Physicochemical and Absorptive Properties of Fast Pyrolysis Biochars

Akwasi Boateng - United States Department of AgricultureOpe

An Examination of Challenges and Prospects of Microfinance Institutions in Ghana

The dismal performance of the conventional finance sectors triggered the advocation of micro-financing by policy makers, practitioners, and international organizations as a tool for poverty reduction. The essence was to reach the overwhelming population of the poor to assist in the drive to alleviate poverty. The paper examines the challenges and prospects of microfinance institutions in Ghana. Relevant literatures were reviewed to bring out salient issues on the subject matter of this paper. The chief source of information for this write up is secondary method of data collection. It was discovered that the key constraints faced by MFIs in Ghana include poor regulatory environment, regular vicissitudes in government policies, paucity of capital, inadequate skills and professionalism, infrastructural inadequacies, socio-cultural misconceptions, corruption, frauds and forgeries and poor corporate governance.  Despite this plethora of challenges, the study identified growing entrepreneurial awareness, increasing government interest, large unbanked and/or underserved rural area and high population of poor and low income households and their microenterprises as opportunities that exist for MFIs subsector. This paper recommends among others, establishment Microfinance Development Fund to support capacity building for the sub-sector on an on-going basis, establishment of National Deposit Insurance Corporation to improve public confidence and trust in MFIs subsector and provision of adequate logistics such as telecommunications and information technology to support the operations of MFIs and make them more efficient in rendering affordable services. Keywords: Microfinance, Poverty, Capacity Building and Strategy, Rural Development, Challenge

Facebook usage in political communication in Ghana: the case of two political parties.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The emergence and spread of social media are changing activities in many walks of life. These technologies have ushered in a digital era that has transformed communication, engagements and relationships. Social media have revolutionised how political communication and politics, particularly electoral processes are also done. This study is centred in Ghana and investigated how Facebook is used in intra-party elections by New Patriotic Party and National Democratic Congress. Since the New Patriotic Party took over the reign of political power in 2017, there has been a considerable rise in political vigilantism in Ghana, which some have attributed to lack of direct access to parties and officials due to limited time given to stakeholders during “phone-in” segments on political programmes in traditional media. There are also debates as to whether social media have improved political communication and participation in Africa. More so, studies conducted on political use of social media in Ghana have not explored their appropriation in intra-party elections. The purpose of this study is to shed new light on the debate regarding social media usage in political communication in Africa, examining how Facebook is appropriated by political parties in Ghana. The study employed qualitative and quantitative techniques (mixed methods approach) in sequential triangulation of interviews and content analysis. Underpinned by interpretative and pragmatic paradigms, this study conducted interviews with communication officials of New Patriotic Party and National Democratic Congress. Contents of Facebook posts of the parties were analysed to corroborate or dispute data collected from interviews. Observations were also made from visits and activities of parties during data collection. The transcribed data was thematically organised for the study to analyse and present in narrative forms. Data from content analysis of Facebook was also coded and put into figures, numbers and tabular formats. This study anchored on the theories of technology appropriation, relationship management, and agenda setting. Generally, this study indicated that political parties in Ghana particularly New Patriotic Party and National Democratic Congress use social media especially Facebook in political communication and intra-party elections. However, the parties were particularly using Facebook for public information purposes instead of establishing mutually beneficial relationships through interactive engagements and two-way symmetrical communication on the social networking site, or perhaps not making good use of Facebook especially in internal elections. Parties considered and delivered social media communication on ad-hoc value without concerted efforts and political public relations strategies to maximise potentials. Inasmuch as political parties in Ghana demonstrated the desire to establish relationships by creating pages on vii Facebook to get closer to stakeholders and the public, they could not achieve this. They have focused their attention on passive traditional communication without reconsidering their activities to improve social media use especially “Facebooking” for interactions and mutually beneficial engagements and relationships. This study suggests that political parties improve interactions and conversations with stakeholders. Parties need to create political public relations units of communication professionals with expertise and skills to advice and manage social media engagements as specialised activities to extend mutually beneficial relationships. Communication officials of parties have to be trained in political public relations and social media for more knowledge and understanding of the opportunities and challenges associated with these new forms of communication technologies to harness their utility

