Issues In Ghana Research Articles

Constitutional and Legal Issues in Ghana’s Public Administration: Governance and Public Policy Challenges

The purpose of this study is to examine some of the major constitutional and legal issues that are imperative in Ghana’s public administration. Despite Ghana’s success in promoting democratic governance over the past decades since the 1992 transition, numerous constitutional and legal issues affect effective policy design and implementation that require urgent governmental reforms. The study discussed the constitutional and democratic theories as the basis of the work. The methodology used is based on the qualitative approach with combined sources from primary and secondary data. The findings in the study show that certain aspects of Ghana’s constitutional provisions and legal framework do adversely affect its policy design and implementation in diverse ways. The significance of the study is that the outlined challenges and recommendations will inform the government and key policy makers on the need to make effective policies in order to enhance the country’s political and socio-economic development. The study’s implication for theory is that it will inform its readers about the different theoretical perspectives on the issues discussed. The study also provides key insights into important issues in Ghana’s constitutional provisions, and the legal and policy environment, which can serve as useful tools or instruments for policy makers in the three organs of government and the bureaucracy. This study further contributes towards academic discussions on the viability of the constitutions drawn by authoritarian regimes prior to the third-wave democratic transitions in Africa, and the difficulties some of these constitutional provisions pose to making effective policies and governance, thus emphasizing the need for constitutional reviews.

Known and anticipated medical geology issues in Ghana

Purpose This paper aims to review the known and anticipated medical geology problems in Ghana, to highlight the impact of some trace elements on human health and to reveal some essential aspects of medical geology on health. Design/methodology/approach Literature and empirical studies relating to medical geological issues in Ghana were reviewed. Secondary data were used in the present study such as case studies, reports, geological bulletins and published research studies. Findings High levels of heavy metals including arsenic, cadmium and mercury in gold extraction processes through artisanal small-scale mining have contributed to high concentrations of toxic elements in the environment. The distribution and availability of these elements in the environment are facilitated by the geological, chemical and local environmental activities that are irregularly spread exposing people mining areas to pollutions. Exposures to these elements in above and below baseline levels contributed to health implications including fluorosis, intellectual or developmental disability and death in some regions of Ghana. Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases linked to mining activities were also presented in this study. Similarly, non-communicable diseases can affect many people if correct measures are not considered. Following the geometric increase in mining activities, it is anticipated that deleterious environmental and health impacts associated with mining may persist in mining areas in Ghana. Reported implications and continuous contamination of water bodies in mining areas could result in high pollution levels beyond treatment for human use or destroy aquatic habitats and aquatic lives through acid drainage. Above-threshold concentrations of heavy metals in soils could bio-accumulate in crops, and this could pose deleterious public health implications on consumers. Continuous effects posed on the environment and public health may prompt communities, regulatory institutions and government to reduce or ban mineral development. Originality/value This review has significantly revealed potential public health issues from the impact on the natural environment and recommends that medical geologists work together with medical workers to devise preventive and therapeutic techniques to address many geology-related-health issues in Ghana.

Women at the bench: Does it make a difference? Assessing the impact of women judges in addressing gender-based issues in Ghana

The impact of women judges in addressing gender-based issues, particularly in Africa, is largely under-researched both at the regional and country-specific levels. This paper researches on the impact of women judges in selected gender-based cases in Ghana – that is spousal property rights cases. The paper seeks to answer the primary question: in addressing spousal property rights in Ghana, have women at the bench made a difference? In answering this question, a doctrinal analysis of purposively selected cases was conducted which led to a finding that women judges did not make a difference in the development of the law on spousal property rights in Ghana. The findings and recommendations made in this paper are expected to contribute to the understanding of how female participation in judging gender-based cases have influenced and could potentially influence the interests and rights of women as well as to inform the policy choice of women judges. Se ha investigado demasiado poco, tanto a nivel regional como nacional, sobre el efecto de que haya juezas que se ocupen de temas de género, sobre todo en África. Este artículo investiga el impacto de juezas en casos seleccionados, basados en género, de Ghana –es decir, casos de derecho de propiedad conyugal. El artículo busca responder a esta pregunta: ¿han marcado la diferencia las mujeres de la judicatura en cuanto a derechos de propiedad conyugal en Ghana? Se realizó un análisis doctrinal de casos seleccionados intencionalmente, y ello llevó a descubrir que no hubo tal diferencia. Esperamos que los hallazgos y recomendaciones recogidos en este artículo ayuden a comprender mejor cómo la participación de las mujeres en el enjuiciamiento de casos basados en género ha podido influir y puede influir potencialmente en los intereses y derechos de las mujeres; y, por otro lado, a informar la elección de políticas de las juezas.

