Academic literature on the topic 'Ghana domestic policy'

This article assesses the implications of investment promotion and protection agreements (ippas) for domestic investment law and policymaking in Ghana. It reviews the terms of domestic investment legislation prior to and after Ghana entered into ippas to ascertain the differences in the content of domestic laws and the role of the ippas in the changing pattern of foreign investment law and policy in Ghana. The review shows fundamental differences. Whereas, for example, under the pre-investment treaty domestic investment laws, a proposed investment could be admitted only if it would contribute to the national economy, the post-investment treaty domestic investment law requires only minimum capital for admission. What explains the fundamental change in the content of the post-investment treaty domestic law? The literature reveals that the change in government policy from a regulatory to a more investment promotion-oriented policy explains the shift in the content in investment law in Ghana. The post-investment treaty domestic law was enacted against the backdrop of structural adjustment policies that emphasised liberalization. The article argues complementarily that the coming into force of the ippas of Ghana also explains the changing pattern in the content of domestic investment law. Given the definitions of investment and the substantive obligations under the ippas, Ghana could not, even without independent policy change, retain the content of domestic investment law as was the case when she was not party to any ippas. The thesis is that ippas have the effect of limiting regulatory autonomy and will limit future legislative powers of the State in defining the content of domestic investment law and policy. This will ultimately determine the pattern and trend of domestic investment law and policy in Ghana. The article proposes that the ippas should be renegotiated to take into account the constitutional responsibility of the Government to protect the welfare of the people of Ghana.

AbstractChild domestic labour is one of the widespread and exploitative forms of child labour in the world today. However, the ubiquity of child/adolescent (domestic) labour, together with the perception that such work-especially in relation to girls is important training for later life, normalises such work and renders it invisible. Child domestic labour is thus, largely feminised as almost 90 percent of the children are girls. Many domestics work for long hours with no rest or remuneration, and are subjected to verbal, physical and in some instances sexual abuse in the households of their employers. The conditions under which many child domestics live and work, undermines and threatens many basic rights of children. is paper highlights the child and gender-based rights that are actually or potentially denied child domestic workers in order to influence policy development and implementation, as well as advocacy for and on behalf of children.

The study sought to investigate the key factors that influence inflation dynamics in Ghana. The study found that inflation in Ghana is determined primarily by inflation persistence, reflecting price expectations, domestic food prices, petroleum prices and exchange rate. The other determinants of inflation used in this study such as money supply and world food prices weakly affect domestic inflation. The study also recommended that anchoring inflation expectations and managing exchange rate misalignment remains key policy strategies in any effort and attempt by the monetary authorities to achieving and maintaining price stability in the country coupled with moderating the negative effects of other inflation determining factors.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess West African countries’ approach to address the issue of domestic violence (DV) in order to identify limitations and suggest policy measures. The paper situates DV in West Africa in the context of international literature and examines the question: what are the limitations of approaches to combating DV in West Africa and what is the way forward? The paper focusses on Ghana as a case example of efforts at addressing DV in West Africa. This is because Ghana is a pioneer among the very few West African countries that have developed a legislative cum policy framework to combat DV. A critical review of Ghana’s approach provides useful lessons for the way forward on policy against DV in the West Africa subregion. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology adopted consists of a survey of existing literature – theoretical and empirical – on DV in the international and Ghanaian contexts, a critical reflection on Ghana’s DV law, and synthesis of the emerging knowledge combined with familiarity with the context to make policy suggestions. A general review of literature on DV provides background understanding of the phenomenon globally and in the context of West Africa. Then an examination of Ghana’s law against DV helps to identify the limitations of the legislative approach. Finally, the paper makes suggestions on how to combat DV in West Africa at large. Findings – There is a high prevalence of DV in West Africa, particularly violence against women, although men also experience it. Some countries in the subregion, Ghana being an example, have adopted a legislative approach to deal with the problem. This approach criminalizes DV and requires victims or witnesses to report to the police. Perpetrators may be arrested and arraigned before a court and, if found culpable, fined or imprisoned while victims are promised protection and subsistence. The legislative approach is reactionary and cold, requiring reporting of violence even though this is not culturally expedient. The approach also frustrates victims who are willing to report by being cumbersome and costly. Finally, the approach is not built on any notable theory of DV. Research limitations/implications – The findings reported in this paper are based on secondary information. As a result, the analysis and conclusions are limited to what could be drawn from the documents reviewed and the experience of the author. Practical implications – The paper suggests specific measures for combating DV in West Africa. These include setting up a national taskforce on DV to coordinate actions and activities toward ending violence, using traditional, and religious leadership structures to campaign against DV, designing mentoring groups for men and women who are preparing to get into marriage, using social workers instead of the police to support victims of violence, institutionalizing assessment and care for DV victims at the hospital, and setting up funding for DV research. These measures could go a long way in combating DV in West Africa. Originality/value – This critical assessment of the legislative approach to combating DV in West Africa is about the first of its kind and therefore makes an original contribution to the literature. Also, the specific measures suggested in the paper are rare in reviews of its kind and therefore offers something of great value to policy makers and professionals in West Africa.

