The Difference Between Ghana Cocoa Farmers’ Personal Profile on their Financial Sustainability

In pursuing their enterprises, cocoa farmers now need financial sustainability. This research focuses on financial sustainability because it is linked to the accessibility of agricultural funding and the effect on society for current and future generations in order to guarantee a sustainable livelihood. This study considers the personal profiles of cocoa farmers, which are sex, education level, number of dependents, and farm sizes. The cocoa farmers profile has a divergent view on their financial sustainability. The study is quantitative research andcorrelational design research. The sample population of 1,000 Cocoa farmers was conveniently sampled from the six cocoa-growing regions of Ghana as respondents. The study used selfconstructed questionnaires to measure financial sustainability, which had sub-variables of financial viability, financial self-sufficiency, and financial impact. The statistical analysis for the differences was computed by using SPSS 23 with T’Test and ANOVA. The results of the study revealed that there was no significant difference in a number of dependents and educational level of cocoa farmers on their financial sustainability. Also, farm size and sex proofed to have a significant difference in the financial sustainability of the cocoa farmer. Large farm size indicated a major difference in financial sustainability as compared to small farm size. Male cocoa farmers were better than the female cocoa farmers on their financialsustainability. The dominance of males in cocoa farming in Ghana makes them consider the financial sustainability of the cocoa farming venture more than females. This is because they are mainly supporting the livelihood of their families. Farm Size as a determinant of financialsustainability is evident by the yield larger farm size can give a cocoa farmer. The study recommends that in order to attain financial sustainability for the cocoa farmer, the farm size and sex must be considered.&nbsp

Assessment of the Potability of Underground Water from a Small Scale Underground Mine: A Case Study

This study sought to investigate the potability of underground water from the Mohammed and Brothers Small Scale Underground Mine in Tarkwa by analysing two samples of the underground water to determine the water’s physico-chemical parameters and the metals concentrations and coliforms in it. The physico-chemical parameters were analysed using Oyster series multi-meter (341350A) and Hydro test HT 1000 photometer. The result showed that the parameters were within the recommended World Health Organisation (WHO) and United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) limits except for salinity and apparent colour. Analyses for metals and arsenic were conducted using the Varian Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (Varian ASS 240 FS). All the metals analysed were within the standards set by WHO and USEPA but the level of arsenic was above limit. The level of total coliforms and faecal coliforms were determined at the Intertek Service Limited, Tarkwa. The result showed that the levels were within the standards set by WHO and USEPA. The Water Quality Index (WQI) was calculated using the analysed water parameters. High levels of arsenic and salinity in the water renders it unsafe for drinking. Treatment of the water to reduce the arsenic and salinity levels to the standards set by WHO and USEPA will make it suitable for drinking and other domestic purposes. Keywords: Underground Water, Small Scale Underground Mining, Water Quality, Heavy Metals, Gol

Mycorrhizal Association and its Benefits to Allanblackia parviflora Tree Seedlings in the Nursery

Allanblackia species are high value multipurpose indigenous fruit trees whose seeds contain edible oil that has become a foreign exchange earner for rural-based enterprises. Wild harvesting could not sustain the supply to industry and therefore domestication was focused on developing propagation techniques, selecting and collecting elite planting materials. Little emphasis was placed on the soil nutrient requirements where preliminary results showed seedlings grown in rhizosphere soil of wild trees had good growth performance. A study was undertaken to examine microbial-Allanblackia parviflora plant interactions and determine their benefits to nursery seedlings. Roots of wildlings and rhizosphere soil from A. parviflora trees were collected from three forest reserves and the roots assessed for mycorrhizal colonization. Allanblackia parviflora seedlings were raised in different potting media with different ratios and their height and diameter determined. Soil treatments were also analyzed for nutrient and chemical contents. Vesicles, arbuscular structures, hyphal coils and intercellular hyphae were found on root tips of wildlings collected from rhizosphere soil of Allanblackia (AB) trees and seedlings grown in soil treatments containing AB soil. Root colonization of A. parviflora was largely in the form of extensive cell-to-cell growth of hyphal coils characteristic of Paris-type morphology. Addition of Agricultural field soil (Ferric Acrisol, Afs) or Humus (H)+Afs to AB improved height of seedlings. Seedlings grown in AB soil alone increased best in height with age followed by those grown in combination of 75% AB soil and 25% Afs. Available P was highest in Afs (220.84 mgP/kg) and low in AB soil (6.54 mgP/kg) while combination of H + Afs to AB increased K level to 341.34 mgK/kg. The improvement in growth must be due to both vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and soil chemical content of AB soil

Assessing and Strengthening African Universities' Capacity for Doctoral Programmes

Imelda Bates and colleagues developed and validated an evidence-based tool for evaluating doctoral programmes in African universities

Geologising urban political ecology (UPE): the urbanisation of sand in Accra, Ghana

This paper makes a call for an urban political ecology (UPE) which engages more extensively with Earth’s geological formations. As a material at the centre of global urbanisation process, sand is offered as a geological entry point. The paper presents an analysis of the urbanisation of sand, or the ways in which sand is brought into the urban realm, grounding this reading in Accra—a growing city on Ghana’s Atlantic coast. Drawing from 14 months of ethnographic fieldwork, the paper charts the socio-natural politics through which sand is first unearthed from the edges of the city—an extractive processes otherwise known as “sand winning” in Ghana. By examining the forms of power which govern uneven revenue flows to communities, the displacement of farming groups, the widespread loss of farmland and a contested regime of governance, the analysis exposes the socio-natural politics through which the city’s geological baseline is first unearthed

