Customers’ Satisfaction and Attitude towards Electronic Banking Services in Ghana: A Case Study of Selected Banks in Kumasi Metropolis

This study examines customers’ satisfaction and attitude towards electronic banking services in selected banks in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana. The study used a descriptive research design and convenience sampling method for data collection. Two hundred banking customers often selected commercial banks in the Kumasi Metropolis were selected for the study and a structured questionnaire was used to gather the information. From the survey findings, the result indicated that 189 respondents representing 94.5% regularly used e-banking to transact business with their various banks. The study findings indicated that customers’ anticipations before the use of e-banking have been realised with  current services as 152 (76%) of the respondents strongly agree and 48 (24%) respondents agree that e-banking services charges being considered as moderate fee, 82 (41%) respondents strongly disagree with this assertion, 16 (8%) of the respondents disagree with the assertion, 80 (40%) respondents agree and 22 (11%) respondents strongly agree that the e-banking service charges were moderate.  All the respondents had complete satisfaction with the use of e-banking. The study concludes that the use of e-banking services have increased banking service quality and established customers’ satisfaction. Keywords: electronic banking, customer satisfaction, banking services, service quality, IC

An Assessment of Knowledge and Perception of Tax Obligation among Small Traders in the Obuasi Municipality of Ghana

The survey assessed the knowledge and perceptual experience of tax obligation among small traders in the Obuasi Municipality of Ghana. The survey utilized a survey method integrating both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The survey employed a multi-stage sampling process to select 400 respondents. An interview schedule was used for the data collection. The study findings, respondents were asked if they were well-informed as to why they should pay the tax, 296 respondents forming 74% said no they were not well informed as to why they should pay the income tax to the state and 104 respondents said yes they were well informed as to why they should pay income tax, 296 (74%) respondents said they do not ‘enjoy’ the benefits of paying tax, 342 (88.5%) of the respondents said yes their perception on how government spends their tax influenced them to comply with their tax obligation and 104 (26%) said no there was no influence of how government spend their tax on their tax obligation. Regarding the payment of Income Tax to the Internal Revenue Service, 282 respondents representing 70.5% did not pay income tax while 118 representing 29.9% of the respondents did pay income tax. The study concluded that small traders in the Obuasi Municipality have less knowledge on their tax obligation to involve enthusiastically with the tax process, their perception on how government spends their tax influenced them to comply with their tax obligation and majority of the respondents do not pay their personal income tax thereby affecting the revenue base of the country. It is recommended that Ghana Revenue Authority in conjunction with state institutions, and civil society organisations should hold more regular and well-publicised public-awareness workshops and campaigns to the general public and there must be the introduction of a formal tax education in the early stages. Keywords: Revenue mobilisation, tax obligation, Income tax, small traders, tax educatio

Epidemiology of overweight and obesity in early childhood in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries:a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

Introduction There has been a notable increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in school-aged children in many industrialised regions. The worldwide prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity increased from 4.2% in 1990 to 6.7% in 2010. Although many studies have been published, the epidemiological burden of overweight and obesity in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) is unclear. There is a need to bring together and appraise relevant studies in order to estimate the epidemiological burden (including incidence, prevalence, risk factors, trend over time) of overweight and obesity in this region and thus help to inform national and regional policies. Methods and analysis We will conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the epidemiology of overweight and obesity in early childhood including incidence, prevalence, risk factors and trends over time in the GCC countries. We will search international electronic databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, ISI Web of Science, CINAHL, Google Scholar, AMED, Psych INFO, CAB International and WHO Global Health Library for published, unpublished and in-progress epidemiological studies of interest published from inception to 2017. In addition, we will contact an international panel of experts on the topic. There will be no restriction on the language of publication of studies. We will use the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) to appraise the methodological quality of included studies. Meta-analysis will be undertaken using random effects models. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval is not required. The outcome of the review will be disseminated through conference presentations and peer-reviewed journal publication

