Ghana's System Research Articles

Prevalence in Ghanaian health workers

Introduction. Medical institutions in Ghana are in most cases located in adapted buildings that have an unsatisfactory sanitary and technical condition. The government and the administration of institutions fail to pay due attention to the health and safety of medical worker. There is a high level of their morbidity, rehabilitation, preventive measures nor been developed neither implemented. This formed the basis for our study.
 Materials and methods. The collection of information using a specially designed questionnaire was carried out in online mode. The objects of the study were medical workers, their working conditions, medical institutions in Ghana. A total of seven hundred eighty six employees took part in the survey. Staff responses were analyzed using SPSS to conduct the study.
 Results. were the In workers of medical institutions in Ghana, leading infectious diseases were malaria, hepatitis B, and tuberculosis, non-infectious morbidity was associated with diseases of the circulatory system. The peak of infectious diseases among medical workers was recorded in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the same year, due to limited screening diagnostics, the lowest incidence of non-communicable diseases was noted. Habits such as smoking (6.9%) and excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages (35.8%) are common among healthcare workers in Ghana, which are a high risk of developing non-communicable diseases (smoking – p < 0.001, excessive drinking – p < 0.001 ).
 Discussion. According to the results of our research, the level of morbidity of medical personnel in medical institutions in Ghana was found to be high. This correlates with data reflecting the situation in Russian healthcare. However, the structure of the causes of temporary disability of the personnel of medical institutions in the two countries differs. The infectious morbidity of medical workers in Ghana has its own characteristics: high rates are noted for HIV infection, parenteral viral hepatitis, tuberculosis, and malaria. Infectious diseases were the leading cause of death for healthcare workers in 2019–2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, both in Ghana and elsewhere. We found that the unified guidelines for labour protection in medical institutions in Ghana have not been developed and are not applied, which significantly distinguishes them from Russian ones.
 Research limitations. The lack of methods and techniques, equipment, regulations governing the conduct and assessment of working conditions, a system for registering and investigating cases of occupational diseases in Ghana has become a limitation of scientific research. 
 Conclusion. In order to save the lives of patients, manage acceptable working conditions for medical personnel, ensure the efficiency and sustainability of the healthcare system in Ghana, it is recommended to develop and implement a comprehensive, unambiguous occupational health and safety policy, including for healthcare workers.

Discourse of Composite Budgeting System in Ghana: Contextual Perspectives on Its Potentials and Constraints from the Wa Municipality, Upper West Region

Decentralization is accepted globally as a way of enhancing development and a trigger for good governance. Effective decentralization is premised on fiscal decentralization, which transfers finances to the local level. To make fiscal decentralization a reality, Ghana implemented the composite budgeting system (CBS) in 2011. This paper used qualitative case study design, where in-depth interviews from key informants were the main methods used to collect data. We found six main challenges of the CBS thus: policy and regulatory challenges; inadequate knowledge on the CBS by staff; political meddling in the implementation of projects; and untimely and inconsistent release of funds for the Assembly. We also found that CBS holds the following prospects: waste is minimized; transparency in resource use is assured; unified processes of budgeting and monitoring and evaluation; and ensures local participation. We conclude that district assemblies while “muddling through” intractable challenges, could strive to maximize on the potentials identified.

THE NEXUS BETWEEN SUSTAINABLE VALUE CHAIN ACTIVITIES AND FINANCIAL BENEFITS OF THE SOYBEAN VALUE CHAIN SYSTEM IN THE NORTHERN REGIONS OF GHANA

Soybean is an important crop that contributes to economic freedom and food security. The study of soybean value chain is therefore important to improve on the activities of the chain actors for an overall economic gains. This paper aims to examine the nexus between sustainable value chain and financial benefits of the soybean value chain system in Ghana. Specifically, we employ the triple bottom line model to examine the soybean value chain from economic, social and environmental perspectives using sample data from Ghana. With a sample size of 300 including all actors of the value chain, our findings reveal that chain actors do not differ in their perceptions of overall financial gains that accrued to them with their involvement in chain economic activities. The findings further revealed that perceived financial sustainability of chain activities was affected by tangible financial benefits. Moreover, the results further show that chain actors’ perception of social sustainability performance was significantly affected by expected overall financial gains that accrue to them as a result of their participation in chain economic activities.

