Newly independent nations and large engineering projects: the case of the Volta River Project

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explicate how newly independent nations combined local and international resources to plan and build large engineering projects aimed at enhancing economic development. It discusses the key factors and issues related to the planning and building of the Akosombo dam and related townships from 1962 to 1967. Design/methodology/approach: Archival information from the Volta River Authority (VRA) together with other archival government data and interview transcripts before, during and after the completion (from the 1950s to the 1960s) of the Volta River Project (VRP) Findings: The paper presents insights from the Volta River Project in newly independent Ghana and demonstrates how multiple international firms combine with host country stakeholders to usher in one of the most important engineering projects in post-colonial Africa. It also highlights how poor bargaining power and weak integration of projects to future development objectives, with negligence by succeeding political actors could inhibit the full achievement of intended long-term project outcomes. Research Limitations/implications: Most of the conclusions are drawn from a single project within one country and would need to be supported by additional multi-country research. The study also presents an opportunity to explore how lessons learnt could influence policymaking in new large and complex infrastructure projects. Originality/value: The paper reviews antecedents, processes and outcomes of a major post-independence infrastructure project in a sub-Saharan African country

An integrated perspective on foreign ethical divestment

Much of the existing literature on foreign ethical divestment has been developed in isolation and scattered across multiple disciplines. This paper reviews the existing literature on foreign ethical divestment to extract emerging themes and outline new directions for future research. Our review uncovered that foreign ethical divestment decisions can be attributed to macro, firm and individual level factors. We therefore develop an integrated model to link the dynamics of ethical foreign divestment. The study identified a number of unanswered questions and implications for future research

Africa’s single aviation market: The progress so far

To promote the development of air transport at the continental level, several policies were introduced, leading to the Yamoussoukro Decision (YD) in late 1999, which had the liberalisation of the intra-African aviation spaces as its main objective. Even though notable progress has been achieved towards more market-oriented aviation policies, at the pan-African level some markets are still restrictive and inconsistent with the YD, particularly with respect to the granting of 5th freedom rights. This paper aims to examine recent developments in the aviation sector in Africa, with a focus on the implementation of the YD. The obstacles to liberalisation are discussed and several measures for facilitating Africa’s move towards multilateral open skies are investigated. These include, among others, a greater collaboration and co-operation among African airlines, as well as between African airlines and foreign ones; redefinition of the role and responsibilities of different institutions which are instrumental in implementing the YD and some further issues such as ownership guidelines

Biosorption of Mercury by Selected Plants – a Preliminary Study

Traditionally, mercury (Hg) is considered among the most toxic elements with several major health issues and serious environmental challenges. With the frequent release of Hg from artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) operations, aquatic plants or staple crops in environments polluted with mercury may accumulate significant amounts of mercury. Thus, result in mercury entering the food supply chain posing health challenges to humans. In order to ascertain the bio-sorption characteristics of some staple crops for mercury; beans, millet, corn and groundnut were tested. The plants were contacted with 10 mg/L and 50 mg/L solution of mercury concentration for 7 days followed by subsequent metal analysis of residual solution. The results delineate that, metal uptake ranges of 4.6-9.3 mg/l, 3.2-9.6 mg/l, 4.7-9.3 mg/l and 3.0-7.7 mg/l for beans, corn, groundnut and millet respectively for the 10 ppm Hg solution. In addition, 16.2-42.0 mg/l, 18.2-35.7 mg/l, 17.6-34.2 mg/l and 26.0-30.2 mg/l are the Hg metal uptake ranges for the 50 ppm concentration. This shows that the plants have the capacity to uptake mercury metal to certain degree. This also confirms that beans, corn, millet, and groundnut are potential bio-accumulators of mercury in mercury contaminated sites. Notably, the findings from this study affirm the hypothesis that in situations where the mercury is bioavailable, some food items harvested in such polluted areas may eventually enter the food chain