Branding Public Universities through Advertising: A Study of Two Public Universities in Ghana

Higher education marketing has become a major avenue for institutions to deliver marketing communication activities. Consequently, research that provides insights into branding has been of importance to academic and management practitioners. The objective of this study was to appraise how UEW and UCC utilise branding and advertising to enhance their brand identities and images. The study adopted a qualitative approach to gather data from respondents at UEW and UCC. Primary data (interviews) and secondary data (letters, reports, newspapers, among others) were relied upon in testing the propositions developed through literature review. The outcome of the study provides support for a service brand identity comprising six facets: physique, personality, relationship, reflection, culture and self-image. The discussion outlines how the findings lend credence to these elements to create a brand identity implied by existing brand identity framework. The data points to positive results for higher institutions which desire to invest and maintain strong brand identity and image given that these facets influence competition. For branding and advertising to effectively promote the image of institutions, a strategically planned branding programme is recommended to attract more constituents. Keywords: branding, advertising, brand, corporate identity systems, Kapferer’s identity prism mode

African Regional Organisations in Rebuilding Conflict Nations in West Africa

The AU and ECOWAS have attained growing recognition for adopting the human security concept in promoting peace and development. They have transformed their activities towards achieving human security in conflict and post-conflict nations to protect civilian populations. The human-centred principles upheld by AU and ECOWAS have changed the security dynamics through the promotion of regional security to make lives more secure on the Continent. The conflict and post-conflict interventions of AU and ECOWAS have similarities to human security approaches. While these elements are clear in their instruments and policy responses, the lack of legitimacy, technical and financial capacity impedes their practical implementation for holistic delivery. Despite these shortfalls, this paper contests that the interventions in Cote D’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau showed commitment by African regional organisations to peace, reconstruction and human security. This paper examines their achievements and shortfalls among member countries, and importance in global perspectives. Keywords: African Union, ECOWAS, Human Security, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea Bissau DOI: 10.7176/IAGS/75-01 Publication date: August 31st 201

Assessment of the Effectiveness of Ghanaian Micro-Finance Institutions in Promoting Entrepreneurs in Accra Metropolis

Bank of Ghana in 2011 issued Micro-finance Rules and Guidelines with the aim of promoting entrepreneurship activities in micro and small enterprises in Ghana. The study examined the effectiveness of Micro finance Institutions in promoting entrepreneurs in Accra Metropolis in the period 2011 to 2013. A purposive and simple random sampling technique was employed to draw the sample from the population. Personal interviews and structured questionnaires were used to facilitate the acquisition of relevant data which was used for analysis. Descriptive statistics which involves simple percentage and illustrations was purposefully applied in data presentations and analysis. The research revealed that only a few entrepreneurs had accessed loans from Micro Finance Institutions, due to high interest rates, ignorance of the existence of Micro Finance Institutions as well as lack of trust and confidence in the Micro Finance Institutions. It was concluded that Micro Finance Institutions in Accra Metropolis are less effective in promoting entrepreneurs. The researchers recommended that the Bank of Ghana and Ghana Association of Microfinance Companies must ensure transparency and integrity in Micro Finance Institutions operations to increase their outreach. In addition, Ghana Association of Microfinance Companies and its members must enhance public awareness about Micro Finance Institutions operations through various promotional strategies. Keywords: Micro-Finance Institutions, entrepreneurs, micro and small enterprises, Accra Metropolis, GAM

An Appraisal of Risk Management Practices of Microfinance Institutions in Ghana

The inherent features of microfinance institution afford these institutions the potential to absorb unskilled and semi-skilled labour to nurture as well as promote small scale enterprises. However, in the Ghanaian economy, these benefits are not forthcoming due to the high failure rate of microfinance institutions. Relevant literatures were reviewed to bring out salient issues on the subject matter of this paper. The chief source of information for this write up is secondary method of data collection. It was discovered that the barriers to microfinance institutions success includes numerous and varied obstacles. Studies conducted confirmed microfinance institutions managements are ignorant pertaining to the risks their organizations face with risk management techniques deployed reactively and ineffectively. By embedding a structured approach to enterprise risk management within MFIs, potential benefits such as reducing the over-management of risks and organizational alignment towards the microfinance institution’s mission can be realized. Keywords: Microfinance institution, risk, risk management, strategic risk management