Some Stakeholders’ Position on the Language Policy of Ghana

African nations with theirmultilingual nature still face challenges in the language of formal education. With thecognitive and academic leveragesattachedto home language, language educationistsandlinguistic scholars believe that a child must be taught first in their mother-tongue, usually, their firstlanguage, in which theydisplay an appreciable level of competence,before any other language/s are introduced. Many studies have been conducted onthe language policy issues in Ghana but the current study adds a dimension from parents and even the learners who are key stakeholders and recipients of the policy. This study sought to find out the level of awareness of thestakeholders; teachers, parents and pupils,their position and the impactof their positionon learning outcomes. It also investigated stakeholders’position in using only English to teach at the lower primary. Using a survey descriptive research methodology, data was collectedvia both structured and unstructured interviews, andobservation. Both qualitative and quantitative methods wereused to analyze data.The research revealed that among the three stakeholders, teachers were more conversant with Ghana’s language policy. All stakeholdersendorsed the policy for teaching and learning purposes. Even though, most teachers preferred to blend English and alocal language, a fewcould speak the local language of the community, or have been trained in the use of the local language for instructional purposes. All stakeholders favoured a blend of English with the local languages.

NPM Reforms in Ghana’s Public Sector Management & Administration: Changing Trends in MDAs & MMDAs Functions

The purpose of the study is to examine the new public management (NPM) reforms in Ghana’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies, and at the local government level in terms of key changes implemented and its successes. The study also examines the challenges that have been encountered in the implementation process and recommendations to address the weaknesses in the system. The methodology used is based on the qualitative approach and the descriptive method. The findings in the study show that regardless of the in-roads made since the introduction of the NPM reforms, a number of challenges such as lack of expertise, lack of political will, inadequate resources among others, continue to affect the performance of Ghana’s civil service, which in turn, impact the delivery of public services. The study recommends that NPM reforms must seek to increase levels of accountability because monitoring the performance of key institutions will go a long way to promote efficiency and effectiveness in the public service. The significance of the study is that it provides key insights into important issues in Ghana’s NPM reforms, which can serve as useful tools for decision makers in moving the reforms towards accomplishing its goals more successfully. The outlined challenges and recommendations will inform the government, key policy makers and local government officials to enable them address the challenges affecting the effective implementation of NPM reforms. This study further contributes toward academic discussions relating to the impact of NPM reforms in Ghana and Africa in general.

Road Safety Challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Ghana

The importance of road safety in the developmental agenda of a country cannot be overemphasized. It is essential for effective socioeconomic development. However, several countries in the developing world are confronted by several challenges relating to road safety, which are inadequately investigated. These challenges further aggravate the already heavily burdened health-care systems. The aim of this study is, therefore, to determine and analyse road safety issues in Ghana aimed at contributing to national policy development, stakeholder engagements, and public safety education campaigns on road traffic collision. A qualitative study by one-on-one interviews with individuals (n = 97) in road safety leadership positions was performed from November 2018 to February 2019. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Data analysis was conducted using a constant comparative methodology approach facilitated by Atlas.ti 8.0 software. Important road safety challenges that were identified by the respondents were categorized into six thematic areas, namely, institutional, executional, managerial and operational, attitudinal and behavioural, research, and financial and investment challenges. We recommend that the government and stakeholders alike should tackle these challenges by building a collaborative environment where everyone is involved in the process of developing and implementing strategies aimed at overcoming these challenges as they arise. There is also the need to address the epidemic carnage of road traffic injuries, many of which are preventable since they arise from human actions and inactions.

