EXAMINING INTERNET USAGE PATTERNS ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF MARGINALISED COMMUNITIES: THE CASE OF COMMUNITY INFORMATION CENTRES IN GHANA

In this paper, we explore the socio-economic effects of internet use at the community information centres (CICs) on livelihoods in three regions of Ghana. Sustainable livelihood framework was used as a lens to understand the phenomena being studied. Primary and secondary data collection methods were used. Three CICs in three regions were purposively selected and qualitative research method was adopted for the study. The data were analysed using Nvivo. The findings showed that sending email information was largely the reason why people used the Internet. We found that through the Internet, people learn, develop new business ideas and expand the market for their businesses. Internet service users cut costs of operation as well as increasing returns on investment. The internet as a social technology has also made business promotion and product launch accessible and affordable. Several small businesses have found ways to use theInternet to increase their brand awareness and get more clients at a minimal cost, and improved social discovery. With social networks like Face book and Twitter, people have easily kept up with all old friends and also made new ones both far and near. Despite these benefits, the use of Internet services at the CICs was bedeviled with some challenges such aspoor internet connectivity, cost of internet services and lack of staff skills to leverage its potential and empower clients. The result of the study provides a deeper understanding of the subject area, based on empirical evidence from the three regions of Ghana. The study recommended that CIC staff should develop a mind-set that is much more customer-focused and should treat the most underprivileged members of the communitiesastheirmostvaluedcustomersaswellastryingtounderstandtheirneeds and CIC project initiators need to be aware of the barriers that hinder people in marginalized communities from using CIC services. Efforts should be made to expand the benefits of the technologies to the majority. Failure to do this would mean that very few people would benefit from the CICs and the digital divide between rural and urban areas would still widen

Farmers’ perception about quality of planted seed yam and their preferences for certified seed yam in Ghana

The study examined the effect of farmers’ perception about the quality of seed yam typically used for cultivation on their preferences for certified seed yam. Heckman’s sample selectivity probit model was applied on survey data collected from 380 yam farmers. The study found that farmers generally agree that the use of certified seed yam would help to improve yield because of minimum to no disease/pest infestation. Farmers expressed their willingness to purchase certified seed yam if the price is about 26% higher than those supplied from the informal system in as much as the quality can be assured. The study found that farmer educational level, experience, access to extension services and household incomes were factors influencing farmers’ perception about quality of seed yam cultivated. Variables such as age, educational level and income were also found to be factors that influence farmers’ preference for certified seed yam. The results were similar for both Pona and other white yam varieties. The study recommends promotion of farmer education through increased access to extension services on seed quality assessment together with other agronomic practices including farmer field schools, to help improve their ability to assess the quality of seed yam obtained from other sources as well as increase their preference for certified seed yam

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

Users’ Perception of the Quality of Public Library Services in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana: An Application of the LibQUAL+ Model.

This study seeks to assess user perception of the quality of public library services in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana using the LibQUAL+ model. Based on a quantitative approach, the study surveyed 180 patrons of public libraries in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana using convenience sampling technique. Data was analyzed using interpretative techniques. The results showed that patrons were dissatisfied with the quality and depth of equipment and facilities (conducive environment for learning, internet connectivity and computers) and current library materials (print and electronic). A major concern was the absence of internet connectivity and digital collections. Among other things, the study recommends that public librarians would need to vigorously market their services to the general public and relevant stakeholders since the success of marketing the importance and role of public libraries in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals is likely to increase return on investments and also justify subsequent funding and support

Information security practices and it disaster recovery readiness: an assessment of Ghanaian government ministries

This study set out to assess whether information security best practices are adhered to in Ghanaian government ministries and to assess their readiness for Information Technology (IT) disaster recovery.The sequential exploratory design was used to focus on qualitative data first via preliminary interviews, this was followed by the collection and analysis of quantitative data. The reason for this approach was to use the initial findings to develop the survey instrument to administer to a larger sample. A summarized analysis of the data gathered indicates that a generally poor information security practice and poor IT disaster recovery readiness exist within the Ghanaian government ministries.The outcome of this research serves an original empirical evidence of the information security practices and IT disaster recovery readiness within the Ghanaian government ministries.Further research is recommended to assess the International Standards Organization’s Information Security Management System maturity level of the respective ministries and the prevalent maturity level of the government ministries as a whole.Keywords: Information, Security, IT, Disaster, Recovery, Ghanaian, Governmen