Cash Budgetan Imperative Element of Effective Financial Management

A firm’s life highly depends on the availability of funds to meet impending obligations as well as efficient employment of excess funds so as to minimize wastages. This paper focuses on cash budgets as a tool that every financial manager should use in ensuring availability as well as effective utilization of cash. Whilst excess liquidity communicates a mangers lack of investment innovativeness, lack of funds to meet short term obligations could also depict a manager’s inability to plan on where and when to get adequate funds for business activities at a lower cost in the short term. Another area of interest in the paper is the role of effective financial management in any organization. Nevertheless, the paper concludes that cash budget preparations enable managers to identify possible future liquidity challenges and at the same time creates a platform for addressing such challenges

Psychological impact of COVID-19 on diabetes mellitus patients in Cape Coast, Ghana: a cross-sectional study

Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic has had a greater psychological impact on patients with chronic ailments such as diabetes mellitus, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS compared to those without chronic conditions. We explored the psychological impacts of COVID-19 among people living with diabetes mellitus in Ghana. Methods: this study employed a hospital-based cross-sectional design involving 157 diabetes mellitus patients aged 20 years and above. We assessed diabetes distress by the seventeen-item diabetes stress (DDS17) scale and COVID-19 worries by 3 specific benchmarks: “worry about overly affected due to diabetes if infected with COVID-19”, “worry about people with diabetes characterized as a risk group” and “worry about not able to manage diabetes if infected with COVID-19”. A close-ended questionnaire was used in data collection. Results: of 157 diabetic patients interviewed, the majority had type 2 diabetes mellitus with known complications and only 42.7% were managing COVID-19 symptoms. The participants showed moderate to high level of COVID-19 specific worry, moderate fear of isolation, and low level of diabetes-associated distress. About 33.8% of the study population expressed a sense of worry towards the pandemic. The logistic regression showed that age, employment status, and presence of other chronic diseases were significantly associated with worries about being overly affected if infected with COVID-19 due to their diabetes status. Age and sex were associated with worries about people with diabetes being characterized as a risk group and age, sex and employment status were associated with participants who were worried about not being able to manage diabetes if infected with COVID-19. Conclusion: the general trend indicates a sense of worry among diabetes patients during the COVID-19 pandemic which is associated with poorer psychological health. Clients' education and counseling on COVID-19 are necessary to address some of their concerns to minimize the level of anxiety and emotional stress in these individuals

Malaria elimination in Ghana:recommendations for reactive case detection strategy implementation in a low endemic area of Asutsuare, Ghana

Background: Progress toward malaria elimination is increasing as many countries near zero indigenous malaria cases. In settings nearing elimination, interventions will be most effective at interrupting transmission when targeted at the residual foci of transmission. These foci may be missed due to asymptomatic infections. To solve this problem, the World Health Organization recommends reactive case detection (RACD). This case study was conducted to identify individuals with asymptomatic malaria, their predisposing risk factors and recommend RACD in Asutsuare, Ghana based on literature review and a cross sectional study. Methods: The study involved a search on PubMed and Google Scholar of literature published between 1st January, 2009–14th August, 2023 using the search terms “malaria” in “Asutsuare”. Furthermore, structured questionnaires were administered to one hundred individuals without symptoms of malaria and screened using rapid diagnostic test (RDT) kits, microscopy and real-time polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR). Malaria prevalence based on the three diagnostic techniques as well as potential malaria risk factors were assessed through questionnaires in a cross-sectional study. Results: Cumulatively, sixty-four (64) studies (Google Scholar, 57 and PubMed, 7) were reviewed and 22 studies included in the literature on malaria in Asutsuare, Ghana. Significant risk factors were occupation, distance from a house to a waterbody, age group and educational level. Out of the 100 samples, 3 (3%) were positive by RDT, 6 (6%) by microscopy and 9 (9%) by rt-PCR. Ages 5–14.9 years had the highest mean malaria parasite densities of 560 parasites/µl with Plasmodium falciparum as the dominant species in 4 participants. Moreover, in the age group ≥ 15, 2 participants (1 each) harboured P. falciparum and Plasmodium malariae parasites. RDT had a higher sensitivity (76.54%; CI95 66.82–85.54) than rt-PCR (33.33%; CI95 4.33–77.72), while both rt-PCR and RDT were observed to have a higher specificity (92.55; CI95 85.26–96.95) and (97.30; CI95 93.87–99.13), respectively in the diagnosis of malaria. Conclusion: In Asutsuare, Ghana, a low endemic area, the elimination of malaria may require finding individuals with asymptomatic infections. Given the low prevalence of asymptomatic individuals identified in this study and as repleted in the literature review, which favours RACD, Asutsuare is a possible setting receptive for RACD implementation.</p