Abstract Although water is important for human livelihoods, access and use of improved domestic water for households in most developing countries is still a major problem. Households adopt several domestic water improvement mechanisms to improve the quality of their water before consumption. However, the drivers of the probability to engage in this behaviour have not been adequately explored in developing countries. Therefore, this study investigates the factors that determine the probability of choosing to improve domestic water quality before consumption, with data from a household survey implemented in Ghana. Using the Logit econometric model with its associated margins, this study shows evidence that environmental knowledge, age, gender and wealth are key drivers of the probability of engaging in a water improvement behaviour. Based on the identified drivers, practical lessons are discussed to inform policy decisions on the quality of water supply.

Abstract This paper explores the dynamics of public and private debt in Ghana for the past 32 years. Ghana’s total public debt stock to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio has remained above the 60.0% sustainability threshold recommended by the West Africa Monetary Zone (WAMZ) since 2013. Implemented bank reforms in the country show an upward trend for domestic credit to private sector by banks as a percentage of GDP. Using exploratory review approach, the paper identified fiscal dominance, cost of borrowing, deterioration in export earnings, ineffective fiscal, monetary and debt management policies coordination as factors responsible for changes in total public debt stock. On the other hand, increased domestic borrowings by government from the banks, and Deposit Money Banks’ (DMBs)’ adverse selection in private sector credit allocation affect changes in domestic credit to the private sector by banks. Of these causes, fiscal dominance is the major determinant of public and private debt in Ghana. The study, therefore, recommends that government should pursue fiscal operations that are necessary to put public debt on a declining path. In addition, effective coordination of fiscal, monetary and debt management policies need to be strengthened together with the autonomy of the Bank of Ghana in the use of its monetary policy instruments.

PurposeThe paper examines the effect of internal remittances on the employment choices of household heads in rural Ghana.Design/methodology/approachThe paper employs data from the Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS 6) of the Ghana Statistical Service. Due to issues of endogeneity of remittances in relation to labor supply, the paper adopts an instrumental variable approach in the analysis. First, employment choices are categorized into three: (1) wage/salary employment, (2) self-employment and (3) domestic/family employment. The relationship is then modeled as instrumental variable multinomial probit (IV-MNP). Secondly, employment choices are recategorized into two: farm employment and otherwise and modeled as instrumental variable probit (IV-PROBIT). The models are estimated via the conditional mixed process (CMP) estimation technique.FindingsThe results indicate that remittances have a negative effect on self-employment and a positive effect on domestic/family employment. Thus, remittances reduce participation in self-employment but increase participation in domestic/family employment. Furthermore, remittances have a negative effect on participation in farm employment. The results are robust to different measures of remittances: receipt of remittances (dummy) and remittance income.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that remittances are used for consumption rather than investing in earning activities. In general, engaging in earning type of employment, whether farm and nonfarm employment will decline with receipt of remittances in rural Ghana. There is a need for policy attention with the increasing migration of people out of rural areas.Originality/valuePrior to this study, little was known on the effect of internal remittances on labor supply decisions of remittance recipients in Ghana, particularly rural Ghana. This paper contributes significantly to filling this knowledge gap.

