Ghana’S Pension Reforms in Perspective: Can the Pension Benefits Provide a House a Real Need of the Retiree?

The Government of Ghana enacted another pension reform in 2008 to establish a three-tier Pension Scheme with the objective of enhancing pension payments, financial independence to the retired worker and also for capital mobilization for national development. The purpose of any policy reforms that seeks to protect vulnerability of people must be significant to address identified inadequacies in a previous one. This paper is very critical of the new pension reform (Act 716) of 2008 as it provides unrealistic benefit to the pensioner to meet vital needs (i. e A HOUSE), a cultural demand, the lack of it, is killing many retirees in Ghana. The significance of the concept of building a house in Ghanaian cultural setting and retirees is discussed extensively. The mortgage industry which the Act or Scheme relies on is also evaluated. The conclusions are very revealing that the mortgage industry in Ghana is very expensive, unaffordable and therefore unreliable to provide any low cost housing to low income earners and many civil servants in Ghana. The paper proposes that a holistic Pension Scheme that is focused and targeted to identified cultural needs must be established. Financial independence as emphasized in the pension reform act is good but myopic and cannot guarantee longevity. Keywords: Pension Reforms, Retirees, House Mortgage

Effects of Junk Food Diet and High Fat Diet Manipulation on Working Memory of Sprague Dawley Rats

Obesity has become not only a nationwide problem, but a cause for worldwide concern as the prevalence of processed junk-food is currently on the rise. Along with numerous physical ailments induced by obesity, emerging evidence suggests that consumption of a high-fat diet has negative neurological implications. The prefrontal cortex (PFC), known to play an important role in mediating “executive” functions such as inhibitory control, working memory, and decision-making is one region that appears to be affected by consumption of a junk food diet. In this study, we explored the effects of a junk-food diet and a high fat diet on PFC function. Rats were fed either a junk-food diet (19.6% fat) intended to mimic a typical Western diet, a high fat diet (60% fat), or a standard chow diet. Behavioral testing were then conducted following a 4 week exposure to the diets and included the Egocentric Morris Water Maze, Spontaneous Alternation, Novel Object Recognition and Attentional Set Shift. These behavioral tests were performed in order to identify any differences in working memory or attention between groups

Aesthetic outcome and the need for revision of unilateral cleft lip repair at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital

Background: The Millard method of unilateral cleft lip repair has been  associated with a short lip and a flattened nose on the cleft side. The aim of this study was to determine the need for revision surgery followingrepair of unilateral cleft lip repair at the Komfo Anokye Teaching HospitalMethod: Satisfaction with facial appearance (upper lip, nose and general facial appearance) was assessed quantitatively by means of a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), where 0cm indicates totally unsatisfied or “highly unattractive” and 10cm indicates totally satisfied or “highly attractive”. Three assessors - parents, surgeon and layperson - were purposively selected to score their level of satisfaction with repair of complete and incomplete unilateral cleft lip. The assessors also indicated the need for any revision.Results: The total sample size was 120, of which 40.0% were male and 60.0% were female. There were 79 cases of repaired complete unilateral cleft lip and 41 incomplete unilateral cleft lip. Average scores of satisfactionof parents were 6.6, 6.8 and 7.2 for nose, lip and general facial  appearance (GFA) respectively. Satisfaction scores for surgeon were  6.1(nose), 6.0(lip) and 6.5(GFA), while those of the lay-assessor were5.2(nose), 5.4 (lip) and 6.0(GFA). Concerning the need for revision, parents indicated 30.2% as needing revision, surgeon 33%; and  lay-assessor 40%. Of the cases that needed revision, 33.3% were complete cleft lip and 0.1% were incomplete cleft lip.Conclusion: Parents were more satisfied with unilateral cleft lip repair using the Millard procedure than either the surgeon or lay assessor. Those who needed revision were mostly children who presented with complete unilateral cleft lip

Exploring the Trend of ICT Adoption in Tertiary Institutions in Ghana: A Case Study at Kwame Nkrumah University Of Science And Technology (KNUST)