Machine learning of redundant energy of a solar PV Mini-grid system for cooking applications

Solar PV mini-grids are increasingly being deployed in off-grid and island communities especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries to meet household energy demand. However, one challenge of solar PV mini-grids for community energy supply is the mismatch between the PV energy generation and household energy demand. PV mini-grid energy generation is highest in the afternoon whilst household energy demand is highest in the mornings and evenings, but lowest in the afternoons. This mismatch creates redundant energy generation during peak sunshine hours when battery energy storage is full, leading to low profitability for mini-grid systems. In this study, four machine learning models have been applied on an installed 30.6 kW mini-grid system in Ghana to ascertain the level of the redundant energy. The study has revealed that redundant energy exists on the mini-grid, in the range of 56.98 – 119.86 kWh/day. Further analysis has shown that the redundant energy can support household cooking energy demand through sustainable thermal batteries. With the four machine learning (ML) models applied in predicting the redundant energy, the most accurate ML model, K-nearest Neighbour Regressor, had a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.148 and a coefficient of determination (R2) value of 0.998.

Current Smart Metering System in Ghana: Challenges and Mitigation Techniques

Current Smart Metering System in Ghana: Challenges and Mitigation Techniques

Soil health and synergy of ecological determinants of green cocoa productivity in different soil ecotypes in Ghana

IntroductionSoil health is critical for the efficient management of soil fertility and crop yield in “green” cocoa (GC) (Theobroma cacao L.) agroforestry systems. However, knowledge about agroecosystem factors that affect healthy soil productivity in “green” cocoa agroforestry systems is patchy in West Africa. Based on organic cocoa (OC) and conventional cocoa (CC) agroforestry systems in Ghana, this study examined the soil health and synergy of ecological factors that determine the yield of GC.MethodsUsing multi-stage random sampling, 11 CC and 11 OC farms were sampled from three soil types (ferralsols, lixisols, and leptosols) within selected agroecological zones. Socioeconomic and farm data, including bulked soil samples, were collected at 0–30 cm depth for analysis of soil chemical and physical properties.ResultsThe results showed intricate relationships between the ecological factors and the yield of GC (1.07 t ha−1), which comprised dry beans of OC (1.24 t ha−1) and CC (0.89 t ha−1). The green cocoa yield increased for fields owned by female farmers and for native farmers who inherited or outrightly owned farmlands. The cocoa yield was also positively related to physicochemical factors such as soil organic carbon (0.21%), pH (5.8), and carbon–nitrogen ratio (40.8%). The carbon–nitrogen ratio and pH together exerted the highest positive influence (0.62%) on the yield. Biological factors such as plant density (>7 cocoa trees per 23.4 m2) and black pod rots reduced the cocoa yield.DiscussionThis study provides comprehensive empirical determinants of green cocoa productivity and offers a more reliable estimate of cocoa plant density. The findings suggest that Ghana's cocoa can be much greener if stakeholders promote healthy farm soil productivity and empower women who engage in soil organic carbon-conserving agroforestry.

An Exploratory Study on the Null Curriculum in the Basic Education System in Ghana

An Exploratory Study on the Null Curriculum in the Basic Education System in Ghana

Sustainable Food System in Ghana: Role of Neglected and Underutilized Crop Species and Diversity

Sustainable Food System in Ghana: Role of Neglected and Underutilized Crop Species and Diversity

The stated preferences of community-based volunteers for roles in the prevention of violence against women and girls in Ghana: A discrete choice analysis

