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Kyei, Peter Ohene. "Decentralisation and poverty alleviation in rural Ghana." Thesis, Durham University, 2000. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/1492/.
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Rolleston, Caine. "Education poverty and culture in Ghana, 1991-2010." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2011. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1548270/.
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Ghana has seen notable poverty reduction alongside improvements in school participation since 1991. This thesis explores the patterns among descriptive indicators and uses regression analysis to examine possible causal relationships with special reference to the role of education in determining welfare and its reciprocal, the role of welfare and other aspects of economic privilege in the determination of school attendance and progression. The study follows a mixed-methods design, following quantitative analysis at the national level with a mixed methods sub-study in a deprived district of Ghana. The primary quantitative study begins by reviewing the literature on modelling of the household consumption function as well as on modelling schooling decisions based on the household production function and considers these relationships in terms of a system of co-determining factors at individual, household and contextual levels. Attention is then given to important methodological issues related to the modelling approach. Two groups of models are estimated using data from the Ghana Living Standards Surveys and findings are presented. The results suggest that education levels play an important role in determining household welfare and that, for higher levels of education; these effects are considerably larger and possibly increasing over time. Educational expansion has, however, meant that access to the benefits from these effects has widened somewhat, although primarily at lower levels of access. Demographic change has also played an important role in welfare improvements. In terms of absolute numbers, access to schooling in Ghana has expanded dramatically although rates of completion and of drop-out have not improved and there appears to be a worsening of age-appropriate completion rates. Nonetheless, the first half of the period since 1991 saw substantial increases in rates of school attendance at the basic education level. This growth appears to have been driven by narrowing regional differentials, increasing welfare, urbanisation, improving gender equity, smaller and less dependent households and a reduction in the number of children involved in child labour. It is in relation to progression towards higher levels of education that more significant inequity emerges and in 2006 completion of lower secondary education in Ghana remained the preserve of children in areas and households of relative economic privilege. To explore issues of access in more detail and in context, an interview-based study was conducted in Savelugu-Nanton District, following quantitative analysis using regional and district-level data. Exploratory interviews with education professionals identified childfosterage and migration by youths into kayaye (head-porterage) as important inhibitors of access. These are considered in detail through two further sets of interviews with household caregivers and migrant workers, supported by quantitative analysis. Findings show that, fosterage, primarily motivated by cultural traditions of kinship obligation, is related to considerable educational disadvantage which, especially in the case of girls who face the additional pressure to accumulate items required for marriage, in turn is linked to migration South into menial labour. Despite recent policies to eliminate costs of schooling, low incomes in the district mean that schooling remains relatively costly, and household decision-making continues to exclude a notable portion of the child population; among whom many are fostered children.
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Pacillo, Grazia. "Market participation, innovation adoption and poverty in rural Ghana." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2016. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/61392/.
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Agricultural commercialisation via increased market participation and innovation adoption has been widely argued to reduce poverty. However, empirical evidence suggests that both of these are persistently low in developing countries. Recent analyses suggest that different types of transaction costs and social capital may influence both market access and innovation adoption decisions. This thesis investigates these two factors in agricultural commercialisation and poverty reduction. Using data from three GLSS survey rounds, Chapter 1 investigates the determinants of the decision to sell as well as the decision of how much to sell, focusing on the role of transaction costs. The empirical analysis is carried out at household level and for a specific crop (maize). A Heckman two-step model is used to control for self-selection into market participation, using measures of fixed transaction costs as identifier variables. The overall results, although generally consistent with previous literature, show an unexpected positive relationship between remoteness and market participation, which might reflect peculiarities of Ghanaian crop marketing systems. Chapter 3 investigates the relationship between social capital and innovation using primary data on 305 Ghanaian farmers collected during field work in 2012 (described in Chapter 2). The chapter analyses innovation (the decision to adopt, its timing and intensity) at crop level, focusing on a non-traditional cash crop, exotic varieties of mango. The analysis investigates the role of different types of social capital, both in disaggregated and aggregated forms. The results suggest that social capital should not be overlooked in the innovation process, supporting recent evidence that there exists a positive relationship between the “know-who” and adoption dynamics. Finally, Chapter 4 investigates the impact of innovation adoption on objective and subjective measures of poverty. Matching techniques are used to estimate the Average Treatment Effect on the Treated, using primary data. The results show that adoption does not impact objective poverty but it does have a significant positive impact on self-perceived poverty status.
