83 research outputs found

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

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    The Role of Financial Institutions in Housing Delivery in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana: An Institutional and Client Analysis

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    The commitment of government in providing social housing in Ghana is non-existent in recent times.  As a result, the housing delivery in Ghana is driven by individual housing construction through the incremental process or acquisition from private developers which is challenged by financial constraints and the need to acquire alternative sources of funding becomes a necessity. This study sought to undertake an institutional and client analysis of the role of financial institutions in housing delivery and employed a case study research design within quantitative and qualitative research methodological paradigms to examine the research questions. A sample of 7 financial institutions which were involved in housing financing were purposively sampled and contacted for data using questionnaires and interview guides. By using questionnaires, a sample of 150 clients with links to the financial institutions were randomly selected and contacted for data. The study established that the contribution of financial institutions to housing delivery was unsatisfactory because of the limited options available, and the lack of consideration for the majority, but poor Ghanaians. It was also found that the financial institutions had failed to exert the impetus for improving housing delivery in the country due to low patronage by clients, incidence of non-settlement of loan amounts with interest, inadequate long term mortgage finance, lack of government support, high interest rate, strict demands for collateral security, long, boring, and expensive processes of arranging for mortgage finance or loans. The researchers therefore recommended among other remedial options that efforts should be made to improve the patronage and the establishment of long term mortgage financing with flexible interest rates and redemption options. Keywords: Financial institutions, housing delivery, low income earners, Ghana

    Critical Drivers and Consequences of Poor Facility Management in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana

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    Facilities require massive sums of financial resources to construct and maintain. Available statistics shows that facilities constitute about 80% of the financial resources of established organizations. It also provides an enclosed atmosphere within which organizations operate. However, despite the financial composition and the inextricable link between facilities and achievement of the goals of every organization, it is very unwelcomed that they are poorly managed in many institutions in Ghana. This paper sought to fill the knowledge gap by identifying and ranking the critical drivers and consequences of poor facility management in the Kumasi Metropolis. The study employed case study as a research design within quantitative research methodological paradigm and gathered primary data from 102 respondents comprising of hostel caretakers, facility managers and maintenance teams using questionnaires. It was established the all the 11 drivers and 9 consequences of poor facility management in the study were considered critical because they scored mean values above the conventional mean of 3.5. The study contributed to existing literature by ranking the drivers and consequences of poor facility management. It was consequently recommended among others that rent escalator clauses should be used to regulate indisciplinary conduct of facility users and that facility management should be made one of the top priorities of institutional management. Keywords: Consequences, drivers, facilities, organizations, poor facility managemen

    Critical Causes and Effects of Payment Delays in the Execution of Public Construction Projects in Ghana: Fresh Evidence from the Brong-Ahafo Region

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    The execution of public projects is an indispensable recipe for socio-economic development in any country. However, the successful execution and implementation of public projects in Ghana has been hampered by payment delays. In the contrary little is known about the critical causes and effects of payment delays in the execution of public projects in Ghana. It is against this background the study was conducted to identify and rank the critical causes and effects of payment delay and to be able propose mechanisms and strategies for mitigating its pervasive. The study employed a case study sample survey as a research design within a quantitative research methodological paradigm to investigate the research problem. The random and purposive sampling techniques were employed to select 30 contractors, 10 consultants/experts and 10 clients.  The study therefore identified and ranked 10 causes and 13 effects of payment delays. It was realized that 8 out of the 10 causes of payment delays were considered critical because they all had mean score above the conventional mean 3.5 at 95% confidence on a five-point Likert scale with the top five critical causes of payment delay being; delay in certification (ranked no.1), poor financial management (ranked no.2), with holding of payment by clients (ranked no.3), ambiguous contractual provision (ranked no.4) and conflict among the parties (ranked no.5).   It was also revealed that 11 out of the 13 effects identified including the top five consequences of payment delays included; leads to abandonment of projects (ranked no.1), results in cost overrun (ranked no.2), results in delay in completion of the projects (ranked no.3), leads to bankruptcy/liquidation (ranked no.4)  and results in time overrun (ranked no.5) were considered critical. Based on the findings the study recommended that payment delay could be minimized if Proper payment schedules are been agreed by all the parties before the commencement of the project accompanied by regular communication between parties and prior anticipation cost overrun and time overrun in clear contractual provision. Keywords: critical causes, effects of payment delays, execution of public projects, fresh evidence, Ghan

    Patella sleeve fracture injury: a case report

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    Patella sleeve fracture is a rare injury that occurs in children and is characterized by an avulsion of extensive sleeve of cartilage and periosteum with small bony fragments, usually from the inferior pole of the patella. It is important to make this diagnosis promptly and act accordingly, because a delay or misdiagnosis will result in severe permanent disability to the affected child. A case of this injury is presented to create awareness among physicians, especially front-liners within the medical community in Sub-Saharan Africa, where such an injury has been rarely reported in the literature. The presentation, evaluation, management and outcome over a six months period is being presented

