Ghana’s Quest for Oil and Gas: Ecological Risks and Management Frameworks

Ghana discovered commercial oil and gas in 2007, and, subsequently, commenced production in the last quarter of 2010. In the light of the potential economic boost that will accompany petroleum production, its discovery was welcome news for Ghanaians. However, oil exploration and production involve several activities that can have detrimental impacts on the ecosystem. In this paper, the potential sources of pollution in the upstream sector of the oil and gas industry and their effects on the environment are discussed. Also discussed are existing national environmental management legislations in the extractive industry, and the implementation and enforcement challenges these regulations face. Strategies to curtail the effects of oil and gas development on the ecosystem are also put forward. These include the need for government to formulate petroleum industry-specific environmental protection guidelines and appropriate regulatory frameworks. Such regulations in managing the environment should employ an integrated approach involving (i) prescription of environmental codes and setting of standards by government to be met by operators, and (ii) the need for oil companies to develop environmental management system (EMS) to ensure that they operate within the environmental standards for the industry. Administrative and institutional restructuring and reforms, as well as the provision of the necessary financial and human resources for the various environmental agencies, should be encouraged to ensure effective implementation,  enforcement and monitoring

Palaeoclimatic Control on the Composition of Palaeozoic Shales from Southern Ghana, West Africa

The Late Ordovician to Early Cretaceous Sekondian Group of southern Ghana is made up of seven major sedimentary formations. One important feature of the Sekondian Group is the abundance of fairly fresh plagioclase in the lowest two formations, i.e., the Ajua Shale and Elmina Sandstone, and at the uppermost formation (i.e., Essikado Sandstone); but a virtual absence throughout the rest of the Group. The basal part of the Sekondian Group has been interpreted as of glacial origin whereas the upper formations are thought to have formed in a warmer stage. The abundant plagioclase in the lowest two formations could, therefore, be due to less pervasive chemical weathering rather than erosion of a distinct source. In this paper, geochemical data for fine-grained sedimentary rocks of the Ajua Shale and the Takoradi Shale (that overlie the Elmina Sandstone) formations are used to investigate the influence of palaeoweathering on the composition of the Sekondian Group.The concentrations of the transition trace metals Cr, Ni, V, and Cu, and Cr/V-, Zr/Y-, and Ba/Co-ratios are similar in the samples from both formations and suggest that they were largely derived from the granitoids that intrude the Birimian supracrastal rocks. However, the Takoradi Shale samples are enriched in Rb, Cs, Th, U, and Nb relative to the Ajua Shale samples, and this may be related to differences in the degree of weathering in the source rocks. The Takoradi Shale samples are characterized by high chemical index of alteration (CIA) values and Rb/Sr ratios (CIA > 75; Rb/Sr > 1) indicating high degrees of weathering of their source rocks. In contrast, the Ajua Shale samples have low CIA values and Rb/Sr ratios (CIA < 62; Rb/Sr < 0.5) that indicate low degrees of weathering of their source. The tectonic setting at the time of deposition of both formations was passive margin suggesting that the change in paleoclimatic conditions rather than erosion rates played a more dominant role in the observed compositional changes in these shales

Research-policy partnerships - experiences of the Mental Health and Poverty Project in Ghana, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia