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a human rights violation with substantial health-related consequences. Interventions to prevent VAWG, often implemented at the community level by volunteers, have been proven effective and cost-effective. One such intervention is the Rural Response System in Ghana, a volunteer-run program which hires community based action teams (COMBATs) to sensitise the community about VAWG and to provide counselling services in rural areas. To increase programmatic impact and maximise the retention of these volunteers, it is important to understand their preferences for incentives.We conducted a discrete choice experiment (DCE) among 107 COMBAT volunteers, in two Ghanaian districts in 2018, to examine their stated preferences for financial and non-financial incentives that could be offered in their roles. Each respondent answered 12 choice tasks, and each task comprised four hypothetical volunteering positions. The first three positions included different levels of five role attributes. The fourth option was to cease volunteering as a COMBAT volunteer (opt-out).We found that, overall, COMBAT volunteers cared most for receiving training in volunteering skills and three-monthly supervisions. These results were consistent between multinomial logit, and mixed multinomial logit models. A three-class latent class model fitted our data best, identifying subgroups of COMBAT workers with distinct preferences for incentives: The younger ‘go getters’; older ‘veterans’, and the ‘balanced bunch’ encompassing the majority of the sample. The opt-out was chosen only 4 (0.3%) times.Only one other study quantitatively examined the preferences for incentives of VAWG-prevention volunteers using a DCE (Kasteng et al., 2016). Understanding preferences and how they vary between sub-groups can be leveraged by programme managers to improve volunteer motivation and retention. As effective VAWG-prevention programmes are scaled up from small pilots to the national level, data on volunteer preferences may be useful in improving volunteer retention.

Motivators for University of Professional Studies Accra Students to Adopt a Learning Management System in Ghana

Abstract The use of a learning management system (LMS) is believed to be significant for students’ academic performance, but students’ attitudes regarding its use are divided. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to apply a modified version of the technology acceptance model to determine the motivators for University of Professional Studies Accra students’ behavioural intentions (BIs) and actual use of LMSs using a convenient sampling technique to elicit data from first-year students in the faculty of information technology and communication studies. The investigation included a total of 188 samples. The study used structured equation modelling partial least squares to analyse the data. Specifically, the study employed the importance-performance map analysis to establish the factors that are important to students’ actual use of an LMS. The study’s findings suggest that REL and output quality significantly impact the perceived usefulness (PU). Also, perceived enjoyment and subjective norm exert a significant impact on the perceived ease of use (PEOU). Additionally, PEOU influences the PU, which in turn influences the BI. Furthermore, the findings reveal a strong link between BI and the actual use of the LMS. Finally, the study suggests that students’ BI to use the LMS is the most important factor for students’ actual use. PU is also an important determinant factor of students’ actual use. Following the study’s conclusion that BI and PU are important for students’ actual use of an LMS, higher education administrators must develop rules that increase the students’ PU of LMSs, while also ensuring that current measures that awaken students’ BIs are maintained or improved so that students can use the LMS for academic work.

Mainstreaming Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices in Climate-Sensitive Policies for Resilient Agricultural Systems in Ghana

Policymakers underestimate the extensive role of indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) in national climate adaptation action. Drawing from the mainstreaming theory, this study examined the extent to which ILK systems have been mainstreamed into Ghana’s climate policy framework for realizing adaptation outcomes in agriculture and rural development. The study employed qualitative approaches including content analysis of policy documents and 15 key informant interviews. Findings revealed that adaptation actions are only canvassed in the national actions for climate change adaptation but are spirally incorporated in agriculture and rural development policies which are critical adaptation areas for Ghana as emphasized in the National Climate Change Policy. Further, results suggested that ILK is less prioritized in Ghana’s policy framework despite its importance and emergence in local adaptation efforts. Finally, the results revealed inadequate information on ILK, lack of deliberate policy on ILK and practices, lack of government commitment toward ILK, under-sourced institutions and Lack of coordination and inherent overlap of mandate as key barriers militating against mainstreaming ILK and climate change adaptation in national policy. We conclude that mainstreaming ILK and local adaptation practices in Ghana’s climate policy has the potential to facilitate a collective and sustainable response to climate change and build resilient agricultural systems to address food security challenges and foster rural development.