In August 2007, Ghana's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Presidents Special Initiatives (MOTI) announced a ban on imported tomato paste and concentrate. The ban took effect from 1st November 2007. The consequence of the ban is that any tomato paste or concentrate imported into Ghana will be confiscated to the state.1 On its face, this decision is quite strange. Since the early 1980s and stemming from a crippling economic crisis at the time, Ghana has embraced the Bretton Woods neoliberal policy prescriptions as a panacea for its economic recovery. As part of its commitment to neoliberalism, Ghana has adhered to trade liberalization and evidence of this is carefully documented in its Trade Policy submissions to the World Trade Organization (WTO).2 Thus, the import ban is a deviation from the commitment to trade liberalization and is one of the few instances where MOTI has moved to grant new levels of protection to domestic industry.3

Recent studies indicate that poor migrants are more likely to depend on social capital among other resources for livelihoods in host communities. Relying on insights from the social networks theory and using qualitative data from two migrant sending regions and one migrant destination area in Ghana, this paper examines the role and effects of networks of social capital on migration processes and livelihood strategies of migrants in the construction and domestic work sectors in Accra, Ghana. The paper argues that different categories of migrants fashion out specific migration strategies based on a complex intersection of social networks, which is shaped by specific contexts. Therefore the various ways in which migrants access, maintain and construct different types of networks in varied social locations and with diverse people needs to be interrogated in a more nuanced way and their policy implications addressed.

Domestic end-users’ participation in urban water management is essential to achieving improved water delivery system that meet the needs of all urban dwellers in Ghana. This paper examined how domestic end-users can effectively participate in managing urban water in Wa. The study used semi-structured questionnaires and key informant interviews with a sample of 379 households and two staff from Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC). Kendall’s coefficient of concordance analysis and content analysis were the analytical techniques employed. It found that households’ level of participationin urban water management was 14%. Results of the Kendall’s analysis showed a coefficient of 0.59, which indicates that there is a high agreement level among households that the low level of participation is attributed to GWCL’s lack of trust in end-users’ capacity to make meaningful inputs. It identifies formation of urban zonal water management committees, communication and information sharing, operational transparency and assigning specific roles to end-users as some of the strategies for improving participation in urban water management. These findings have implications for the realisation of the Ghana National Water Policy objective of participatory decision-making in urban water management. It is important that GWCL streamlines its operations and sensitise end-users on its operations Keywords: End-users, Participation, Urban Water, Management, Challenges

The global financial and food crisis of 2007 and 2008 was followed by a surge in foreign interest and investment in African agriculture. Renewed global interest in African agriculture was also accompanied by an increase in international efforts to influence domestic agricultural policies, including in Ghana. In the context of an increasingly globalised food regime and integrated commodity markets, this thesis answers the question: to what extent do international actors impact domestic agricultural policies in Ghana? Policy 'impact' is understood as the marked influence that international actors have on policy goals and the resources, institutions, and knowledge used for achieving them. This thesis compares case studies of cocoa and rice policy over two different periods in Ghana's recent history (1983-1995 and 2003-2012) to understand how international actors use their power and resources to impact agricultural policies. The comparison of cocoa and rice policy is used to address two gaps in existing literature by examining how the impact of international actors relates to: 1) the political economy for a specific crop; and 2) the interaction between actors at international, national and local levels. Findings from the comparative analysis are then used to test existing theories for how international actors influence government policy in Africa more generally. In particular, findings provide new insights into how the impact of international actors on African agricultural policies is strongly associated with the effect of policy decisions on the longer-term political economy for a particular crop.

