Ghana Experience Research Articles

Marketising the commons in Africa: the case of Ghana

The recent surge in the marketisation of the commons in Africa – especially of water bodies – warrants careful political economic analysis. Three questions remain intractable: (1) Were there markets in the beginning? If so, how have they transformed and if not, how did markets arise and transform over the years? (2) what are the outcomes of such markets for people, their livelihoods, and their environment? And (3) how to interpret the outcomes of water markets and whether water should be commodified at all. For new institutional economists, water markets have arisen because of the inferior nature of Indigenous or customary systems which are incapable of offering precisely what water markets offer Africa: economic and ecological fortunes. Using an institutional political economy approach and drawing on experiences in Ghana, the paper investigates the social history of marketisation of the commons and probes the effects of marketisation in terms of absolute, relative, and differential/congruent outcomes as well as the opportunity cost of the current water property rights regime. The empirical evidence shows that markets have been socially created through imposed and directed policies. Some jobs have been created through investment, but such employment is not unique to marketisation and private investment. Indeed, the private model of property rights has worsened the distribution of water resources not only within different property relations in Africa but also between diverse property relations. Water markets have been responsible for much displacement and trouble not only for communities but also nature. Overall, there is no necessary congruence between the promises made by new institutional economists and how communities experience water markets. Tighter regulations for the use of inland and transboundary water sources might temporarily halt the displacement of communities sparked by marketisation of the commons, but only one fundamental change can guarantee community well-being: to regard the access to and community control of water as constitutionally sanctioned human rights and as res communis.

Heading and Leading Educational Institutions in Rural Africa: A Western Trained Educationists Experiences in Ghana

The observation and experiential study talks about the demanding role of institutional heads and leaders in Africa; taking into consideration the culture and norms of governance in rural traditional Africa. The study also took a look at the traditional leadership in Africa, its leadership style, and its influence on its local societies and communities. Case study was used to illustrate the study.

The dynamic interdependence between family support and depressive symptoms among adolescents in Ghana.

This study identified temporal sequencing in the associations between family support and depressive symptoms over the course of adolescence for youth in Ghana. Data derived from a longitudinal cohort study of 718 Ghanaian adolescents (58% female) who were, on average, 13.84years at Wave 1. Youth completed surveys at three time points separated by an 18-month time lag from early through late adolescence. Latent growth curve techniques were used to investigate the degree to which family support predicts changes in youth depressive symptoms and/or depressive symptoms precede changes in family support from early through late adolescence. Youth in Ghana experience declines in family support and increases in depressive symptoms over the course of adolescence. The associations between lower family support and higher depressive symptoms are recursive or bidirectional over time. Study results suggest the value of promoting family support and reducing youth's depressive symptomology as a way of interrupting a recursive cycle of declining family support and increasing depressive symptomology from early through late adolescence.

Adult Cleft Lip Repair under Local Anaesthesia: The Ghana Experience

Background: Unlike developed countries where adult primary cleft lip and palate cases are barely nonexistent, developing countries still have a backlog of adults with unrepaired cleft lip and palate. Method: A retrospective review of adult/adolescent cleft lip repair under local anesthesia was performed between 2012 and 2015. Results: Fifty six (56) adolescent and adults were seen comprising 35 females and 21 males. Forty two patients presented with unrepaired unilateral cleft lip of which only 6 were complete; 4 were unrepaired bilateral cleft lip and 10 were revisions. The lowest age was 13 years (two patients) and the highest age was 66 years (one patient). The mean weight was 54 kg. The mean anaesthetic time including waiting time was 12.94 minutes and mean operation time was 56.52 minutes. Majority of the patients were discharged same day except for five who needed to stay overnight because of distance from their home. There were no reported early postoperative complications and wound healing was uneventful for all the patients. Conclusion: Cleft lip repair in adults under local anesthesia is safe, effective and less expensive. A modification in technique with minimal dissection and efficiency is essential in such cases.

Small-Scale and Industrial Gold Mining Histories in Nangodi, Upper East Region, Ghana

Abstract This paper examines gold mining history in Nangodi, which has linked residents of this small, rural community in northeastern Ghana with successive political regimes, changing mining laws, and the vagaries of the global economy, reflected in fluctuating gold prices. Nangodi presents a distinctive gold mining history in Ghana as it had the only industrial mine open in the former Northern Territories. Gold mining there was influenced when men who had mining experience in southern Ghana came to Nangodi. This historical analysis clarifies the ways that past mining-related actions in Nangodi have had consequences for those presently living in this impoverished area of Ghana. While Nangodi residents have benefited economically from gold mining, they have also experienced detrimental health, environmental, and legal consequences from it, underscoring the political and economic vulnerability as well as the social and cultural resiliency of such gold mining communities.