Haemoglobin level at birth is associated with short term outcomes and mortality in preterm infants

Background Blood volume and haemoglobin (Hb) levels are increased by delayed umbilical cord clamping, which has been reported to improve clinical outcomes of preterm infants. The objective was to determine whether Hb level at birth was associated with short term outcomes in preterm infants born at ≤32 weeks gestation. Methods Data were collected retrospectively from electronic records: Standardised Electronic Neonatal Database, Electronic Patient Record, Pathology (WinPath), and Blood Bank Electronic Database. The study was conducted in a tertiary perinatal centre with around 5,500 deliveries and a neonatal unit admission of 750 infants per year. All inborn preterm infants of 23 to 32 weeks gestational age (GA) admitted to the neonatal unit from January 2006 to September 2012 were included. The primary outcomes were intra-ventricular haemorrhage, necrotising entero-colitis, broncho-pulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy of prematurity, and death before discharge. The secondary outcomes were receiving blood transfusion and length of intensive care and neonatal unit days. The association between Hb level (g/dL) at birth and outcomes was analysed by multiple logistic regression adjusting for GA and birth weight (BWt). Results Overall, 920 infants were eligible; 28 were excluded because of missing data and 2 for lethal congenital malformation. The mean (SD) GA was 28.3 (2.7) weeks, BWt was 1,140 (414) g, and Hb level at birth was 15.8 (2.6) g/dL. Hb level at birth was significantly associated with all primary outcomes studied (P <0.001) in univariate analyses. Once GA and BWt were adjusted for, only death before discharge remained statistically significant; the OR of death for infants with Hb level at birth <12 g/dL compared with those with Hb level at birth of ≥18 g/dL was 4.1 (95% CI, 1.4–11.6). Hb level at birth was also significantly associated with blood transfusion received (P <0.01) but not with duration of intensive care or neonatal unit days. Conclusions Low Hb level at birth was significantly associated with mortality and receiving blood transfusion in preterm infants born at ≤32 weeks gestation. Further studies are needed to determine the association between Hb level at birth and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Haemoglobin level and blood pressure in preterm babies: relationship with mortality and short-term adverse outcomes.

M Phil ThesisBackground: Haemoglobin (Hb) levels as a good indicator of disease severity, various blood transfusion (BT) and blood pressure (BP) management strategies in preterm babies have been proposed; nevertheless, these lack the necessary evidence-base to support policy change. Aims: To investigate the association between Haemoglobin levels, blood transfusion with mortality and short-term outcomes in preterm birth. Second, to examine the effect of two different BP management strategies used in treating low BP in preterm babies. Methods: Data from 890 preterm babies and two cohorts of preterm babies with different BP management strategies were collected. Univariate, multiple linear or logistic regression analysis of short-term outcomes in preterm babies were performed. Results: After adjusting, low Hb was still associated with increased mortality. Predictive analysis for mortality done without including Hb, the AUC for the derived CRIB II was 85.2% (SE: 0.02, 95%CI: 81.2% to 89.2%) and with Hb added the AUC was 85.9% (SE: 0.02, 95%CI: 82.0% to 89.9%), an insignificant difference (p=0.11). Blood transfusion was related to adverse short-term outcomes with the majority of the babies being transfused being lower in birth weight and gestational age. Higher number of BT was associated with increased odds of all the adverse outcomes. Inotrope usage and treatment duration were significantly higher in the Active Hospital. Short-term outcomes were similar between the two hospitals except PDA odds of 0.47 (95%CI: 0.31 to 0.73 adjusted) which was lower in the Permissive Hospital. Conclusion: Hb at birth was a good predictor of mortality; however, adding it to the derived CRIB II risk score did not significantly increase prediction. Large numbers of transfusions were associated with severe adverse outcomes. There was no major significant difference in outcomes between the two management strategies except for PDA and BP. Maintaining BP above a threshold may help prevent adverse outcomes in preterm birth