The integration of ICT in tertiary institutions is critically important, if Ghana is to produce graduates equipped to for knowledge and technological based economy and also to bridge the gaps between itself and the rest of the world. This research examines the trend and use of ICT adoption in Ghana, and its effect on teaching, research and learning in tertiary institutions in Ghana. Mixed data collection method was used. Data was collected on the trend of ICT infrastructure within the past 10 years. There are many technology infrastructures available but it is not fully integrated in teaching, research and learning. While the practice of equipping institutions with ICT infrastructure and using them to teach computer literacy to augment teaching, research and learning is useful, the goal of fully integrating ICT in educational, research, and administrative processes seems very slow. Another issue is lack of affordable and dependable connectivity with sufficient bandwidth. The unwillingness to use ICT coupled with unreliable electric supply complicates the matter. To make these methods ready for practical, industrial use, they need further work, especially the creation of supports and investment in infrastructure. The full potential of technology will only be unlocked by effective approaches to other essential IT challenges to Ghanaian education. Keywords: ICT, Infrastructure, Tertiary Institutions, and Ghana

Factors Affecting ICT Adoption in Tertiary Institutions in Ghana: A Case of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Ghana as a country has made ICT its cornerstone for development, this is evident from its ICT policy of ICT4D; part of this policy is to promote ICT in schools in other to turn the country into an information society. This study is to help understand the factors affecting ICT adoption and use in tertiary institutions in Ghana. This is an imperial study utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. The study showed that perceive usefulness and ease of use is a primary factor driving ICT adoption. The study also revealed that ICT is not fully integrated in teaching, research and learning at KNUST. A major obstacle is that though most users are aware of the potential benefits they are not ready or unwilling to fully embrace ICT. Several factors were also identified including inadequate infrastructure and skills to use ICT. The study recommended that management of Tertiary Institutions in Ghana must have a clear model of integration that will help to increase the adoption and use of ICT in their institutions. In fact, the integration of ICT is associated with several factors that encourage and discourage the use of ICT which the researcher termed as enabling forces and restraining forces. Therefore, to increase the rate of ICT adoption, Tertiary Institutions need to improve the encouraging factors and reduce the discourage factors to a minimal. Keywords:ICT Adoption, Tertiary Institutions, Ghana, Model of Integration, ICT4D

Emerging trends of Electronic Banking in Ghana

The Government and Bank of Ghana have made it a priority to motivate existing banking customers and to reach the unbanked through the use of ICT.  This strategy is also recognized as a relevant tool in the fight against poverty.  In spite of this effort majority of Ghanaians still remain unbanked because the present financial service delivery methods are not able to meet the challenges of the customers, especially when it comes to serving remote communities and market men/women who finds it difficult to leave their shops and visit the bank.  An ICT innovation like the speedbanking provides some hope to help solve these problems. Keywords: speedbanking, electronic cards, unbanked, Information and Communication Technology (ICT

Deepening the Knowledge on Information Security Management in Developing Countries: Evidence from Ghana

Following the seamless integration of the internet with computer information systems and the rapid increase in the number of people worldwide who possess the skills needed to launch cyber-attacks on public communication systems, businesses and organizations can hardly assume adequate security by depending on anonymity and geographical location. The basis of this study deepens knowledge on information security management in developing countries. This study uses both quantitative and qualitative approaches to examine the information security management practices of Social Security and National Trust in Ghana. Findings from results from the study suggest significant indications of human factor vulnerabilities and threats to information security. Findings also suggest that high levels of vulnerability to an external attack. Other findings however indicate management level recognition of education and training as very essential in improving information security practices. Although the results of this study may not be generalizable, we recommend that the issue of education and training on information security management should be made top priority on the IT agendas of all organizations in Ghana. A further study is proposed to assess the value placed on information security management within the context of developing countries and the factors that influence these values. Keywords: Information Security Management, Cyber-attack, developing countries, computerization, security policy, security awareness, education and trainin

E-Procurement as an Alternate Paradigm to the Challenges of Procuring Goods and Services in the Public Sector - A Case Study of Ghana Cocoa Board

