Women’s Productive and Economic Roles towards Household Poverty Reduction in Ghana. A Survey of Bongo District in Northern Ghana

Women in society perform several vital roles which can be categorized into three (3). These are reproductive, productive or economic, and community management. Although this study does appreciate all these forms of important roles played by women in society, it focused on the productive and economic roles that they play in order to help reduce poverty at the household level. Both primary and secondary data were used in the study. The primary data was obtained through interview and observation whereas secondary data was collected through a review of various literatures such as journals, articles, text books and the internet. The sampling techniques used in this study were simple random sampling and purposive sampling.  The study identified that farming and trading were the major occupations among women in the Bongo district. However, the income earnings from these occupations alone by the women could not meet their daily basic needs. Hence, they had to adopt several supplementary income strategies such as breaking of stones for sale; selling of cooked food at market places and hawking to enable them earn income to help meet the daily needs of their households. The need to cater needs of children and the aged, supporting husbands and avoiding stigmatization of being lazy constitutes major reasons for women engaging in most of the petty economic activities even though rewards from such activities are not high especially in monetary terms. Ironically, any efforts by women towards reducing poverty in households are traditionally considered their duty and responsibility and as a result are not given any economic consideration. Keywords: Economic Role, Household, Poverty, income, livelihood, women

Social Impact Analysis of Mining Operations in Kenyasi and Surrounding Communities of Ghana: The Case of Newmont Gold Mining Company in Ghana

This article discusses the findings of a study on mining and its social impacts on Kenyasi, a mining community in Ghana and other nearby communities especially Ntotroso and Atronie where mining activities are ongoing by mining giant Newmont Gold Mining Company. The study investigates the real and latent social impacts of mining activities on the communities in the light of the numerous promises and prospects that mining is said to provide for communities. The study employed qualitative methods of data collection of interviews, observation and focus group discussions. The study finds that from the prospecting stages through the construction of mining infrastructure and the actual mining itself, there are diverse social impacts on communities that can be very devastating on the communities where the mining takes place. These social impacts can to a larger extent, change the dynamics of community living and can make the lives of its residents better or worse. It is these impacts, real or imagined that this study unravels even though the social indicators assessed in this study are by no means exhaustive. Keywords: Social impacts, Kenyasi community, mining activities, livelihood, Newmont Mining Company.

Food Security in the Midst of Our Mined Lives: Perspectiveson Food Security and Mining in the Asutifi District of Ghana

Mining inevitably impacts the livelihoods of mining communities in a number of ways. Effects on food production and ultimately food security have been argued variously in the literature. In this study, the mining operations in the Asutifi district and its relationship with supply of foodstuffs in the local district markets as well as food insecurity areanalysed. Using quantitative techniques, semi- structured questionnaires were distributed to 150 respondents in the Asutifi district and responses analysed using frequencies, Cross tabulation, Chi-Square (χ2) and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The study found out that crop yield has reduced since mining started and residents largely attributed it to fertility loss from mining activities. Respondents also noted that the reduction in crop yields have affected the supply of foodstuff to the local markets in the district. However, using a Chi-Square (χ2) to test the relationship between mining operations and supply of foodstuff to the local markets, there was no statistically significant association between mining operations and reduction in supply of foodstuffs to the market. Any reduction in supply of foodstuff was largely due to chance. The ANOVA test as well the Tukey HSD Comparison test in variations in the views of respondents on mining operations and food insecurity in future in the district showed a no statistically significant variations or differences in the views of the respondents when grouped according to their respective occupations. All occupational groups agreed that mining operations in the Asutifi district poses a significant threat to food security in the future

A Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Approach: The hope for lost livelihood in the mining community of Obuasi municipality in Ghana

The virtue of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as the voluntary incorporation of social and environmental concerns into business conduct has established itself as an international norm. Businesses, intellectuals, local and international development agencies like the USAID have embraced this concept with the hope that it could bring about sustainable development to developing countries. Using qualitative data collection tools of semi-structured interviews and field observations, it was found out that although the company mining the Obuasi mine - AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) seems to uphold the concept of social responsibility, their willingness and zeal to ensure the reality of such policies are almost non-existent. CSR is best practiced when done in partnership with the local community, but in the case of AGA, the formulation and implementation of the policies are done by the company with very little consultation with the people. Nonetheless, it expects the community to accept their stretched hand of philanthropy as a favour from them and not complain about the economic, cultural, social and environmental hazards that they have to endure as a result of the operations of the mine. Being a signatory to the Global Compact agreement and the ISO 14001, the company has tried to consistently improve their social commitment but they still have a very long way to go in terms of sustainable development in the Obuasi municipality as defined by the Rio conference

The social and environmental impacts of mining activitieson indigenious communities : the case of Newmont Gold (Gh) limited (Kenyasi) in Ghana

