Book Review: Women and the informal economy in urban Africa: from the margins to the centre

Book Title: Women and the informal economy in urban Africa: from the margins to the centreBook Author: Mary N. Kinyanjui(2014). London: Zed Books, pp. 140. ISBN 978-1-78032-630-6 (paperback

Shifting Sands: Language Policies in Education in Ghana And Implementation Challenges

This paper discusses the lack of consistency in language in education policies which have been endorsed by various governments of Ghana. A small-scale investigation carried out in two regions of Ghana exposes the current abysmal level of attention given to the indigenous languages in the schools in the cosmopolitan areas especially. It argues that the neglect of the indigenous languages might result in a communication gap between the non-English speakers and the educated, English-speaking elite who tend to represent the former group in government. This situation in turn could impede economic development and the democratic process as the voices of the marginalized non-English speakers would not be fully represented in governance. Similarly, the language shifts that the education system tends to promote, in the long term could result in the endangerment or near extinction of the local languages and the indigenous knowledge embodied in them.  The paper ends with recommendations towards addressing the challenges associated with the implementation of the 2004 language policy in education

Informal-formal linkages in market and street trading in Accra

This paper investigates the ways in which linkages between the informal and formal segments of an economy may yield benefits to or impose costs upon informal workers, based on views of informal traders in Accra regarding their relationships with the formal economy and its institutions. The data are drawn from the Informal Economy Monitoring Study (IEMS), with a World Bank study of informal household enterprises providing context for the IEMS-Ghana study and a basis for interpretation of its findings. Data from 15 focus groups and a survey of 150 traders from both central and non-central locations of Accra, Ghana, are analysed in terms of traders’ relationship to the value chain, non-government institutions, government and the macroeconomy. The last two are found to exert a strong, mostly negative influence on informal operators, offset to some extent by support from member-based organizations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Access to loans from microfinance institutions was an important influence on traders’ work and was viewed both positively and negatively. Although there are few visible direct linkages between informal operators and formal firms, they are to some extent mutually interdependent as retailers and suppliers in the value chain. Taking advantage of the potential synergy in informal-formal linkages will require government and other actors to become more proactive in facilitating, rather than denying, infrastructure, support services and adequate space for informal traders. The probability of such an outcome depends on the ability of informal traders to organise themselves.Keywords: Informal economy; Informal-formal linkages; Market traders; Street vendors; Ghan

Climate Change and Agricultural Policy Processes in Ghana

This paper examines agriculture-climate change policy discussions in Ghana in the context of, on the one hand, increasing international interest and activity around climate change and agriculture, and on the other, concerns over whether climate policy and funding priorities are aligned to domestic development priorities. The paper poses the following questions: What are the contested areas and dividing lines in policy discussions and practices around climate change, which actors are supporting different viewpoints, and what traction do they have in the types of interventions that are being promoted?DfI

‘To Beijing and Back’: Reflections on the Influence of the Beijing Conference on Popular Notions of Women's Empowerment in Ghana

The 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing was a pivotal moment for legitimating women's rights work in Ghana and served as a powerful framing for women's empowerment. This article explores the Beijing conference and examines its influence on popular notions of and efforts to promote women's empowerment. We argue that the discursive context provided by the conference shaped popular narratives about women directly and also through its influence on the ideas and practices of public institutions and civil society. There is greater acceptance that women have rights that should be promoted and protected, and that there should be institutions and systems to which they have recourse. However, significant work remains to be done in tackling the resistances and tokenism that continue to dominate public discourses and actions to advance gender equality. Further efforts to advance women's empowerment and gender equality in Ghana must therefore build on the legacy of the Beijing conference

Jean-Paul II et la communication sociale de l'Église catholique

Jean-Paul II a été favorable à une bonne utilisation des moyens de communication sociale pour renforcer les activités missionnaires de l'Église catholique dans un monde davantage sécularisé. Plusieurs autres auteurs qui seront mentionnés dans ce mémoire célèbrent ce rapport positif que le pape entretient avec les médias et les professionnels des médias. Toutefois une relecture des textes de Jean-Paul II permet de conclure que ce rapport aux médias prend en compte les problèmes associés aux effets négatifs des médias. Certes, son usage et sa compréhension des médias se trouvaient motivés largement par les avantages certains qu'ils offrent, dont il se servira avec habileté, mais aussi par les effets débilitants sur l’annonce de l'Évangile dans le monde actuel qu'ils provoquent. Ambivalent, ce pape réussira tout de même à tirer son épingle du jeu et tentera par tous les moyens de convaincre les Catholiques de l'importance des médias, toutes les formes de médias. Dans le but d'éclaircir ce rapport ambivalent, le mémoire formule deux questions sur lesquelles les analyses sont centrées : 1. Quels sont les enjeux problématiques des médias sous-entendus dans les réflexions de Jean-Paul II en matière de communication sociale ? 2. Quelles approches a-t-il utilisées en réponse à ces enjeux ? En définitive, ces questions permettent, du moins nous semble-t-il, de saisir des aspects fondamentaux concernant les apports de Jean-Paul II en communication sociale.John Paul II promoted the good use of the means of social communication to support the Catholic Church’s missionary activities in a rapidly secularizing world. Several authors that will be mentioned in this essay celebrate the positive relationship the Pope fostered with media and media professionals. A re-reading of John Paul II’s texts leads us to the conclusion that he was concerned with the problems that the media entails. His use and understanding of the media were motivated largely by the obvious benefits they offered, which he employed to great advantage, but also by their harmful effects on the spread of the Gospel. Ambivalent, the Pope knows how to draw on the best practices and attempts to convince Catholics of the importance of all forms of media. In the hope of clarifying this ambivalent relationship, this essay presents two questions to guide its analysis: 1. What are the problematic issues associated with the media implied in John Paul II’s reflections on the means of social communication? 2. What approaches did he use in response to these issues? In short, these questions allow us, at the very least, to examine some fundamental aspects of John Paul II’s views on social communications

Ideologies of language and print media in Ghana

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Effect of Chemically Modified Banana Fibers on the Mechanical Properties of Poly-Dimethyl-Siloxane-Based Composites

The study presents the mechanical properties of polymer-based composites reinforced with chemically modified banana fibers, by alkalization in different concentrations of sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The fiber weight fraction has a great effect on the mechanical properties of the composites. Stiff composites were obtained at 6 wt% fiber fractions with Young’s modulus of 254.00 ±12.70 MPa. Moreover, the yield strength was 35.70 ±1.79 MPa at 6 wt% fiber fractions. However, the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and toughness of the composites were obtained at 5 wt% fiber fractions. Statistical analyses were used to ascertain the significant different on the mechanical properties of the fibers and composites. The implication of the results is then discussed for potential applications of PDMS-based composites reinforced with chemically modified banana fibers