The main purpose of the research was to identify challenges that procurement officers encounter in their day to day activities of procuring goods and services for their organization. Ghana Cocoa Board was used as a case study and an extensive study conducted on e-procurement to assess if it would serve as a better alternative to the manual way of procuring items and services in public institutions. Scholarly articles were reviewed to provide an empirical insight into the impact of using e-procurement in institutions. Questionnaires and interviews were used to assess the views of the respondents. Upon collecting the data and analyzing the results, the findings of the study revealed that procurement officers were faced with challenges such as long lead-times in the procurement of goods and services, delay in the execution of task and lack of transparency in the procurement process. Also the procurement officers and the staff members interviewed were of the view that e-procurement would be better alternative to the manual procedure used for procuring goods and services. The researchers recommended that the Ghana Public Procurement Authority (PPA) should adopt pragmatic steps towards educating procurement officers on the value of e-procurement and subsequently (the PPA) should consider encouraging all procurement entities to adopt e-procurement for the purchasing of goods rather than the manual method of procurement. Keywords: e-Procurement, Transparency, Public Procurement Authority (PPA)

Lipid and Lipoprotein Levels in Type 2 Diabetes Patients Attending the Central Regional Hospital in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana

Purpose: To ascertain the prevalence of dyslipidaemia in diabetics in Cape Coast.Methods: This preliminary outpatient-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 79 diabetic patients (22 males and 57 females) receiving treatment at the Central Regional Hospital (CRH) in the Cape Coast Metropolis. Serum lipid profiles of the fasting diabetic patients were determined between September, 2008 and May, 2009. In addition, demographic information, height and weight were measured and BMI was computed.Results: BMI was significantly (P = 0.001) higher in females than in males, but the mean values of all the remaining measured parameters were comparable (P>0.05) between the sexes. No significant (P>0.05) correlation was observed between age or BMI and cholesterol levels. Percentage dyslipidaemia ranged from 7.60% to 55.70% in the studysample. A significantly (P<0.05) higher proportion of females than males in the entire sample were overweight/obese, had higher levels of total cholesterol (TCHOL) and TRG. No significant difference (P>0.05) was observed between proportions of individuals in both sexes who exhibited higher LDL-c but lower levels of HDL-c..Conclusion: Lipid profile should be a routine test for all diabetics receiving treatment at the CRH to identify those at increased cardiovascular risk for immediate attention.Keywords: Dyslipidaemia, Cardiovascular, Cholesterol, Body mass inde

HIV diagnosis disclosure to infected children and adolescents; challenges of family caregivers in the Central Region of Ghana

Background Disclosure of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) to infected older children and adolescents is essential for both personal health maintenance and HIV prevention within the larger population. Non-disclosure of HIV status has been identified as one of the potential barriers to optimum adherence especially in children and adolescents. Like many other countries in the SSA region, Ghana has significant number of children and adolescents infected by HIV, who have increased survival times, due to increased access to ART. However, both family caregivers and healthcare workers face an array of challenges with the disclosure process, including the timing, what information about the child’s HIV status should be shared with him/her and how to go about it. The aim of the study was to identify family caregiver factors associated with non-disclosure of HIV status to infected children and adolescents accessing Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) at the three main ART sites within the Central Region of Ghana. Methods A quantitative analytical survey was conducted among 103 family caregivers of HIV infected children (aged 6–17 years) assessing ART services in the Central Region of Ghana. Data were analyzed using SSPS version 21. Results The age range of caregivers was 20–69 years. The study found a low disclosure rate (23.3%) among caregivers. Majority of the caregivers (80.6%) lacked knowledge on the process of disclosure (how and what to tell child), and majority (64%) also had never received guidance about the disclosure process from their healthcare providers. The main barriers to disclosure were caregiver lack of knowledge regarding the disclosure process and when to disclose, the fear of child’s reaction, and fear of stigmatization and associated negative social consequences. Conclusion These findings suggest a lesser involvement of health care providers in preparing caregivers for the disclosure process. This therefore highlight the need for the National HIV/AIDS/STI Control Program to strengthen the involvement and training of healthcare providers in HIV diagnosis disclosure to infected children, based on context-specific policy guidelines informed by the WHO recommendations