ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Financing mechanisms for village activities in the gambia and their implications for financing insecticide for bednet impregnation

The recent enthusiasm for impregnated bednets as a malaria control measure leaves unresolved the question of how to finance them. The National Impregnated Bednet Programme in The Gambia faced the question of how to obtain funds from villages to finance the cost of insecticide, but knew very little about current village fundraising for development purposes. A survey was conducted of such fundraising, and questions also asked about willingness to pay for insecticide and preferred means of paying. All 53 villages surveyed paid taxes/rates, but 34% of villages reported no voluntary fundraising. The most common reason for collecting money was for the maintenance of wells (40% of villages). Collective farming was used as a means of raising money in 32% of villages. There was some variation in the type and extent of fundraising by region and also by the predominant ethnic groups of the village. Villages with voluntary fundraising activities seemed to have well established collective mechanisms for agreeing on sums to be collected and their use, and for collecting and recording income and expenditure. Non-payment was rare, and misuse of funds was not reported. Respondents were asked how much compounds might be willing to pay for insecticide impregnantion: the most frequently cited maximum amounts were D5 and 10, and minimum D1 and 5 (D15 = 1 pound). The paper discusses payment options for insecticide, such as whether the village should be allowed to decide itself how to raise funds, and whether the payment should be made only by households with nets or by a village-wide mechanism such as collective farming.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) PIP: Surveys were conducted in 53 villages in The Gambia to determine the status of current village fundraising for development purposes. Questions were also asked about respondents' willingness to pay for insecticide and the preferred means of paying. All of the surveyed villages paid taxes/rates, but 34% of villages reported no voluntary fundraising. The most common reason for collecting money was for the maintenance of wells; such fundraising was cited by 40% of villages. Collective farming was used as a means of raising money in 32% of villages. The authors identified some variation in the type and extent of fundraising by region and also by the predominant ethnic groups of the village. Villages with voluntary fundraising activities seemed to have well established collective mechanisms for agreeing upon sums to be collected and their use, and for collecting and recording income and expenditure. Non-payment was rare and the misuse of funds was not reported. Respondents most frequently cited a compound willingness to pay a maximum of D5-10 for insecticide impregnation, with D15 equivalent to one pound Sterling. Payment options for insecticide are discussed, followed by the presentation of details of the actual mechanism selected for implementation by the National Impregnated Bednet Program

Source: UG
Financing non-traditional exports in Ghana

In order to provide a better understanding of export financing in Ghana this exploratory study was undertaken on a sample of non-traditional exporting firms and selected banks. The focus is on export financing in Ghana. Ghanaian exporters hardly obtain finance for export operations. Interest rates are high, and financial institutions prefer granting shortterm credit to medium or long-term credit, and investing in government treasury bills and bonds rather than lending to small and medium-sized firms. Small and medium-sale exporters hardly meet the requirements of banks to access credit, especially collateral. Default on loans has been high. Exporters need to be more responsible in funds utilization,just as the financial institutions have to be more exporter-friendly to ensure the success of the national export-led growth strategy. The recent (2000) Export Development and Investment Act is likely to provide greater access to export finance for exporting firms.

Source: UG
Financing Political Parties in Ghana

This study ascertained the views of civil society and politicians regarding the need for state financing of political parties in Ghana. Descriptive statistics wre used to analyse the results. We found that, while party executives endorsed state financing of political parties, civil society held a contrary view. Civil society also indicated that state funding of political parties could lead to a political corruption whereas party executives disagreed on that score. Both civil society and party executives were of the opinion that political parties should be accountable to the public through disclosure of their sources of funds, expenditure and other activities.

Source: UG
Financing Political Parties in Ghana

This study ascertained the views of civil society and politicians regarding the need for state financing of political parties in Ghana. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the results. We found that that, while party executives endorsed state financing of political parties, civil society held a contrary view. Civil society also indicated that state funding of political parties could lead to political corruption whereas party executives disagreed on that score. Both civil society and party executives were of the opinion that political parties should be accountable to the public through disclosure of their sources of funds, expenditure and other activities.

Source: UG
Financing Public Healthcare Institutions in Ghana

PURPOSE: The financing of healthcare services has been of a major concern to all governments in the face of increasing healthcare costs. For developing countries, where good health is considered a poverty reduction strategy, it is imperative that the hospitals used in the delivery of healthcare services are well financed to accomplish their tasks. The purpose of this paper is to examine how public hospitals in Ghana are financed, and the challenges facing the financing modes adopted. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: To achieve the objectives of the study, one major public healthcare institution in Ghana became the main focus. FINDINGS: The findings of the study revealed that the main sources of financing the public healthcare institution are government subvention, internally-generated funds and donor-pooled funds. Of these sources, the internally generated fund was regarded as the most reliable, and the least reliable was the donor-pooled funds. Several challenges associated with the various financing sources were identified. These include delay in receipt of government subvention, delay in the reimbursement of services provided to subscribers of health insurance schemes, influence of government in setting user fees, and the specifications to which donor funds are put. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The findings of this study have important implications for improving the financing of public healthcare institutions in Ghana. A number of recommendations are provided in this regard.

