Community Radio Broadcasting and Local Governance Participation in Ghana: A Study of Simli Radio in the Kumbungu District of the Northern Region.

This research explores the nexus between community radio and local community participation in decentralized local governance in the Ghanaian context. It is based on a case study of the Kumbungu District in the Northern region. Ghana has implemented a local government programme under its decentralised reforms since 1988, and this was primarily aimed at stimulating the active participation of ordinary citizens in the affairs of governance and in development intervention at the local community level, yet the available evidence highlights poor community participation in district level government business. Community radio has long been established as a communication tool that amplifies marginalised voices in democratic societies that are relative to identity formation and community development. However, there are very few academic discussions that explore the contribution of community radio in addressing the concerns relating to poor local community participation in decentralized local governance in Ghana. Employing qualitative research approaches for the data collection, a key question that this research addresses is how, and why, poor local community participation and weaknesses in local accountability in the country’s decentralised reforms are linked to an inadequate flow of communication and the lack of legitimate mechanisms with which to amplify the voices of ordinary members of the community. Additionally, this research explores the question of how CR is addressing the failure of existing communication systems in the local government structures to facilitate active citizengovernment dialogue and a synergy that strengthens the articulation of community voices and enhances the responsiveness of local government policies and initiatives. The study found that the poor community participation in local governance is due to the failure of the local assembly to incorporate into their mobilisation strategies and administrative structures effective, credible and trustworthy communication systems that guarantee the best interests of the local people. The research established that the concerns relating to low community participation in local government activities in Ghana is linked to the lack of access to local government information, as the civic education campaigns of district assemblies fail to address key factors that undermine local community participation in local governance. In the particular case of Simli Radio, the research found that the station encourages creative expressions and contributes to democratic processes at the local level through participatory programming, open access to its facilities and the stimulation of the local community’s sense of identity and ownership of the station, thus enabling the local community to contribute to issues that affect their daily political and socioeconomic lives. Simli Radio’s open access allows local people to focus on local issues, giving voice to groups and individuals who otherwise would not have had the opportunity to express their views, to hold local authority leaders accountable and to act in the best interests of the local community

The Social Media Scourge among University Students: A Study of the University for Development Studies, Ghana

In spite of the development potential of social media, various studies have revealed worrying trends of such media’s abuse especially among students of tertiary institutions. Using interviews conducted with students and staff of the University for Development Studies, the study set out to establish the frequency of social media usage among students, their reasons for using such media and the harmful effects of new media usage on the academic and socio-economic lives of students. The study found that Facebook and Whatsapp are the most frequently used social media followed by Twitter, Skype and YouTube. Also, more than a quarter of respondents use such media more than once a day while over half of them engaged in social media usage once a day. Moreover, more than half of the respondents used social media mainly to chat with friends and relations while a fifth used it for academic purposes. Respondents admitted that social media usage took time from their academic work. Some indicated that they spent about two United States dollars each day on social media and that they used such media during lectures, thereby making them lose concentration during lectures. It also emerged from the study that students put such media to perpetuate fraud. The study recommends that university authorities should regulate usage of social media. In particular, students should be prevented from using phones during lectures. Ghana’s National Media Commission and National Communications Authority must enact cyber protection regulations to reduce the harmful effects of social media usage on tertiary students

Community Access and Participation in Community Radio Broadcast: Case of Radio Gaakii, Ghana

This paper draws on the theory of participatory development communication to understand the nature and philosophy of community participation in development processes. It explored the symbiotic relationship between Carpentier (2011) and Arnstein’s (1969) theses on participation to propose four major indicators in evaluating the levels of community participation in Radio Gaakii’s broadcast. The paper also investigates the frequency of community members’ participation in the stations broadcast and ascertained the levels of satisfaction (or otherwise) of their participation in the radio broadcast. The study was based on cross sectional survey design. Multistage sampling was used in the sampling processes and 150 respondents across five listening communities were recruited for the purposes of data collection and analysis. The study found out that community participation in Radio Gaakii’s broadcast is limited to the radio programme listening stage and community members mostly participate through the use of mobile phones during specific programme phone-in segments of the broadcast. The study recommends establishing Radio Gaakii Listening Clubs to facilitate community’s participation in management, governance, programming and financing decisions to give true meaning to participation, create a sense of community ownership and ultimately, ensure sustainability of the Station