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Kassam, Laila. "Assessing the contribution of aquaculture to poverty reduction in Ghana." Thesis, SOAS, University of London, 2013. http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/17842/.
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Sonne, Joel. "The role of tourism in poverty reduction in Elmina, Ghana." Thesis, University of Bedfordshire, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10547/134954.
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Governments and donor agencies are increasingly advocating tourism as a viable poverty reduction option in developing countries. However, the debate surrounding tourism development mechanisms and benefits to local people is based upon limited empirical evidence. Much of the literature has focused on the socio-economic impacts of tourism in developing countries, but there is comparatively limited investment of the relationship between tourism and poverty reduction from the perspectives of the stakeholders, particularly local people. To build knowledge about this relationship, this research study examines the role of tourism in poverty reduction in Elmina, Ghana. The core aim of the research is to analyse the inter-relationship between poverty reduction and tourism from the perspective of local people and stakeholders. The research focuses upon the importance of tourism as a developmental strategy to tackle poverty. The research methodology was formulated within an interpretive paradigm utilising qualitative techniques to investigate tourism and poverty in Elmina. Stakeholders who participated in the study included: Government; Donor Agencies; Local People; Tourists; and the Private Sector. The data was analysed using thematic data analysis methods. Researcher reflexivity is also integrated into the study in view of the researcher’s experience of employment in a public sector tourism organisation in Ghana. The thematic findings contribute to knowledge about the relationship between tourism and poverty reduction in Elmina and are categorised into three main themes. Firstly, local people in Elmina define and understand poverty and tourism opportunities in multiple ways, which differ from other stakeholders; however, differences in meanings and understandings exist between and within individuals and groups in Elmina. The attributes accounting for the differences in views include: level of education; access to the tourism market; participation in decision-making; and type of businesses. Secondly, local people participate in tourism mainly as owners of informal tourism businesses and employees. ii However, a group of marginalised people, the ‘Castle Boys’, also benefit from the support received from philanthropic tourists through the activities of begging and informal tour guiding as ways of earning income to escape from poverty. Finally, several barriers to participation for local people in tourism exist in the Elmina community, which marginalises and excludes a cross-section of the locals from the advantages of socio-economic opportunities. These barriers include: a low level of education attainment; a lack of availability of and access to credit facilities; and a lack of ‘voice’ in the decision-making process, indicating a general need for capacity building. Government and donor agencies’ neoliberal policy objectives of utilising cultural tourism for development has failed to achieve poverty reduction in Elmina. This issue has given rise to evolving questions of the use of tourism as a developmental tool to reduce poverty and how to empower local people to actively participate in emerging socio-economic opportunities. This research subsequently contributes to furthering the understanding of the role of tourism in poverty reduction, and theoretically comprehending the role of tourism as a development strategy to combat poverty in local communities.
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Ofei-Aboagye, Esther Oduraa. "Poverty reduction interventions and local governments in Ghana : 1988-2002." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.435265.
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Asitik, Akanganngang Joseph. "Entrepreneurship : a means to poverty reduction in rural northern Ghana?" Thesis, University of Central Lancashire, 2016. http://clok.uclan.ac.uk/15482/.