Expression of the Ordeals of “kayayie” through Mixed-Media Textile Art

The practice of kayayie by young ladies in southern Ghana exposes them to varying difficulties and struggles just to make a living. To bring to the fore such challenges in textile art, the study employed mixed-media materials and techniques to produce art works that communicate their struggles. To achieve the study’s focus, the studio-based practice was exercised supported by the Aesthetico-Action Research model by Cora Marshal. Non-participant observation and unstructured interview were the main instruments used for data collection. The study revealed three major findings. The first set of findings revealed that, super glue is suitable for varieties of materials and has the ability to wet the fabric to give strong bond with high resistance. Un-primed background before painting resulted in more absorption of paint to fill the amorphous areas of the canvas. Cotton fabric is a suitable substrate for producing mixed media textile art works. The project reveals the possibility of producing textile art using materials available in the environment employing combined techniques like assemblage, painting, sewing and applique to communicate a message. The project recommends that vocational training centres should be built to train kayayie and practicing artists as well as students how to use waste materials in the environment to produce textile art. Keyword: Mixed-media, Textile Art, Kayayie, techniques DOI: 10.7176/ADS/89-02 Publication date: January 31st 202

Resident Valuation of Kentucky\u27s Extension Fine Arts Program

Since 2005, the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service has supported agents and programming exclusively dedicated to the development and promotion of the fine arts. This article presents an estimation of the perceived value of the Kentucky Extension Fine Arts (EFA) Program by county residents. While controlling for several factors, we find that residents were more likely to support a tax increase to enhance their county\u27s EFA Program if residents were aware that their county employed an EFA agent and/or participated in EFA programming. We hope this finding encourages other state Extension programs to consider EFA programs

Scaling Up and Scaling Out of Darkness: Elucidating the Influences of Institutional Dysfunction in Scaling Up Solar PV in Sub-Saharan Africa

Although researchers increasingly recognize the significant impact of institutional dysfunction on emerging economies, there remains a major gap regarding its influence on firms' upstream and downstream activities in scaling up renewable efforts. Drawing on data from solar photovoltaic (PV) intermediary business owners/entrepreneurs and regulators in Ghana, this paper examines the mechanisms through which these activities interact to facilitate the scaling-up efforts of renewable energy. The study uncovers three unique interactive processes through which institutional dysfunctions shape scaling-up efforts. Phase 1 focuses on unmasking institutional dysfunctions as impeding forces on both upstream and downstream activities. Phase 2 signifies a paradigm shift towards proactively re-engaging and reshaping institutional dysfunctions. This phase entails a range of organizational actions, including strategic interventions, dismantling ineffective practices, and wider concerted efforts geared towards turning dysfunctional institutions into potential sources of opportunity. Phase 3 represents the final stage in the evolution towards scaling up, focusing on deficiencies in the aftermarket support environment, specifically maintenance and repair services after sales. The insights derived from the study offer valuable implications for practitioners, policymakers, and scholars

Drying Characteristics of Dried Banana (Musa sapientum)

Drying characteristics of banana slices were determined for 4, 6 and 8mm thickness in a conventional oven dryer at temperatures between 50-70 °C. Six empirical models were used for fitting the experimental drying curve. The influence of banana thickness and temperature on the moisture diffusivity and drying rate were investigated. Temperature strongly affected moisture diffusivity and drying rate. Drying rate increased with decreased thickness while moisture diffusivity dropped at higher banana slice thickness. The Lewis model fitted well the experimental data

Accounting for the Transitions after Entrepreneurial Business Failure: An Emerging Market Perspective

This study builds on prior scholarly works on institutions and entrepreneurship by examining the process of transitions and institutional obstacles that force serial entrepreneurs’ shift to operate in the formal or informal sector after entrepreneurial business failures. Using insights from 32 serial entrepreneurs in Ghana, a framework was developed and utilized to explicate how the pull and push motivations for the transition into or persisting with formality or informality after business failure unfolds over time. Our analysis sheds light on the processes and effects of the motivations on the persistently high level of entrepreneurial activities in the informal sector for many emerging economies

Critical perspectives on international business in Africa: An overview and proposed new research agenda

Purpose: This paper aims to highlight the different intellectual discourses and contributions made to the “special issue” on critical perspectives on international business in Africa. The authors also introduce the details of the contributions included in this issue. Design/methodology/approach: The paper briefly presents Africa as a fertile but under-researched context for international business scholarship notwithstanding the growing number of contributions in recent times. This is followed by a brief review and discussion of each paper in this issue. Findings: The paper captures the findings and contributions of the papers featured in this issue. Originality/value: The paper sets the context in which the other papers that are included in this special issue can be situated. Moreover, the paper engages with key issues and challenges relevant to African business and offers critical perspectives on the theory and practice of international business within Africa