SOCIAL PARTNERS AND POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGIES IN GHANA-CAN THIS BE A DEVELOPMENT SUCCESS STORY?

Ghana opted for the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative in 2000 and the implementation of GPRS I and II. Today, it is one of the best-performing economies in sub- Saharan Africa with striking progress on both growth and poverty. Research has also revealed that contrary to perceptions that waged jobs are not being created, they have in fact been expanding far faster than the labour force growth. In this work we examine social partners’ involvement in GPRS I and II, which could be credited with contributing to these employment outcomes. Our analysis indicate that, the experience of social partners’ participation in GPRS I and II has had some positive effects in enriching the broader policy environment with the extension of the participatory approach to other policy areas, raising the self-awareness of social partners in respect of their technical capacities and providing the opportunity for them to form partnerships to engage government. However, the story remains one of only limited success since the main employment challenges facing Ghana - translating its impressive economic performance into sustainable improvements in living standards by creating decent and productive employment, and remedying deficiencies in both the demand and the supply sides of the labour market is still eminent

An economic valuation of the Kakum National Park: An individual travel cost approach

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An empirical examination of the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis for carbon dioxide emissions in Ghana: an ARDL approach

The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis postulates an inverted U-shaped relationship between different pollutants and economic growth. In Ghana, as in many other developing countries, there exist scanty studies that confirm or otherwise the EKC hypothesis with regards to CO2 emissions as well as the factors that drive CO2 emissions. This work aims to bridge this knowledge gap by addressing these two major questions using data from 1970 to 2010 and the Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) Bounds Testing approach. The results rather suggest a U-shaped relationship between per capita GDP and CO2 emissions per capita indicating the non-existence of the EKC hypothesis for CO2 in Ghana. This implies that further increase in per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will only be associated with increase in CO2 emissions as the income per capita turning point of about $624 at constant 2000 prices occurred between 1996 and 1997. Furthermore, our results reveal energy consumption and trade openness are positive long run drivers of CO2 emissions. It is therefore recommended that the enhancement of trade liberalization policies should ensure the use of cleaner technologies and products while investment in cleaner energy alternatives could help reduce CO2 emissions. We also recommend the implementation of the Low Carbon Development Strategy which integrates development and climate change mitigation actions

Long-term electricity generation analysis and policy implications – the case of Ghana

AbstractThe pursuit of a cost-effective and low-carbon electricity generation environment is critical to achieving Ghana's economic and industrial ambitions. Ghana’s development agenda calls for an average electricity consumption of about 5,000 kWh per capita by 2030. To this end, the effective harnessing of energy resources requires the implementation of robust policies for sustainable electricity generation. This study employs the IAEA MESSAGE analytical tool to conduct a quantitative assessment of electricity generation in Ghana from 2020 to 2048. The findings show that, by 2048, a diversified electricity generation scenario will result in a 32.30% decrease in cost and a 55.27% reduction in CO2 emissions, compared to an accelerated economic growth (AEG) scenario, which will increase cost and CO2 emissions by 12.21% and 21.10%, respectively. The results underscore the importance of ensuring that electricity generation policies balance economic, environmental, and social concerns. Achieving a green energy transition agenda in Ghana and other developing nations will require a long-term commitment to a generation mix that is both sustainable and economically viable. The implementation of such a policy will require an informed and dedicated effort from all stakeholders

Correlates of flood preparedness in urban households: Evidence from the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area of Ghana

The annual floods in cities in Sub-Saharan Africa are exacerbated by the impacts of climate change. For coastal cities double flood burden from storms and sea level rise are phenomenal and in response, data is gradually emerging on the exposure of urban areas and households’ adaptation of which population determinants are mostly omitted. This paper uses a household survey of flood experiences, analyzed with the Tobit model to understand the social and demographic factors that drive households' preparedness for floods in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area in Ghana. Findings show that the age and income of the household head and planned adaptation significantly increased the likelihood of households’ preparedness for floods. While community access to financial assistance reduced the likelihood of household preparedness, membership in social support groups and the availability of community-level social amenities and shelters increased the likelihood of household preparedness by 0.81 units (p<0.05), 1.72 units (p<0.01) and 1.33 units (p<0.01) respectively. Therefore, enhanced education and awareness of flood risks are major factors of flood disaster risk reduction amidst neighborhood networks towards scaling the relevance of anticipatory flood contingency planning in coastal urban planning and management and a recipe for mainstreaming the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction

The Economic Impact of Climate Change on Road Infrastructure in Ghana

This paper estimates the economic impact of climate change on road infrastructure using the stressor-response methodology. Our analysis indicates that it could cumulatively (2020–2100) cost Ghana $473 million to maintain and repair damages caused to existing roads as a result of climate change (no adapt scenario). However, if the country adapts the design and construction of new road infrastructure, expected to occur over the asset’s lifespan (adapt scenario), the total cumulative cost could increase to$678.47 million due to the initial costs of adaptation. This investment provides lower costs on a decadal basis later in the infrastructure lifespan. This creates the planning question of whether lower decadal costs in the future are a priority or if minimizing initial costs is a priority. The paper addresses this question through decadal and average annual costs up to the year 2100 for the ten regions, using the potential impacts of 54 distinct potential climate scenarios