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Poverty has long been a developmental challenge in the Global South in general and in sub-Saharan Africa in particular. Consequently, over recent decades different strategies and programmes such as the Millennium Development Goals have been employed to reduce poverty and to improve the quality of people’s lives. This is very much the case in Ghana, where major strides have towards reducing poverty. Nevertheless, the three northern regions (Northern, Upper East and Upper West) of the country have actually experienced a deteriorating situation with the proportion of people living in poverty increasing. In short, poverty remains an obstacle to development in rural northern Ghana. Significantly, entrepreneurship has been proposed by some as an alternative route to rural poverty alleviation. The purpose of this thesis, therefore, is to examine critically the extent to which communities in rural northern Ghana can become entrepreneurial as a basis for facilitating poverty reduction in the regions. Having contextualised the study within a review of development, poverty and, in particular, entrepreneurship, the thesis explores the entrepreneurial ‘environment’ of rural northern Ghana and the entrepreneurial potential of rural communities in the regions as well as assessing the entrepreneurial human and social capitals possessed by those communities. Overall, this provides a holistic and critical assessment of the opportunities for and barriers to rural entrepreneurship in rural northern Ghana. The study adopts a process of qualitative enquiry, using a multiple-case approach to investigate the problem within broader and distinctive rural locations. Within each case, data were gathered at both district and community levels, employing both focus groups and individual semi-structured interviews. The data collection involved translations and a Translation moderation and mediation process – termed the TMM model – was developed to ensure the quality and rigour of the interview transcripts. The findings from the research conclude that poverty is endemic within the study communities. Nevertheless, it was identified that these communities possess potential human, social, cultural and natural capitals that provide a basis for developing entrepreneurship, as well as opportunities for specific entrepreneurial activities which may contribute to reducing poverty in the communities. However, the research found that limited infrastructure may hinder the entrepreneurial process and, as such, rural entrepreneurship in the communities will be a challenging task. Therefore, for successful rural entrepreneurship in rural northern, infrastructure is a critical issue.
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Anku, Victor Kofi. "Children's perspectives of poverty and livelihood strategies in Sakumono Village, Ghana." Thesis, Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet, Norsk senter for barneforskning, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:no:ntnu:diva-17545.
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In this study, I explored children’s perspectives and experiences of poverty and the livelihood strategies they tactically employed to fend for themselves in Sakumono Village, Ghana. I applied qualitative research method and techniques specifically; focus group discussions, unstructured interviews, drawings, photography, and ranking methods in order to gather the data for the study. This methodological approach provided an in-depth understanding of children’s perspectives and experiences of poverty and livelihood strategies and thereby highlighting the essence of social studies of childhood, which is about the live experiences of children. As such, I applied three major theoretical frameworks namely; the social studies of childhood, the intergenerational transmission of poverty and the life-course transmissions of poverty. The purpose of using these theoretical perspectives is to highlight the importance of children’s agency in the course of their lives and to shed light on how children are affected by poverty as a result of being born into poor families and how its effect move from generations to generations. The study has found out that children have different explanations and understanding of poverty. These multiple understandings depend on the individual circumstances of the child in question setting a departure from the usual understanding of poverty in seemingly monetary term. The study has also shown that there are gender faces of poverty with regard to how poverty affects both boys and girls similarly and differently. This knowledge reveals that in tackling child poverty, gender of the beneficiaries ought to be taken into consideration in order to make a meaningful impact in the lives of poor children. Furthermore, the study has revealed that children’s experiences of poverty are connected to the kind of employment their parents or caregivers are engaged in, and the number of siblings that the child has in his or her family as these have to do with the availability of resources at home. The study revealed how children engage in different livelihood strategies as ways of fighting poverty in their lives when family and the government fail to come to their aid, exhibiting their sense of responsibility, agency, entrepreneurship, and contributions to their families. Having considered children’s perspectives and experiences of poverty and the livelihood strategies, it is recommended that policies that aim to tackle child poverty should consider the opinions and voices of poor children as well as their family backgrounds. It was also suggested that, in assessing the needs and problems of poor children, the gender faces of poverty and individual circumstances of the children have to be taken into consideration in order to provide appropriate forms of interventions.
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Bakare, Fatawu Adesina. "The impact of microfinance on poverty reduction amongst farmers in Ghana." Thesis, Birmingham City University, 2018. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.758572.
