Ghanaian Case Research Articles

Recrafting the accounting curriculum to enhance employability of graduates: A Ghanaian case

This paper examined the need to update the accounting curricula in Ghanaian universities to address the issue of unemployment among accounting graduates, particularly in the context of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). A qualitative approach involving document analysis and in-depth interviews was employed. Both purposive and snowball sampling methods were used to select a diverse group of participants, comprising government officials, accounting academics, employers, and graduates for the interviews. Data were analyzed using thematic review procedures. The study established the need for substantive changes in the accounting curricula in Ghanaian universities to teach 21st-century multi-disciplinary skills, balance practical and theoretical skills, provide a comprehensive range of financial and management accounting expertise, combine academic and professional credentials, and uphold strong ethical standards and integrity. Substantial modifications must be undertaken to the accounting curriculum to effectively address the issue of unemployment among accounting graduates. The findings require a stronger collaboration among government, academics, employers, graduates, and other interested parties in accounting to create an accounting curriculum that will focus on 21st-century skills and adequately blend theory and practice to reduce unemployment among accounting graduates.

Implementation Outline of Climate-Smart One Health: A System-Thinking Approach

The One Health (OH) concept has evolved significantly in recent decades, emerging as a key framework guiding international research and policy in managing new infectious diseases, chiefly zoonoses. While its initial conception revolved around managing zoonotic diseases as they traverse the interface between animals and humans through the environment, this concept has transformed beyond its origins as a collaboration solely between veterinary and public health stakeholders. Notably, the past decade has ushered in a new era of addressing complex issues in a novel manner. Emerging evidence has led to a fresh theoretical framework, highlighting interconnected terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Understanding these links is crucial in tackling emerging issues and resultant health challenges within these systems under what we call One Health 2.0. The current paper describes Climate-Smart One Health (CS-OH) and Climate-Smart Integrated Pest Management (CS-IPM) approaches, emphasizing holistic perspectives and practical tools. The One Health (OH) 2.0 concept applies to the agricultural sector and more specifically to agrifood systems exposed to climate change impacts. It is meant to address, in a comprehensive manner, soil, water, plant, animal, rural and urban farmers and farming communities, and consumer health issues. The One Health (OH) 2.0 concept is embodied in the Climate-Smart One Health (CS-OH) approach. The latter is designed for applications in agrifood systems. Pathways for the deployment of both CS-OH and CS-IPM interventions are proposed in this paper. A Ghanaian case is discussed.

Ideological dynamics in Ghana’s foreign policy: exploring the interplay between macro-ideologies and contextual ideas

ABSTRACT This article contributes to the evolving approaches that demonstrate the adaptability and everydayness of ideologies by exploring how contextual approaches can respond to the nuances of the ideology – foreign policy nexus in the African context and allow for a systematic comparative analysis. Drawing on Jonathan Maynard’s ideology-conflict thesis, Michael Freeden’s ideological morphology, and Marius Ostrowski’s comparative ideological morphology, it challenges the non-ideology thesis in African politics, arguing that the issue lies in the limitation of approaches, not the absence of ideology in foreign policymaking. The article demonstrates this by analyzing Ghana’s economic diplomacy, an area widely seen as non-ideological, across three administrations – Nkrumah, Rawlings and Kufuor. Applying the Ideological Contextualization Framework to the Ghanaian case, I argue that the varieties of Ghanaian nationalism characterized by its historically evolving components partly explain Ghana’s economic diplomacy. While the analysis in this article aims to further enhance the bid to see ideologies as phenomena that are ‘necessary, normal, and [which] facilitate (and reflect) political action’, 1 it is a call for further empirical application of contextual frameworks. It also demonstrates the potential of ideology to open analytical spaces for a better understanding of the dynamics of agency and dependency in Africa’s international relations.

Public-Private engagement and health systems resilience in times of health worker strikes: a Ghanaian case study.

