Corporate Social Responsibility Agreements Model for Community Development: The Case of Golden Star (Bogoso/Prestea) Limited and its Mine Local Community

In Ghana, community development is regarded by mine local communities as the most important aspect of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), to the extent that often community development is perceived to be a statutory responsibility of mining companies. Consequently, mine local communities demand for more and more, sometimes prohibitively expensive, contributions towards community development. The inability of mining companies to meet all the demands often leads to unsavoury relation between mining companies and their host communities with concomitant adverse effect on mining operations. This constitutes a business risk that needs to be addressed properly by shifting from the earlier practices of making voluntary contributions towards community development to making sustainable community development an integral part of the mining business. This paper presents the evolutionary strategic models, with differing principles and action plans, used by Golden Star (Bogoso/Prestea) Limited (GSBPL) over the years to manage the development of its Bogoso/Prestea Mine Local Community (BPMLC), videlicet from a poor Philanthropic Community Assistance Model (PCAM) to an improved but ineffective Community Driven Assistance Model (CDAM) and eventually to the current effective, successful CSR Agreements Model (CSRAM).  The paper also highlights the lessons learnt from the negotiation process that led to formulation of the CSRAM as well as the benefits and successes resulting from its implementation and the challenges. It is concluded that mutual understanding, tolerance, transparency, trust, commitment and accountability are key to the successful management of CSR and community development. Keywords: Social Responsibility, Agreements Model, Mining Communitie

A dataset of community perspectives on living conditions and disaster risk management in informal settlements: A case study in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa

This article describes a dataset of community perspectives on living conditions and disaster risk management in Khan Road, a non-serviced informal settlement, located in Pietermaritzburg, the capital of KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa. The data were collected by local community researchers via a structured questionnaire of 159 informal dwellers conducted between August and September 2022, using mobile phones via KoboToolbox. The dataset was analysed using exploratory data analysis (EDA) techniques. This household survey is part of a research project aiming to develop an evidence base of opportunities, risks and vulnerabilities related to housing construction and resource management in incremental upgrading of informal settlements in South Africa. This dataset can be used by local practitioners and policymakers involved in decision-making for informal settlement upgrading and help them prioritise resources and upgrading interventions based on what informal dwellers need. Furthermore, this cleaned dataset could support the analysis of further South African data guiding the development of digital platforms as a real-time resource management tool or guide the enhancement of existing theoretical frameworks in the field of participatory design and co-production used by academic scholars

Yields and qualities of pigeonpea varieties grown under smallholder farmers’ conditions in Eastern and Southern Africa

Pigeonpea is one of the few crops with a high potential for resource-poor farmers due to its complementary resource use when intercropped with maize. A three year comprehensive comparative study on the performance of six pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) varieties on farmers’ fields in Eastern and Southern Africa where intercropping with maize is normal practice, was undertaken. The varieties were tested for accumulation of dry matter (DM), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in all above-ground organs for three years under farmers’ conditions. The study revealed that the latest introduced ICEAP 00040 outperformed all the other tested varieties (ICP 9145; ICEAP 00020, ICEAP 00053, ICEAP 00068, and a local variety called “Babati White”) under farmer-managed conditions. The harvest indices (HI), ranging from 0.08-0.15 on dry matter (DM) basis, were relatively low and unaffected (P>0.05) by the environmental variation. The N harvest index (NHI) was 0.28 and P harvest index (PHI) was 0.19. The better responses of ICEAP00040 to favourable conditions could however only be realised in a minority of cases as yields generally were low. These low yields are still a major challenge in African smallholder agriculture as pulses play an important role in soil fertility maintenance as well as in the household diets

Mineral composition and assessment of human ingestion risk of twelve accessions of Moringa oleifera Lam