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The microfinance programme is largely deemed to be a mechanism aimed at reducing poverty particularly in developing countries. The prevalence of poverty is considered to have a negative effect on the health of an economy as well as the wellbeing of its people. Thus, this thesis investigates microfinance provision and its poverty reducing impact. In particular this study sought to investigate the relationships between microfinance provision and the wellbeing of the family including the agricultural activities of the borrowers. In this thesis, poverty is conceptualised from the perspective of “capability deficit”. Thus, the wellbeing of the family is considered to have been improved as a consequence of an increase in its capability. This thesis begins with a review of the state of knowledge within the domain of extant microfinance literature that focuses mainly on the effect of microfinance on poverty reduction. The empirical study of this thesis is based on 320 structured questionnaire responses from microfinance farmer borrowers. 10 semi-structured interviews were carried out with the microfinance loan officers and 40 semi-structured interviews were conducted with the service users. The study findings suggest that there is a significant relationship between microfinance provision and positive effect on the wellbeing of the microfinance clients and their families as well as their agricultural activities. The research finds that, microfinance clients’ perception of poverty focus significantly on maintaining a reliable source of income and the ability to meet essential family needs. The findings also show that, the selection of members into groups based on personal relation and trust as an embedded feature of group formation to hedge against moral hazard problems, suggests the likelihood of exclusion from benefiting from microfinance loans. The outcomes of this empirical study contribute significantly to the wider microfinance literature that shows microfinance leads to a positive effect on the holistic livelihood of poor service users (Hulme and Mosley, 1996; Armendariz de Aghion and Morduch, 2005; Adjei, et al., 2008). Moreover, the thesis provides significant methodological and theoretical contribution to the research in microfinance in both developed as well as developing economies.
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Armah, Collins. "Poverty as an Abuse of Human Rights in Ghana. : A grass roots perspective on poverty and human rights." Thesis, Högskolan Dalarna, Historia, 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:du-4901.
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The study aimed at getting a grass root opinion on poverty and why Ghana is still poor after 50 years of independence in spite of her richness in natural resources, second largest producer of cocoa in the word and appreciable stable political environment. The opinions of the ordinary people in the Bia district and their observed living conditions was analysed in line with theoretical basis of the study and previous studies to justify the stance that poverty should be considered as an abuse of human rights. It was concluded based on position of informants and previous data available that though many factors have been raised by previous scholars as the cause of poverty, the actions and inactions of both internal and external power-holders is the main source of poverty in Ghana. It was proposed that for poverty to be reduced in a sustainable way there should be strong civil society groups and active citizens through civic education to hold power-holders accountable. Until the actions and inactions of power-holders which have subjected many Ghanaians into intergenerational poverty are seen as human rights abuse, the rights of many Ghanaians would be constantly abused. This will eventually defeat the promotion of human rights culture in Ghana.
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Sundong, Samuel Natonaah. "Vulnerability, Poverty and HIV/AIDS in Bawku East Municipality of Northern Ghana." Thesis, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Technology Management, 2005. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:no:ntnu:diva-668.
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This is a study about vulnerability and risk of HIV/AIDS in Bawku East municipality of northern Ghana. The main objective of the study is to examine poverty as a likely determinant of HIV/AIDS. It also includes other factors which are contributing to the risk of HIV infection in the municipality.
The study makes use of concepts and perspectives linked to the risk theory, the human disease ecology model and ideas generated from structuration, diffusion theory and place and time.
The triangulation approach which encompasses multiple methods of data collection included questionnaire administration covering a purposive sample of 120 respondents, 12 in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and observations. Primary data was complemented with secondary data from Ghana sentinel HIV/AIDS data, statistics on PLWHA in Bawku and other sources of data.
The relationship between poverty and HIV/AIDS is complex. The prevailing poor conditions have led to various ways of coping with life. The study reveals that such livelihood strategies might catapult the risk of infection of HIV/AIDS among the vulnerable. Women are more at risk and are likely to adopt risky sexual behaviours that could put them in high positions for infection. The study reveals that women’s socio-economic dependence on men constrains them in negotiating protective sex.
