Managing rivers in Ghanaian small scale mining communities : a case study in Amansie Central District, Ghana : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree: Masters in Environmental Management, Massey University, Turitea, New Zealand

Water is a natural capital asset that must be preserved and sustained. In Ghana, rivers are critical and important source of water for the Ghanaian economy albeit with very poor and challenging sustainable management practices. This paper presents the findings of a study undertaken to assess mining and water pollution in Amansie Central District, Ghana. The quality of Ghana’s endowed water resources is increasingly threatened as industrial activities including, small scale mining continue to expand. Small scale mining operations releases high quantities of sediments, toxic chemicals, and other contaminants into water bodies that have currently damaged most Ghanaian riverine systems. In particular, this is more alarming with the avalanche number of numerous mining operations that majority of such operations are unauthorized. In addition to sampling respondent’s perceptions on small scale mining; its impacts and regulation in Amansie Central District, the study prescribes interventions that can assist in mitigating the negative impacts of small scale mining on community endowed water resources. Significant environmental performance and improved water quality can be achieved within the small scale mining sector if compulsory laws on protecting and improving water quality are adopted and adequately monitored and enforced and if government involve traditional rulers in mining regulatory frameworks to regulate unauthorized mining and to monitor community environmental performance

Ghanaian nurses’ emigration intentions: The role of workplace violence

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Ghana to examine the impact of workplace violence on nurses’ emigration intentions from 2013 to 14. A combination of purposive and random sampling techniques was used to select 12 public hospitals and 592 professional nurses. The results showed that 48.9% of the participants had emigration intentions. Junior nurses were 2.8 times more likely to have emigration intentions compared to senior nurses, and those who experienced violence were also more likely than their counterparts who were not involved in such incidents (physical 2.1 times; verbally abused 1.8 times and sexually harassed 2.4 times) to have intentions to emigrate. Binary logistic regression showed that workplace violence is a significant predictor of nurses’ emigration intentions. These results reiterate the need for pragmatic measures to curb workplace violence against nurses

“... they think we are conversing, so we don ’ t care about them ...” Examining the causes of workplace violence against nurses in Ghana

Background: This study is part of a larger project aimed at exploring the workplace experiences of nurses working in public general hospitals in Ghana. The current paper explores the causes of workplace violence against nurses in Ghana. Methods: Twenty-four semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with professional nurses working in five regions of Ghana. They were selected through purposive and participant-to-participant snowball sampling techniques. Data was analysed through thematic analyses. Results: The findings of the study suggest that nurses are not (always) passive recipients of violence. Workplace violence can be instigated by either of the parties to the nurse-patient/relative interaction. Nurses’ accounts of the causes of violence suggest that violence could be instrumental or reactive. The study further suggests that the causes of violence may differ depending on which party instigated the violence. The main causes of violence identified include ineffective communication, long waiting times and perceived unresponsiveness, and enforcement of visiting hours. Conclusion: It is concluded that workplace violence could be reduced through the provision of adequate information to patients and their relatives. Nurses could also be trained in effective communication and interpersonal skills; and on how to identify and avoid potentially violent situations. It is also imperative that policies and measures aimed at addressing workplace violence are instituted to address the problem. Mass education may also be carried out to sensitise the general public on the adverse effects of violence against nurse

Study of new technological implications to improve food productivity and security in Ghana : case insights into the use of drones in cocoa farming

Since the early 1980’s, in developed countries such as Japan and the United States of America, several technological applications have been used experimentally to boost food production and enhance farming practices, especially in areas which are not geographically accessible for traditional farming practices and machineries.One such technology which has been extensively experimented with and deployed is the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), which is an example of technological expertise pioneered by the military. Their growing adaptation in precision agriculture means that UAV have been used on farms in developed countries for crops grown on both small- and large land acreage for the purposes of identifying nutrient deficiencies, diseases, water and soil status, weeds, damage, and plant diagnostics.The study focuses on the adaptation and implementation of UAV in Ghana’s cocoa farming and the position of stakeholders in terms of their acceptance, as the country is currently the world’s second largest producer and exporter of cocoa. The study applies Disruptive Innovation theory and stakeholder theory as a joint conceptual framework by which to examine how new and long-established farms create, sustain, and continuously introduce creative and novel technology in order to maximise food production while assessing stakeholders’ attitudes and roles in the implementation of innovation.Conducted in Nkawie in the Ashanti region of Ghana, the study adopts a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews to elicit and collate the views of stakeholders on the implementation of UAV in cocoa farming in Ghana, ultimately analysing the resulting by use of NVivo software. The findings show that traditional practices and superstitious beliefs, lack of credit facilities can impede the acceptance of new innovation.The study identifies a comprehensive pool of stakeholders in the supply chain whose input significantly influences the implementation of UAV. Other key stakeholders maintained that limited support for local drone innovator community, access to funding, and corrupt practices hinder the implementation of this technology, although general awareness of its benefit to cocoa farming cannot be disputed. Despite the difficult conditions that arose during data collection due to COVID restrictions in the study area, 36 participant agreed to participate in the study through interviews. This study makes a specific contribution to the body of literature and policy framework on the drivers and barriers of UAV adoption and implementation in emerging economies such as Ghana in the cocoa farming industr

Generation and optimisation of real-world static and dynamic location-allocation problems with application to the telecommunications industry.

