ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Young People, Agriculture, and Employment in Rural Africa

This paper examines the current interest in addressing the problem of young people’s unemployment in Africa through agriculture. Using notions of transitions and mobilities we set out a transformative work and opportunity space framework that privileges difference and diversity among work opportunities, rural areas and young people. We argue that policy and programmes that seek to engage young people with agriculture must be more realistic, rooted in more context-specific economic and social analysis, and appreciative of the variety of ways that rural men and women use agriculture to serve their needs and interests.

Source: UG
Young voices demand health research goals

The Department of Parasitology conducts research into parasitic diseases of public health importance with the overall goal of reducing their transmission and the heavy disease burden that they impose on affected populations. The Department maintains focus on parasitic diseases in general. These include major diseases such as malaria, and others listed under the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) control initiative such as, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis.

Source: UG
Your health our concern, our health whose concern?': Perceptions of injustice in organizational relationships and processes and frontline health worker motivation in Ghana

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

Source: UG
Your leisure, my space: using residents’ perceptions as indicators in sustainable coastal tourism development in Ghana

For many developing countries tourism is an important vehicle for economic and social development. However the challenges of developing tourism sustainably remain ever daunting. Tourism in Ghana has experienced rapid expansion during the recent decades. The coastal zone because of its unique environment has been the target of many developments, putting the area under further pressure. Unfortunately the perceptions of those impacted most by these developments are ignored. This paper analyzes three elements that should be considered if tourism is to be sustainably developed, namely, the extent of tourism impacts, local residents’ perceptions and their levels of participation. The results show that in the areas where the benefits of tourism were well recognized by respondents there was a higher level of satisfaction which translated into higher levels of participation. Highlighting the need for sustainable development of coastal tourism, the paper recommends the completion of Ghana’s Integrated Coastal Zone Management plan among others.

Source: UG
The Youth and Development Planning in West Africa: The Case of Ghana’s Fourth Republic

The youths are the cohort in the age brackets of 15 African Youth Charter and Ghana’s 2010 National Youth Policy. They constitute the bulk of the labour and voting population in Ghana and other West African countries. Consequently their participation in development planning is crucial in ensuring the appropriateness of development plans and their full and committed implementation. In pre-colonial times they had no role in development planning since that fell within the jurisdiction of the chiefs and the council of elders. However, since the council of elders were representatives of the interest of the various families to which the youth also belonged, it was easy for the youth to be mobilized to implement development plans formulated. From pre-colonialism through colonialism to post colonialism, the youths have played little or no role in development planning. Using Ghana’s Fourth Republic as a case study, this paper notes that the youth were assigned some role albeit weak, in development planning unlike other countries in the sub-region. How the youth have played this role, the constraints they face and the implications of the nature of youth participation in development planning, policy implementation, and national development in Ghana and West Africa as a whole are discussed

Source: UG
The Youth and Development Policy Implementation in Ghana [Forth Coming

It was the role of the youth to implement development policies formulated by the chief and his council of elders in the traditional and pre-colonial times. After colonialism, various regimes also mobilized the youth as “instruments” for development. In this regard, they made full use of the zeal, potential and enthusiasm of the youth in implementing policies formulated and this translated into tangible developmental outcomes. Using the Development Policy Implementation Scheme of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) as a context; and through relevant official interviews conducted among some key officers of the NDPC, National Youth Council (NYC) and the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) Secretariat, this study analyzes the role of the youth in the implementation of development policies since the inception of Ghana’s Fourth Republic. The paper argues that since 1992, youth participation in the implementation of development policies including programmes intended to benefit them, has been purely accidental. The youth have no formal role in development policy implementation. Even programmes meant for them are implemented by agencies that have no expertise on youth development. Given the grave implications of this for policy implementation and national development, the paper among other things, recommends several strategies aimed at ensuring youth participation in the implementation of development policies in a manner akin to what pertained in pre-colonial times

Source: UG
The Youth and Development Policy Implementation in Ghana [Forth Coming]