Source: UG
Financing the Growth of SMEs in Africa: What are the Constraints to SME Financing within ECOWAS?

This study attempts to provide some understanding about SMEs’ access to ﬁnance within the West African sub-region with particular interest inestablishing whether there are similarities and/or differences in the determinants of SMEs access to ﬁnance across countries in SSA. For robustnesssake, we developed both subjective and objective measures of access to ﬁnance. Using data from World Bank’s Enterprise Survey data set, weexamine the determinants of access to ﬁnance both at the sub-regional level and at the country-level. We found that, generally, at the sub-regionallevel, access to ﬁnance is strongly determined by factors such as ﬁrm size, ownership, strength of legal rights, and depth of credit information,ﬁrm’s export orientation and the experience of the top manager. However, we found important differences in the correlates of ﬁrms’ access toﬁnance at the country level. The ﬁndings of this study therefore have important implications for policy

Source: UG
Financing the Growth of SMEs in Africa: What are the Constraints to SME Financing within ECOWAS?

This study attempts to provide some understanding about SMEs’ access to finance within the West African sub-region with particular interest in establishing whether there are similarities and/or differences in the determinants of SMEs access to finance across countries in SSA. For robustness sake, we developed both subjective and objective measures of access to finance. Using data from World Bank’s Enterprise Survey data set, we examine the determinants of access to finance both at the sub-regional level and at the country-level. We found that, generally, at the sub-regional level, access to finance is strongly determined by factors such as firm size, ownership, strength of legal rights, and depth of credit information, firm’s export orientation and the experience of the top manager. However, we found important differences in the correlates of firms’ access to finance at the country level. The findings of this study therefore have important implications for policy.

Source: UG
Financing the growth of SMEs in Africa: What are the contraints to SME financing within ECOWAS?

This study attempts to provide some understanding about SMEs’ access to finance within the West African sub-region with particular interest in establishing whether there are similarities and/or differences in the determinants of SMEs access to finance across countries in SSA. For robustness sake, we developed both subjective and objective measures of access to finance. Using data from World Bank's Enterprise Survey data set, we examine the determinants of access to finance both at the sub-regional level and at the country-level. We found that, generally, at the sub-regional level, access to finance is strongly determined by factors such as firm size, ownership, strength of legal rights, and depth of credit information, firm's export orientation and the experience of the top manager. However, we found important differences in the correlates of firms’ access to finance at the country level. The findings of this study therefore have important implications for policy. © 2017 Africagrowth Institute

Source: UG
Financing the health sector in Ghana: A review of the budgetary process.

In the last couple of years, the quest for aid alignment and harmonisation is increasingly putting pressure on development partners to change funding modalities from sectoral pool funding and programme or project support to some form of budget support modality. In Ghana, where donor funds constituted about 13.8% and 14.33% of the health sector budget in 2006 and 2008 respectively (Ministry of Health, 2006, 2008), such changes could result in difficulties with respect to funds flow to the sector. The aim of this paper is to review the budget planning, execution and disbursement processes of the Ministry of Health in Ghana to draw some conclusions on whether a move from pool funding to a form of budget support modality will affect the flow of funds, especially to service providers. The findings of this study exhibit improved national and sectoral level procedures as well as some weaknesses in the budgeting process of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, and cashflow difficulties which can be traced to both ministries. The study also identifies opportunities to improve the levels of dialogue between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. It is believed that the current state of the budget planning, execution and disbursement process in the health sector is unlikely to have an adverse effect on the flow of funds to service providers irrespective of the funding modality used.

Source: UG
Finding the Right Path: Climate Change and Migration in Northern Ghana

Climate change is considered to have aggravating effects on the security and quality of livelihoods of people around the world. Particularly rural populations of the so-called developing world or Global South are subject to increasing insecurity in their livelihoods (IPCC, 2001, 2007, 2013). Certainly in Sub-Saharan Africa, the largest proportion of the rural population still maintain a land-based livelihood through dryland rain-fed crop farming and/or livestock holding and are therein highly dependent on the weather (IPCC, 2007, 2013; Morton, 2007; Foresight, 2011). As their livelihoods provide little chance of generating vast surpluses, they also have limited capacity to cope with extreme events and, more notably still, try to adapt to permanent changes in climate. Yet, in spite of these factors, the rural populations of Sub-Saharan Africa prove themselves to still be dynamic and innovative, having previously been able to generally cope and adapt to changes in their environment through various strategies.