Background: Partnerships are increasingly common in conducting research. However, there is little published evidence about processes in research-policy partnerships in different contexts. This paper contributes to filling this gap by analysing experiences of research-policy partnerships between Ministries of Health and research organisations for the implementation of the Mental Health and Poverty Project in Ghana, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia. Methods: A conceptual framework for understanding and assessing research-policy partnerships was developed and guided this study. The data collection methods for this qualitative study included semi-structured interviews with Ministry of Health Partners (MOHPs) and Research Partners (RPs) in each country. Results: The term partnership was perceived by the partners as a collaboration involving mutually-agreed goals and objectives. The principles of trust, openness, equality and mutual respect were identified as constituting the core of partnerships. The MOHPs and RPs had clearly defined roles, with the MOHPs largely providing political support and RPs leading the research agenda. Different influences affected partnerships. At the individual level, personal relationships and ability to compromise within partnerships were seen as important. At the organisational level, the main influences included the degree of formalisation of roles and responsibilities and the internal structures and procedures affecting decision-making. At the contextual level, political environment and the degree of health system decentralisation affected partnerships. Conclusions: Several lessons can be learned from these experiences. Taking account of influences on the partnership at individual, organisation and contextual/system levels can increase its effectiveness. A common understanding of mutually-agreed goals and objectives of the partnership is essential. It is important to give attention to the processes of initiating and maintaining partnerships, based on clear roles, responsibilities and commitment of parties at different levels. Although partnerships are often established for a specific purpose, such as carrying out a particular project, the effects of partnership go beyond a particular initiative

Antiretroviral Therapy, Renal Function among HIV-Infected Tanzanian, Adults, HIV/AIDS, .

Data regarding the outcomes of HIV-infected adults with baseline renal dysfunction who start antiretroviral therapy are conflicting. We followed up a previously-published cohort of HIV-infected adult outpatients in northwest Tanzania who had high prevalence of renal dysfunction at the time of starting antiretroviral therapy (between November 2009 and February 2010). Patients had serum creatinine, proteinuria, microalbuminuria, and CD4(+) T-cell count measured at the time of antiretroviral therapy initiation and at follow-up. We used the adjusted Cockroft-Gault equation to calculate estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFRs). In this cohort of 171 adults who had taken antiretroviral therapy for a median of two years, the prevalence of renal dysfunction (eGFR <90 mL/min/1.73 m(2)) decreased from 131/171 (76.6%) at the time of ART initiation to 50/171 (29.2%) at the time of follow-up (p<0.001). Moderate dysfunction (eGFR<60 mL/min/1.73 m(2)) decreased from 21.1% at antiretroviral therapy initiation to 1.1% at follow-up (p<0.001), as did the prevalence of microalbuminuria (72% to 44%, p<0.001). Use of tenofovir was not associated with renal dysfunction at follow-up. Mild and moderate renal dysfunction were common in this cohort of HIV-infected adults initiating antiretroviral therapy, and both significantly improved after a median follow-up time of 2 years. Our work supports the renal safety of antiretroviral therapy in African adults with mild-moderate renal dysfunction, suggesting that these regimens do not lead to renal damage in the majority of patients and that they may even improve renal function in patients with mild to moderate renal dysfunction

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P &lt; 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Observations and comments on the classification schemes proposed for the Voltaian Basin sediments on the West African craton by various Geologists

Subsurface data indicate over 6000 metres thick of sedimentary infill in the Voltaian Basin on the West African craton made up of three major lithofacies (groups) separated by distinct unconformities. These are: Lower Voltaian Group composed of over 2000 metres thick of induratedquartzitic sandstones with subordinate shales at the base, overlain by dense, greenish, poorly sorted and graded bedded sandstones and siltstones with subordinate shales of about 2000 metres thick; Middle Voltaian Group consisting of the triad: conglomerate – dolomitic limestone – bedded chert with intercalations of sandstone, siltstone, mudstone and shales of over 700 metres thick, and overlain by about 550 metres thick of greenish, flysch-type sediments. The Upper Voltaian Group is composed of distinctly continental facies (molasses) of reddish brown, chocolatebrown,brown coloured, poorly sorted sandstones, conglomerates, siltstone and mudstones of about 400 metres thick, and a sequence of thinly bedded, micaceous sandstones with clay galls of about 120 metres thick capped by massive cross-bedded arkosic sandstone of about 300 metresthick. Reviews of the classification schemes proposed by various geologists are basically similar. However, general discrepancies, inconsistencies and contradictions in the stratigraphic positions of some of the rock units have been observed, as well as terminologies to describe rock unitswhich are inconsistent with stratigraphic concepts and principles