The Effect of Ownership Structures on Audit Fees of Listed Firms in Ghana

Research aims: The study examined the effect of ownership structures on audit fees of listed firms in Ghana. The study used four indicators to measure ownership structure: managerial ownership, foreign ownership, government ownership, and substantial (block) ownership.Design/Methodology/Approach: The study sampled 21 listed non-financial firms over ten years, covering the period 2010 to 2019. The study also relied on secondary data extracted from the financial statement of these listed firms. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and panel regression analysis.Research findings: The study results showed a positive and significant association between foreign ownership and audit fees in Ghana. The study further found a positive and significant relationship between block ownership and audit fees. The results, however, uncovered an insignificant association between government ownership and audit fees. Furthermore, the study reported a positive coefficient between block ownership and audit fees, and the relationship was statistically significant.Theoretical contribution/Originality: The study is among very few studies that have examined ownership structures such as foreign ownership, managerial ownership, government ownership, and block ownership on audit fees in a developing country context and Ghana.Practitioner/Policy implication: This study found that the higher agency conflict through ownership structures will give rise to the higher audit fees paid to external auditors, which managers and auditors should consider in future assignments.Research limitation/implication: The study is limited by geographical area (Ghana), and as such future studies can conduct cross-country analysis of ownership structures on audit fees

On A Model For The Cross Protection Of Two Infectious Diseases

This paper studies the effects of the spread of two similarly transmitted infectious diseases with cross protection in an unvaccinated population using a basic SEIR model with vital dynamics (births and deaths). A basic Mathematical model is built-up to study the joint transmission dynamics of diseases in the population. The equilibriums of these models as well as their stabilities are studied. Specifically, the stability results for disease-free and endemic steady states are proven. Finally, numerical simulations of the models are carried out with Matlab / Mathematica to study the behavior of the solutions in different regions of the parameter space. Keywords: cross protection, infectious diseases, disease-free and endemic equilibria, numerical simulations, joint modelin

Does Foreign Direct Investment really affect Ghana’s Economic Growth?

In this paper, we investigate the linkage between FDI and economic growth using macro econometric model in the Ghanaian context. Structural shocks in an SVAR model were used to identify the contemporaneous and short run relationships effects of these variables. The AB model restriction approach was used for the Identification and was compared to the Cholesky decomposition. We showed that, there exit a contemporaneous short run positive effects of FDI inflows on GDP growth but as the time horizon expands these effects tend to converge to the equilibrium, however FDI’s deteriorate domestic investment

An SITR Analysis of Treatment Model of Hepatitis B Epidemic

This research article focuses on the formulation of a treatment model of hepatitis epidemic of type B. The dynamics of the model were studied and the local stability analyses of the equilibrium points of the model were investigated. Lyapunov functions were defined for the equilibrium points and their global stabilities were performed..........

On Some Compartmental Models for Ebola Disease

In this paper, we consider an epidemic model of Ebola disease which is deadly in its transmission. Local stability analysis of the model equilibria was investigated. We computed the basic reproduction number 〖 R〗_0 using the next generation method. The threshold parameter R_0 was found to be dependent on several hosts of model parameters in determining the stability of an invading epidemic into the population. We have numerically described the model trajectories using Matlab. KEYWORDS: Basic Reproduction number, Ebola virus, Next-generation matrix, Local stability analysis

Mathematical modelling of earlier stages of COVID-19 transmission dynamics in Ghana

In late 2019, a novel coronavirus, the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak was identified in Wuhan, China and later spread to every corner of the globe. Whilst the number of infection-induced deaths in Ghana, West Africa are minimal when compared with the rest of the world, the impact on the local health service is still significant. Compartmental models are a useful framework for investigating transmission of diseases in societies. To understand how the infection will spread and how to limit the outbreak. We have developed a modified SEIR compartmental model with nine compartments (CoVCom9) to describe the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Ghana. We have carried out a detailed mathematical analysis of the CoVCom9, including the derivation of the basic reproduction number, . In particular, we have shown that the disease-free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable when  via a candidate Lyapunov function. Using the SARS-CoV-2 reported data for confirmed-positive cases and deaths from March 13 to August 10, 2020, we have parametrised the CoVCom9 model. The results of this fit show good agreement with data. We used Latin hypercube sampling-rank correlation coefficient (LHS-PRCC) to investigate the uncertainty and sensitivity of  since the results derived are significant in controlling the spread of SARS-CoV-2. We estimate that over this five month period, the basic reproduction number is given by , with the 95% confidence interval being , and the mean value being . Of the 32 parameters in the model, we find that just six have a significant influence on , these include the rate of testing, where an increasing testing rate contributes to the reduction of 

Improving experiences of neglected tropical diseases of the skin: Mixed methods formative research for development of a complex intervention in Atwima Mponua District, Ghana.