Source: UG
Findings from a comprehensive diarrhoea prevention and treatment programme in Lusaka, Zambia

Abstract Background The Programme for the Awareness and Elimination of Diarrhoea (PAED) was a pilot comprehensive diarrhoea prevention and control programme aimed to reduce post-neonatal, all-cause under-five mortality by 15 % in Lusaka Province. Interventions included introduction of the rotavirus vaccine, improved clinical case management of diarrhoea, and a comprehensive community prevention and advocacy campaign on hand washing with soap, exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months of age, and the use of ORS and Zinc. This study aimed to assess the impact of PAED on under-5 mortality. Methods The study was a pre-post evaluation design. The Demographic and Health Survey style population-based two-stage approach was used to collect data at the beginning of the intervention and 3 years following the start of intervention implementation in Lusaka province. The primary outcome of interest was an all-cause, post-neonatal under-five mortality rate defined as the probability of dying after the 28th day and before the fifth birthday among children aged 1–59 months. The Kaplan-Meier time to event analysis was used to estimate the probability of death; multiplying this probability by 1000 to yield the post-neonatal mortality rate. Survival-time inverse probability weighting model was used to estimate Average Treatment Effect (ATE). Results The percentage of children under age 5 who had diarrhoea in the last 2 weeks preceding the survey declined from 15.8 % (95 % CI: 15.2 %, 16.4 %) in 2012 to 12.7 % (95 % CI: 12.3 %, 13.2 %) in 2015. Over the same period, mortality in post-neonatal children under 5 years of age declined by 34 %, from an estimated rate of 29 deaths per 1000 live births (95 % CI: (26, 32) death per 1000 live births) to 19 deaths per 1000 live births (95 % CI: (16, 21) death per 1000 live births). When every child in the population of children aged 1–59 months is exposed to the intervention, the average time-to-death was estimated to be about 8 months more than when no child is exposed (ATE = 7.9; 95 % CI: 4.4,11.5; P < 0.001). Conclusion Well-packaged diarrhoea preventive and treatment interventions delivered at the clinic and community-level could potentially reduce probability of death among children aged 1–59 months.

Source: UG
Findings from a comprehensive diarrhoea prevention and treatment programme in Lusaka, Zambia

Background: The Programme for the Awareness and Elimination of Diarrhoea (PAED) was a pilot comprehensive diarrhoea prevention and control programme aimed to reduce post-neonatal, all-cause under-five mortality by 15 % in Lusaka Province. Interventions included introduction of the rotavirus vaccine, improved clinical case management of diarrhoea, and a comprehensive community prevention and advocacy campaign on hand washing with soap, exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months of age, and the use of ORS and Zinc. This study aimed to assess the impact of PAED on under-5 mortality. Methods: The study was a pre-post evaluation design. The Demographic and Health Survey style population-based two-stage approach was used to collect data at the beginning of the intervention and 3 years following the start of intervention implementation in Lusaka province. The primary outcome of interest was an all-cause, post-neonatal under-five mortality rate defined as the probability of dying after the 28th day and before the fifth birthday among children aged 1-59 months. The Kaplan-Meier time to event analysis was used to estimate the probability of death; multiplying this probability by 1000 to yield the post-neonatal mortality rate. Survival-time inverse probability weighting model was used to estimate Average Treatment Effect (ATE). Results: The percentage of children under age 5 who had diarrhoea in the last 2 weeks preceding the survey declined from 15.8 % (95 % CI: 15.2 %, 16.4 %) in 2012 to 12.7 % (95 % CI: 12.3 %, 13.2 %) in 2015. Over the same period, mortality in post-neonatal children under 5 years of age declined by 34 %, from an estimated rate of 29 deaths per 1000 live births (95 % CI: (26, 32) death per 1000 live births) to 19 deaths per 1000 live births (95 % CI: (16, 21) death per 1000 live births). When every child in the population of children aged 1-59 months is exposed to the intervention, the average time-to-death was estimated to be about 8 months more than when no child is exposed (ATE = 7.9; 95 % CI: 4.4,11.5; P < 0.001). Conclusion: Well-packaged diarrhoea preventive and treatment interventions delivered at the clinic and community-level could potentially reduce probability of death among children aged 1-59 months.