The location-allocation (LA) problem concerns the location of facilities and the allocation of demand, to minimise or maximise a particular function such as cost, profit or a measure of distance. Many formulations of LA problems have been presented in the literature to capture and study the unique aspects of real-world problems. However, some real-world aspects, such as resilience, are still lacking in the literature. Resilience ensures uninterrupted supply of demand and enhances the quality of service. Due to changes in population shift, market size, and the economic and labour markets - which often cause demand to be stochastic - a reasonable LA problem formulation should consider some aspect of future uncertainties. Almost all LA problem formulations in the literature that capture some aspect of future uncertainties fall in the domain of dynamic optimisation problems, where new facilities are located every time the environment changes. However, considering the substantial cost associated with locating a new facility, it becomes infeasible to locate facilities each time the environment changes. In this study, we propose and investigate variations of LA problem formulations. Firstly, we develop and study new LA formulations, which extend the location of facilities and the allocation of demand to add a layer of resilience. We apply the population-based incremental learning algorithm for the first time in the literature to solve the new novel LA formulations. Secondly, we propose and study a new dynamic formulation of the LA problem where facilities are opened once at the start of a defined period and are expected to be satisfactory in servicing customers' demands irrespective of changes in customer distribution. The problem is based on the idea that customers will change locations over a defined period and that these changes have to be taken into account when establishing facilities to service changing customers' distributions. Thirdly, we employ a simulation-based optimisation approach to tackle the new dynamic formulation. Owing to the high computational costs associated with simulation-based optimisation, we investigate the concept of Racing, an approach used in model selection, to reduce the high computational cost by employing the minimum number of simulations for solution selection

Neo-liberalism, Human Security, and Pan-Africanist Ideals: Synergies and Contradictions

No Abstrac

Workplace violence against nurses: A cross-sectional descriptive study of Ghanaian nurses

The aim of this study was to document the incidence, sources, and effects of workplace physical violence against Ghanaian nurses. Self-report questionnaires were completed by 592 nurses employed in public general hospitals in Ghana. Participants were selected using a combination of purposive and random sampling techniques. Nine percent of the participants experienced physical violence in the 12 months preceding the study. The majority of perpetrators were relatives of patients. Chi-square tests suggested significant relationships between type of hospital and workplace physical violence, and between intention to quit the nursing profession and workplace physical violence. Workplace violence had several negative effects on nurses including having disturbing memories about the incident and being “super alert” and vigilant. Strategies to curb workplace violence could include awareness creation among health care workers and the general public. Policies and legislations must also be put in place to address this social problem

Nandom in Ghana stands out to reaching a district wide ODF journey

Ghana has been using the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach since 2010 and adistrict wide ODF has been difficult to achieve. Nandom district in the Upper West Region of Ghana seems to be on a promising path towards achieving the status. The Sustainable Sanitation and Hygiene for All (SSH4A) programme implemented by SNV, The Netherlands Development Organisation and Eight district Assemblies in Ghana has been a ladder the Nandom district leans on striving to achieve a district wide ODF status. The SSH4A Programme, funded by DFID integrates best practices in sanitation demand creation, supply chain strengthening, hygiene behaviour change communication, governance, gender and social inclusion. Nandom district is poised to being first to be declared ODF with only eight communities remaining. Over 50,000 new people have access to improved sanitation in the district accounting for an 80% coverage. This writeup show cases key lessons learnt which would be used by government and developmental partners to optimize and sustain future outcomes

A Critical Look at Issues of Conflict in Academic Staff Promotion in Ghanaian Public Universities

Sound management practice requires that administrative decisions affecting academic staff promotions reflect systematic, uniformly applied, fair, and valid evaluations of performance. To meet these requirements, a performance evaluation criteria and procedures must be put in place to reflect two decision elements: what will be evaluated, and how the evaluation will be made. This paper reviews literature regarding the three main criteria (Teaching, Research and Publication and Service to the Community) for academic staff promotion evaluation and how the modalities and procedures of academic staff promotions could create fertile ground for conflict to erupt. The paper reveals that academic staff face their evaluation with anxiety. However, the implementation and processing of academic staff promotions are interfaced with challenges. It is concluded that both faculty and administration should cherish the ideal methods and purposes of faculty assessment. Among other things, the paper recommends that administration/management should institute a data-based academic staff performance evaluation programme; specifically oriented toward such administrative actions as promotions. As a sequel, management/administration should robustly enlighten academic staff on their promotion modalities and procedures

Assessing the Functions of Faculty Administrators in the University of Education, Winneba

The Faculty Officer in University Administration is a Senior Administrator who represents the Registrar in the Faculty and closely works with the Dean of the Faculty, the lecturers and other academic and administrative staff in the Faculty.  The Registrar in the Administration of Public Universities in Ghana is the Chief Administrator, who is charged with the responsibility of directing, coordinating, controlling, planning and supervising the work of all non-teaching staff in the University.  This paper establishes the roles and responsibilities of the Faculty Officer, and the challenges the Faculty Officer is confronted with as a representative of the Registrar who is the hub around which Faculty administration revolves.  In addition, the paper has, among others, suggested that a system of faculty administration which gives the Faculty Officer some semi-autonomy, should be adopted by UEW in order to make the UEW Faculty Officer an effective and efficient administrator. Keywords: Faculty Officer/Administrato