The Role of Financial Institutions in Housing Delivery in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana: An Institutional and Client Analysis

The commitment of government in providing social housing in Ghana is non-existent in recent times.  As a result, the housing delivery in Ghana is driven by individual housing construction through the incremental process or acquisition from private developers which is challenged by financial constraints and the need to acquire alternative sources of funding becomes a necessity. This study sought to undertake an institutional and client analysis of the role of financial institutions in housing delivery and employed a case study research design within quantitative and qualitative research methodological paradigms to examine the research questions. A sample of 7 financial institutions which were involved in housing financing were purposively sampled and contacted for data using questionnaires and interview guides. By using questionnaires, a sample of 150 clients with links to the financial institutions were randomly selected and contacted for data. The study established that the contribution of financial institutions to housing delivery was unsatisfactory because of the limited options available, and the lack of consideration for the majority, but poor Ghanaians. It was also found that the financial institutions had failed to exert the impetus for improving housing delivery in the country due to low patronage by clients, incidence of non-settlement of loan amounts with interest, inadequate long term mortgage finance, lack of government support, high interest rate, strict demands for collateral security, long, boring, and expensive processes of arranging for mortgage finance or loans. The researchers therefore recommended among other remedial options that efforts should be made to improve the patronage and the establishment of long term mortgage financing with flexible interest rates and redemption options. Keywords: Financial institutions, housing delivery, low income earners, Ghana

Critical Causes and Effects of Payment Delays in the Execution of Public Construction Projects in Ghana: Fresh Evidence from the Brong-Ahafo Region

The execution of public projects is an indispensable recipe for socio-economic development in any country. However, the successful execution and implementation of public projects in Ghana has been hampered by payment delays. In the contrary little is known about the critical causes and effects of payment delays in the execution of public projects in Ghana. It is against this background the study was conducted to identify and rank the critical causes and effects of payment delay and to be able propose mechanisms and strategies for mitigating its pervasive. The study employed a case study sample survey as a research design within a quantitative research methodological paradigm to investigate the research problem. The random and purposive sampling techniques were employed to select 30 contractors, 10 consultants/experts and 10 clients.  The study therefore identified and ranked 10 causes and 13 effects of payment delays. It was realized that 8 out of the 10 causes of payment delays were considered critical because they all had mean score above the conventional mean 3.5 at 95% confidence on a five-point Likert scale with the top five critical causes of payment delay being; delay in certification (ranked no.1), poor financial management (ranked no.2), with holding of payment by clients (ranked no.3), ambiguous contractual provision (ranked no.4) and conflict among the parties (ranked no.5).   It was also revealed that 11 out of the 13 effects identified including the top five consequences of payment delays included; leads to abandonment of projects (ranked no.1), results in cost overrun (ranked no.2), results in delay in completion of the projects (ranked no.3), leads to bankruptcy/liquidation (ranked no.4)  and results in time overrun (ranked no.5) were considered critical. Based on the findings the study recommended that payment delay could be minimized if Proper payment schedules are been agreed by all the parties before the commencement of the project accompanied by regular communication between parties and prior anticipation cost overrun and time overrun in clear contractual provision. Keywords: critical causes, effects of payment delays, execution of public projects, fresh evidence, Ghan

Critical Drivers and Consequences of Poor Facility Management in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana

Facilities require massive sums of financial resources to construct and maintain. Available statistics shows that facilities constitute about 80% of the financial resources of established organizations. It also provides an enclosed atmosphere within which organizations operate. However, despite the financial composition and the inextricable link between facilities and achievement of the goals of every organization, it is very unwelcomed that they are poorly managed in many institutions in Ghana. This paper sought to fill the knowledge gap by identifying and ranking the critical drivers and consequences of poor facility management in the Kumasi Metropolis. The study employed case study as a research design within quantitative research methodological paradigm and gathered primary data from 102 respondents comprising of hostel caretakers, facility managers and maintenance teams using questionnaires. It was established the all the 11 drivers and 9 consequences of poor facility management in the study were considered critical because they scored mean values above the conventional mean of 3.5. The study contributed to existing literature by ranking the drivers and consequences of poor facility management. It was consequently recommended among others that rent escalator clauses should be used to regulate indisciplinary conduct of facility users and that facility management should be made one of the top priorities of institutional management. Keywords: Consequences, drivers, facilities, organizations, poor facility managemen

Poor Facility Management in the Public Schools of Ghana; Recent Empirical Discoveries

Facilities in the public institutions of Ghana are poorly managed and sidelined in the financial planning and capital budgeting of most public institutions in Ghana. There exist dilapidated buildings and facilities in nearly all the public institutions of Ghana and the reasons behind such negligent attitude have not received empirical examination. This paper sought to fill that knowledge gap by empirically mapping out the causes and effects of poor facility management in two public schools in Ghana. The study employed the case study research design within a qualitative research methodological paradigm and gathered data using interview guides from facility management/ maintenance teams from two public second cycle schools in the Upper East Region of Ghana. The data was analyzed using thematic content analysis and taken through peer debriefing and re-screening of final codes by facility management staff to ensure reliability. The findings from the study run contrary to popular beliefs. It was identified that the empirical causes of poor facility management include lack of professional managers, attitude of deferred maintenance, budgetary limit on maintenance expenditure, sidelined in the financial planning and capital budgeting of institutions, and non-privy of facility management staff to the building design and construction stage. It was also established that poor facility management is characterized by a plethora of consequences including recipe for disaster, financial erosion of institution, malfunctioning and abandonment of buildings. The study recommended that there should be the establishment professional district facility management teams whose works should be supported by institutional facility management teams to oversee facility management in the public institutions

Forest biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services

Forests are critical habitats for biodiversity and they are also essential for the provision of a wide range of ecosystem services that are important to human well-being. There is increasing evidence that biodiversity contributes to forest ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services. Here we provide a review of forest ecosystem services including biomass production, habitat provisioning services, pollination, seed dispersal, resistance to wind storms, fire regulation and mitigation, pest regulation of native and invading insects, carbon sequestration, and cultural ecosystem services, in relation to forest type, structure and diversity. We also consider relationships between forest biodiversity and multifunctionality, and trade-offs among ecosystem services. We compare the concepts of ecosystem processes, functions and services to clarify their definitions. Our review of published studies indicates a lack of empirical studies that establish quantitative and causal relationships between forest biodiversity and many important ecosystem services. The literature is highly skewed; studies on provisioning of nutrition and energy, and on cultural services, delivered by mixed-species forests are under-represented. Planted forests offer ample opportunity for optimising their composition and diversity because replanting after harvesting is a recurring process. Planting mixed-species forests should be given more consideration as they are likely to provide a wider range of ecosystem services within the forest and for adjacent land uses. This review also serves as the introduction to this special issue of Biodiversity and Conservation on various aspects of forest biodiversity and ecosystem services