The study explores and assesses mining and its impacts on communities within which mining activities takes place. The focus has been on a mining community in Ghana called Kenyasi where mining is vigorously carried out by an American mining giant, Newmont Mining Corporation. The study investigates the real and latent impacts of mining activities on the community in the light of the numerous promises and prospects that mining is said to provide for communities. Mining for many decades served as an important component of countries‟ revenue source especially for developing countries that have been endowed with the mineral wealth. If properly managed, countries can grow their economies with proceeds from mining activities in the form of royalties and foreign exchange earnings for the export of mineral related products. Such benefits from the mining sector have in most cases been used as justification and a social license for exploration and exploitation of minerals in most communities. Nonetheless, in as much as the mining sector have contributed and continually contributes to the economies of mineral endowed countries, one cannot lose sight of the fact that the very nature of mining itself in terms of the lifecycle of mining from discovery to closure seriously impacts on the lives of the communities in which it is undertaken. From the prospecting stages through the construction of mining infrastructure and the actual mining itself carries diverse impacts on communities that can very devastating on the one hand and developmental on the other hand. Usually the impacts are environmental and social in nature and it is these impacts, real or imagined that this study sought to unravel. The environmental and social impacts can to a larger extent change the dynamics of community living and can make the lives of its residents better or worse. The way these impacts are managed by the communities and the mining company involved can either further worsen or make lives rather better for the community and its residents. This calls for drastic attention being paid to issues of Corporate Social Responsibility where mining companies make great efforts in honouring its social obligations to the communities of operation. One way has been the development of Alternative Livelihood Strategies or Coping Mechanisms by mining companies with the view to cushioning people from the adverse impacts of their mining activities as it is done in Kenyasi by Newmont Mining Company and even the community residents themselves. Although most mining companies have carried out these strategies with good intent, it has been realized that mostly, the strategies fail because they lack what has come to be known as Community Participation. The study has paid particular attention to this issue of Community Participation and how its application to the various impact management strategies devised by Newmont in particular as a corporate entity has helped in managing the social and environmental impacts of mining in Kenyasi

Diabetes mellitus and functional limitations among older adults: Evidence from a large, representative Ghanaian aging study

International audienceObjectives: Literature linking diabetes mellitus (DM) to functional status is limited in low- and middle-income countries. Importantly, factors influencing this association are even less understood. This study aims to examine the association of DM with functional limitations (FL) in older adults and to identify potential factors influencing this association. Methods: In a cross-sectional analysis, we examined the association between DM and basic and instrumental activities of daily living-related FL in 1201 adults aged ≥50 years from the Aging, Health, Psychological Well-being, and Health-seeking Behavior Study. DM was defined as a self-report of physician diagnosis. The associations were assessed using hierarchical regression estimates and bootstrapping technique via the Hayes PROCESS macro program. Results: The prevalence of DM and FL was 10.1% and 36.1%, respectively, with OR = 2.50 (95%CI = 1.59–3.92) after accounting for sociodemographic factors, smoking, alcohol use, self-rated health, loneliness, and sleep quality. After full adjustment, polytomous regressions showed that the association of DM with FL increased with the number of FL (i.e., OR = 1.60 for 1–2, OR = 1.88 for 3–5, and OR = 2.0o for >5 FL compared with no FL). However, this association was attenuated after controlling for physical activity (OR = 2.06, 95%CI = 1.28–3.31), hypertension (OR = 1.87, 95%CI = 1.14–2.99), stroke (OR = 1.82, 95%CI = 1.20–2.93), and pain facets (OR = 1.80, 95%CI = 1.04–3.02). PA thus mediated 40.39% of the DM-FL association. Conclusions: In this representative study, older adults with DM showed higher odds for FL, and this association was partially explained by physical activity and health variables. Investing in a holistic management approach might be helpful for public health planning efforts to address DM-induced FL in old age

Diabetes mellitus and functional limitations among older adults: Evidence from a large, representative Ghanaian aging study

ObjectivesLiterature linking diabetes mellitus (DM) to functional status is limited in low- and middle-income countries. Importantly, factors influencing this association are even less understood. This study aims to examine the association of DM with functional limitations (FL) in older adults and to identify potential factors influencing this association.MethodsIn a cross-sectional analysis, we examined the association between DM and basic and instrumental activities of daily living-related FL in 1201 adults aged ≥50 years from the Aging, Health, Psychological Well-being, and Health-seeking Behavior Study. DM was defined as a self-report of physician diagnosis. The associations were assessed using hierarchical regression estimates and bootstrapping technique via the Hayes PROCESS macro program.ResultsThe prevalence of DM and FL was 10.1% and 36.1%, respectively, with OR = 2.50 (95%CI = 1.59–3.92) after accounting for sociodemographic factors, smoking, alcohol use, self-rated health, loneliness, and sleep quality. After full adjustment, polytomous regressions showed that the association of DM with FL increased with the number of FL (i.e., OR = 1.60 for 1–2, OR = 1.88 for 3–5, and OR = 2.0o for >5 FL compared with no FL). However, this association was attenuated after controlling for physical activity (OR = 2.06, 95%CI = 1.28–3.31), hypertension (OR = 1.87, 95%CI = 1.14–2.99), stroke (OR = 1.82, 95%CI = 1.20–2.93), and pain facets (OR = 1.80, 95%CI = 1.04–3.02). PA thus mediated 40.39% of the DM-FL association.ConclusionsIn this representative study, older adults with DM showed higher odds for FL, and this association was partially explained by physical activity and health variables. Investing in a holistic management approach might be helpful for public health planning efforts to address DM-induced FL in old age.</p