In low and middle-income countries like Ghana, private providers, particularly the grouping of faith-based non-profit health providers networked by the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG), play a crucial role in maintaining service continuity during health worker strikes. Poor engagement with the private sector during such strikes could compromise care quality and impose financial hardships on populations, especially the impoverished. This study delves into the engagement between CHAG and the Government of Ghana (GoG) during health worker strikes from 2010 to 2016, employing a qualitative descriptive and exploratory case study approach. By analysing evidence from peer-reviewed literature, media archives, grey literature and interview transcripts from a related study using a qualitative thematic analysis approach, this study identifies health worker strikes as a persistent chronic stressor in Ghana. Findings highlight some system-level interactions between CHAG and GoG, fostering adaptive and absorptive resilience strategies, influenced by CHAG's non-striking ethos, unique secondment policy between the two actors and the presence of a National Health Insurance System. However, limited support from the government to CHAG member facilities during strikes and systemic challenges with the National Health Insurance System pose threats to CHAG's ability to provide quality, affordable care. This study underscores private providers' pivotal role in enhancing health system resilience during strikes in Ghana, advocating for proactive governmental partnerships with private providers and joint efforts to address human-resource-related challenges ahead of strikes. It also recommends further research to devise and evaluate effective strategies for nations to respond to strikes, ensuring preparedness and sustained quality healthcare delivery during such crises.

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Ghanaian Health Worker Training: Opportunities, Challenges, and Ethical Considerations

Artificial intelligence (AI) integration within Ghana’s health workforce training programs shows immense potential to enhance quality, consistency and personalization if thoughtfully implemented. This mixed methods SWOT analysis evaluates major strengths like expanded accessibility, weaknesses around connectivity barriers and literacy, opportunities in simulation training, and threats of job automation requiring ethical change management. Ghanaian case studies and policy documents inform targeted opportunities to employ context-appropriate design, creative financing partnerships and participatory principles upholding equity. Risks of algorithmic bias and data exploitation spotlight needs for transparent auditing, consent safeguards and democratized oversight. Recommended actions integrate precedents in change leadership, human-centered AI adoption and African innovation prioritization to pragmatically advance both cutting edge advancement and human dignity. With Ghana pioneering amongst first nations globally to release a national AI strategy, demonstration of such balanced governance can model pathways for technological innovation upholding empowerment across sectors and regions. This multidimensional analytical evaluation contributes uniquely inclusive, grounded perspectives to advance conceptual clarity and practical guidance around AI assimilation - directing focus toward preparatory investments, policy formulation, partnership building and design choices required to ensure gains outpacing grievances along ongoing modernization trajectories.

A comparative analysis of the performances of macroeconomic indicators during the Global Financial Crisis, COVID-19 Pandemic, and the Russia-Ukraine War: The Ghanaian case

The recent downturn of the Ghanaian economy has been numerously attributed by the government and policymakers to past global shocks. By using a descriptive approach, this study aimed to examine the performances of macroeconomic indicators of the Ghanaian economy during the three most recent and impactful global shocks – the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Russia-Ukraine war. Through comparative analysis, the study shows under which shock an indicator was trending downwards, upwards, or stable – on average. The study found that relative to the other shocks, cocoa and gold prices increased most under the GFC, and therefore, their exports were also averagely more favourable under the GFC, but timber exports and oil and gas imports were trending downwards. Exports of timber and timber products and imports of oil and gas increased under the COVID-19 shock but gold export and trade balance declined, on average, during the COVID-19 shock. Exchange rate, oil and gas prices, and food and non-food inflation were found to have been unprecedently high during the Russian-Ukraine war compared with all other shocks, and this reflects the worst record of economic growth during the Russian-Ukraine war compared with all other shocks. Appropriate recommendations are made for policymakers to enhance domestic food and non-food production to curb inflation and add value to commodity exports to improve economic growth and trade balance.

Frequency and Adequacy of Media Information on the Sustainable Development Goals: A Ghanaian Case Study

This study examined public perception on frequency and adequacy of media information on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Ghana, using the descriptive survey design. The study population was made up of Ghanaians who were 18 years or above. Convenient sampling method was used to select 431 Ghanaians. Data was gathered through questionnaire administration. Analytical techniques for the study included frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations. The study found that social media was the most dominant source of information among Ghanaians, followed by television, with newspapers identified as the least dominant source of information. Generally, Ghanaians perceived the level of frequency of media information on SDG 1 (Ending poverty) as high. Again, the level of frequency of media information on SDG 2 (Ending hunger and achieving food security), SDG 3 (Healthy life) and SDG 5 (Gender equality) was moderate. However, the level of adequacy of media information on SDG 9 (Industry, and infrastructure), SDG 10 [Reduced inequality] and Goal 11 [Sustainable cities and communities] was very low. As a recommendation, Ghanaian media should pay increased attention to the use of the new media especially social media when covering and reporting issues related to the SDGs. Furthermore, media organizations in Ghana should consider the use of radio and television as critical sources of frequent and adequate information on the SDGs. Finally, media organizations should re-examine their daily and weekly programs to ensure that equal attention is given to all the 17 SDGs.