Unpacking Africa as a dynamic continent: Insights from contemporary development issues in Ghana

Since the last formal vestiges of colonial rule disappeared in 1994, the democratically elected governments on the African continent have been experimenting with developmental strategies and policies. These experiments come at the backdrop that Africa’s output per head is notoriously among the lowest in the world and has, on the average, expanded slowly and haltingly since 1960, albeit, with some critical changes, and variations over place, space and time. The structural adjustment programme (SAP) in the 1980s, for example, marked a watershed: a fundamental shift from administrative to market means of resource allocation. This opinion piece, appearing in this Special Issue of the Oguaa Journal of Social Sciences on the theme “Developmental issues in contemporary Ghana”, provides an overview of Africa’s development trajectories as presented by the collection of articles, using Ghana as a test-tube.

Unpacking Africa as a dynamic continent: insights from contemporary development issues in Ghana

Since the last formal vestiges of colonial rule disappeared in 1994, the democratically elected governments on the African continent have been experimenting with developmental strategies and policies. These experiments come at the backdrop that Africa’s output per head is notoriously among the lowest in the world and has, on the average, expanded slowly and haltingly since 1960, albeit, with some critical changes, and variations over place, space and time. The structural adjustment programme (SAP) in the 1980s, for example, marked a watershed: a fundamental shift from administrative to market means of resource allocation. This opinion piece, appearing in this Special Issue of the Oguaa Journal of Social Sciences on the theme “Developmental issues in contemporary Ghana”, provides an overview of Africa’s development trajectories as presented by the collection of articles, using Ghana as a test-tube.

Multivariate Study of the Use of Assessment Strategies and Cross Cutting Issues by Basic School Teachers: The Case of Ghana’s New Curriculum

Ghana’s new basic school curriculum requires teachers to use new teaching strategies that also address cross cutting issues in their teaching to enhance learning. This study sought to assess the use of assessment strategies by basic school teachers in Ghana. A sample size of 100 was computed at 95% confidence interval and randomly selected from the population. The features, strategies and principles underpinning the assessment strategies and cross cutting issues in Ghana’s new curriculum for the basic school formed the basis of the construction of the 47 items used in the questionnaire. The internal consistency of the items used in the four point likert scale was high with Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient of 0.995. Principal component analysis and multiple linear regressions were the main methods used for the analysis.KMO statistic of 0.921 and Bartlett’s Test’s Chi Square value was13684.049 with difference of freedom of 1081 and significance at 0.00000. Multiple extraction approaches were used to retain two components which explained about 91% of the variance. The first component named Criterion motivation explained about 61.7% of the variance and composed generally of assessment as-of- and - for learning strategies. The second component which was named inclusion motivation, generally loaded highly with the cross cutting issues and explaining about 28.6% of the total variance. Criterion and inclusion motivation were found to predict feedback with a high power of 94%.Criterion motivation was found to have a positive impact on feedback received from students and was statistically significant (B = 0.746, P<0.001). Again, there was a positive relationship between the inclusion motivation and feedback with a significant difference (B = 0.232, P<0.001).There were some disparities in the use of assessment strategies outlined in the new basic school curriculum for Ghana. Teachers were found to exhibit preference to some components of the assessment strategies recommended for use in the new curriculum at the detriment of others. It is recommended that the developed criterion motivation and inclusive motivation approaches are adopted in teaching in order to enhance maximum feedback from learners.