The essence of governance and representative democracy is for elected leaders to formulate and implement appropriate policies on behalf of the people to deal with the quagmires of poverty and under-development among them. In doing this, sometimes it becomes necessary to consult the people, especially, the particular group that a policy is targeted at, to ensure that first-hand and adequate information is gathered to facilitate the design and implementation of appropriate policies to deal with that group’s problems. In Ghana, since 1992, development plans have been formulated and implemented with little or no participation of the youth even though they constitute the bulk of the nation’s labour force and voting population. The youth were also marginalized in the formulation and implementation of the National Youth Employment Programme, a programme intended to benefit them and to deal with unemployment among them. Consequently, the programme is saddled with several challenges most of which could have been avoided if the youth had been part of the NYEP process. What is the NYEP all about? How was it formulated and implemented? What role did the youth play in the NYEP process? What explain their weak role in the NYEP process? What are the effects of the weak role of the youth in the NYEP process on the programme? What can be done to strengthen the programme to deliver on its mandate in solving the problem of youth unemployment? These questions are addressed in the paper

Source: UG
The Youth and Political Ideology in Ghanaian Politics: The Case of the Fourth Republic

The youth of Ghana have played an important role in both local and national politics since the inception of the Fourth Republic. Among others, they have served as the foot-soldiers and channels through which party manifestoes have been transmitted to the electorate and polling agents during registration and voting exercises. Through chanting of their party slogans and house-to- house campaigning, the youth have often made the presence of their various parties felt across the country. In developed democracies, one key factor that motivates the youth in playing active role in politics is political ideology. This is because political ideology plays a key role in shaping the political future of the youth, especially students in tertiary institutions. Unfortunately, a brief survey conducted shows that political ideology though relevant, contributes little in whipping up support for political parties among the youth. The paper, among other things, discusses the reasons for the seeming irrelevance of political ideology among the youth. It recommends the need for parties to embark on serious educational campaigns aimed at educating the youth on their respective political ideologies, their relevance and the need to uphold them. In addition, there is the need for party leaders themselves to insist on ideological purity in all their dealings with other parties to serve as an example for the youth to emulate

Source: UG
Youth and Social Navigation in the Alavanyo and Nkonya Land Conflict in Ghana

This article examines the agency of youth in Alavanyo and Nkonya and how they navigate the social, economic, and political difficulties of life in the context of an ongoing land conflict dating back to the early 1900s. In Ghana, because land is the basis of economic potential and spirituality, identity, history, rootedness, and belonging for groups and individuals, it has become a major contested entity, producing many intractable conflicts. In Alavanyo and Nkonya, the youth who are at the centre of the conflict and have had their futures made opaque and truncated by many challenging situations. Over the years, traditional dispute resolution approaches were led by chiefs. court rulings, and mediation committees set up by the state of Ghana, as well as by the UNDP, aimed at resolving the land conflict, have all been unsuccessful. This context has pushed the youth to develop a process of social navigation through farming, illegal marijuana cultivation, illicit timber logging, and the okada transport business to cope with the challenges of everyday life. The article contends that, while the area has lands that are fertile for agrarian activities, the youth are unable to harness the potential of the land because of the ongoing conflict.

Source: UG
Youth employment in a Globalising World: An Introduction

Young people in the global South are seeking employment opportunities in challenging economic and social environments. This paper provides an overview of current debates regarding youth employment, highlighting conceptualisations of youth and (un)employment, emerging youth employment trends and the nature of policies introduced to tackle youth (un)employment. It provides an overview of the six papers that make up this special issue and shows how highlighting the complexities and diversities of youth employment strategies in sub-Saharan Africa provides valuable lessons, both for enhancing current conceptualisations and theorisation of youth employment and in terms of related policy instruments.

Source: UG
Youth in Parliament and Youth Representation in Ghana

Civil Society and many youth activists were elated when the youth, those aged between 21 and 40 years, were given prominence in Ghana’s parliament after the 2012 elections. Indeed, as many as 44 young people were elected during Ghana’s 2012 Parliamentary Elections. Prior to this, the number of young people in Ghana’s parliament was negligible. In view of the demographic advantage of the youth and their invaluable contributions to Ghana’s political history, there have been incessant calls for their representation and an eventual return to the days of the 1950s when politics was dominated by the youth. The outcome of the 2012 Parliamentary Elections was therefore hailed as unprecedented and described by many as a giant step towards youth representation in national decision making. However, a survey of all the young parliamentarians and some 4400 young people carefully selected through purposive sampling provides the basis for this paper’s thesis that the growth in the number of young people in Ghana’s parliament does not necessarily guarantee youth representation in national decision making; rather, it promotes tokenism, exclusivity and co-optation of the youth into decision-making structures of state. The study makes practical recommendations to create a relationship between youth in Ghana’s parliament and youth representation. © The Author(s) 2013.