Where is the pain? A qualitative analysis of Ghana's opioid (tramadol) 'crisis' and youth perspectives.

Over the last five years, media reports in West African countries have suggested a tramadol abuse 'crisis' characterised by a precipitous rise in use by youth in the region. This discourse is connected to evidence of an emerging global opioid crisis. While the reported increase in tramadol abuse in West Africa is likely true, few studies have critically interrogated structural explanations for tramadol use by youth. Nascent academic literature has sought to explain the rise in drug use as a function of moral weakness among youth. This Ghanaian case study draws on primary and secondary data sources to explore the pain that precedes tramadol abuse. Through a discourse analysis of 295 media articles and 15 interviews (11 with youth who currently use tramadol and 4 with health system stakeholders), this study draws on structural violence and moral panic theories to contribute to the emerging literature on tramadol (ab)use in West Africa. The evidence parsed from multiple sources reveals that government responses to tramadol abuse among Ghanaian youth have focused on arrests and victim blaming often informed by a moralising discourse. Interviews with those who use tramadol on their lived experiences reveal however that although some youth use the opioid for pleasure, many use tramadol for reasons related to work and feelings of dislocation. A more complex way to understand tramadol use among young people in Ghana is to explore the pain that leads to consumption. Two kinds of pain; physical (related to strenuous work) and non-physical (related to anxiety and the condition of youth itself) explain tramadol use requiring a harm reduction and social determinants of health approach rather than the moralising 'war on drugs' approach that has been favoured by policy makers.

Beyond bans: A political economy of used vehicle dependency in Africa

African countries serve as used vehicle dumping sites for advanced capitalist countries, undermining global and local goals to move toward safe and low-emissions transport. Africa’s used vehicle dependency is commonly explained in terms of push-pull factors linked to demand for new cars and stringent environmental policies in wealthier countries that make available used vehicles for export, the limited purchasing power for less-polluting new safer vehicles, and weak regulation of vehicle emissions in Africa, all of which sustain used vehicle import on the continent. Drawing on the Ghanaian case, we present an enhanced explanation that brings in the role of historical underinvestment in public transport and larger processes that channel public resources toward car-oriented transport and land use, marginalizing other modes of transport used by the majority. Using historically informed political economy analyses and drawing on interviews and grey literature including media and institutional sources, this paper makes two contributions. First, it advances used vehicle research by moving beyond the push-pull approach to incorporate the historical institutional drivers of used vehicle and automobile consumption generally in Africa. Second, it provides insight into why used vehicle import bans on their own are unlikely to lead to sustained environmental and public health benefits and instead recommends more holistic policies for shifting toward cleaner, safer and affordable public transport in Africa. Transport and land-use planning reforms and investment prioritizing public transit including minibus recapitalization programs, as well as mixed land use and transit-oriented development can help reduce used vehicle dependency and the harms it brings.

The “illusion” of administrative sovereignty in developing countries: A historical institutionalism perspective on administrative sovereignty in Ghana

The emergence of transnational administrations and their influence on domestic affairs of countries have led to the questioning of the notion of administrative sovereignty. Yet, the question of whether countries have this sovereignty and how it should be understood is to be fully resolved and the debate continues unabated. In this paper, we contribute to this debate by focusing on whether countries from the developing south, are and can be administratively sovereign and to what extent can they be considered as such. Have developing countries ever been administratively sovereign? To what extent are these states administratively sovereign, if any? In short, how free are the authorities in these countries in organizing their own administrative apparatuses in policy development and service delivery? What can historical institutionalism teach us about the issue of administrative sovereignty? Following the continuum in the understanding of administrative sovereignty and using a desk review and organizing the evidence through historical institutionalism as a concept, the Ghanaian case shows limited administrative sovereignty.