(Dis)continuities in Scale, Scope and Complexities of the Space Economy: the Shopping Mall Experience in Ghana

Contrary to common assumptions, the (re)emergence of organized shopping malls in Ghana is not a new development. Accounts of their existence date back to the pre-colonial era, when their character, status and operations were as popular as the malls of today. What is missing in current narratives is an analysis of how these malls—consisting of elegant apartment designs integrated with appreciable green spaces and centrally located food courts to entice visitors to lengthen their stay—impact the urban economy and the traditional retail structure. Using participant observation, semi-structured interviews and a survey, we examine the role of malls in the local economy and their possible ramifications on the retail structure. The paper interrogates whether the emerging malls can crowd out their seemingly ‘fortified’ informal predecessors. The results demonstrate two key findings. First, that positive outcome is intrinsically tied to the manner in which malls are conceptualized, especially with increasing trade liberalization and its reinvigorating impact on the informal retail structure. Our findings frame the continuity of the informal sector as important to the success of the malls. Second, that malls must respond positively to the rising demands and tastes of postmodern consumers and the middle class by investing in attractive, iconic architecture—or they risk being pushed out of business by the ever-growing activities of the informal retail sector. Our results are congruent with current literature that questions some of the conceptual and policy framings of informality, and we opine that such framing makes evident the sector’s significant contribution to urban poverty alleviation.

Relationship between Organisational Commitment and Demographic Variables: Evidence from a Commercial Bank in Ghana

Organisational commitment is very important for employees of every organisation. The construct has been much researched because of its impact on performance. The objective of the current study was to find out the relationship between organizational commitment and demographic variables (gender, age, qualification, experience and marital status) in Ghana. A descriptive correlation survey was employed in the study. Questionnaire was the main instrument used to gather the data for the current study. A total of 206 employees were randomly selected from 10 branches of a commercial bank in Ghana. The results showed that majority of the employees were moderately and highly committed with male workers recording the highest level of commitment compared to their female counterparts. The study further indicated that, there is evidence of significant relationship between organizational commitment and demographic variables (gender, age, qualification, experience and marital status). In conclusion, some of the organisational policies should be geared towards the improvement of employees’ commitment in order to enhance their performance.

Prevalence and Self-Management of Female Sexual Dysfunction among Women in Six Regions of Ghana: A Cross- Sectional Study

Background: Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is widespread and a relevant health condition among women. Few women seek medical care, yet, the patronage of female sex-enhancing agents from the pharmacies, chemical and herbal shops have increased in recent times. The study sought to determine the prevalence and self-management of FSD among Ghanaian women. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted using structured questionnaires to elicit descriptive accounts of sexual experiences, help-seeking behaviours and measures taken to manage the sexual problems. Two hundred and seven (207) sexually active women aged 18 years and above were interviewed from six out of the ten regions in Ghana. Results: The majorities of the respondents was married (53.1%), had tertiary education (74.4%) and were within the ages of 18-29 (52.4%). Of all the respondents, 44.3% were not aware of FSD. The overall prevalence of FSD was 45.6%. The most prevalent sexual problems were pain during sex (72.9%), lubrication difficulties (72.3%), arousal disorder (70.3%), desire disorder (54.2%) and sexual dissatisfaction (27.1%). Only 22.5% of the respondents with FSD sought formal medical help. The reasons for not seeking formal help included the perception that FSD was normal (50.0%), personal embarrassment (19.2%) and time constraints (15.4%). About 57% of the respondents had self-managed at least one sexual problem. Counselling (31.2%), use of vaginal lubricants (24.1%), and sex and relationship strategies (23.4%) were the most cited options for managing FSD. Overall, 85.0% of women perceived the management options were effective. Only 1% of the respondents experienced side effects (vaginal itching) when vaginal lubricants and vaginal herbal preparations were employed. Conclusion: Women in Ghana experience female sexual dysfunction making it a health concern requiring recognition and intervention.