Source: UG
Youth in Transition: Exploring a life course perspective on leaving Care in Africa

While there is a substantial body of leaving care research, the theorization of care leaving has been more limited. Only a few studies have incorporated a life course perspective, mainly in Global North contexts where life course perspectives may differ significantly from those in the Global South, including Africa. Drawing on findings from a feasibility research study, this paper contributes to the emerging international literature on theorizing care leaving by applying a life course perspective to the experiences of youth leaving care in four African countries. The paper highlights how life course can be a useful conceptual framework for understanding the experiences of care leavers with an emphasis on four core concepts: biography, linked lives, waithood, and agency. Implications for policy and practice are outlined with a focus on interdependence, participatory practice, biography, and cultural transition planning alongside efforts to redress systemic, oppressive barriers facing care leavers in society.

Source: UG
Youth Participation in Youth Programmes: The Case of Ghana’s National Youth Employment Programme

The essence of governance and representative democracy is for elected leaders to formulate and implement appropriate policies on behalf of the people to deal with the quagmires of poverty and under-development among them. In doing this, sometimes it becomes necessary to consult the people, especially, the particular group that a policy is targeted at, to ensure that first-hand and adequate information is gathered to facilitate the design and implementation of appropriate policies to deal with that group’s problems. In Ghana, since 1992, development plans have been formulated and implemented with little or no participation of the youth even though they constitute the bulk of the nation’s labour force and voting population. The youth were also marginalized in the formulation and implementation of the National Youth Employment Programme, a programme intended to benefit them and to deal with unemployment among them. Consequently, the programme is saddled with several challenges most of which could have been avoided if the youth had been part of the NYEP process. What is the NYEP all about? How was it formulated and implemented? What role did the youth play in the NYEP process? What explain their weak role in the NYEP process? What are the effects of the weak role of the youth in the NYEP process on the programme? What can be done to strengthen the programme to deliver on its mandate in solving the problem of youth unemployment? These questions are addressed in the paper

Source: UG
Youth unemployment challenge in Africa: what are the drivers?

Youth unemployment remains a major political and socioeconomic challenge in Africa despite the recent strong growth performance of many African countries. The study undertakes an empirical assessment of the main sources of youth unemployment in Africa. Based on panel data of 41 African countries covering the period 2000–2010, the study finds a demographic youth bulge and poor economic growth from both supply and demand sides of the market to be key drivers of youth unemployment in Africa. Employment-to-population ratio as a measure of country’s job creation ability and vulnerable employment as a proxy for informality are observed to have had a decreasing effect on youth unemployment. The empirical findings also suggest higher youth employment rates among females than males and a higher concentration in urban than rural areas. Investment in the high labour absorption sectors of agriculture and manufacturing is advocated as job creation strategies, along with population control measures to slow the growing youth population in Africa. High growth in the low employment sectors of mining and extractive industries could serve as resource generating avenues to promote investment in education and skill training, along with infrastructure to facilitate growth in high labour absorption sectors.

Source: UG
Zambia Independence and Beyond

DR KENNETH KAUNDA'S career as a nationalist leader is by now well-known. An important part of it is related in his autobiography, zambia Shall be Free while Richard Hall has amplified it in zambia. Less well known is his role as a national leader with a special commitment to founding a non-racial society in a country which forms a tense frontier between the areas of independent African government and white supremacy. The speeches and writings of Dr Kaunda collected here cover the crucial years from the time he joined government in December 1962 to the opening days of 1966.

Source: UG
Zika Virus Exposure in an HIV-Infected Cohort in Ghana

Objective: To determine the prevalence and epidemiologic associations of Zika Virus (ZIKV) in HIV-infected patients in Ghana, West Africa. Methods: We examined the seroprevalence of ZIKV in HIV/HBV co-infected persons in Ghana from sera samples collected from 2012 to 2014 using ELISA assays and plaque reduction neutralization tests (PRNT). Results: Overall, ZIKV antibody was detected in 12.9% of 236 tested samples, though the true estimate of exposure is probably less due cross-reactions with other related viruses. PRNTs were performed on a subset to provide an estimate of the frequency of false positive reaction. Dengue virus testing was also performed and antibody prevalence was 87.2%. The median CD4 count was 436 (range 2-1781 cell/mm) and did not affect antibody results. Regional geographic ethnicity was associated with ZIKV exposure. Discussion: Overall, these data suggest that ZIKV infection is a relatively prevalent infection in HIV-positive persons in Ghana though not as common as dengue. Further evaluation of the effect of ZIKV and HIV co-infection is warranted given the large geographical overlap of populations exposed to both viruses.

