Ownership and Access to Land in Urban Mamprugu, Northern Ghana

This paper explores land ownership and access to land in the urban areas of Mamprugu in the Northern Region of Ghana. An overview of the system of land ownership and access in the rural areas for both residential and agricultural purposes has been used as a background for the understanding of the changes provoked by urbanization. The information used was qualitative through key informant interviews, observation and group discussions. The study revealed that land ownership and access in the traditional rural context was often in tranquility and rarely encountered conflicts. Occasional conflicts arising from the traditional rural arrangements were often easier to resolve. Also, the financial costs have been considered to be within the means of the average family or household in the locality.  However, it was observed that access to land by women in the traditional framework subtly deprived women because of the patrilineal system of inheritance and the role assigned to women by the society. In the urban context, land ownership and access is in transition with a combination of traditional and modern institutions in land administration for residential and public infrastructure purposes. The study observed increasing incidence of land disputes in Mamprugu as urbanization progresses. It is recommended that the three district assemblies in Mamprugu in collaboration with the traditional authorities initiate a joint programme to address causes of the emerging problems in the few urban settlements. A successful handling of the problems of land administration in the few urban settlements would serve as gateway to urban land administration in future emerging towns and cities in the traditional area

To Develop Linear Programming (LP) Model to Determine the Best Combination or Mix of Products to Produce to Reach the Maximum Profit

Lending is a life wire or prominent business activity for banks. Loan portfolio therefore form a substantial amount of the assets of banks because it is the predominate source of interest income. The study was carried out to establish the impact of Linear programming model on the financial performance of banks, focusing on the Rural Bank X Lamashegu branch so that it can allocate funds to prospective loan seekers in order to maximize profits. To achieve this goal, a secondary data from the annual reports and financial statements were extracted for this study. Based on this data, LP model was formulated. A computerized software application called QM windows solver based on Revised Simplex Algorithm was used to solve the problem. The results from the model showed that Rural Bank X will be making annual profit of GH¢ 189144.14 from the amount GH ¢825812.77 invested on loan portfolio as against GH¢ 96879.00 in 2013 if the bank had the LP model in place. These product mix (ie. Midrofinance, Over draft and Commercial loans) were recommended for investment. The study also identified ineffective loan monitoring and poor credit vetting as the major factors accounting for some of the loan not performing in the loan portfolio, especially the Personal and Agricultural and Agro processing loans. Keywords: Loan portfolio, Linear programming, Simplex method, Bad debt and Over draf

Prevalence of abnormal birth weight and related factors in Northern region, Ghana

Background: Birth weight is a crucial determinant of the development potential of the newborn. Abnormal newborn weights are associated with negative effects on the health and survival of the baby and the mother. Therefore, this study was designed to determine the prevalence of abnormal birth weight and related factors in Northern region, Ghana. Methods: The study was a facility-based cross-sectional survey in five hospitals in Northern region, Ghana. These hospitals were selected based on the different socio-economic backgrounds of their clients. The data on birth weight and other factors were derived from hospital records. Results: It was observed that low birth weight is still highly prevalent (29.6 %), while macrosomia (10.5 %) is also increasingly becoming important. There were marginal differences in low birth weight observed across public hospitals but marked difference in low birth weight was observed in Cienfuegos Suglo Specialist Hospital (Private hospital) as compared to the public hospitals. The private hospital also had the highest prevalence of macrosomia (20.1 %). Parity (0–1) (p < 0.001), female gender (p < 0.001) and location (rural) (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with decreased risk of macrosomic births. On the other hand, female infant sex (p < 0.001), residential status (rural) (p < 0.001) and parity (0–1) (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with increased risk of low birth weigh. Conclusions: Our findings show that under nutrition (low birth weight) and over nutrition (macrosomia) coexist among infants at birth in Northern region reflecting the double burden of malnutrition phenomenon, which is currently being experienced by developing and transition counties. Both low birth weight and macrosomia are risk factors, which could contribute considerably to the current and future burden of diseases. This may overstretch the already fragile health system in Ghana. Therefore, it is prudent to recommend that policies aiming at reducing diet related diseases should focus on addressing malnutrition during pregnancy and early life

Adolescents, Social Media and Access to Reproductive Health Information and Services in Ghana: Prospects and Challenges

Social media is one of the variables affecting sexual behavior among teenagers in today’s society. This study was conducted in Tamale, Ghana, to examine adolescents’ application of social media to access and use reproductive health services. The study involved 342 adolescents randomly selected from multicultural and diverse backgrounds of students drawn from four Senior High Schools in the Tamale metropolis of the Northern Region. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires and interview guides. The quantitative data were analyzed using STATA 16.0, chi-square test of association, and binary logistic regression at a 5% significance level. The study found that 45.4% of adolescents accessed reproductive health (RH) information through social media. The study showed that there was a significant association between using a mobile phone to access RH information and romantic relationship (p < 0.001), awareness of reproductive health (p < 0.040), respondents’ place of residence (p < 0.040) and occupation of guardian (p < 0.040), mobile phone ownership (p < 0.004), social media use (p < 0.001), means of accessing RH using a mobile phone (p < 0.02) and whether their problem was solved (p < 0.001). The study concludes that, despite the high utilization of social media and awareness of reproductive health services, less than half (45.4%) of the adolescents use social media by adolescents to access adolescent reproductive health services in the Tamale metropolis

The Influence of funds on the Organizational Performance of SMEs in the Tamale Metropolis of Ghana