A Literature Review of Fraud Risk Management in Micro Finance Institutions in Ghana

Due to the recent financial crisis, micro finance institutions cannot afford to be indifferent to fraud risk management practices in the battle for survival, financial sustainability and self-sufficiency. Microfinance institutions serve some of the world’s most financially challenged population who otherwise would not have access to financial services. This paper is a theoretical study on effective fraud risk management in micro finance institutions in Ghana. The study adopts exploratory approach by reviewing and analyzing the views of scholars and practitioners in the area of fraud risk management. The research revealed that corrupt board of directors, senior management and employees, weak systems of internal control, policies and procedures, weak regulatory institutions, greed on the part of culprits, inadequate staffing, inadequate training and retraining, ineffective internal and external audit functions and a macro-economic environment that eulogises wealth irrespective of how it is made constitute aids to fraud in micro finance institutions in Ghana. The researchers recommend that microfinance institutions and Bank of Ghana must ensure the creation of a culture of transparency and integrity among staff members and clients; and educate clients on their rights and ensure there is a mechanism for whistle-blowing. Keywords: Fraud, Micro finance institutions, Ghana, Internal control, Audit

Technology Appropriation in Higher Education: The Case of Communication Educators in Ghana

The outbreak of COVID-19 in 2019 challenged universities in sub-Saharan Africa to reinvent themselves and rely more on digital technologies for curriculum delivery. Before the pandemic, technology use in curriculum delivery was ad-hoc and depended mainly on teachers' self-efficacy. This article investigates how teachers in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Ghana appropriated new media technologies for teaching and research before the outbreak of COVID-19. This study explored the new media technologies used by teachers, their motivations for using them, how they used them, and the challenges they encountered in their appropriation of technologies for curriculum delivery. The study triangulated in-depth interviews and semi-structured questionnaires to gather data from university teachers who are members of the Communication Educators Association, Ghana (CEAG). Thematic and descriptive analyses were employed to analyze data collected through interviews and surveys. The study revealed that communication educators mostly used Google Scholar, YouTube, and Facebook. Their choices and usage of these new media were influenced by personal preference and the perceived usefulness of digital technologies to teaching and research. Communication educators face several challenges in using digital technologies; these include unstable internet connection, low digital literacy, and financial constraints, which impede their appropriation of new media technologies. The adoption and adaption of new media among communication educators is consistent with the Technology Appropriation Theory, and practicality rather than pedagogical imperatives drive their usages. The study concludes that teachers must carefully plan the deployment of new media in curriculum delivery; therefore, communication educators require institutional support and policy guidelines to appropriate and deploy new media technologies effectively

An Appraisal of Rural and Community Banks in Ghana

MSMEs comprise essential elements in the lubrication and development of any economy. In Ghana, the story makes no remarkable difference as MSMEs outnumber the large businesses in the economy. Over the years the government of Ghana has devised a number of policies aimed at developing MSMEs including the establishment of NBSSI. While most policies actually failed due to poor implementation, others however, succeeded. Few studies have been made in the past to identify the role of MSMEs to the development of Ghana’s economy, its problems and prospects which created a vacuum on the role of government and other financial institutions in the development of MSMEs. This study evaluates the role of Rural and Community Banks as a powerful tool for the poverty alleviation and entrepreneurial development in Ghana. Relevant literatures were reviewed to bring out salient issues on the subject matter of this paper. It was discovered that Ghanaian MSMEs face many domestic challenges in achieving economies of scale. It was concluded that these challenges are question marks on the viability of the RCBs. Many factors were found to contribute to mediocre performance of RCBs. These factors include inadequate cohesive regulatory and supervisory system for the RCBs, shortage of human capital, lack of capital, inadequacy of IT knowledge and entrepreneurs’ personal shortcomings. The researchers recommend introduction of good legal, policy and regulatory environment for the RCBs. In addition, Government should pursue its decentralisation policies, particularly financial decentralisation, and ensure that funds meant for district assemblies are channelled through RCBs in their catchment areas. Keywords: Challenges, Employment generation, RCBs, MSMEs, Ghan