The study further reveals that there are a wide range of cultural beliefs and practices that fuel the spread of HIV/AIDS in Bawku. The high value placed on marriage and the recognition of many children, widow inheritance, arranged marriages, bridal dowry, polygamy, female circumcision and religious beliefs in particular weaken the autonomy of women and deprive them the rights to decision making in the household. Early initiation of sexual intercourse and the number of sexual partners involved is also reported to be very high. A regression analysis performed on possible variables indicated significant positive association between age and personal monthly income with multiple sexual partners. It is recommended that HIV/AIDS prevention programmes should not only promote condom use but also initiate projects that will address the socio-economic, religious and cultural issues that entrap people putting them at greater risk of HIV infection.
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Donkor, Kwabena. "Ghana : structural adjustment and its impact on the incidence of mass poverty." Thesis, University of Bristol, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/1983/833e8222-80b3-4a01-9869-18f3e3ee0acd.
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Arku, Raphael E. "Poverty, Energy Use, Air Pollution and Health in Ghana: A Spatial Analysis." Thesis, Harvard University, 2015. http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:16121156.
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Some of the major themes that characterize the relationship between the environment and population health in the developing world today include poverty, household access to clean cooking fuel, air pollution, sanitation, and infant/child and maternal health. My dissertation research incorporates some of these themes at the interface of community and household energy in the context of economic development in Ghana. Specifically, my dissertation focuses on features of household energy and poverty in both rural and urban areas, as well as air pollution, and child and maternal health in growing urban areas in what is a data and resource-poor setting of Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA).
Child mortality is declining in most countries. Very few studies have measured child mortality at fine spatial resolutions, which is relevant for assessing community determinants and interventions. The first paper evaluates subnational inequalities in child mortality and its social and environmental determinants in Ghana by applying Bayesian spatial model to Ghana’s 2000 and 2010 National Population and Housing Censuses in 2000 and 2010. The census data were also used to estimate the distributions of households or persons in each of Ghana’s 110 districts for fuel used for cooking, sanitation facility, drinking water source, and maternal and paternal educations. Median district 5q0 declined from 99 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2000 to 70 in 2010. The decline ranged between <5% in some northern districts, where under-five mortality had been higher in 2000, to >40% in southern districts, where it had been lower in 2000, leading to higher inequalities. Primary education increased in men and women and more households had access to improved water and sanitation and cleaner cooking fuels over the same period. Higher use of liquefied petroleum gas for cooking was associated with lower 5q0 in multivariate analysis. Associations for the other social and environmental variables were not consistent or were weak in the different analyses although there were indications of beneficial effects from replacing wood with charcoal or kerosene, from improved sanitation (but not water), and from higher share of mothers and fathers with primary education.
The second paper examines personal particulate matter exposures and locations of 56 students from eight schools in four neighborhoods in of varying socioeconomic status in Accra, Ghana, using gravimetric and continuous PM2.5 data, with time-matched global positioning system coordinates. Personal PM2.5 exposures ranged from less than 10 μg/m3 to more than 150 μg/m3 (mean 56 μg/m3). Girls had higher exposure than boys (67 vs. 44 μg/m3; p-value = 0.001). Exposure was inversely associated with distance of home or school to main roads, but the associations were not statistically significant in the multivariate model. Use of biomass fuels in the area where the school was located was also associated with higher exposure, as was household’s own biomass use. Paved schoolyard surface was associated with lower exposure. School locations in relation to major roads, materials of school ground surfaces, and biomass use in the area around schools may be important determinants of air pollution exposure.