Understanding the Influence of Communication on Employee Work Satisfaction: Perspectives from Decentralised Government Institutions in the Oti Region, Ghana

The study examines the influence of organisational communication on employees’ work satisfaction drawing on perspectives from the Oti Regional Coordinating Council in Ghana. The descriptive survey method was adopted to gather data from 100 respondents who were selected through a probability sampling method. The study deplored the quantitative method of data analysis. The data derived for this study were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistical tools. Statistical tools such as cross-tabulation, mean, standard deviation, and linear multiple regression analysis were used to analyse the data. Findings from the study show that the channels operational in the organisation as tools of communication are face-to-face discussions, e-mails, memos, departmental meetings, group/team discussions, in-house training sessions, management/employee briefing sessions, labour union meetings, suggestion boxes, notices, and assemblies. Further findings reveal that most of the employees are satisfied with the corporate communication tools used in the organisation. Findings reveal a significant relationship between organisational communication and employee motivation which further enhances employee job performance. Organisations that want to successfully retain a satisfied workforce must be willing to employ a communication style that is more participative and employee-supportive. Based on the study findings the following recommendation was made: organisations should ensure that their internal communication networks are coordinated by experts in corporate communication. This can be achieved by creating full-time jobs for people who have received training in the communication discipline

Severe infection among newborns and children in Suriname

In the first part of this thesis we describe a study on the effects of expanding and modernizing the neonatal care capacity in the Academic Hospital Paramaribo (AZP), Suriname. Here we see a decrease in mortality among newborns admitted to the AZP, but an unchanged high incidence of serious infections (sepsis). In a subsequent national benchmark study, we show that the incidence of early (72 hours) onset neonatal sepsis (LONS), is a much more important challenge in this setting. In the second part, we first describe a study showing that viral respiratory infections are an important cause of serious respiratory infections in children in Suriname, with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) being the most common cause in infants. Worldwide, acute viral bronchiolitis is the most common lower respiratory tract infection leading to hospitalization in young infants, with RSV being the most common causative agent. In a literature review, we show that there is convincing evidence that activated neutrophils, activated vascular endothelium and their interactions, are key components in the pathophysiology of severe disease course in acute bronchiolitis. And then, in a pilot clinical study, we show that markers of endothelium and neutrophil activation are associated with disease severity in acute viral bronchiolitis

Learning Organization Practices: A Profile of SKF Bearing Industries (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.

Learning organization (LO) paradigm is now one of the most contemporaneous issues in management practices. However, the LO concept and its impact on strategic management research and practice still remains unclear and under-examined in Malaysia. Empirical studies intended to help managers implement the learning organization concept is hardly found. This research project attempts to redress these problems by examining the extent to which SKF Bearing Industries (M) Sdn. Bhd. is transforming itself into a learning organization using a model developed by Marquardt. (1996). The specific objectives were to: 1) identify different levels, types, and skills of learning practices in the organization; 2) identify method of empowerment of the people involved with the organization in terms of learning; 3) identify process of knowledge acquisition, creation, storage transfer and utilization in the organization; 4) identify the use of technology in term of access to and exchange of information and learning in the organization; and 5) identify the organizational setting and body in which learning occurs. Twenty six (26) respondents in all were interviewed; 2] on self administered questionnaire and 5 top managers on open interview using a tape recorder. Descriptive research approach employing mainly a quantitative method which was considered appropriate was utilized for this study. Respondents were asked to rate 10 statements for each of the five (5) variables in the model on a four point likert type scale, the extent to which it applies to their organization. The variables involved were learning, organization, people, knowledge and technology. The findings of the study showed that SKF Bearing Industries (M) Sdn. Bhd. is yet in a moderate stage of becoming a learning organization. It was clear from the respondents that SKF is committed to support continuous learning of its staff through numerous training efforts and has strongly embarked on Total Quality Management efforts to drive changes within the organization. It was also clear that SKF engenders internal learning structures and inspires and fosters learning. Decentralization, delegation of authority and sharing of knowledge with customers seemed to be highly emphasized. Knowledge management seems to be on a divergent thoughts. However people empowerment and technology application were revealed to be weak