Management of Healthcare Generated Waste: Ghanaian Urban and Rural Hospitals in Perspective

Management of healthcare waste has not ceased to be an issue of public concern. This referent waste has the potency of risking the health of sundry. Unlike waste generated in other sectors, healthcare waste is more hazardous, having that it contains materials that are dangerous and potentially infectious. This characteristic of healthcare waste makes its management a need in recent times. Several papers have reported how that health facilities in many developing countries have found this waste management a great challenge and of course, a force to reckon with. However, considering Ghana as one of such countries, the present article juxtaposes healthcare waste management in public hospitals in the urban areas with those in rural communities. The study sampled four government hospitals, two each from cities and villages. The authors employed such measures as site-visits, interviews with health workers and people responsible for waste management in the hospitals, and waste quantification in the considered facilities in order to reach a concrete analysis. The study seeks to identify how location has bearing on the amount of hospital waste produced as well as its management practices and to be an eye-opener in the course of solving healthcare waste management issues in Ghana.

Challenges and facilitators of public engagement with water, sanitation, hygiene and other environmental health issues in Ghana and Uganda: perspectives of scientists, journalists and the public

AbstractDespite many water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) and other environmental health challenges in sub-Saharan Africa, little is known about interactions involving scientists, journalists and the public to aid public understanding of the relationship between WASH and health. Using purposive sampling, we conducted key informant interviews and focus group discussions with scientists, journalists and members of the public in Ghana and Uganda to identify issues associated with the promotion of public engagement with WASH and other environmental health issues. An inductive thematic analysis was used to explore the evidence, challenges and opportunities of public engagement. The effectiveness of public engagement was constrained by poor interactions between scientists and journalists and limited understanding among the public on WASH and other environmental health issues. Challenges identified included inadequate scientists–journalists collaborations, scientists' lack of time, pressure from media organizations and concerns about journalists' inadequate capacity to communicate environmental issues due to lack of training. Possible solutions included increased interactions, science communication training and using public information officers as knowledge brokers between scientists and journalists to boost public engagement with WASH and other environmental health issues. Our study contributes to the literature on the need to actively engage the public with WASH and other environmental health concerns.

Power and access issues in Ghana's coastal fisheries: A political ecology of a closing commodity frontier

Primarily applied to land-based resources, academics have utilised the concept of commodity frontiers to understand the expansionary nature of capitalism, and the ways that existing hegemonies and systems of control and access of resources are challenged and altered. Following recent calls to expand this concept to marine spaces, this paper has used political ecology and in particular its focus on power and access to explore how capitalist expansion has impacted the means and methods of access to key resources in a small-scale marine fishing community in Ghana. The findings of the paper are based upon an eight-month field visit to Aboadze in the Western Region of Ghana, a traditional fishing community that is considered a ‘closing’ frontier, on account of recent research that suggests the small-pelagic fish stocks will collapse within a decade. The findings of the paper show that accessing fish and other necessary resources such as gear and capital has become increasingly difficult as stocks continue to dwindle, and those living in the case study community have to resort to unsustainable fishing methods in order to survive. The paper also finds that the vulnerability caused by decades of overfishing by foreign trawlers is felt disproportionately by certain members of the community, compounding existing vulnerabilities that arise through gender and class.

TRAJECTORIES OF EDUCATION POLICY-MAKING IN GHANA: EXPLORING THE JOURNEY TO DEPOLITICISATION PROCESS

This paper examines education policy-making in Ghana. It focuses on the roles different policy actors should play to depoliticise the process of education policy-making. The depoliticisation agenda as contains in this presentation has the potential to promote Sustainable National Development. This paper examines how far key actors like political parties and academics matter in the depoliticisation of education policy issues in Ghana. Drawing on Foucault discourse theory, past and present education policy-making processes are examined through a review of documents and literature. The analyses show that the current education policy-making procedure in Ghana is largely dependent on the ruling party manifesto and through committees or commissions set-up by the ruling governments to determine educational policy issues. The educational policies as contained in the ruling party manifesto and committees or commissions reports are reproduced in national legislation by the government. These legislative arrangements often receive the endorsement of the majority in parliament and in the fourth republic, for now, the ruling party is always in majority. The partisan politics associated with these processes are largely responsible for the politicisation process. Overall, this paper argues that evidence-based policy and practice can potentially reduce partisan politics in education policy-making in Ghana.