The third paper assesses the feasibility of using hospital administrative records for understanding air pollution health effects on pregnancy outcomes in Accra. This evaluation addresses whether: (i) the available health administrative data can be used to assess PM pollution-related adverse pregnancy outcomes, in particular birth weight; (ii) the health administrative structure and data can be used in the design of follow-up studies in such settings; (iii) the number of births that occur in the city would provide a large enough sample size; and (iv) birth weight distribution in such complex source-pollution environments varies substantially across neighhorhoods. There are six health districts in the Accra metropolis. In addition to other government and private facilities, each district is served by a Government polyclinic, where maternal and child health records in the district are collated. Neonatal and maternal health records, including anthropometric and demographic information are primarily kept by the individual women in cards provided by the Ghana Health Services. There are an estimated 10,000 births annually in each district. The average birth weight across selected facilities was 3,167±458 g, with individual birth weights ranging from 1,200 g to 6,000 g. Mean birth weight was similar across polyclinics. More than 95% of expectant mothers received at least 4 antenatal care visits at a health facility. Child immunization for the full range of vaccines covers over 80% of children born in the metropolis. A retrospective study of the association of air pollution exposure and birth weight in Accra through the use of hospital administrative records is feasible provided mothers are targeted through the public health units, which is responsible for child immunization.Environmental Health
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Ayifah, Rebecca Nana Yaa. "Essays on child labour and schooling in Ghana." Thesis, University of Cape Town, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/28435.
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This thesis consists of three papers on child labour and schooling in Ghana. The first paper examines the correlates of child labour and schooling, as well as the trade-off between work and schooling of children aged 5-17 years with the 2013 Ghana Living Standard Survey data. A bivariate probit model is used since the decisions to participate in schooling and in the labour market are interdependent. The results show that there is a gender gap both in child work and schooling. In particular, boys are less likely to work (and more likely to be enrolled in schools) relative to girls. Whereas parent education, household wealth and income of the family are negatively correlated with child work, these factors influence schooling positively. In addition, parents‟ employment status, ownership of livestock, distance to school, child wage and schooling expenditure increase the probability of child labour and reduce the likelihood of school enrolment. In terms of the relationship between child labour and schooling, the results show that an additional hour of child labour is associated with 0.15 hour (9 minutes) reduction in daily hours of school attendance; and the effect is bigger for girls relative to boys. Also, one more hour of child labour is associated with an increase in the probability of a child falling behind in grade progression by 1.4 percentage points. The second paper estimates the impact of Ghana’s Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) cash transfer programme on schooling outcomes (enrolment, attendance hours, repetition and test scores) and child labour in farming and non-farm enterprises. Using longitudinal data, the paper employs three different quasi-experimental methods (propensity score matching, difference-in-difference, and difference-in-difference combined with matching). Overall, the results show that the LEAP programme had no effect on school enrolment and test scores, but it increased the weekly hours of class attendance by 5.2 hours and reduced repetition rate by 11 percentage points for children in households that benefited from the programme. In addition, there was heterogeneity in these impacts, with boys benefiting more relative to girls. In terms of child labour, the results show that the programme had no effect on the extensive margin of child labour in farming and non-farm enterprises. However, the LEAP programme reduced the intensity of farm work done by children by as much as 2.6 hours per day. The largest impact of the programme, in terms of iii reduction in the intensity of child labour in farming, occurred in female-headed and extremely poor households. The last paper investigates the impact of mothers‟ autonomy or bargaining power in the household on their children’s schooling and child labour in Ghana. The paper uses a noneconomic measure of women’[s autonomy, which is an index constructed from five questions on power relations between men and women. The paper employs both an Ordinary Least Square (OLS) and an Instrumental Variable (IV) approach. Overall, the results suggest that ignoring the endogeneity of mothers‟ autonomy underestimates its true impact on schooling and child labour. They also show that an increase in mothers‟ autonomy increases school enrolment and hours of class attendance, with girls benefiting more than boys. The paper finds a negative relationship between mothers‟ autonomy and both the extensive and intensive margin of child labour. In addition, it demonstrates that improvement in women’s autonomy has bigger impacts on rural children’s welfare relative to urban children.
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Ayigsi, James A. "Building pathways out of poverty : a case study of poverty and rural livelihoods in the Oncho Freed Zone of Nothern Ghana." Thesis, University of East Anglia, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.405695.