English

The engagement of more women at top level management positions in both public and private institutions has increasingly been attracting interest amongst the general public, academia and policy-makers; especially given the seemingly increasing participation of females in the labour market. In spite of the many campaigns for the inclusion of women at top level management, it appears the proportion of women to men in senior management positions has not been encouraging. The aim of the study was to gain insight into the impact of international conventions and local laws on gender equality, inclusion and non-discrimination of women at top level management in Ghana. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 160 workers. The results of the study revealed that despite the number of conferences, conventions, policies and legislations enacted to ensure the non-discrimination, inclusion and equal representation of women at all levels in both public and private institutions, most institutions do not adhere to these enshrined principles. Again, the study showed that the appointment and selection of persons to such top level management positions is often influenced by factors un-associated with qualification, experience or knowledge in Ghana. It is recommended that institutions should be required by law to comply with the provisions of the various conventions and policies through concrete and deliberate actions in order to provide an enabling environment for women to occupy top management positions in Ghana. The study further suggested that affirmative actions be embarked upon with other considerations such as qualification, experience and knowledge. Key words: Regulations, gender equality, non-discrimination, women in managerial position, Ghana.

Building local human resources to implement SLMTA with limited donor funding: The Ghana experience

BackgroundIn 2009, Ghana adopted the Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA) programme in order to improve laboratory quality. The programme was implemented successfully with limited donor funding and local human resources.ObjectivesTo demonstrate how Ghana, which received very limited PEPFAR funding, was able to achieve marked quality improvement using local human resources.MethodLocal partners led the SLMTA implementation and local mentors were embedded in each laboratory. An in-country training-of-trainers workshop was conducted in order to increase the pool of local SLMTA implementers. Three laboratory cohorts were enrolled in SLMTA in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Participants from each cohort attended in a series of three workshops interspersed with improvement projects and mentorship. Supplemental training on internal audit was provided. Baseline, exit and follow-up audits were conducted using the Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) checklist. In November 2013, four laboratories underwent official SLIPTA audits by the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM).ResultsThe local SLMTA team successfully implemented three cohorts of SLMTA in 15 laboratories. Seven out of the nine laboratories that underwent follow-up audits have reached at least one star. Three out of the four laboratories that underwent official ASLM audits were awarded four stars. Patient satisfaction increased from 25% to 70% and sample rejection rates decreased from 32% to 10%. On average, $40 000 was spent per laboratory to cover mentors’ salaries, SLMTA training and improvement project support.ConclusionBuilding in-country capacity through local partners is a sustainable model for improving service quality in resource-constrained countries such as Ghana. Such models promote country ownership, capacity building and the use of local human resources for the expansion of SLMTA.

Scale-up of adolescent contraceptive services: lessons from a 5-country comparative analysis.

Poor sexual and reproductive health outcomes among adolescents aged 10-19 years are indicative of the barriers this group faces in accessing health services and highlights a gap in the availability of appropriate services, including adolescent-friendly contraceptive services (AFCS). The HIV Investment Framework identifies contraceptive services as an entry point for HIV counseling, testing, and treatment, and as a component of HIV prevention. To effectively meet the needs of adolescents, greater understanding of effective scale-up strategies for adolescent-friendly services is needed. The authors conducted a retrospective analysis of AFCS scale-up experiences in Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Vietnam using the ExpandNet/World Health Organization framework for systematic scale-up. The authors analyzed the type of scale (expansion or institutionalization), dissemination and advocacy, organizational process, costs and resource mobilization, and monitoring and evaluation. The analysis showed that all programs simultaneously pursued expansion and institutionalization, contributing to sustainable scale-up. Advocacy complemented by intensive capacity building at all levels of the health system contributed to adoption of AFCS in national and district work plans and budgets as well strengthening collection of age-disaggregated data. To achieve scale-up of AFCS, the authors identified the importance of institutionalization and expansion in tandem for synergy and reinforcement, empowering adolescents to be agents of change and hold government accountable to its commitments, and strengthening health systems to sustain AFCS. This article contributes to a growing body of evidence around scale-up of AFCS, which can inform the implementation and sustainable scale-up of HIV and other services for adolescents.

Measuring African development: past and present. Introduction to the Special Issue

The chief economist for the World Bank's Africa region, Shanta Devarajan, delivered a devastating assessment of the capacity of African states to measure development in his 2013 article “Africa's Statistical Tragedy”. Is there a “statistical tragedy” unfolding in Africa now? If so then examining the roots of the problem of provision of statistics in poor economies is certainly of great importance. This Special Issue on measuring African development in the past and in the present draws on the historical experience of colonial French West Africa, Ghana, Sudan, Mauritania and Tanzania and the more contemporary experiences of Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The authors each reflect on the changing ways statistics represent African economies and how they are used to govern them.

