Male Involvement in Family Planning in Muslem Communities in Wa Municipality, Ghana

Background: The scarcity of resources in the face of rapid population growth and unlimited human wants has compelled countries the world over to take a positive stand in checking population growth before it outstrips resources. Also, addressing socio-cultural and religious beliefs surrounding family planning which seeks to control population has been a subject of debate for communities. The issue of family planning has triggered concerns amongst muslem populations regarding acceptability gap and effective use of modern contraceptives. With these varied concerns among the muslem population, some clerics are very cautious in discussing the subject while others have integrated the subject in their teachings by identifying knowledgeable religious leaders who offer religiously sound interpretations on family planning. Notwithstanding these challenges, available evidence on maternal health figures is alarming. According to WHO, over 818 million women of reproductive age from low / middle income countries have unmet need for family planning- they want to limit or space child birth but are not having access to effective contraceptives use. Each year, over 211 million women get pregnant and about one-third of these women end up in induced abortions. These have generated discussions on family planning in Muslem communities. This study therefore sought to find responses among males in Wa Municipality Muslem communities through these questions. Does Islam address family planning? Is contraceptives use permissible in by Islam?Methods: A cross section descriptive study of 120 muslem males in Wa Municipality was carried out from June to September, 2013. Contraceptive use was 24% among subjects.  The study identified Age, number of wives and educational level of respondents to be significant with contraceptive use (P<0.05). On the other hand, number of children did not show any significant difference with contraceptive use. The most frequently identified contraceptive method were condom, injectables and oral pills.Conclusion: The study identified perfect knowledge and awareness of contraceptives (100%) among subjects but a lag in uptake and non-approval (24% verses 75%). Keywords: Religious beliefs, Linen sheath, Muslim, family planning, Wa, Ghana

Influencing Rural Entrepreneurs’ Participation in Training Programs in the East Mamprusi District of Ghana

The objective of this study is to identify the determinants of rural entrepreneurs’ participation in training programs with empirical evidence from the East Mamprusi District in the northern region of Ghana. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain data from 120 owners of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises via a multistage sampling process. Logistic regression was used to analyze the data. The study identifies several factors to have significant influence on the likelihood of participation. These include entrepreneur’s socio-demographic features, access to services and past experience acquired in their business operations. Government, Non-governmental Organizations and Civil Society Organizations should, therefore, put more effort in widening the scope of participation in entrepreneurial skills development training. Appropriate attention should be given to gender, age, education, past experience, membership to association and media of advertisement since they are the factors that drive entrepreneurial motivation to participate in training programs. Rural entrepreneurs should develop the initiative to form associations where information on training needs can easily reach them. Any training intervention should also target young entrepreneurs to have more participants. These results have implications for entrepreneurship development in least developed countries

Managing Information Communication Technology for Optimal Service Delivery in the Banking Industry: A Study of Agricultural Development Bank, Tumu Branch

This study assesses the relevance of Information Communication Technology for optimal service delivery by the Tumu branch of the Agricultural Development Bank in Ghana. The study was motivated by the frequent criticism of the bank for poor quality service delivery such as delays in transaction and numerous link failures. Semi-structured questionnaire, interview and observation were employed to collect data from 126 respondents consisting of 6 staff from the bank and 120 customers, out of a customer population of 4,544 of the branch as at 28th February, 2013. This sample was drawn using purposive and simple random sampling procedures. Rust and Oliver Three-Component Service Quality Model and descriptive statistics were employed in the data analysis. The results indicated that the branch is fully computerized as well as the work processes automated. It was further revealed that the bank provides electronic banking products and services such as QuicAlert, QuicNet, QuicStatement and Smart cards. Among the challenges discovered by the study were frequent link failures, low speed connectivity and lack of customer awareness of electronic banking products. The study equally revealed that the bank has electronic banking products and services that have positive impact on the customers in terms of convenience, long hour services, and cost effectiveness among others. Among the impact of Information Communication Technology on the bank were: fast transfers of money, ability to store and retrieve data and greater work output. The study recommends customer education and e-banking services promotion towards improving the service quality of the bank and network upgrading to ensure consistent and speedy connectivity. Keywords: ICT, Products and Services, Optimal Service Delivery, ADB, Tumu, Descriptive Statistics, Rust and Oliver Three-Component Service Quality Model

Environmental Degradation and Small Scale Mining Nexus: Emerging Trends and Challenges in Northern Ghana

Small scale mining especially illegal mining commonly called “Galamsey” has attracted much attention in recent times. This study seeks to explore the emerging trends and challenges of small scale mining in northern Ghana. Using structured questionnaire, key informant interviews as well as in-depth interviews, the study sampled 57 stakeholders from two major mining communities in the Wa East district of the Upper West Region namely; Manwe and Jonga communities via purposive, snowball and accidental sampling techniques. The result revealed that majority of the respondents in the small scale mining in these communities were Ghanaians between the ages of 18 and 40 years although few minors were recorded to have engaged in the practice. The essay concludes that the search for livelihood among rural dwellers influence them to ignore the cultural norms that govern the use of the natural environment as it gradually look normal for people to engage in activities that degrade the environment without caring about the negative repercussions of their activities.  Also, weak institutional and regulatory framework as well as poor enforcement of the laws governing illegal mining could have further worsened the battle against illegal mining. The study suggests that though people are culturally sensitive to the use of environment resources, institutions mandated to regulate the operations of mining activities should be strengthen and people appropriately sensitized on the effects that their activities might have on the environment and their own health. The study therefore recommends that licensed galamsey operations should be encouraged and harnessed as a legitimate vocation for local economic development. Finally, alternative livelihood programmes to improve the economic condition of communities should form an integral part of the planning for any mining activity especially Small scale mining in Ghana. Keywords: Small Scale Mining, Galamsey, Environmental degradation, Cultural behavior, Structural challenges