Increasing consumption of moringa leaf powder in Ghana is boosted by popular claims that the plant contains a rich array of minerals, vitamins and other protective substances. However, the safe doses of this product among gender classes and vulnerable groups are unknown. This knowledge gap demands an analysis of the mineral composition of the product and estimation of the risk (hazard) potential associated with the ingestion of dried leaf samples of the moringa plant. Mineral composition (Na, Mg, P, K, Ca, Mn, Cr, Fe, Cu and Zn) of dried leaf samples of twelve accessions of Moringa oleifera Lam. was determined using the Atomic Absorption Spectrometry aided by a fast sequential Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. Results of the study indicate that the samples showed variation with respect to macro and micro minerals content and that dried leaf powder of moringa can serve as an excellent source of minerals. Additionally, an estimation of hazard exposure calculated as hazard index presented overall indices of 0.0866 and 0.0443 for males and females respectively. Even though the values (0.076-0.097; 0.038-0.051) obtained from the samples are within safe limits, it is essential that consumption of moringa leaf powder is done on sound advice from a nutritionist since crucial factors such as gender, age, health status and exposure time contribute to individual dose needs and influence mineral toxicity

An evaluation of the benefits and harms of antenatal corticosteroid treatment for women at risk of imminent preterm birth or prior to elective Caesarean-section: an individual participant data meta-analysis.:Study protocol

Background: Antenatal corticosteroid treatment (ACT) has been widely accepted as a safe, beneficial treatment which improves outcomes following preterm birth. It has been shown to reduce respiratory distress syndrome and neonatal mortality and is commonly used in threatened or planned preterm delivery, as well as prior to elective Caesarean-section at term. There are some concerns however, that in some cases, ACT is used in patients where clinical benefit has not been established, or may potentially increase harm. Many women who receive ACT do not deliver preterm and the long-term consequences of ACT treatment are unclear. This study aims to evaluate the benefits and harms of ACT using latest trial evidence to allow refinement of current practice. Methods: This study will compare ACT with placebo or non-treatment. Inclusion criteria are: Randomised Controlled Trials (RCT) comparing ACT vs. no ACT (with or without placebo) in all settings. Exclusion criteria are: non-randomised or quasi-randomised studies and studies comparing single vs. multiple courses of ACT. Main outcomes are to evaluate, for women at risk of preterm birth or undergoing planned Caesarean- section, the benefits and harms of ACT, on maternal, fetal, newborn, and long-term offspring health outcomes. The individual participant data (IPD) of identified RCTs will be collected and consecutively synthesised using meta-analysis with both a one-stage model where all IPD is analysed together and a two-stage model where treatment effect estimates are calculated for each trial individually first and thereafter pooled in a meta-analysis. Sub-group analysis will be performed to identify heterogeneous effects of ACT across predefined risk groups. Discussion: Co-opt is the Consortium for the Study of Pregnancy Treatments and aims to complete a robust evaluation of the benefits and harms of ACT. This IPD meta-analysis will contribute to this by allowing detailed interrogation of existing trial datasets. PROSPERO registration: CRD42020167312 (03/02/2020

Trace and heavy metals analysis of Phyllanthus amarus and Phyllanthus fraternus in Ghana

Ethno-pharmacological uses and information about Phyllanthus species have prompted this work. The aim was to investigate the presence and levels of aluminum (Al), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr) and nickel (Ni) in Phyllanthus amarus (PA) and Phyllanthus fraternus (PF) in Ghana. Three different extracts (hot aqueous, hot ethanol and cold ethanol) were prepared from dried powdered samples of these plants. These extracts, including the dried samples of the plants were analyzed for the presence and levels of Al, Mg, Fe, Mn, Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, Cr, and Ni using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). The levels of Ni (0.43±0.24 ppm), Cr (0.35±0.04 ppm) and Cd (0.18±0.10 ppm) in both plant species were found to be very low in the dried samples plants and below the FAO/WHO maximum limits for vegetables, but were below the detectable limits of our AAS in the extract. Pb was not detected in the dried plant samples and in the extracts of the PA and PF; hence the plants may not pose serious health threat to consumers. PA and PF contain appreciable amounts of trace metals though they were all below the FAO/WHO maximum permissible limits in vegetables. The level of Fe in PA and PF (145.11±11.69 ppm and 179.94±14.60 ppm respectively) was found be to relatively high compared to the other elements analyzed. This finding makes the two plants suitable candidates for use in formulating effective remedies against iron deficiency diseases besides conferring some nutritive value to the patients.Keywords: Ethno-pharmacological, phytoextration, concentration, medicinal valu

Production of ent-kaurene from lignocellulosic hydrolysate in Rhodosporidium toruloides.