Positive Impact of Red Soil on Albedo and the Annual Yield of Bifacial Photovoltaic Systems in Ghana

The annual yield of bifacial photovoltaic systems is highly dependent on the albedo of the underlying soil. There are currently no published data about the albedo of red soil in western Africa. In this study, the impact of the albedo of red soil in Ghana on the energy yield of bifacial photovoltaic systems is analysed. A bifacial photovoltaic simulation model is created by combining the optical view factor matrix with an electrical output simulation. For an exact simulation, the albedo of red soil at three different locations in Ghana is measured for the first time. The average albedo of every red soil is clearly determined, as well as the measurement span including instrumentation uncertainty; values between 0.175 and 0.335 were measured. Considering these data, a state-of-the-art bifacial photovoltaic system with an average of 19.8% efficient modules in northern Ghana can achieve an annual energy yield of 508.8 kWh/m2 and a bifacial gain of up to 18.3% in comparison with monofacial photovoltaic panels. To summarise, red soil in two out of three locations in Ghana shows higher albedo values than most natural ground surfaces and therefore positively impacts the annual yield of bifacial photovoltaic systems.

Population cause of death estimation using verbal autopsy methods in large-scale field trials of maternal and child health: lessons learned from a 20-year research collaboration in Central Ghana

Low and middle-income countries continue to use Verbal autopsies (VAs) as a World Health Organisation-recommended method to ascertain causes of death in settings where coverage of vital registration systems is not yet comprehensive. Whilst the adoption of VA has resulted in major improvements in estimating cause-specific mortality in many settings, well documented limitations have been identified relating to the standardisation of the processes involved. The WHO has invested significant resources into addressing concerns in some of these areas; there however remains enduring challenges particularly in operationalising VA surveys for deaths amongst women and children, challenges which have measurable impacts on the quality of data collected and on the accuracy of determining the final cause of death. In this paper we describe some of our key experiences and recommendations in conducting VAs from over two decades of evaluating seminal trials of maternal and child health interventions in rural Ghana. We focus on challenges along the entire VA pathway that can impact on the success rates of ascertaining the final cause of death, and lessons we have learned to optimise the procedures. We highlight our experiences of the value of the open history narratives in VAs and the training and skills required to optimise the quality of the information collected. We describe key issues in methods for ascertaining cause of death and argue that both automated and physician-based methods can be valid depending on the setting. We further summarise how increasingly popular information technology methods may be used to facilitate the processes described. Verbal autopsy is a vital means of increasing the coverage of accurate mortality statistics in low- and middle-income settings, however operationalisation remains problematic. The lessons we share here in conducting VAs within a long-term surveillance system in Ghana will be applicable to researchers and policymakers in many similar settings.

Effects of fertilizer application on cacao pod development, pod nutrient content and yield

Fertilizer application in cacao production systems in West Africa yields highly variable results, ranging from no effect to doubling of the yield. Mechanisms underlying yield responses to increased nutrient availability are still largely unkown. In this study, we assessed how fertilizer application affects pod development and production of cacao trees in a full sun cocoa system in Côte d'Ivoire and a shaded cocoa system in Ghana. We monitored pod growth over time and the number of pods produced simultaneously on the trees in the minor and major harvest seasons. Furthermore, we measured nutrient concentrations in cherelles and beans and husks of developing pods in the major harvest season to estimate the total nutrients allocated to developing pods per tree. Lastly, we performed detailed yield measurements (number of pods, location in the tree (canopy or trunk), pod size and bean content) in 2020 for the plot in Côte d'Ivoire.Our results showed that, in the major harvest season, pods on fertilized trees grew wider (average: 15.4 cm) than pods on unfertilized trees (average: 11.9 cm). A higher pod growth rate resulted in a larger final pod size; larger pods took longer to mature. In the major harvest season, more cherelles on fertilized trees than on unfertilized trees reached maturity despite having an equal or lower nutrient content. Competition for assimilates rather than nutrients seems to induce cherelle wilt. In pods past wilting stage, fertilizer application slightly influenced nutrient dynamics of developing pods but not the final nutrient content in ripe pods. Lastly, increased nutrient availaibility did not change the absolute number of pods a tree produced annually. However, fertilizer application did increase the estimated annual dry bean yields from 2260 kg ha−1 to 2930 kg ha−1 by increasing the number of pods that developed during the major harvest season, when pods were heavier and the bean weight within the pods was relatively higher.

Bayesian modeling of maternal mortality in Ghana.