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are critical to the economy's and industry's overall growth. However, in the long run, funding will be required to improve their performance, necessitating the need to fund their operations. This paper examined SMEs access to funds to finance their businesses and its effect on their performance in Tamale Metropolis. A Quantitative approach was used, and questionnaires were administered. The research data were collected from 92 respondents through a simple random sample technique. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyzed. The study found that the main source of funding for SMEs in the Tamale metropolis in Northern Ghana are: self, family and friends; funds sourced from these sources to a large extent did not have much effect on the performance of the SMEs. To enhance the SMEs opportunities to access funds from financial institutions, there is the need for trainings, workshops on business registrations, and entrepreneurship skills building. This will make them more attractive to financial agencies to lend them money to finance their businesses. Research paper Keywords: Funds; Small and Medium Scale Enterprise; SMEs Performance; Ghana Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Abubakari, A., Abdulai, M. S., &amp; Adam, A. (2022). The Influence of funds on the Organizational Performance of SMEs in the Tamale Metropolis of Ghana. Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics, 10(1),&nbsp;109–140

Physical, Sexual, Emotional and Economic Intimate Partner Violence and Controlling Behaviors during Pregnancy and Postpartum among Women in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy and postpartum is a serious global health problem affecting millions of women worldwide. This study sought to determine the prevalence of different forms of IPV during pregnancy and postpartum and associated factors among women in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study among 500 women at one to nine months postpartum in three health facilities in the three districts of Dar es Salaam: Temeke, Kinondoni and Illala. Two trained research assistants administered the questionnaire, which aimed to examine sociodemographic characteristics and different forms of IPV. RESULTS: Of the 500 women who were interviewed, 18.8% experienced some physical and/or sexual violence during pregnancy. Forty-one women (9%) reported having experienced some physical and/or sexual violence at one to nine months postpartum. Physical and/or sexual IPV during pregnancy was associated with cohabiting (AOR 2.2, 95% CI 1.24-4.03) and having a partner who was 25 years old or younger (AOR 2.7, 95% CI 1.08-6.71). Postpartum, physical and/or sexual IPV was associated with having a partner who was 25 years old or younger (AOR 4.4, 95% CI 1.24-15.6). CONCLUSION: We found that IPV is more prevalent during pregnancy than during the postpartum phase. There is also continuity and maintenance of IPV during and after pregnancy. These results call for policy and interventions to be tailored for pregnant and postpartum women

Food beliefs and practices during pregnancy in Northern Ghana: Implications for nutrition counseling

Cultural practices and beliefs are important factors that could influence a woman’s dietary choices during pregnancy. We investigated food beliefs among pregnant women in Northern Ghana. In-depth interviews were conducted with thirty women, selected from three districts. We describe food beliefs regarding ‘recommended’ and ‘prohibited’ foods during pregnancy. There was a general agreement among participants about the recommended foods but not on the prohibited foods. For example, for some banana was regarded as prohibited, while for others it was recommended. Hypersensitivity to smell was attributed to nausea, vomiting and spiting and was largely the most important factor that could modify dietary habits of those who experienced it. Pregnancy is a sensitive phase and thus requires critical care and attention. Therefore, individualized counseling during antenatal clinics instead of the ongoing mass education is recommended as this will help address conditions peculiar to individual pregnancies

Family Planning Awareness, Perceptions and Practice among Community Members in the Kintampo Districts of Ghana

Family planning is known to prevent maternal deaths, but some social norms, limited supplies and inconsistent use makes this difficult to achieve in most low- and middle-income countries. In spite of the high fertility levels in most sub-Saharan African countries and the potential economic benefits of family planning, its patronage remains very low in the sub-region. This study was with the objective of identifying the levels of awareness, utilization, access to and perceptions about family planning and contraception. A cross-sectional study design was used for the study, with data collected from multiple sources using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Relevant findings included a marked disconnect between family planning/contraceptive knowledge and use. The pills and injectables were the most frequently used, but females in the study population poorly patronised emergency contraception. Supplies of most family planning methods were found to be health facility based, requiring clients to have to necessarily go there for services. Some respondents harboured perceptions that family planning was the responsibility of females alone and that it fuelled promiscuity among female users. Recommendations made include ensuring that health facilities had adequate staff and expertise to provide facility-based family planning services and also to disabuse the minds of community members of the negative perceptions towards family planning

Diet and Physical Activity for the Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Policy Review

Background: Diet-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are increasing rapidly in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) and constitute a leading cause of mortality. Although a call for global action has been resonating for years, the progress in national policy development in LMICs has not been assessed. This review of strategies to prevent NCDs in LMICs provides a benchmark against which policy response can be tracked over time. Methods and Findings: We reviewed how government policies in LMICs outline actions that address salt consumption, fat consumption, fruit and vegetable intake, or physical activity. A structured content analysis of national nutrition, NCDs, and health policies published between 1 January 2004 and 1 January 2013 by 140 LMIC members of the World Health Organization (WHO) was carried out. We assessed availability of policies in 83% (116/140) of the countries. NCD strategies were found in 47% (54/116) of LMICs reviewed, but only a minority proposed actions to promote healthier diets and physical activity. The coverage of policies that specifically targeted at least one of the risk factors reviewed was lower in Africa, Europe, the Americas, and the Eastern Mediterranean compared to the other two World Health Organization regions, South-East Asia and Western Pacific. Of the countries reviewed, only 12% (14/116) proposed a policy that addressed all four risk factors, and 25% (29/116) addressed only one of the risk factors reviewed. Strategies targeting the private sector were less frequently encountered than strategies targeting the general public or policy makers. Conclusions: This review indicates the disconnection between the burden of NCDs and national policy responses in LMICs. Policy makers urgently need to develop comprehensive and multi-stakeholder policies to improve dietary quality and physical activity