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Adjei, Joseph Kimos. "Microfinance, Asset-Building and Poverty Reduction in Ghana : The case of Sinapi Aba Trust." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.508807.
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The study evaluates the extent to which Sinapi Aba Trust (SAT) of Ghana, the largest NGO microfinance provider and a key player in the development of the SME sector in the country, has contributed to poverty reduction among rural and urban poor, especially women by supporting them with small loans to generate income to build up their asset base. Since the poor are known not to be homogenous, this study also investigates the type of people that are being served by SAT: whether they are the very poor, the moderately poor or the less poor. The study adapted the DFID's sustainable livelihood framework and used multivariate analysis to evaluate the effect of the programme on participants in terms of asset-building. The main findings of the study are two-fold. First, by comparing the living standards of 231 new clients of SAT with those of 305 non-clients and using the poverty assessment tool developed by Henry et al. (2003), the study found that SAT reaches a disproportionately smaller percentage of the very poor and a higher percentage of the less poor in its operational areas. The study noted that programme placement plays a key role in determining the type of clients reached by SAT since almost all its branches are located in urban centres. This finding implies that unless sufficient investments are made by government and development partners to improve the infrastructural base of such areas, the majority of the very poor will remain outside the reach of microfinance providers. It was found that the objective of financial sustainability being pursued by SAT has eventually caused it to shift the provision of financial services from very poor households to the less poor. Secondly, using cross-sectional data from 547 respondents, made up of 316 established clients and 231 new clients of SAT, the study found that participation in the programme has enabled established clients to build up savings deposits and subscribe to a client welfare scheme which serves as insurance to pay off debts in times of critical illness or death. Participants were also found to be in better position to contribute towards the education of their children and the health care of members of their households and also contribute towards the purchase of household durables. It is observed from the study that programmes that are financially sustainable have greater effects on participants implying that there must be non-interference by governments in the determination of interest rates charged by MFIs. It is further noted that clients who remain in MFI programmes for long periods of time suffer from diminishing marginal returns and there should be some form of up-scaling to accommodate these clients or should be able to join other financial service providers in the formal sector in order to benefit fully from participation in microfinance programmes.
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Williams, Muhammed. "To what extent has research been used to inform anti-poverty policy in Ghana." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2016. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.702871.
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Social science research pinpoints groups at high risk of poverty and illuminates the impact of persistent poverty. However, a perceived lack of commitment by government and other agencies to research, and, neglect of its findings has confounded many social scientists. This study explores anti-poverty policies in a developing country, asking the question: To what extent is research used to inform anti-poverty policy in Ghana? Three further questions inform the answer: • Which factors hinder or facilitate the use of poverty research by policy makers? • How do policy networks facilitate or constrain policy-making? • To what extent has policy transfer influenced anti-poverty policies? Answers to these questions explain the dynamics of the interaction between social scientists and policy makers. The methods used include: • A literature review of the effectiveness or otherwise of evidence based policymaking, policy-making frameworks and anti-poverty policies in Ghana. • In-depth interviews of researchers and policy makers. • Analysis of poverty research in Ghana. The study settled on Ghana because it focuses on poverty through academic and policy research. Social scientists also know little about how researchers and policy makers work together, the barriers to knowledge exchange or factors that might increase researchers ' engagement with policy makers. There was also an opportunity to assess the contribution of researchers to the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. The study found evidence of the direct use of research to develop policies in the health, agricultural and technological sectors. There was considerable evidence of the conceptual use of research to enlighten policy makers, facilitated by a network of specialists across government and international agencies. Analysis proved that policy networks helped to spread and exchange knowledge and resources, which contributed to the development of anti-poverty policies in Ghana. However, there was some evidence that International Finance and International Development Agencies imposed anti-poverty policies on the government of Ghana.
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Friesen, Valerie. "Tackling poverty through private sector microcredit programs in Ghana: does infant and young child nutrition improve?" Thesis, McGill University, 2013. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=114583.