Sixty Years of Deaf Education in Ghana (1957-2017)

Background: This article provides an overview of deaf education efforts in Ghana over the past 60 years (1957–2018). It describes the field’s pioneering history from a global perspective to the local content (in Ghana) after national independence in 1957 led by the efforts of Dr Andrew Foster between the 1950s and the 1960s. It also provides an overview of the significant issues that negatively impact deaf education in Ghana, such as political turnover, limited political will, funding issues, and limited research and awareness of the needs of deaf children within the broader population of deaf students. Methodology: This article uses published articles, books, reports, and the author’s personal experiences and knowledge of deaf education to document the deaf education issues in Ghana. The articles, books, and reports that formed the core of this write-up were selected from published books, journals, and peer-reviewed articles authored between 1970 and 2018. Results: The review provides important literature on the deaf education efforts in Ghana. It also documents facts and information about the deaf education system in Ghana that can be used by students, academicians, practitioners, and researchers in Ghana and the diaspora. Conclusion: Good governance, relevant education policies, and a continuation in national policy that needs to exist despite changes in political administrations are important to help to improve the deaf education system in Ghana.

Ghana’s Human Rights Record and Equal Protection from Violence to All Citizens

The paper sought to examine Ghana’s human rights record and the treatment of vulnerable groups. It particularly assesses popular attitudes towards the sexual orientation of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgender and Intersexuals (LGBTIs), and why people hold certain attitudes towards same-sex relations in Ghana. The study was descriptive with a representative sampling from five regions namely, Greater Accra, Ashanti, Northern, Volta and Western. A sample size of 1200 with 95% confidence level and a margin of error of +/-2.8 was employed. The study revealed divergent findings about the perceptions, attitudes, knowledge, opinions and values of citizens on LGBTI issues in Ghana. First, while results showed that 87% of Ghanaians say they understand the fundamental human rights provisions in the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, the same percentage of Ghanaians (87%) are against allowing LGBTIs from holding public meetings. Similarly, about 60% of Ghanaians “strongly disagree” or “disagree” LGBTIs deserve equal treatment as heterosexuals. In addition, even though m ore than 97% of Ghanaians are aware that the Police have a responsibility to protect every citizen against mob injustice, only 20% “strongly disagree” or “disagree” the Police have a responsibility to protect LGBTIs against mob injustice. The study also established a strong correlation between religion and the rights of LGBTIs, with religion being a major predictor and significantly influencing people’s attitudes towards LGBTIs. In 2017, Ghana accepted a number of recommendations under the Universal Period Review (UPR) from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to provide equal protection of the law from violence to all persons including the sexual orientation of LGBTIs. The findings of the study were intended to monitor Government commitment to the implementation of the UPR recommendations. The study recommends the following among others: that public education of the understanding of the distinction between the rights and perceived acts of LGBTIs is crucial to the equal protection of the law from violence and discrimination to LGBTIs.

Using Informal Institutions to Address Resettlement Issues – The Case of Ghana Dams Dialogue