BACKGROUND:Rhodosporidium toruloides has emerged as a promising host for the production of bioproducts from lignocellulose, in part due to its ability to grow on lignocellulosic feedstocks, tolerate growth inhibitors, and co-utilize sugars and lignin-derived monomers. Ent-kaurene derivatives have a diverse range of potential applications from therapeutics to novel resin-based materials. RESULTS:The Design, Build, Test, and Learn (DBTL) approach was employed to engineer production of the non-native diterpene ent-kaurene in R. toruloides. Following expression of kaurene synthase (KS) in R. toruloides in the first DBTL cycle, a key limitation appeared to be the availability of the diterpene precursor, geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP). Further DBTL cycles were carried out to select an optimal GGPP synthase and to balance its expression with KS, requiring two of the strongest promoters in R. toruloides, ANT (adenine nucleotide translocase) and TEF1 (translational elongation factor 1) to drive expression of the KS from Gibberella fujikuroi and a mutant version of an FPP synthase from Gallus gallus that produces GGPP. Scale-up of cultivation in a 2 L bioreactor using a corn stover hydrolysate resulted in an ent-kaurene titer of 1.4 g/L. CONCLUSION:This study builds upon previous work demonstrating the potential of R. toruloides as a robust and versatile host for the production of both mono- and sesquiterpenes, and is the first demonstration of the production of a non-native diterpene in this organism

Testing decentralised treatment solutions for portable home toilet waste - Kumasi, Ghana

Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) and Unilever have developed Clean Team, a business providing portable home toilets that are attractive and branded. Customers pay for their waste to be collected two to four times per week. Three “off-the-shelf” technologies are being tested to treat this waste and allow Clean Team to scale up to other cities. The three technologies are Sistema Biobolsa, which uses flexible tubes as anaerobic digesters, and aerobic planted gravel filter; Biorock, where an anaerobic pre-treatment tank is followed by an aerobic tank containing synthetic filtration media, pretreated with enzymes that stimulate the growth of aerobic bacteria and ventilation executed by natural draft; and Biofil, which will receive the sludge from the Biorock system, and digest it using macrofauna. The paper will present the initial trial results

Evolutionary expansion and divergence in a large family of primate-specific zinc finger transcription factor genes

Although most genes are conserved as one-to-one orthologs in different mammalian orders, certain gene families have evolved to comprise different numbers and types of protein-coding genes through independent series of gene duplications, divergence and gene loss in each evolutionary lineage. One such family encodes KRAB-zinc finger (KRAB-ZNF) genes, which are likely to function as transcriptional repressors. One KRAB-ZNF subfamily, the ZNF91 clade, has expanded specifically in primates to comprise more than 110 loci in the human genome, yielding large gene clusters in human chromosomes 19 and 7 and smaller clusters or isolated copies at other chromosomal locations. Although phylogenetic analysis indicates that many of these genes arose before the split between old world monkeys and new world monkeys, the ZNF91 subfamily has continued to expand and diversify throughout the evolution of apes and humans. The paralogous loci are distinguished by sequence divergence within their zinc finger arrays indicating a selection for proteins with different DNA binding specificities. RT-PCR and in situ hybridization data show that some of these ZNF genes can have tissue-specific expression patterns, however many KRAB-ZNFs that are near-ubiquitous could also be playing very specific roles in halting target pathways in all tissues except for a few, where the target is released by the absence of its repressor. The number of variant KRAB-ZNF proteins is increased not only because of the large number of loci, but also because many loci can produce multiple splice variants, which because of the modular structure of these genes may have separate and perhaps even conflicting regulatory roles. The lineage-specific duplication and rapid divergence of this family of transcription factor genes suggests a role in determining species-specific biological differences and the evolution of novel primate traits