Although male perpetration of violence against female partners is a global concern, there continues to be insufficient research attention on this phenomenon. The current study aimed at exploring experiences of male perpetrators of violence against their female partners in intimate relationships. The specific objectives were to get an understanding of the reasons and beliefs contributing towards perpetration of domestic violence, explore the barriers that perpetrators encounter with regard to receiving reformative support, and to suggest possible strategies that can be adopted to reduce or prevent domestic violence. Adopting a qualitative approach, data were obtained through in-depth interviews and participant observations involving 22 convicted male perpetrators in the Nsawam Prisons in the Eastern Region of Ghana, followed by interviews with stakeholders at the offices of the Domestic Violence & Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service. The Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyse the data. Each transcript went through a thorough analysis to extract themes which were subsequently Synchronised. Overall, the findings from the present study elucidated some theoretical and practical implications. It reveals the following major themes: perception of inequality between sexes, bride price, childhood experience/witness of abuse, and victim blaming as contributory factors to the phenomenon of male violence against women.
Psychology

The chapter discusses the nature of the relationship between military expenditure, economic growth, and foreign policy commitments, and the consequences on economic growth of apportioning an increased part of the gross domestic product to the military in developing countries of Ghana and Nigeria within the Economic Community of West Africa during 1986-2016. Military expenditure has generated controversy, especially in developing countries of Africa, as it competes with demands for sustainable growth and development. Applying the Johansen co-integration test and Granger causality, the results show that high growth rates have enabled the two countries to increase military spending, ensure their own domestic security, and fulfill international security commitments in the West African sub-region and internationally, with negative effect in the long-run and positive effect in the short run on economic growth. The lack of defense and military expenditure linkage with the wider economy is the resultant socio-economic cost recorded over the period under study.

The chapter discusses the nature of the relationship between military expenditure, economic growth, and foreign policy commitments, and the consequences on economic growth of apportioning an increased part of the gross domestic product to the military in developing countries of Ghana and Nigeria within the Economic Community of West Africa during 1986-2016. Military expenditure has generated controversy, especially in developing countries of Africa, as it competes with demands for sustainable growth and development. Applying the Johansen co-integration test and Granger causality, the results show that high growth rates have enabled the two countries to increase military spending, ensure their own domestic security, and fulfill international security commitments in the West African sub-region and internationally, with negative effect in the long-run and positive effect in the short run on economic growth. The lack of defense and military expenditure linkage with the wider economy is the resultant socio-economic cost recorded over the period under study.

Chapter 10 concludes the book by looking to the future. It reviews key findings from each of the preceding chapters and then considers the implications given future trends and Ghana’s policy environment. The chapter highlights the need to develop a broader swath of high-productivity industrial and agricultural activities if Ghana is to succeed in sustaining or even accelerating its rate of growth in per capita income. To this end, the chapter identifies considerable opportunities within the agriculture sector and broader food system, including meeting a rapidly growing domestic demand for higher-value foods like fruits, vegetables, and livestock products, and for processed and pre-cooked foods. The chapter acknowledges that the feasibility of addressing all of these areas requires a consideration of the political and policy environment, and more effective public–private partnerships than has been evident in the past. The chapter also provides an update on the government’s most recent initiative, Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ), and contrasts this with the vision of a market- and private-sector-led transformation of the agri-food system previously discussed.

Through a comparative analysis of presidential tenures from Jerry Rawlings through John Mahama, this chapter notes that Ghana’s stable but modest growth reflects its long-term democratic stability and the need to retain voters’ support through expanding access to education and health. However, rapid growth through structural transformation has been hindered by weak state capacity and three political economy factors. First, robust democracy has enabled a broader range of interest groups to permeate policymaking decisions, often resulting in policy backtracking and volatility and fiscal deficits that stifle credit access for domestic business through high interest rates. Secondly, public sector reforms historically were not pursued to the same degree as macroeconomic reforms so, state bureaucrats lack the technical capacity to identify winning industries or to facilitate the transition to higher value-added sectors. Thirdly, successive governments have failed to invest in strong, productive relationships with the private sector. Consequently, achieving transformation in Ghana will require more activist economic policies within the confines of the state’s capacity.