The study set off to address resettlement issues through the effective utilization of informal institutions, vis-à-vis the Ghana Dams Dialogue, but specifically sourced information from respondents inhabiting both Kpong and VRA resettlement townships (KAVRTs) in Ghana. Among other objectives, the study investigated the key economic and social implications of resettlement schemes on displaced individuals, in addition to the critical factors affecting informal institutions in addressing resettlement issues in Ghana. Per the study’s execution, the researcher adopted both qualitative and quantitative method of research as well as convenience sampling technique to select respondents at the institution for their views on the study. A questionnaire was adopted as the main survey instrument while 5-Point Likert scale which was later transform into the Relative Importance Index (RII) was employed to facilitate the analysis of data obtained from the field. Findings of the study indicated the 6 key economic and social implications of resettlement schemes on displaced individuals’ determinants at KAVRTs as high morbidity/mortality rates, loss of economic power, compromising and destroying of farming systems, livelihood deficits and marginalization, psychological and socio-cultural stress as well as disorganization and framework of indigenous markets dissimilar from the erstwhile format. Furthermore, with respect to the critical factors affecting informal institutions in addressing resettlement issues at KAVRTs, 6 notable constructs were also intimated by the respondents’, namely: in effective planning regimes, restrictive implications of livelihood restoration programs, procedural delays associated with compensation, lack of transparency in land allocation/farming techniques and partiality, inadequate compensation and rehabilitation assistance in addition to questionable housing policy. Having noted the critical factors informal institutions face in addressing resettlement issues at KAVRTs, the study recommended it strictly adheres to the promotion of interactions among stakeholders on compensation issues, swift maturation of GDD policy levels, GDD strengthening of its engagement with relevant agencies, effective participation, upholding of citizenship rights, identification and evaluation of asset contribution, provision of social amenities, active NGO participation, promotion of shared cultural values, vis-a-vis livelihood support programs (LSP) among others captured in the study to manage the critical issues raised.

Traditional Biodiversity Conservation Strategy As A Complement to the Existing Scientific Biodiversity Conservation Models in Ghana

Biodiversity management in Ghana has been largely driven by scientific conservation models. The time-tested and useful traditional conservation ethos in the Ghanaian cultural and artistic elements such as festivals, proverbs, cosmological belief systems and taboos are often watered down by conservationists in biodiversity conservation schemes. This is due to conservationists’ lack of clear-cut guidelines on how to effectively utilize the traditional knowledge systems in complementing the scientific conservation models they are well versed. The developed traditional biodiversity strategy was based on the findings from a robust phenomenological study conducted among purposively and randomly sampled key stakeholders in biodiversity management in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The document aims at offering comprehensive information and guidelines to conservationists on effective ways of implementing traditional knowledge systems in biodiversity conservation issues in Ghana. It ultimately aims at filling the dearth in traditional knowledge systems that have been an age-long problem for the conservation ministries and agencies in Ghana. The informative directions in the developed traditional biodiversity strategy would offer another lens to addressing conservation issues in Ghana while acting as a viable complement to the scientific models. This would ultimately maximize and enrich the conservation strategies for managing Ghana’s biodiversity.

Source characterization and risk of exposure to atmospheric polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Ghana.

With recent evidence that persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are emerging in environmental media in some developing countries that otherwise have sparing production and usage history, it has become important to identify such contemporary source factors of PCBs and the risks this may pose, in line with the global consensus on POP management and elimination. The present study investigated contaminations from atmospheric PCBs in Ghana, deciphered source factors, and accessed risk of exposure to dioxin-like PCBs (DL-PCBs). Atmospheric PCBs were monitored by deployment of PUF-disk passive air samplers (PAS) at several sites across Ghana for 56days. Atmospheric ∑190PCB concentration in Ghana ranged from 0.28ng/m3 in Kumasi to 4.64ng/m3 at Agbogbloshie, a suburb in Accra noted for informal electronic waste (e-waste) recycling activities. As high as 11.10ng/m3 of PCB concentration was measured in plumes from uncontrolled open burning of e-wastes at Agbogbloshie. Applying statistical source characterization tools, it emerged that e-wastes were a major contributor to the environmental burden of atmospheric PCBs in Ghana. The risk of DL-PCB toxicity via inhalation in the Agbogbloshie area was 4.2pg TEQ/day, within similar order of magnitude of an estimated risk of 3.85pg TEQ/day faced by e-waste workers working averagely for 8h per day. It is suggested that elimination of e-waste sites would help to significantly reduce PCB-related toxicity issues in Ghana. Graphical abstract ᅟ.