An empirical study on the effects of mobile telephony usage on livelihoods in Brong Ahafo region of Ghana

Meaningful use of mobile telephony can enhance human development and capabilities thereby empowering people to lead lives they value. They are enabling technologies to deliver human-centred development. This article explores the effects of mobile phone use on livelihoods of users in eight districts in Brong Ahafo region of Ghana. A mixed method approach was employed and qualitative research was used as a dominant paradigm. Interview questionnaires, focus group discussions and observation were used.  The study showed that mobile phone ownership was high and their uses were characterised by greater uniformity across socio-economic groups and gender. Mobile phones enhanced traditional structures, facilitated business links, and face-to-face interactions as well as strengthening community ties. Users acknowledged the impact of mobile phones in their ability to deal with family emergencies. Poor network connectivity and power outages were major obstacles to mobile phone usage. The study makes original contributions to the knowledge of practical relevance in the ICT4D field as well as with respect to these under-researched Ghanaian regions and provides evidence for policy formulation to improve quality of services in Ghana and elsewhere. The participatory Field Research also provided space for in-depth engagement with local people to understand the technology in social and development contexts

Information, Communications and Media Technologies for Sustainability : Constructing Data-Driven Policy Narratives

This paper introduces the idea of data-driven narratives to examine how the use of information, communications, and media technologies (ICMTs) impacts the sustainable growth of economies. While ICMTs have regularly been advocated as a policy tool for growth and development, there is a research gap in empirical studies validating how such policies may be effective. This analysis is based on historical panel data from 39 economies across the developed North (19) and developing South (20). The industry-standard Cross-Industry Standard Process for Data Mining (CRISP-DM) methodology was applied to construct narratives that weave extant theories with empirical data. The art of developing data-driven narratives is rarely addressed in previous research articles. In the narrative approach, prior research on how ICMTs and sustainable growth are quantitatively scored and measured is reviewed. Panel data from authoritative sources such as the United Nations, World Economic Forum, and Sustainable Society Index were collected, cleansed, and conglomerated for data analytics. This was followed by evidence-based reasoning to examine any possible relationships between ICMT development and the sustainable growth of economies across the “North” and “South”. The findings reveal that there are differentiated outcomes in sustainable growth in high- and low-income economies. This poses legitimate questions as to whether low-income economies will be able to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 through the intermediation of ICMTs. It is the intended contribution of this paper to exemplify how data-driven narratives using CRISP may construct rich stories about ICMT for sustainability for the purposes of sharing good practice as well as lessons learned.peerReviewe

Molecular detection of dengue virus in patients suspected of Ebola virus disease in Ghana.

Dengue fever is known to be one of the most common arthropod-borne viral infectious diseases of public health importance. The disease is now endemic in more than 100 countries in Africa, the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific with an estimated two fifths of the world's population being at risk. The notable endemic viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) found in West Africa, including yellow fever, Lassa fever, Rift Valley fever, dengue fever and until recently Ebola have been responsible for most outbreaks with fatal consequences. These VHFs usually produce unclear acute febrile illness, especially in the acute phase of infection. In this study we detected the presence of 2 different serotypes (DENV-2 and DENV-3) of Dengue virus in 4 sera of 150 patients clinically suspected of Ebola virus disease during the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa with the use of serological and molecular test assays. Sequence data was successfully generated for DENV-3 and phylogenetic analysis of the envelope gene showed that the DENV-3 sequences had close homology with DENV-3 sequences from Senegal and India. This study documents molecular evidence of an indigenous Dengue fever viral infection in Ghana and therefore necessitates the need to have an efficient surveillance system to rapidly detect and control the dissemination of the different serotypes in the population which has the potential to cause outbreaks of dengue hemorrhagic fevers

A: Influenza A subtypes by year, season, and age.

B: Influenza B lineages by year, season, and age. (DOCX)</p