The changing social environment for adolescents in Kassena-Nankana District of northern Ghana: Implications for reproductive behavior

This study reports on a primarily qualitative investigation of adolescent reproductive behavior in the Kassena-Nankana District, a rural isolated area in northern Ghana, where traditional patterns of marriage, family formation, and social organization persist. The study is based on in-depth interviews and focus groups with adolescents, parents, chiefs and traditional leaders, teachers, youth leaders, and health workers, supplemented by quantitative data from the 1996 wave of a panel survey of reproductive-aged women conducted by the Navrongo Health Research Centre. The social environment faced by adolescent boys and girls in the Kassena-Nankana District and its links to reproductive behavior are described. The principal question is whether even in this remote, rural area, the environment has been altered in ways that have undermined traditional sexual and reproductive patterns. The survey data indicate a considerable increase in educational attainment among younger women. In addition, it appears that the incidence of early marriage has begun to decline. The qualitative data suggest that social institutions, systems, and practices such as female circumcision, which previously structured the lives of adolescent boys and girls, have eroded, leading to an apparent increase in premarital sexual activity. The implications of these developments for adolescent health and well-being in the District are discussed

The Contributions of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises to Economic Growth: A Cross-Sectional study of Zebilla in the Bawku West District of Northern Ghana.

The mainstay of developing economies is the informal sector. In Ghana, most employment opportunities are largely hinged on the private sector. The contribution of this sector to Ghana’s economic growth through job creation cannot be underestimated. Globally, SMEs are noted for empowering citizens and economic growth of countries in Asia, Europe and North America. Though successive Ghanaian governments after independence in 1957 have made strenuous efforts towards reducing poverty and accelerating economic growth through formulating policies that favor SMEs, there is still a lag in knowledge regarding the presence of SMEs and level of development in rural settings in Northern Ghana.  The study sought to find out if the presence of SMEs could be linked to rapid infrastructural development, whether significant number of people is gainfully employed in the sector, and if SMEs have attracted the needed financial institutions through increased in credit facilities. By extension we also explored inherent challenges confronting SMEs and provided recommendations for entrepreneurs and policy makers to improve the sector in Ghana. The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional study design and data was collected between April and August, 2013. Simple random sampling was used to select One hundred and sixty (160) SMEs respondents at 92% confidence interval (C.I) at 0.08 error margin. To achieve the set objective, the study employed both primary (questionnaires and observation) and secondary (documented evidence, internets materials etc) data collection techniques. The study revealed that SMEs do not play significant role in employing youth in the District though most SMEs rely on free family labour to minimize cost. Some infrastructural development like roads constructions could not be associated with the presence of SMEs. 15% of respondents attributed SMEs presence to housing and electricity extension to selected areas. Onion cultivation dominated other crops production in the area and generated appreciable profits. Limited access to credit, Infrastructural development deficits such as decent roads, Onions storage facilities and irrigation dams for all year round cultivation were among key challenges outline as hindering SMEs development in the area.  It is recommended that, entrepreneurs should be encouraged to form cooperatives to enable them access bank credits since most financial institutions hold the view that, group lending minimizes the risk of loan default. Also, occasional capacity training sessions should be organized for SMEs on basic records keeping and entrepreneurial management skills. Keywords: SMEs contribution, Onion cultivation, Dawadawa / Shea butter extraction, Zebilla, Bawku

Environment, Migration and Food Security in the Upper West Region of Ghana

Ghana has achieved dramatic improvements in national food security in recent years, but concealed in this overall progress is a considerable measure of regional unevenness, with the population living in the dry savannah regions in the north faring the worst. The Upper West Region (UWR) is the poorest region of Ghana and has long served as a reservoir of migratory labour for the southern parts of the country, but in recent years migration patterns have been both escalating and changing. Increasingly, permanent UWR migration is focusing on the more fertile lands of the Brong-Ahafo Region (BAR), where migrants are able to access farmland in different leasehold relationships. A rapid research appraisal conducted in Techiman (BAR) suggests that UWR migrants view their growing settlement in the BAR to be a long-term phenomenon. It also highlighted how land tenancy issues are central to the challenges migrant farmers face, and are largely perceived as being immutable by the farmers themselves. Nearly all new UWR migrants must begin working in sharecropping relationships for BA landlords, paying out one-third of their harvest as rent, and over time they hope to save sufficient market earnings in order to lease the land outright. Despite these rents and the high cost of transportation, this chapter suggests that evolving migration patterns from the Upper West Region (UWR) of Ghana are connected to an intensifying system of domestic “food aid” (i.e. non-market transfers) back to the region, providing a crucial means of coping with its precarious food insecurity. With environmental conditions in dry regions of Sahelian Africa projected to worsen with climate change, the agricultural capacity of the UWR is likely to deteriorate further in coming years, with migratory pressures therefore continuing to rise. In light of this, this study points towards both future research objectives in the UWR and the BAR, as well as to the implications such research could have for policy interventions and locally grounded regional initiatives