Edu-Communication Strategies of Cashew Production in a Rural Ghanaian Community

This study examined the edu-communication strategies that agriculture extension service agencies use in the dissemination and promotion of innovation adoption among cashew farmers in the Kpandai district agricultural zones in Northern Ghana. A total of 140 cashew farmers were sampled using simple random sampling technique. Three District Agricultural Officers (DAO) and twenty-one satellite Agriculture Extension Officers (AEO) were also drawn into the sample. The results of the study show that, face to face interaction, field demonstration, entertainment-education through community radio broadcasting and Farmer Group Discussions (FGDs) were extensively and efficiently used by the AEOs to promote adoption of improved production technologies among cashew farmers. The study discovered that EduCom strategies contribute to higher rates of adoption and partly accounts for increased cashew yields in the study area. The indigenisation of agriculture extension services approaches using local language in the design and dissemination of adoption process is, highly recommended as a core tenet of technology dissemination if higher adoption rates are expected

Community radio in rural development in Northeastern Ghana: the experiences of radio Gaakii in the Saboba district

This research paper draws on the theory of development communication to explore the relationship between community radio broadcast and community development in Northern Ghana. It traces the history of development communication practice in Ghana and its application in Ghana’ s rural development efforts. The study draws attention to the special role of radio in development work by analysing the programming styles and formats of Radio Gaakii and its impacts on the community’s development drive. The paper also explored areas of community concern most addressed by radio Gaakii broadcast. The study adopted the qualitative approach in its design and employed in-depth interviews in its data collection. One significant findings of this study is that, the general programming style and format of Radio Gaakii’s broadcast contents are practically aimed at responding to the felt needs of the communities it serve. Socio-cultural issues were found to be the primary concern of the listening community that the Station has addressed most since its inception in 2011. The station also made giant strides in the areas of agriculture, health and sanitation, women and youth empowerment. A key recommendation the study made is that, Ghana’s Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development should take steps at mainstreaming CRB model into Ghana’s local government system by supervising the setting-up of CRS in every district capital (especially those considered rural and without community radio stations) in a non-partisan manner, with coverage reaching all communities within the district. This, it is believed will facilitate social communication and development among rural populations of Ghana

Ethical Violations in Press Coverage of 2012 Elections

In the wake of the 2012 elections, the National Media Commission (NMC), GJA and civil society organizations were worried that unprofessional coverage of the elections could lead to violence. This study analysed the content of political stories which appeared in newspapers during the most serious campaign season from 1st November to 6th December, 2012. It was meant to investigate the extent and nature of ethical violations, the nature of coverage accorded political stories and the amount of news-hole devoted to the various political parties. The study found that newspapers routinely violated Article 1 of the GJA Code on balanced and fair coverage since they often published allegations made by one political party against another without first obtaining a response from the accused party. There were also few violations of Articles 6, 11 and 17 related to respect for national and ethnic values, separating comments from facts and headlines and sensationalism. The privately owned papers committed majority of the ethical violations. Also, while the private papers concentrated on covering the campaigns of the opposition NPP, the state papers accorded more coverage to the ruling NDC. The study recommends strengthening of in-house ethical standards for newspapers, training of journalists and punitive measures by the Ethics Committee of GJA as ways of enhancing professional conduct