Undignified Jurispathy: Muslim Family Law at Ghanaian Courts

Ghana has inherited colonial legislation that recognizes and regulates the consequences of Muslim family law (MFL). However, in practice, courts almost never recognize the normative existence of MFL and systematically dismiss the cases on procedural grounds without discussing their merits. What explains the judiciary’s attitudes toward Islamic law? Why do Ghanaian courts refuse to engage with MFL in substantive terms? How does this judicial policy affect Ghana’s pluri-legal system and its multireligious democracy? Drawing on Robert Cover’s insights and concepts from “Nomos and Narrative,” the present article suggests that Ghanaian courts engage in “undignified” jurispathy against Islamic law. Having inherited the colonial narrative that Islamic law is not a native law of the land, the judiciary destroys the legal meanings built around Islamic law without discussing what is at stake. This perpetuates normative tensions between the state and Muslim groups, undermines the rule of law, and erodes public trust in democratic institutions. Utilizing the theoretical and empirical insights drawn from the Ghanaian case, the article urges scholars to expand the scope of their inquiries to include instances of undignified jurispathy to better understand state-religion relations and constitutional debates in pluri-legal societies.

“Here in Ghana hard work don’t deserve money”: The uncertainty and precarity of youth who use tramadol

There has been a global rise in problematic non-medical use of prescription medication. In West Africa, recent media reports have highlighted increases in the use of tramadol especially among youth. In Ghana, current framings of this issue have described the (ab)use of tramadol as symptomatic of moral laxity among youth. Several academic and media publications portray tramadol use as a form of deviance by youth while ignoring structural drivers of abuse. Through a Ghanaian case study, this research briefly explored media framings of tramadol abuse vis à vis the lived experiences of youth who currently use tramadol. Through a discourse analysis of 295 media articles and 15 interviews (11 with youth who use tramadol and 4 with health system stakeholders), this study drew on the theoretical perspective of structural violence and key theoretical literature on precarity, uncertainty and anxiety in Africa to describe the contexts that fuel tramadol use among youth. The evidence reveals that while government responses to tramadol use have focused mainly on arrests and victim blaming, poor conditions of work, weakened social and health systems due to neoliberal transformations and anxiety and uncertainty also explain tramadol use. A policy reorientation towards establishment of rehabilitation facilities, improving the living conditions of vulnerable youth and improved working conditions should be considered in responding to problematic use of tramadol among youth as these social factors rather than moral deviance resonate with the lived experiences of youth who use tramadol.

Diagnosing critical barriers to international construction joint ventures success in the developing country of Ghana

PurposeInternational construction joint ventures (ICJVs) implementation is plagued with several barriers, full understanding of which is still lacking due to a lack of an in-depth exploration of them, particularly in developing countries. To fill this knowledge gap, this study aims to investigate the critical barriers to the success of ICJVs hosted in developing countries by examining the Ghanaian case.Design/methodology/approachThis study builds on a previous study that identified 37 barriers factors to ICJVs success via a systematic literature review. Through expert interviews, 34 potential barriers were identified, and a two-round survey was conducted with 84 ICJVs practitioners in Ghana. The data collected was analyzed using the combination of a multidimensional fuzzy logic method and confirmatory factor analysis.FindingsResults showed that 22 barriers were critical. The top five most critical barriers were “lack of preparedness to accept company philosophy,” “competing objectives,” “opportunistic behavior of parties,” “conflicts” and “lack of management control.” Furthermore, the results uncovered and confirmed five significant underlying components for the 22 critical barriers, namely, organizational-related, cultural-related, knowledge-related, individual-related and logistics-related barriers.Practical implicationsThe findings could be useful to ICJVs practitioners and policymakers in developing suitable strategies for the successful implementation of ICJVs. Further, foreign firms aiming to execute and promote ICJVs in Ghana could have prior knowledge of the critical barriers and prepare for them.Originality/valueThis study empirically analyzed the individual levels of barriers criticalities in ICJVs context and from a specific-country perspective – the developing country of Ghana – rather than in the context of construction joint ventures and from a cross-country perspective in extant studies.

An Empirical Test of the Three-factor Model: The Ghanaian Case

An Empirical Test of the Three-factor Model: The Ghanaian Case

Location of forest reserves and sustainable natural resource management: evidence from a Ghanaian case study

Location of forest reserves and sustainable natural resource management: evidence from a Ghanaian case study

Effect of public health expenditure on health outcomes in Nigeria and Ghana

Despite the prevailing literature examining the effect public health expenditure has on health outcomes in Africa, Malaria and HIV/AIDS mortality which are key indicators of the outcome variable were unconsidered when drawing inferences. In view of this oversight, we investigate the impact of public health expenditure on health outcomes in Nigeria and Ghana whilst reconceptualizing health outcome by capturing infant, maternal, Malaria and HIV/AIDS mortality. Using the health expenditure commitment at the 1999 United Nations General Assembly and the Abuja Declaration of 2000, we also assessed public policy’s role in this relationship via linear regression analysis. With hindsight, our findings disclosed a low public health expenditure in both countries despite the Ghanaian case revealing a negative relationship, which was primarily insignificant whilst Nigeria indicated a positive one. These empirical evidences accentuate the need to augment public health expenditure in both countries to boost health outcomes whilst bringing to bear the significant influence of GDP, school enrolment and residing in urban areas on health outcomes.