The importance of Cassava in the food systems of Ghanaians cannot be underestimated. As a main staple crop, Cassava contributes about 22% and 30% to the Agricultural Gross Domestic Product (AGDP) and daily calories intake respectively. Per capita consumption of 152 kg makes it the highest among all food crops. Due to Cassava’s importance, there have been lots of attention paid to it by the Government and Donor agencies towards its improvement. This has yielded substantial results in terms of the development of cassava varieties and good agronomic practices. This chapter reviewed cassava technologies development in Ghana, adoption of these technologies by smallholder farmers, and livelihood implications. Results generated showed that Research and Development since 1993 has developed, released, and disseminated 25 new cassava varieties to smallholder farmers. Average cassava yields have increased from about 14 t/ha in 2009 to 21 t/ha in 2018. Partial budget analysis showed that smallholder farmers’ profitability has increased over the years from GH₵644.32 (about US$ 111) in 2009 to GH₵5243.27 (about US$ 904) in 2018. Again, the crop is gradually gaining attention as an industrial crop for flour, starch, and alcohol production, a drive that would further improve on returns to farmers. It is a food security crop because it is robust, produces more per unit area, and versatile for multiple usages in household foods and derivatives. It is recommended that continuous policy consideration on cassava in national agricultural agenda setting is essential.

