The Effects of Cash Flow Management on the Financial Performance of Listed Manufacturing Firms in Ghana

The study investigated the effect of cash flow management on financial performance of listed manufacturing firms in Ghana. Specifically, the study examined the effect of operating cash flows, investing cash flows, financing cash flows and free cash flows on financial performance. The study used a panel data of 10 conveniently selected firms over a 7-year period from 2012 to 2018. Pooled Ordinary Least Squares, Fixed Effect and Random Effect Models to analyze the data. The results indicates that operating cash flows has a negative and statistically significant impact on financial performance, investing cash flows does not have any significant effect on financial performance while financing cash flows has a direct and significant effect on financial performance. Lastly, free cash flow was found to have a positive and significant effect on financial performance of listed manufacturing firms in Ghana. The study concludes that policies by investors or equity holders should not focus entirely on investment cash flows but rather, operating cash flows, financing cash flows and free cash flows as they are found to significantly affect financial performance. Keywords:Cash Flow management, financial performance, operating cash flow, investing cash flow, financing cash flow, free cash flow DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/14-16-05 Publication date:August 31st 2023

A Historical Review of Ebola Outbreaks

Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a severe, often fatal illness in humans caused by the Ebola virus. Since the first case was identified in 1976, there have been 36 documented outbreaks with the worst and most publicized recorded in 2014 which ravaged three West African Countries, Guinea, Liberia and Serial Leone. The West African outbreak recorded 28,616 human cases, 11,310 deaths (CFR: 57–59%) and left about 17,000 survivors, many of whom have to grapple with Post-Ebola syndrome. Historically, ZEBOV has the highest virulence. Providing a historical perspective which highlights key challenges and progress made toward detecting and responding to EVD is a key to charting a path towards stronger resilience against the disease. There have been remarkable shifts in diagnostics, at risk populations, impact on health systems and response approaches. The health sector continues to gain global experiences about EVD which has shaped preparedness, prevention, detection, diagnostics, response, and recovery strategies. This has brought about the need for stronger collaboration between international organizations and seemingly Ebola endemic countries in the areas of improving disease surveillance, strengthening health systems, development and establishment of early warning systems, improving the capacity of local laboratories and trainings for health workers

REVIEW OF PAST AND PRESENT EBOLA HEMORRHAGIC FEVER OUTBREAKS IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO 1976 -2014

Background: Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever (EHF) has become well known all over the world, especially following the West African outbreak in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia (December 2013). The Ebola virus was first discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), an African country that has continued to register Ebola outbreaks. This study aims to summarize old and new experiences of Ebola in the DRC, in order to propose strategies for better prevention. Materials and Methods: Information was taken from databases such as PubMed and Cochrane library. A total of eleven full text and three abstracts were identified for the data extraction. Results: Since its discovery in the DRC, there have been seven Ebola outbreaks, accounting for a total of 1032 cases and 795 deaths. The presence of Non-Human Primates, also considered as the natural reservoir and susceptible host of Ebola virus, can be one major factor that has contributed to the increased number of Ebola outbreaks and cases in the Equatorial region. The existence of rumors and legends related to Ebola in DRC obscure the the viral nature of the disease, and lead to difficulty for health workers, to easily accomplish their tasks. Conclusion :It is important ,to scale up community education campaigns designed to give more details on the viral nature of the EHF, establish national agencies and institutions specialized in controlling hunting in the Equatorial region, for better prevention, since there is not yet a specific drug or vaccine to the Ebola Virus

Mental Health Consequences of being Raped in the Eastern Region of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Rape has been used as a weapon of war in a lot of countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In eastern Congo, the prevalence and intensity of rape and other acts of sexual violence are described as the worst in the world. Considered as a public health problem, rape in this region has a lot of impact on the mental health of the population. A convenient sampling method was used to identify female rape victims who reported to Heal Africa hospital in Goma (Eastern DRC) and had developed mental disorders from July 2012 to March 2013. The DSM IV Scale was used to assess the mental state of the victims and after diagnosis, three groups of mental responses were considered: Post Traumatic Syndrome Disorder (PTSD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), comorbid PTSD/depression. Chi-square test was used to ascertain if any association existed between socio-demographic characteristics of the victims, types of rape, social rejection and the mental response of the victims. A total of 69 subjects met these criteria and were enrolled for the study. Results from the single factor analysis revealed that Social rejection (p=0.00), the type of rape (p=0.03) and residential area (p=0.04) were significantly related to the mental disorders of the victims. The findings of this study suggest strategies for better health care of women who are victims of sexual violence in the eastern DRC

Community-based surveillance advances the Global Health Security Agenda in Ghana.

Ghana Health Service (GHS) has strengthened community-based surveillance (CBS) to facilitate early detection and rapid reporting of health events of all origins. Since June 2017, GHS has employed an event-based surveillance approach at the community level in a phased manner. CBS coverage has broadened from 2 to 30 districts across Ghana. Through this effort, capacity was built across all administrative levels in these districts to detect, report, triage, and verify signals, and to perform risk assessment and investigate events. Data were collected and analyzed during an evaluation of initial 2-district implementation in March 2018 and during expanded 30-district implementation in March 2019. Between September 2018 and March 2019, 317 health events were detected through CBS. These events included vaccine-preventable disease cases, acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis outbreaks, clusters of unexpected animal deaths, and foodborne illness clusters. Eighty-nine percent of the 317 events were reported to district-level public health staff within 24 hours of detection at the community level, and 87% of all detected events were responded to within 48 hours of detection. CBS detected 26% of all suspected vaccine-preventable disease cases that were reported from implementing districts through routine disease surveillance. GHS strengthened CBS in Ghana to function as an early warning system for health events of all origins, advancing the Global Health Security Agenda

Detection of vaccine-derived poliovirus circulation by environmental surveillance in the absence of clinical cases

Background On August 25, 2019, the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research notified the confirmation of a circulating-vaccine-derived poliovirus type-2 (cVDPV2) from the Agbogbloshie environmental surveillance (AES) site, in the Greater Accra Region. A field investigation of the outbreak was conducted to describe the results of epidemiological and laboratory investigations, and control efforts. Methods We conducted a descriptive investigation, records review, and active-case-search. Caregivers were interviewed on the vaccination status of their children; knowledge, attitude, and practices on polio prevention; water, sanitation and hygiene practices, and health-seeking behaviors. Stool from healthy children <5 y and sewage samples were taken for laboratory diagnosis. Results cVDPV2 genetically similar to the cVDPV2 diagnosed recently in the Northern Region of Ghana and Nigeria was identified. 2019 half-year coverage of OPV and IPV was 22%. Fully immunized children were 49% (29/59). Most health workers (70%) had a fair knowledge of polio and acute flaccid paralysis (AFP). Forty-six percent of care-givers admitted to using the large drain linked to the site where the cVDPV2 was isolated as their place of convenience and disposing of the fecal matter of their children. No AFP case was identified. Stool samples from 40 healthy children yielded non-polio enteroviruses while 75% (3/4) of the additional sewage samples yielded cVDPV2. Conclusion cVDPV2 was isolated from the AES site. No AFP or poliovirus was identified from healthy children. There is a need to improve health workers’ knowledge on AFP and to address the dire sanitation conditions in the Agbogbloshie market and its environs