Social protest and the middle class in Ghana: a social movement approach of three cases

ABSTRACT This article examines the connection between middle class and social protest by three Ghanaian cases: A protest in the 1890s organised by members of the middle class laid the foundation for political action, which finally led to Ghana’s independence. In 1978, members of the middle class protested a model called Union Government by which the then military head of state Acheampong sought to perpetuate the military into government. In 2014, activists protested frequent power cuts, rising fuel prices and an economic crisis. Following this demonstration, several new middle-class groups evolved, among them ‘Occupy Ghana’. This article looks at the protests and its leadership: How does the activists’ class status relate to forms and practices of protest and resistance? By answering this question, the paper will discuss the specific interests and mobilisations for protest of middle-class activists in Ghana.

COVID-19 and the state in Africa: The state is dead, long live the state

In this article, I am concerned about how countries around the world have coped and are coping with the unprecedented COVID-19 turn of events, which has brought all life to a screeching halt. The state everywhere has been called upon to respond effectively to the associated morbidities and mortalities and plot for a post-COVID-19 era. My interest lies in how the weakening of the state in Africa in the last 30 years complicates the continent’s capacity to confront the pandemic adequately. I focus primarily on the Ghanaian case as my analytic reference. I argue that in spite of the attempts in the public administration literature and neoliberalization policy formation to undermine the African state as a key vehicle for development, this pandemic brings it right back to the center of things.

A magic formula for economic development? Global market integration and spatial polarization in extractive industries

ABSTRACT The World Bank, World Trade Organization and others promote integration into global markets as a certain path towards economic development. Some researchers share this optimism, arguing that development is the record of how one thing leads to another, once peripheral locations have plugged into global networks. Comparing resource peripheries in South America, Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa with regard to the upstream oil and gas sector, we call for a more nuanced assessment. Against the backdrop of 38 narrative, open-ended interviews, we show that there is spatial polarization between ‘gateways’ and peripheral sites in Southeast Asia. Argentinean and Ghanaian case studies reveal that local firms usually provide generic services, with little prospects of venturing into higher value-adding activities. We conclude that at least the oil and gas sector is not suitable for fulfilling very optimistic expectations on development.

Household dynamics and the bargaining power of women in artisanal and small-scale mining in sub-Saharan Africa: A Ghanaian case study

With the increasing participation of women in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) across many sub-Saharan African countries, the ASM sector offers women artisanal miners considerable income that gives them better opportunities at household decision-making. While the existing literature has widely studied intrahousehold dynamics in domains such as agriculture and health, very little is known about the bargaining power of women in ASM and their household dynamics. Through in-depth interviews with 49 women artisanal miners in Prestea-Bondaye mining area in the Prestea-Huni Valley Municipality of Ghana, this paper considers how women's engagement in ASM changes the dynamics within their households and impacts their bargaining power. Findings showed that most women artisanal miners were not in support of pooling income with their husbands with most of them using their income to alter the dynamics of household decision-making concerning food to cook for the family, children's education and family size. Extended family relations as a form of social norm were found to determine women artisanal miners' decision not to pool income with their husbands. The findings, therefore, problematise the unitary model of household decision-making and provide a nuanced analysis of rural household power dynamics in a mining context, which is grossly unexplored. However, various aspects of intrahousehold bargaining models – cooperative, non-cooperative and collective – were found under different circumstances depending on the household needs and artisanal women miners' relations with husbands and their extended family. Findings also showed that women's participation in ASM was changing household dynamics, particularly sexual interactions with their partners and childcare responsibilities. Although women's participation in ASM results in higher levels of bargaining power, the Minerals Commission of Ghana, gender advocacy institutions and other relevant stakeholders must engage in policy discussions to streamline women's activities and find possible ways of dealing with their challenges in the sector.