Users’ Perceptions of Service Quality in Murtala Muhammed International Airport (Mmia), Lagos, Nigeria

MMIA enjoys the position of aviation hub in Nigeria, in terms of passengers’ and freights movements. This is because of the available facilities and services. The functionalities of these services and facilities have come under scrutiny of late. This study looks at this from the users’ perspective aimed at proffering recommendations for meeting the myriad shortfalls of the Nigeria’s pride. This would offer the airport managers, policy makers, aviation experts, researchers, air transport students and the general public a useful guide all streamlined for better service delivery in time, efficiency, comfort, cost and functionality.  Furthermore, the troubles in the airline industry can provide important lessons for managers in other industries interested in questions of customer service. Keywords: airport, users’ perceptions, service qualit

Rate of Mobile Phone Usage by Automobile Drivers in Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria

Drivers do engage in the use of mobile phone while driving despite the legislation frowning at such act. This cross sectional mixed method study sought to find out the rate of usage of phones in the three residential density areas in Ibadan. Multi-stage sampling techniques were used for the questionnaire administration and purposive sampling technique for observation. The results of the analysis revealed more males used mobile phones while driving in the three residential density areas; total volume of traffic per day is highest in the medium density area; highest percentage of violation was recorded between 3pm-4pm; highest percentage of drivers were spotted using mobile phone on the wheel on Monday and recommendations were offered to reduce the rate of mobile phone usage by drivers. Keywords: mobile phone, automobile drivers, residential density areas

Bus Passenger Movement in Ghana: A Case of Intercity State Transport Corporation (ISTC) Coaches Ltd.

The Intercity State Transport Company is one of the two state funded transport companies in Ghana competing with a range of other service providers mainly from the private sector in the industry. Once well respected and described as the pride of intercity travels in Ghana, it is currently a mere shadow of its former glory with rapid decline in passenger movements over the past years. This study sought to analyse passenger movements over the past five years and also explored challenges that have led to the steady decline of ISTC over the years. Secondary data was provided by the company and this was complemented with in-depth interviews with management. Findings of the study revealed that the service suffered a 60% decline in passenger movement between 2007 and 2011; however there was a high utilization of its services in January 2010 and December 2011. Finally, there was no statistically significant difference in the volume of passengers between 2010 and 2011. Keywords: intercity, intercity bus, passenger movement, ISTC

Drivers’ and Passengers’ Perspectives on Factors Influencing Intercity Bus Travel Time on the Accra-Takoradi Route, Ghana: an Exploratory Approach

The purpose of the study is to qualitatively ascertain the factors influencing intercity bus transport travel time on the Accra-Takoradi route in Ghana. The cross sectional study involved the use of in-depth interviews conducted on fourteen drivers and forty two passengers of GPRTU, VIP, VVIP, ISTC, MMT, DIPLOMAT and FORD on the route. This was supported with participants and non-participants observations. The identified determinants were time of departure,  purpose of travel, day/night journey, volume of traffic on the route, place of refueling, number of stoppages for  passengers, the nature of the road, the type of bus, approved rest stops, speed limit, the presence of MTTD officials, presence of toll booths, volume of passengers’ luggage and so on. Recommendations were proffered to reduce tension that might be generated by lack of understanding between the driver and the passengers on the travel time. Key words: Travel time, passengers, drivers, intercity bus

Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction of Public Transport on Cape Coast-Accra Route, Ghana

This study is to investigate customer satisfaction using SERVQUAL model with regards to public transportation, specifically intercity bus on Cape Coast- Accra route in Ghana. The SERVQUAL method comprised five dimensions namely reliability, assurance, tangibility, empathy and responsiveness. These five dimensions comprise 26 attributes. The route purposively chosen was Cape Coast- Accra route on which 162 copies of self-administered questionnaires were served on passengers by systematic sample. The results indicate gaps in two of the five dimensions and 15 attributes were ascertained to have influenced perception of service quality leading to customer dissatisfaction. Recommendations for improvement in service quality resulting in customer satisfaction have been made. Keywords: public transport, intercity bus, SERVQUAL, customer satisfactio

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Managing traffic congestion in the Accra Central Market, Ghana

Traffic congestion is a major phenomenon in most Ghanaian cities, especially in market centers resulting in massive delays, a decrease in productivity and reduction in sales. Therefore, the study sought to assess the management of traffic congestion in the Accra Central Market. The study employed an exploratory design to sample 300 respondents through the administration of questionnaires. In-depth interviews were conducted with four officials of management institutions in Accra. The quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS v 21 whereas the qualitative data was manually analyzed. The study revealed that bad attitude of drivers, traders, and pedestrians, Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) and poor road designs were the main causes of traffic congestion. The effects of traffic congestion are decreasing sales and productivity and cause stress. The study recommends public education, strict enforcement of road traffic regulations, and provision of adequate parking spaces to help manage traffic congestion in the Accra Central market. Keywords: Ghana, Market centers, Traffic congestion, Measure

Self-reported pedestrian knowledge of safety by school children in cape coast metropolis, Ghana

The incidence of a pedestrian crash is a leading cause of death among Ghanaian schoolchildren due to various factors including the lack of pedestrian walkways and zebra crossings. This study was a cross-sectional self-reported survey to investigate the means of transport by school children, the incidence of pedestrian crashes among school children and knowledge of pedestrian safety. The survey focused on three basic schools in the High and Medium-Income Residential Areas in the Metropolis and was administered to 230 school children with observations. Descriptive and pair-sampled t-test analyses were conducted to assess the differences in pedestrian safety knowledge by gender, age, education and the incidence of pedestrian crashes. The results revealed that transporting/dropping off by vehicles and walking were the major forms of travel for school children with the majority of those walking unaccompanied. Female, younger and lower primary school children were largely victims of pedestrian crashes because of low pedestrian safety knowledge. The findings have emphasized the need for evidence-based safety promotion and injury prevention in the high and medium-income areas of the Cape Coast Metropolis

Exploration of motorcyclists’ red-light running and helmet use at signalized intersections in Ghana

There is a dearth of empirical studies on motorcyclists’ red-light running and helmet use at signalized intersections in low and middle-income countries like Ghana, Nigeria and Malaysia. This study seeks to fill the gap by looking at red-light running and helmet use at signalized intersections in the Cape Coast metropolis, Ghana. The study also identified potential areas of intervention to reduce the dangers posed by motorcyclists’ red-light running in the Cape Coast Metropolis without the use of a helmet. A naturalistic exploratory un-obstructive observational approach was used in assessing this phenomenon. The relationship between motorcyclists’ behaviors and motorcyclists’ observed demographic characteristics, the locality of the intersection, time of the week and presence of pillion passengers were analyzed. Chi-Square test of independence was used to establish the statistically significant relationships between dependent and independent variables. In all, 2,225 motorcyclists and 744 pillion passengers were observed. The results revealed that 33.1% of the motorcyclists ran a red light with 45.4% not using a helmet. Red-light running at signalized intersections was significantly linked to the locality of the intersection, time of the week, and helmet use. The helmet use was low and significantly associated with the presence of a pillion passenger and whether the pillion passenger used a helmet or not. Red-light running is influenced by locality of intersection, time of the week and helmet use. Efforts to reduce red-light running and improve helmet use should involve road safety education, awareness creation, and enforcement of traffic laws by the officials of the National Road Safety Authority and Motor Transport and Traffic Department of the Ghana Police Service. City managers in other low and middle-income countries can use the findings in the study to inform policy.</p