepared through the homologous recombination mediated by suicide plasmid and the loss of pBSSB1 in Dfis was observed surprisingly by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Subsequently, the loss of pBSSB1 was verified by PCR and Southern blot. In addition, the motility of Dfis was deficient and the flagellin of Dfis could not be detected by 2-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. All these results show that Fis is essential for the stability of pBSSB1 and affects the motility of S. Typhi.

Source: UCC
Fiscal aggregates, government borrowing and economic growth in Ghana: A dynamic VAR/VEC approach

This study focused on the relationship between methods of financing government expenditures and economic growth in Ghana using a dynamic econometric framework. In the study, we developed a two equation system with economic growth and government expenditure as the endogenous variables and seven exogenous variables -domestic borrowing, borrowing from abroad, direct taxes, indirect taxes, private investment, export and imports. Stationarity tests indicated all variables were integrated of order one whilst the cointegration test uncovered one co integrating relationship between government expenditure and economic growth. Using the FIML estimation procedure, we obtained the Short run functions for both economic growth and government expenditure and showed that in the short run ,economic growth is negatively influenced by growth in domestic borrowing and growth in borrowing from abroad but positively related to growth in private investments and imports. In the Short run, growth in government expenditure elicits a positive response from growth in domestic borrowing, indirect taxes, private investments and export but inversely related to growth in borrowing from abroad and imports. Causality tests confirmed causation from government expenditure to domestic borrowing, economic growth to domestic borrowing and government expenditure to borrowing from abroad Variance decomposition shows that over ninety-nine percent of all innovations due to government expenditures emanate from ownself but economic growth accounts for about eighty-four percent of the total innovations. Shocks to government expenditure from economic growth lasts for a short period but shock of economic growth from government expenditure takes a longer time to wear out.

Source: UCC
Fishermen’s willingness to pay for insurance in the western region of Ghana

Fishermen face a lot of risk and uncertainty in their fishing operations. One way of dealing with risks and uncertainties in the fishery sector is the adoption of insurance policy. Successful implementation of insurance scheme requires the need for demand analysis. This study therefore investigated fishermen’s willingness to pay for insurance in the Western Region of Ghana. A three stage sampling procedure was used to select 300 fishers and a structured interview guide was used to elicit data from the respondents. The data collected from the fishermen were analyzed using descriptive statistics, linear regression and logistic regression model. The study revealed that fishing activity in the study area is an occupation for men and is mainly operated by married and middle aged adults who have no formal or basic education. About 67.7% of the fishermen were willing to pay for fishery insurance to reduce risk. The mean willingness to pay for fishery insurance is GH¢160.86. The evidence from the study shows that age, years of education, average people on-board, wearing life belt/jacket, and own house were the positively significant variables influencing willingness to pay for fishery insurance. The significant variables influencing maximum amount fishers are willing to pay were age, group fishing and wearing of life belt / jacket. The study therefore recommends that fishermen be encouraged to form viable cooperatives to enable them access credit facilities, encouraging young people to engage in fishing, educating and creating safety precaution awareness as this will significantly influence willingness to pay for fishery insurance.

Source: UCC
Five Years Of Family Medicine Undergraduate Education In Ghana: A Wake-Up Call!

Objectives: Given the introduction in 2008 of undergraduate family medicine in the University of Ghana, the study aimed to identify the perceptions of medical students in Ghana about family medicine with regard to knowledge and relevance as well as specialty preferences. Design: A cross-sectional survey Method: Investigators conducted yearly surveys of first clinical year students at the University of Ghana School of Medicine and Dentistry over a 5-year period (2008-2012) using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data was analysed using the first class group as baseline for comparison. Main outcome measures: Trends in respondents’ awareness of different aspects of family medicine, their attitudes towards the specialty and their expressed preference or lack of preference for family medicine as a potential specialty for themselves. Results: Over the five-year period, 748 of 893 eligible first year students participated which comprised 84% of students. Awareness of family medicine as a medical specialty remained high but insignificantly declined over the period of study (88% to 80%, p=0.058). Preference for family medicine as career choice remained low at 4%, but an increase from 2% baseline though insignificant (p=0.397). The primary reason for not listing family medicine as career choice was unfamiliarity with the specialty (80%). Conclusion: Although awareness of family medicine among medical students in Ghana remains relatively high, their knowledge is insufficient to influence their career decisions for family medicine. This is a wake-up call!

Source: UCC