Source: UG
Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Synthesis Methods and its Effect on Morphology: A Review

Zinc oxide is an important material with numerous applications due to its unique properties. Due to their thermal and chemical stability are used in wide applications such as LEDs, sensors, catalysts, and photodetectors. Different chemical, physical, and biological methods have been adopted to achieve the intended result, as enumerated in many pieces of literature. Therefore, selecting an efficient synthesis process is essential, which is a key factor that significantly influences the efficacy of the synthesized nanocrystalline materials. The chemical synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) via hydrothermal, solvothermal, and sol-gel routes is considered effective as high-quality crystalline structures are produced. Control of parameters of processes yields excellent morphological features of the synthesized samples. This review explored the different parameters of processes and their effect on the morphology of ZnO nanostructures via hydrothermal, solvothermal, and sol-gel techniques. Finally, some ZnO nanocomposites molecules are reviewed as per the dopant used and its effect on the sample compound synthesized.

Source: UG
Zircon Trace Element Constraints on the Evolution of the Paleoproterozoic Birimian Granitoids of the West African Craton (Ghana)

The Paleoproterozoic Birimian granitoids of the West African Craton (WAC) in the northwestern part of Ghana, have been studied for their zircon trace elements concentrations to infer the source characteristics, origin, and magmatic evolution. The zircons in the granitoids have Th/U ratios ranging from 0.03 to 1.55, and display depleted light rare earth elements (LREE) and enriched heavy rare earth elements (HREE) contents, characterized by pronounced positive to negative anomalies of Eu (Eu/Eu*=0.14–0.98 and 1.01–6.06, respectively) and Ce (Ce/Ce*=0.08–0.98 and 1.02–116, respectively), which may imply that they were derived from both magmatic and hydrothermal sources. The geochemical plots of U/Yb vs. Y and Hf, the positive correlation between Hf and the other high field strength elements (HFSE) and high rare earth elements (REE) contents, with enrichment in Ce and depletion in Eu, indicate that the granitoids possibly formed from partial melting of the crust. The trace elements characteristics (i.e., wide range of Hf, Ce/Ce*, Th/U and Zr/Hf values) of the zircons suggest that crystallization of the magma occurred under variable oxidation states, which spanned over a longer period, implying that our data corroborate interpretations from studies of whole-rock geochemistry and geochronology on the granitoids of northwestern Ghana. This further indicates that the evolution of the Birimian granitoids in this part of the WAC occurred earlier than what had been reported in the literature.

Source: UG
Zoonotic Gastrointestinal Parasites of Baboons (Papio anubis) in the Shai Hill Reserve in Ghana

The Department of Parasitology conducts research into parasitic diseases of public health importance with the overall goal of reducing their transmission and the heavy disease burden that they impose on affected populations. The Department maintains focus on parasitic diseases in general. These include major diseases such as malaria, and others listed under the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) control initiative such as, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis.

Source: UG
Zoonotic Malaria: Non-Laverania Plasmodium Biology and Invasion Mechanisms

Malaria, which is caused by Plasmodium parasites through Anopheles mosquito transmission, remains one of the most life-threatening diseases affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide every year. Plasmodium vivax, which accounts for the majority of cases of recurring malaria caused by the Plasmodium (non-Laverania) subgenus, is an ancient and continuing zoonosis originating from monkey hosts probably outside Africa. The emergence of other zoonotic malarias (P. knowlesi, P. cynomolgi, and P. simium) further highlights the seriousness of the disease. The severity of this epidemic disease is dependent on many factors, including the parasite characteristics, host-parasite interactions, and the pathology of the infection. Successful infection depends on the ability of the parasite to invade the host; however, little is known about the parasite invasion biology and mechanisms. The lack of this information adds to the challenges to malaria control and elimination, hence enhancing the potential for continuation of this zoonosis. Here, we review the literature describing the characteristics, distribution, and genome details of the parasites, as well as host specificity, host-parasite interactions, and parasite pathology. This information will provide the basis of a greater understanding of the epidemiology and pathogenesis of malaria to support future development of strategies for the control and prevention of this zoonotic infection.

Source: UG
Zoonotic Tuberculosis – The Changing Landscape

The Bacteriology Department aims to improve the quality of life first for Ghanaians and the world at large by conducting research into bacterial diseases of public health importance to Ghana and globally. In addition to working on enteric pathogens and sexually transmitted diseases, the department’s current main focus is on the two most important mycobacterial diseases of public health importance to Ghana, namely Buruli ulcer (BU) and tuberculosis (TB).

Source: UG