The phenomenon of data loss and cyber security issues in Ghana

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the cyber security awareness and policies within corporate organisations in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachUsing both quantitative and qualitative approaches underpinned by questionnaire and document analysis, data were collected from 100 participants centred on cyber security awareness and information policies.FindingsThe study underscored that, although corporate organisations had a good knowledge of IT, their awareness of cyber security remains limited. It observed that most organisations in Ghana are not integrating legal aspects into their information security policies. It proposed the need to increase the security awareness of corporate organisation, particularly because of the vulnerabilities they are exposed to.Research limitations/implicationsThe implication of the paper with respect to theory, practice and future research lies in the recommendations the authors have proffered, such as the implementation of security awareness training programme, need assessment and the outsourcing of qualified service providers.Practical implicationsThe study is useful for policy makers in the management of Ghana’s IT infrastructure.Originality/valueThis study is being undertaken at a period when Ghana has made progressive development and giant steps in the IT industry compared to its counterparts in sub-Saharan Africa. The developed nature of Ghana’s IT infrastructure requires the development of policies for cyber security to prevent data loses and protect the national infrastructure from threats. Undertaking a study on cyber security in an environment where cyber issues are hardly discussed is worthwhile.

Controversial Ebola vaccine trials in Ghana: a thematic analysis of critiques and rebuttals in digital news

BackgroundCommunication is of paramount importance in responding to health crises. We studied the media messages put forth by different stakeholders in two Ebola vaccine trials that became controversial in Ghana. These interactions between health authorities, political actors, and public citizens can offer key lessons for future research. Through an analysis of online media, we analyse stakeholder concerns and incentives, and the phases of the dispute, to understand how the dispute evolved to the point of the trials being suspended, and analyse what steps might have been taken to avert this outcome.MethodsA web-based system was developed to download and analyse news reports relevant to Ebola vaccine trials. This included monitoring major online newspapers in each country with planned clinical trials, including Ghana. All news articles were downloaded, selecting out those containing variants of the words “Ebola,” and “vaccine,” which were analysed thematically by a team of three coders. Two types of themes were defined: critiques of the trials and rebuttals in favour of the trials. After reconciling differences between coders’ results, the data were visualised and reviewed to describe and interpret the debate.ResultsA total of 27,460 articles, published between 1 May and 30 July 2015, were collected from nine different newspapers in Ghana, of which 139 articles contained the keywords and met the inclusion criteria. The final codebook included 27 themes, comprising 16 critiques and 11 rebuttals. After coding and reconciliation, the main critiques (and their associated rebuttals) were selected for in-depth analysis, including statements about the trials being secret (mentioned in 21% of articles), claims that the vaccine trials would cause an Ebola outbreak in Ghana (33%), and the alleged impropriety of the incentives offered to participants (35%).DiscussionPerceptions that the trials were “secret” arose from a combination of premature news reporting and the fact that the trials were prohibited from conducting any publicity before being approved at the time that the story came out, which created an impression of secrecy. Fears about Ebola being spread in Ghana appeared in two forms, the first alleging that scientists would intentionally infect Ghanaians with Ebola in order to test the vaccine, and the second suggesting that the vaccine might give trial participants Ebola as a side-effect – over the course of the debate, the latter became the more prominent of the two variants. The incentives were sometimes criticised for being coercively large, but were much more often criticised for being too small, which may have been related to a misperception that the incentives were meant as compensation for the trials’ risks, which were themselves exaggerated.ConclusionThe rumours captured through this research indicate the variety of strong emotions drawn out by the trials, highlighting the importance of understanding the emotional and social context of such research. The uncertainty, fear, and distrust associated with the trials draw from the contemporary context of the Ebola outbreak, as well as longstanding historical issues in Ghana. By analysing the debate from its inception, we can see how the controversy unfolded, and identify points of concern that can inform health communication, suggesting that this tool may be valuable in future epidemics and crises.