Integrated approaches to managing co-endemic neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) of the skin within primary healthcare services are complex and require tailoring to local contexts. We describe formative research in Atwima Mponua District in Ghana's Ashanti Region designed to inform the development of a sustainable intervention to improve access to skin NTD care. We employed a convergent, parallel, mixed-methods design, collecting data from February 2021 to February 2022. We quantitatively assessed service readiness using a standardised checklist and reviewed outpatient department registers and condition-specific case records in all government health facilities in the district. Alongside a review of policy documents, we conducted 49 interviews and 7 focus group discussions with purposively selected affected persons, caregivers, community members, health workers, and policy-makers to understand skin NTD care-seeking practices and the policy landscape. Outside the district hospital, skin NTD reporting rates in the surveyed facilities were low; supply chains for skin NTD diagnostics, consumables, and medicines had gaps; and health worker knowledge of skin NTDs was limited. Affected people described fragmented care, provided mostly by hospitals (often outside the district) or traditional healers, resulting in challenges obtaining timely diagnosis and treatment and high care-seeking costs. Affected people experienced stigma, although the extent to which stigma influenced care-seeking behaviour was unclear. National actors were more optimistic than district-level actors about local resource availability for skin NTD care and were sceptical of including traditional healers in interventions. Our findings indicate that improvement of the care cascade for affected individuals to reduce the clinical, economic, and psychosocial impact of skin NTDs is likely to require a complementary set of interventions. These findings have informed the design of a strategy to support high-quality, integrated, decentralised care for skin NTDs in Atwima Mponua, which will be assessed through a multidisciplinary evaluation

Assessment of the counselling needs of students in a Ghanaian public university: Assessment of the counselling needs of students in a Ghanaian public university

Needs assessment is the starting point for developing comprehensive and relevant counselling services for students. This study assessed the counselling needs of students in the University of Energy and Natural Resources in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. The descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. The population of the study consisted of all students in the University. A sample of 335 students made up of 286 males and 49 females was selected through proportional stratified random sampling and simple random sampling techniques. A needs assessment questionnaire was used to source for the data. The data were analysed using means, standard deviations and independent samples t-test. The study found that practical and vocational/career needs were the most pressing needs of students. The study further revealed that there was no significant difference between the counselling needs of male and female students. Based on the findings, it was recommended that counsellors at the University of Energy and Natural Resources should design and implement counselling services based on the most important needs of the students: practical and vocational/career needs

Prevalence of, and barriers to the disclosure of HIV status to infected children and adolescents in a district of Ghana

Abstract Background Globally there are about 3.3million children under the age of 15 years living with HIV. Of this number, 88% live in sub-Saharan Africa. In Ghana, an estimated 33,000 children were said to be living with the HIV infection in 2012. Lack of disclosure adversely affects the well-being of the child, including access to paediatric HIV treatment and care and adherence to treatment. However, the greatest psychosocial challenges that parents and caregivers of HIV-infected children face is disclosure of HIV status to their infected children. This study sought to determine the prevalence of and the barriers to the disclosure of HIV status to infected children and adolescents in Lower Manya-Krobo District in Ghana. Methods A cross sectional study with a sample of 118 caregivers of HIV infected children and adolescents aged 4–19 years attending three HIV clinics in the Lower Manya Krobo District, and 10 key informants comprising of healthcare workers and HIV volunteer workers involved in the provision of care to infected children and their families. Results The prevalence of disclosure was higher. Main barriers to disclosure identified in this study included age of child, perceived cause of HIV, stigma attached to HIV, child’s inability to keep diagnosis to self and fear of psychological harm to child. Conclusion There is the need for the Ghana Health Service in conjunction with the Ghana Aids Commission and the National Aids Control Programme to develop comprehensive context-based disclosure guidelines