Maternal mortality is a critical measure for quality of health system in any country and hence many countries have made concerted efforts to check its occurrence. Various stakeholders involved in the management of health system in Ghana have been tasked to ensure women do not die whilst giving birth. This study was conducted on a sample of 1,052 women selected from all the ten administrative regions of Ghana in which 188 maternal deaths occurred. Bayesian logistic modeling was used. Age at death, marital status, age, season, region, place of death, place of residence, religion and ethnicity emerged as the most significant determinants of maternal mortality in Ghana. It was realized that high numbers of maternal deaths were recorded in the least developed regions in the northern region. It is therefore important for stakeholders to devise a road map of getting health workers to accept postings to the rural areas and also provide well resourced health facilities to stem this menace.

Asymmetric effect of tax systems on poverty and inequality: Exploring the distributional impact of domestic resource mobilization systems in Ghana

Asymmetric effect of tax systems on poverty and inequality: Exploring the distributional impact of domestic resource mobilization systems in Ghana

Farmer advisory systems and pesticide use in legume-based systems in West Africa

Despite the adverse effects of pesticides on the environment and human health, they are a key ingredient in boosting agricultural productivity as a way of meeting global food demand. While global levels of pesticides are towering in high-income countries, pesticide use in many parts of Africa remains low, with significant impacts on agricultural productivity and food production. We use a rich longitudinal dataset to examine the relationship between farmer advisory systems and pesticide use in legume-based production systems in Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria. We find that farmers who are advised by private extension systems are approximately 8 % more likely to use pesticides at an extensive level. They also use pesticides more intensively (41 %). On the other hand, farmers advised by public extension systems are about 5 % more likely to extensively use pesticides. These farmers are observed to reduce the intensive use of pesticides by about 14 %. Furthermore, we also show that farmers advised by joint private-public extension systems are about 4 % more likely to use pesticides as well as reduce their intensity of use by approximately 11 %. At the various country levels, there exists significant heterogeneity in the relationship between advisory systems and pesticide use, suggesting that context matters. Of course, the pesticide regulatory systems and the institutional environments in these countries vary greatly. Given these findings, our study offers key entry and leveraging points for increasing pesticide use at levels that limit their environmental and human effects but may ascertain increased agricultural productivity and food production.

Digital addressing and the construction of the Ghanaian nation-space

This contribution focuses on the recent introduction of a digital addressing system in Ghana. Initially developed in the slipstream of the restructuring of the Ghana Post, the oldest public service institution in the country, the digital addressing system has recently been tied into the country's broader digital identification agenda. The article examines how innovations in geospatial (population) data infrastructure alter the Ghanaian state's view on the spatial distribution of the population as well as on individuals by associating them within certain spatial categories, and eventually, (re)formatting the way in which the national space is produced and disciplined. In view of the limitations of earlier paper-based registers, particular attention is paid to the integration of various population registers thus afforded.

Improving Effective Solid Waste Management Systems in Ghana: A Comparative Study of the Cities of Karlsruhe, Germany and Navrongo, Ghana

Improving Effective Solid Waste Management Systems in Ghana: A Comparative Study of the Cities of Karlsruhe, Germany and Navrongo, Ghana

The Need to Address Fragmentation and Silos in Mortality Information Systems: The Case of Ghana and Peru.

Objectives: We aimed to understand the information architecture and degree of integration of mortality surveillance systems in Ghana and Peru. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using a combination of document review and unstructured interviews to describe and analyse the sub-systems collecting mortality data. Results: We identified 18 and 16 information subsystems with independent databases capturing death events in Peru and Ghana respectively. The mortality information architecture was highly fragmented with a multiplicity of unconnected data silos and with formal and informal data collection systems. Conclusion: Reliable and timely information about who dies where and from what underlying cause is essential to reporting progress on Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring policies are responding to population health dynamics, and understanding the impact of threats and events like the COVID-19 pandemic. Integrating systems hosted in different parts of government remains a challenge for countries and limits the ability of statistics systems to produce accurate and timely information. Our study exposes multiple opportunities to improve the design of mortality surveillance systems by integrating existing subsystems currently operating in silos.