Barriers to formal healthcare utilisation among poor older people under the livelihood empowerment against poverty programme in the Atwima Nwabiagya District of Ghana

Abstract: Background: Even though there is a growing literature on barriers to formal healthcare use among older people, little is known from the perspective of vulnerable older people in Ghana. Involving poor older people under the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme, this study explores barriers to formal healthcare use in the Atwima Nwabiagya District of Ghana. Methods: Interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with 30 poor older people, 15 caregivers and 15 formal healthcare providers in the Atwima Nwabiagya District of Ghana. Data were analysed using the thematic analytical framework, and presented based on an a posteriori inductive reduction approach. Results: Four main barriers to formal healthcare use were identified: physical accessibility barriers (poor transport system and poor architecture of facilities), economic barriers (low income coupled with high charges, and non-comprehensive nature of the National Health Insurance Scheme [NHIS]), social barriers (communication/language difficulties and poor family support) and unfriendly nature of healthcare environment barriers (poor attitude of healthcare providers). Conclusions: Considering these barriers, removing them would require concerted efforts and substantial financial investment by stakeholders. We argue that improvement in rural transport services, implementation of free healthcare for poor older people, strengthening of family support systems, recruitment of language translators at the health facilities and establishment of attitudinal change programmes would lessen barriers to formal healthcare use among poor older people. This study has implications for health equity and health policy framework in Ghana

The development of computational biology in South Africa: successes achieved and lessons learnt

Bioinformatics is now a critical skill in many research and commercial environments as biological data are increasing in both size and complexity. South African researchers recognized this need in the mid-1990s and responded by working with the government as well as international bodies to develop initiatives to build bioinformatics capacity in the country. Significant injections of support from these bodies provided a springboard for the establishment of computational biology units at multiple universities throughout the country, which took on teaching, basic research and support roles. Several challenges were encountered, for example with unreliability of funding, lack of skills, and lack of infrastructure. However, the bioinformatics community worked together to overcome these, and South Africa is now arguably the leading country in bioinformatics on the African continent. Here we discuss how the discipline developed in the country, highlighting the challenges, successes, and lessons learnt

Nanopore sequencing from extraction-free direct PCR of dried serum spots for portable hepatitis B virus drug-resistance typing

© 2020 Background: Effective drug regimens for the treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections are essential to achieve the World Health Organisation commitment to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030. Lamivudine (3TC) is widely used in countries with high levels of chronic HBV, however resistance has been shown to occur in up to 50 % of individuals receiving continuous monotherapy for 4 years. Telbivudine (LdT) is now more commonly used in place of lamivudine but is ineffective against 3TC-resistant HBV. Genotyping and identification of resistanceassociated substitutions (RAS) is not practical in many locations. Objectives: A novel assay was designed to enable HBV genotyping and characterisation of resistance mutations directly from serum samples stored on filter paper, using Sanger and MinION sequencing. Study design: The assay was applied to a cohort of 30 samples stored on filter paper for several years with HBV viral loads ranging from 8.2 × 108 to 635 IU/mL. A set of 6 high-titre samples were used in a proof-of-principle study using the MinION sequencer. Results: The assay allowed determination of HBV genotype and elucidation of RAS down to 600 IU/mL using a 550bp amplicon. Sequencing of a 1.2 kb amplicon using a MinION sequencer gave results consistent with Sanger sequencing and allowed the identification of minor populations of variants. Conclusions: We present two approaches for reliable HBV sequencing and RAS identification using methods suitable for resource-limited environments. This is the first demonstration of extraction-free DNA sequencing direct from DSS using MinION and these workflows are adaptable to the investigation of other DNA viruses

Building the nation's body:The contested role of abortion and family planning in post-war South Sudan

: This paper offers an ethnographic analysis of public health policies and interventions targeting unwanted pregnancy (family planning and abortion) in contemporary South Sudan as part of wider 'nation-building' after war, understood as a process of collective identity formation which projects a meaningful future by redefining existing institutions and customs as national characteristics. The paper shows how the expansion of post-conflict family planning and abortion policy and services are particularly poignant sites for the enactment of reproductive identity negotiation, policing and conflict. In addition to customary norms, these processes are shaped by two powerful institutions - ethnic movements and global humanitarian actors - who tend to take opposing stances on reproductive health. Drawing on document review, observations of the media and policy environment and interviews conducted with 54 key informants between 2013 and 2015, the paper shows that during the civil war, the Sudan People's Liberation Army and Movement mobilised customary pro-natalist ideals for military gain by entreating women to amplify reproduction to replace those lost to war and rejecting family planning and abortion. International donors and the Ministry of Health have re-conceptualised such services as among other modern developments denied by war. The tensions between these competing discourses have given rise to a range of societal responses, including disagreements that erupt in legal battles, heated debate and even violence towards women and health workers. In United Nations camps established recently as parts of South Sudan have returned to war, social groups exert a form of reproductive surveillance, policing reproductive health practices and contributing to intra-communal violence when clandestine use of contraception or abortion is discovered. In a context where modern contraceptives and abortion services are largely unfamiliar, conflict around South Sudan's nation-building project is partially manifest through tensions and violence in the domain of reproduction.<br/