A select list of articles on Africa appearing in non-Africanist Periodicals: (April - June 2013)

Anderson, P. M. L. and others. Brokering communities of knowledge and practice: reflections on the African Centre for Cities’ CityLab programme. Cities32 (2013), pp. 1–10. Ayee, J. R. A. The developmental state experiment in Africa: the experiences of Ghana and South Africa. The Round Table102, 3 (2013), pp. 259–80. Bandyopadhyay, S. and Green, E. Nation-building and conflict in modern Africa. World Development45 (2013), pp. 108–18. Baskaran, S. and Bigsten, A. Fiscal capacity and quality of government in sub-Saharan Africa. World Development45 (2013), pp. 92–107. Bondarenko, D. M., Krishna, K., and Krishna, R. A view from the campus: the attitude of university students to the European and South Asian minorities in Tanzania and Zambia compared. Anthropos108, 1 (2013), pp. 77–95. Clark, A. Against invisibility: negritude and the awakening of the African voice in theology. Studies in World Christianity19, 1 (2013), pp. 71–92. Delpeuch, C. and Vandepas, A. Revisiting the ‘cotton problem’ – a comparative analysis of cotton reforms in sub-Saharan Africa. World Development42 (2013), pp. 209–21.

The Developmental State Experiment in Africa: the Experiences of Ghana and South Africa

Several strategies have been designed and implemented in African countries to promote development. Even though they may have contributed to increased gross domestic product growth over the years, they have largely failed because of a number of factors, namely: ineffective leadership; poor policy implementation; policy discontinuity; slow industrialisation; and an environment not conducive for private sector growth. The failure of these strategies or paradigms has led to the continued search for an appropriate strategy to address Africa’s development predicament. This search has also been exacerbated by the rise of China, East Asia and some Latin American countries as newly industrialising countries, the 2008 global economic crisis stemming from market failure and the renewed interest in the role and nature of the state in the development process, especially its role in reviving the economies of many Western countries with bail-out packages by the state. These developments no doubt point not only to the role of the state in development but also to the kind of state that will promote and facilitate socio-economic development. The kind of state to shoulder the burden of socio-economic development is the developmental state, which according to (Evans, 2008, p. 13), ‘If … it was important to 20th century economic success … will be much more important to 21st century success’. Using Ghana (considered as a non-developmental state) and South Africa (considered to be an emerging developmental state) as case studies, the paper examines the extent or the degree to which the two countries have met or achieved the key seven features of the developmental state. Some recommendations are also made with the aim of consolidating progress thus far and deepening or accelerating the process. In doing so, it is hoped that the lecture will make a contribution to the literature on the concept of the developmental state.

Economic Development and the Developmental State

This article presents evidence on the divergent development experiences of Ghana and Malaysia. Various demographic, social, and development indicators are carefully analyzed. Factors that explain Malaysia’s development miracle are discussed. The state’s capacity to engineer economic transformation is discussed using literature on the developmental state paradigm. Malaysia’s industrial and agricultural transformation is presented as examples of the developmental state in action. It is argued that for sub-Saharan African countries such as Ghana to develop, they must carefully study the experiences of countries like Malaysia. Instead of demonizing the state’s activities, they must reassess the role of the state, its capacity to reclaim policy space, and the extent to which the state can embed itself in society to achieve developmental goals. The relevance of the Malaysian experience for Ghana is discussed.

Innovation in Dietetic Internship Education at Iowa State University

Iowa State University (ISU) Dietetic Internship (DI) has expanded from 30 to 120 interns – the largest in the US. This was achieved through integration of electronic educational methods and pedagogy combined with a nationwide preceptor network. Cutting edge educational technology including Blackboard Learn, iTunesU, Survey Gizmo, and GoToMeeting are used. Interns are evaluated by preceptors and ISU faculty using online surveys, assignments and projects, exams, simulations and case studies, blogs and discussion postings, guided reflections, and self and peer evaluation. In 2012 ISU adopted the Independent Supervised Practice Pathway (ISPP) option and created 2 international experiences in Ghana (focused on maternal, infant, child nutrition and feeding practices) and Japan (focused on regional school lunch system or Shokuiku). The ISU DI provides a model for expanding opportunities for training Registered Dietitians (RDs) via educational technology. Our outstanding record of accreditation, registration exam pass rate (87% n=298) and employment (94% n= 102) verifies that distance education with appropriate educational technologies and supervision is a format to meet the increasing demand for RDs.