This report maps the African landscape of Open Science – with a focus on Open Data as a sub-set of Open Science. Data to inform the landscape study were collected through a variety of methods, including surveys, desk research, engagement with a community of practice, networking with stakeholders, participation in conferences, case study presentations, and workshops hosted. Although the majority of African countries (35 of 54) demonstrates commitment to science through its investment in research and development (R&D), academies of science, ministries of science and technology, policies, recognition of research, and participation in the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI), the following countries demonstrate the highest commitment and political willingness to invest in science: Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. In addition to existing policies in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI), the following countries have made progress towards Open Data policies: Botswana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, South Africa and Uganda. Only two African countries (Kenya and South Africa) at this stage contribute 0.8% of its GDP (Gross Domestic Product) to R&D (Research and Development), which is the closest to the AU’s (African Union’s) suggested 1%. Countries such as Lesotho and Madagascar ranked as 0%, while the R&D expenditure for 24 African countries is unknown. In addition to this, science globally has become fully dependent on stable ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) infrastructure, which includes connectivity/bandwidth, high performance computing facilities and data services. This is especially applicable since countries globally are finding themselves in the midst of the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR), which is not only “about” data, but which “is” data. According to an article1 by Alan Marcus (2015) (Senior Director, Head of Information Technology and Telecommunications Industries, World Economic Forum), “At its core, data represents a post-industrial opportunity. Its uses have unprecedented complexity, velocity and global reach. As digital communications become ubiquitous, data will rule in a world where nearly everyone and everything is connected in real time. That will require a highly reliable, secure and available infrastructure at its core, and innovation at the edge.” Every industry is affected as part of this revolution – also science. An important component of the digital transformation is “trust” – people must be able to trust that governments and all other industries (including the science sector), adequately handle and protect their data. This requires accountability on a global level, and digital industries must embrace the change and go for a higher standard of protection. “This will reassure consumers and citizens, benefitting the whole digital economy”, says Marcus. A stable and secure information and communication technologies (ICT) infrastructure – currently provided by the National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) – is key to advance collaboration in science. The AfricaConnect2 project (AfricaConnect (2012–2014) and AfricaConnect2 (2016–2018)) through establishing connectivity between National Research and Education Networks (NRENs), is planning to roll out AfricaConnect3 by the end of 2019. The concern however is that selected African governments (with the exception of a few countries such as South Africa, Mozambique, Ethiopia and others) have low awareness of the impact the Internet has today on all societal levels, how much ICT (and the 4th Industrial Revolution) have affected research, and the added value an NREN can bring to higher education and research in addressing the respective needs, which is far more complex than simply providing connectivity. Apart from more commitment and investment in R&D, African governments – to become and remain part of the 4th Industrial Revolution – have no option other than to acknowledge and commit to the role NRENs play in advancing science towards addressing the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals). For successful collaboration and direction, it is fundamental that policies within one country are aligned with one another. Alignment on continental level is crucial for the future Pan-African African Open Science Platform to be successful. Both the HIPSSA ((Harmonization of ICT Policies in Sub-Saharan Africa)3 project and WATRA (the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly)4, have made progress towards the regulation of the telecom sector, and in particular of bottlenecks which curb the development of competition among ISPs. A study under HIPSSA identified potential bottlenecks in access at an affordable price to the international capacity of submarine cables and suggested means and tools used by regulators to remedy them. Work on the recommended measures and making them operational continues in collaboration with WATRA. In addition to sufficient bandwidth and connectivity, high-performance computing facilities and services in support of data sharing are also required. The South African National Integrated Cyberinfrastructure System5 (NICIS) has made great progress in planning and setting up a cyberinfrastructure ecosystem in support of collaborative science and data sharing. The regional Southern African Development Community6 (SADC) Cyber-infrastructure Framework provides a valuable roadmap towards high-speed Internet, developing human capacity and skills in ICT technologies, high- performance computing and more. The following countries have been identified as having high-performance computing facilities, some as a result of the Square Kilometre Array7 (SKA) partnership: Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa, Tunisia, and Zambia. More and more NRENs – especially the Level 6 NRENs 8 (Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, and recently Zambia) – are exploring offering additional services; also in support of data sharing and transfer. The following NRENs already allow for running data-intensive applications and sharing of high-end computing assets, bio-modelling and computation on high-performance/ supercomputers: KENET (Kenya), TENET (South Africa), RENU (Uganda), ZAMREN (Zambia), EUN (Egypt) and ARN (Algeria). Fifteen higher education training institutions from eight African countries (Botswana, Benin, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, and Tanzania) have been identified as offering formal courses on data science. In addition to formal degrees, a number of international short courses have been developed and free international online courses are also available as an option to build capacity and integrate as part of curricula. The small number of higher education or research intensive institutions offering data science is however insufficient, and there is a desperate need for more training in data science. The CODATA-RDA Schools of Research Data Science aim at addressing the continental need for foundational data skills across all disciplines, along with training conducted by The Carpentries 9 programme (specifically Data Carpentry 10 ). Thus far, CODATA-RDA schools in collaboration with AOSP, integrating content from Data Carpentry, were presented in Rwanda (in 2018), and during17-29 June 2019, in Ethiopia. Awareness regarding Open Science (including Open Data) is evident through the 12 Open Science-related Open Access/Open Data/Open Science declarations and agreements endorsed or signed by African governments; 200 Open Access journals from Africa registered on the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ); 174 Open Access institutional research repositories registered on openDOAR (Directory of Open Access Repositories); 33 Open Access/Open Science policies registered on ROARMAP (Registry of Open Access Repository Mandates and Policies); 24 data repositories registered with the Registry of Data Repositories (re3data.org) (although the pilot project identified 66 research data repositories); and one data repository assigned the CoreTrustSeal. Although this is a start, far more needs to be done to align African data curation and research practices with global standards. Funding to conduct research remains a challenge. African researchers mostly fund their own research, and there are little incentives for them to make their research and accompanying data sets openly accessible. Funding and peer recognition, along with an enabling research environment conducive for research, are regarded as major incentives. The landscape report concludes with a number of concerns towards sharing research data openly, as well as challenges in terms of Open Data policy, ICT infrastructure supportive of data sharing, capacity building, lack of skills, and the need for incentives. Although great progress has been made in terms of Open Science and Open Data practices, more awareness needs to be created and further advocacy efforts are required for buy-in from African governments. A federated African Open Science Platform (AOSP) will not only encourage more collaboration among researchers in addressing the SDGs, but it will also benefit the many stakeholders identified as part of the pilot phase. The time is now, for governments in Africa, to acknowledge the important role of science in general, but specifically Open Science and Open Data, through developing and aligning the relevant policies, investing in an ICT infrastructure conducive for data sharing through committing funding to making NRENs financially sustainable, incentivising open research practices by scientists, and creating opportunities for more scientists and stakeholders across all disciplines to be trained in data management.