Source: UG
Findings of the nobel laureate economist expert panel

Thirty years have passed since the recognition of the infectious disease now named acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). In that relatively short time AIDS has killed over 30 million individuals, and an additional 33.3 million people are now living with the infection. Africa shoulders the burden of the epidemic: UNAIDS estimates that in 2009 1.3 million people died from AIDS in Africa, 22.5 million were living with HIV, and a further 1.5 million acquired the infection during the year. Even though prevention and treatment programs are expanding, the epidemic is holding its ground. Only two out of every five people requiring anti-retroviral therapy currently have access to treatment – and this number is threatened by financial pressures of the global recession. Though universal access to treatment is a morally compelling goal, the high costs associated with treatment argue for a strategy that emphasizes prevention. An AIDS vaccine is the ultimate goal of prevention – vaccination would provide a manageable and affordable way to confer protection against HIV infection. When fully developed and licensed, an AIDS vaccine could have a powerful and immediate impact; the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) estimates that an AIDS vaccine of 50 percent efficacy given to just 30 percent of the population could reduce the number of new infections in the developing world by 24 percent in fifteen years (IAVI 2009a). Yet AIDS vaccine development is proving to be enormously expensive. Is the perhaps $15–20 billion of additional resources that it may cost the world to develop an AIDS vaccine worth it? © Cambridge University Press 2012.

Source: UG
Fine needle aspiration cytology in advanced pediatric tumors

Eighty-one children with clinically suspected malignant tumors were subjected to percutaneous fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) at the Pathology Department of the National Institute of Child Health, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, from August 1986 through July 1987. There were 47 malignant diagnoses including lymphoma, neuroblastoma, nephroblastoma, Ewing's sarcoma, and leukemia. Histological findings confirmed the FNAC diagnoses in 36 cases in which a subsequent incisional biopsy or surgically removed specimen was available. FNAC results were confirmed in all benign cases. In 10 advanced cases of NonHodgkin's lymphoma, surgery was not possible because of marked malnourishment. One false negative and no false positive result was encountered. Forty-eight were females and thirty-three males. FNAC can be a quick, effective, and inexpensive alternative to open biopsy, particularly in advanced cases of malignancy in undernourished children where anesthesia and immediate surgery are contraindicated.

Source: UG
Fine scale human genetic structure in three regions of Cameroon reveals episodic diversifying selection

Inferences from genetic association studies rely largely on the defnition and description of the underlying populations that highlight their genetic similarities and diferences. The clustering of human populations into subgroups (population structure) can signifcantly confound disease associations. This study investigated the fne-scale genetic structure within Cameroon that may underlie disparities observed with Cameroonian ethnicities in malaria genome-wide association studies in sub-Saharan Africa. Genotype data of 1073 individuals from three regions and three ethnic groups in Cameroon were analyzed using measures of genetic proximity to ascertain fne-scale genetic structure. Model-based clustering revealed distinct ancestral proportions among the Bantu, Semi Bantu and Foulbe ethnic groups, while haplotype-based coancestry estimation revealed possible longstanding and ongoing sympatric diferentiation among individuals of the Foulbe ethnic group, and their Bantu and Semi-Bantu counterparts. A genome scan found strong selection signatures in the HLA gene region, confrming longstanding knowledge of natural selection on this genomic region in African populations following immense disease pressure. Signatures of selection were also observed in the HBB gene cluster, a genomic region known to be under strong balancing selection in sub-Saharan Africa due to its co-evolution with malaria. This study further supports the role of evolution in shaping genomes of Cameroonian populations and reveals fne-scale hierarchical structure among and within Cameroonian ethnicities that may impact genetic association studies in the country.

Source: UG
Fine-grained affect detection in learners’ generated content using machine learning

Learners’ adaptation to academic trajectory is shaped by several influencing factors that ought to be considered while attempting to design an intervention towards improving academic performance. Emotion is one factor that influences students’ academic orientation and performance. Tracking emotions in text by psychologists have long been a subject of concern to researchers. This is due to the challenges associated with determining the level of accuracy and consistency of decisions made from analysing such text by psychologists. Lately, Artificial Intelligence has complemented human efforts in tracking emotions in text. This paper provides an overview of machine learning application for detecting emotions in text through a Support vector machine learning system. In addition, we compared the performance of the system’s classifier to WEKA’s Multinomial Naïve-Bayes and J48 decision tree classifiers. Real time data from using the system in counselling delivery and collected students’ life stories were used for evaluating the performance of the classifiers. The evaluation results show that the Support vector machine, implemented in our system, is superior over WEKA’s Multinomial Naïve-Bayes and J48 decision tree classifiers. Nevertheless, the various classifiers performed beyond the acceptable threshold. The implication for the findings goes to indicate that machine learning algorithms can be implemented to track emotions in text, especially from students generated content.

Source: UG