    Poor Facility Management in the Public Schools of Ghana; Recent Empirical Discoveries

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    Facilities in the public institutions of Ghana are poorly managed and sidelined in the financial planning and capital budgeting of most public institutions in Ghana. There exist dilapidated buildings and facilities in nearly all the public institutions of Ghana and the reasons behind such negligent attitude have not received empirical examination. This paper sought to fill that knowledge gap by empirically mapping out the causes and effects of poor facility management in two public schools in Ghana. The study employed the case study research design within a qualitative research methodological paradigm and gathered data using interview guides from facility management/ maintenance teams from two public second cycle schools in the Upper East Region of Ghana. The data was analyzed using thematic content analysis and taken through peer debriefing and re-screening of final codes by facility management staff to ensure reliability. The findings from the study run contrary to popular beliefs. It was identified that the empirical causes of poor facility management include lack of professional managers, attitude of deferred maintenance, budgetary limit on maintenance expenditure, sidelined in the financial planning and capital budgeting of institutions, and non-privy of facility management staff to the building design and construction stage. It was also established that poor facility management is characterized by a plethora of consequences including recipe for disaster, financial erosion of institution, malfunctioning and abandonment of buildings. The study recommended that there should be the establishment professional district facility management teams whose works should be supported by institutional facility management teams to oversee facility management in the public institutions

    Protecting habitats in low-intensity tropical farmland using carbon-based payments for ecosystem services

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    Tropical land-use change for agricultural expansion is the primary driver of global biodiversity decline. Efforts to stem this decline often focus on protecting pristine habitats or returning farmland to forest, yet such approaches fail to protect vulnerable taxa reliant on habitats within low-intensity farmland. We assess the economic viability of carbon-based payments for ecosystem services (PES) to protect farmland trees and fallowing in Ghana, which provide vital wintering sites for imperiled Afro-palearctic migrant birds and enhance landscape-level carbon storage. We estimate the carbon breakeven prices (BEPs) associated with alternative agricultural management scenarios that protect existing farmland trees. BEPs associated with tree protection on existing farmland were very low, ranging from US2.49toUS2.49 to US6.45 t−1 CO2. Extending and reintroducing fallow periods also carried competitive BEPs, US4.67—US4.67—US15.45 t−1 CO2, when combined with the protection of 50 trees per hectare. Accounting for leakage and economic uncertainty increased BEPs considerably, but scenarios protecting farmland trees and extending fallow periods remained below EU Emissions Trading Scheme prices. Protecting low-intensity farmland habitats and associated biodiversity is cost-effective under carbon-based PES. Implementation should be combined with efforts to close yield gaps, providing greater local food security and resilience

    Risk of spread of the Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae) in Ghana.

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    The impact of invasive species on biodiversity, food security and economy is increasingly noticeable in various regions of the globe as a consequence of climate change. Yet, there is limited research on how climate change affects the distribution of the invasive Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera:Liviidae) in Ghana. Using maxnet package to fit the Maxent model in R software, we answered the following questions; (i) what are the main drivers for D. citri distribution, (ii) what are the D. citri-specific habitat requirements and (iii) how well do the risk maps fit with what we know to be correctly based on the avail- able evidence?. We found that temperature seasonality (Bio04), mean temperature of warmest quarter (Bio10), precipitation of driest quarter (Bio17), moderate resolution imaging spectro- radiometer land cover and precipitation seasonality (Bio15), were the most important drivers of D. citri distribution. The results follow the known distribution records of the pest with potential expansion of habitat suitability in the future. Because many invasive species, includ- ing D. citri, can adapt to the changing climates, our findings can serve as a guide for surveil- lance, tracking and prevention of D. citri spread in Ghana

    Forest biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services

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    Forests are critical habitats for biodiversity and they are also essential for the provision of a wide range of ecosystem services that are important to human well-being. There is increasing evidence that biodiversity contributes to forest ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services. Here we provide a review of forest ecosystem services including biomass production, habitat provisioning services, pollination, seed dispersal, resistance to wind storms, fire regulation and mitigation, pest regulation of native and invading insects, carbon sequestration, and cultural ecosystem services, in relation to forest type, structure and diversity. We also consider relationships between forest biodiversity and multifunctionality, and trade-offs among ecosystem services. We compare the concepts of ecosystem processes, functions and services to clarify their definitions. Our review of published studies indicates a lack of empirical studies that establish quantitative and causal relationships between forest biodiversity and many important ecosystem services. The literature is highly skewed; studies on provisioning of nutrition and energy, and on cultural services, delivered by mixed-species forests are under-represented. Planted forests offer ample opportunity for optimising their composition and diversity because replanting after harvesting is a recurring process. Planting mixed-species forests should be given more consideration as they are likely to provide a wider range of ecosystem services within the forest and for adjacent land uses. This review also serves as the introduction to this special issue of Biodiversity and Conservation on various aspects of forest biodiversity and ecosystem services
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