Structured practical experience for Canadian student pharmacists in Ghana

Volunteering in developing countries is becoming popular for pharmacists and student pharmacists. Additionally, students may receive academic credit for these experiences. It is rare, however, for these internships to be structured and precepted by a practising pharmacist with significant experience working in the local environment. This letter reports a structured practical experience in Ghana for six student pharmacists from the University of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, Canada), who received academic credit for their time spent in Ghana. The rotation occurred over 5 weeks in March to April 2012 and the primary instructor was a practising pharmacist in Canada who had previously spent 1 year in Ghana developing and coordinating health and medical internships. Local staff at each placement site (described below) were designated as supervisors for the students’ daily work. The objectives by the end of the rotation were to describe contributions of pharmacists in international health settings, to perform daily pharmacy-related activities at a supervised placement site, to create and disseminate at least one health promotion project and to describe pharmacotherapy and treatment principles for malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/ AIDS. In order to accomplish these objectives, the rotation consisted of three core components: a supervised placement, weekly therapeutic topic discussions and a major health promotion/education project. The rotation was supplemented with smaller health promotion projects and cultural integration activities. The students also had the opportunity to visit different regions of Ghana, in order to observe pharmacy practice and health needs of communities throughout the country. Placement sites consisted of an urban hospital, three rural clinics, an out-patient pharmacy and multiple chemical shops (selling analgesics, antimalarials and herbal products) in various localities. Medications were available at each establishment, with chemist shops being the most limited in terms of medication availability (some examples include: antibiotics, antimalarial drugs, antihistamines, cough and cold preparations, herbal products and non-narcotic analgesics). Students worked alongside local staff at each site.All activities were completed under supervision of placement staff and in correspondence with the preceptor from Canada. Students engaged in medication dispensing, counselling and patient education, assistance with physical assessments, health record documentation, diagnostic and laboratory assessments and administrative activities. The health promotion project was based on needs reported by local health workers, and content covered both sanitation (hand hygiene, waste management) and principles of medication use (purpose of medications, dosage instructions, adverse effects). The students developed the presentation in collaboration with both local staff and the preceptor in Canada. The presentation was given verbally in English and the local dialect of the audience (translated by a community member). Students used visual aids and interactions with the audience where applicable. Topic discussions were an integral part of the rotation and covered the disease states of malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/ AIDS. Leading questions were developed by the preceptor and distributed to students throughout the rotation. The students were also supplied with treatment guidelines and primary literature as resources for discussions. Students were expected to relate their learning to each practice site they encountered and to compare and contrast diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of these conditions between placement sites. Each week, the preceptor spent approximately 1 hour with the students facilitating discussion and ensuring learning points were achieved. Students were evaluated by the staff at placement sites and the instructor in Canada. Evaluations were based on a standardized form from the University of Saskatchewan Structured Practical Experiences Program. The domains of the form included demonstration of learning, communication with instructors and patients, attendance and reliability, task accomplishment, professionalism, leadership and decisionmaking, integration into the workplace, preparedness for topic discussions and overall assessment. Students were asked to evaluate the rotation with respect to satisfaction, meeting of objectives, strengths and areas to improve for both the rotation and preceptorship, and an overall assessment. Student feedback was favourable, with specific comments incorporated into future directions described below. bs_bs_banner

Democratic Perspectives of Wildlife Conservation: Ghana's Experience

Democratic Perspectives of Wildlife Conservation: Ghana's Experience

Masks, Elephants, and Djembe Drums: Craft as Historical Experience in Ghana

This article analyzes craft in a national culture and tourist art center in Ghana. Honing in on three distinct, coexisting craft worlds—a handicraft market, commercial woodcarving, and the production of djembe drums—it examines craft's mediating role between political economic regimes and generational subjectivities. I argue that craft forms, the rules that define them, and the identities they produce emerge in particular historical formations, and I explore conflicts over artistry as generational differences of experience between cohorts of Ghanaian men negotiating their place in national and global systems. In this context, I focus on the djembe drum as a contentious artifact that objectifies predicaments of Ghanaian men in the current neoliberal moment.

Developing Technological Capabilities in Agro-Industry: Ghana's Experience with Fresh Pineapple Exports

This article examines the emergence and trajectory of a new agro-industry in Ghana, the pineapple export industry, using the technological capabilities approach. It explains the limited expansion of the industry and its declining competitiveness in the face of new competition by looking at how Ghanaian exporters developed technological capabilities initially and the incentives and disincentives to building on those capabilities. The article argues that at the heart of the industry's crisis was an inability to further develop technological capabilities. The crisis had systemic features that have broader implications for developing new agro-industries in Ghana as well as other African countries.