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Low income is a barrier to optimal feeding practices of infants and young children (IYC). Microcredit programs for rural Ghanaian women aim to increase incomes, which may improve the quantity and quality of foods given to IYC. This study examined (1) the association between a mother's participation in a microcredit-only program and IYC dietary quality and nutritional status, (2) factors influencing IYC feeding among mothers, and (3) factors influencing the incorporation of nutrition education within a microcredit program. Participants included 102 active microcredit (MC) member mothers and 102 non-microcredit (NMC) member mothers and their youngest child (6-23 mo). Information was collected on IYC feeding practices, length, and weight, and household socio-demographic characteristics. Focus group discussions were conducted with 6 NMC mothers and 15 MC mothers. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 5 staff associated with the MC program. A mother's participation in MC was positively associated with her child meeting minimum dietary diversity recommendations. Compared to the NMC group, IYC in the MC group met this indicator more often and consumed more legumes and nuts, and dairy products (p<0.05). There were no differences in nutritional status after adjusting for covariates. NMC mothers cited family as their main influence on IYC feeding practices while MC mothers cited health workers as most influential and reported that loans increased their financial independence but had little to no impact on IYC feeding practices. Barriers to incorporating nutrition education in a MC program included high staff caseload, lack of external training, and low priority status. Private sector activities such as MC may play a role in improving the diet of IYC in Ghana; however, added nutrition education may be necessary to see improvements in child growth. Long-term partnerships between rural banks and nutrition-related organizations are needed to ensure sustainability of education components over time.Un faible revenu est une barrière aux pratiques d'alimentation optimales des nourrissons et jeunes enfants (NJE). Les programmes de microcrédit pour les femmes ghanéennes vivant en milieu rural ont pour objectif d'accroitre leur revenu, ce dernier pouvant améliorer la quantité et qualité des aliments offerts aux NJE. Cette étude a examiné (1) l'association entre la participation d'une mère à un programme de microcrédit et la qualité alimentaire et l'état nutritionnel des NJE, (2) les facteurs ayant une influence sur les pratiques d'alimentation des NJE parmi les mères, et (3) les facteurs ayant une influence sur l'incorporation d'activités d'éducation nutritionnelle dans un programme de microcrédit. Des mères membres (MC; n=102) et non-membres (NMC; n=102) d'un programme de microcrédit et leur plus jeune enfant (6-23 mois) ont participé à l'étude. De l'information a été recueillie sur les pratiques d'alimentation des NJE, sur leur taille et leur poids ainsi que sur les caractéristiques sociodémographiques des ménages. Des groupes de discussion ont été menés avec 6 mères NMC et 15 mères MC. Des entrevues semi-structurées ont été menées auprès du personnel associé à un programme de microcrédit (n=5). La participation d'une mère à un programme de microcrédit a été positivement associée aux recommandations minimales de diversification alimentaire chez son enfant. En comparaison au groupe NMC, les NJE du groupe MC ont plus souvent atteint ces recommandations et ont consommé davantage de légumineuses et noix et de produits laitiers (p<0.05). Aucune différence dans l'état nutritionnel entre les groupes n'a été trouvée après avoir pris en compte les covariables pertinentes dans l'analyse. Les mères NMC ont cité la famille comme la plus importante influence sur les pratiques d'alimentation de leurs enfants pendant que les mères MC ont cité les professionnels de la santé. Ces dernières ont également rapporté que les prêts ont accru leur indépendance financière mais ont eu peu ou pas d'impact sur les pratiques d'alimentation des leurs enfants. Une clientèle nombreuse, un manque de formation externe, et une faible priorité constituaient les barrières à l'incorporation d'activités d'éducation nutritionnelle dans le programme de microcrédit. Les activités du secteur privé, tel que le microcrédit, peuvent jouer un rôle dans l'amélioration de l'alimentation des NJE au Ghana, par contre l'ajout d'activités d'éducation nutritionnelle pourrait s'avérer nécessaire pour voir des améliorations dans leur croissance. Des partenariats sur le long-terme entre les banques rurales et des organisations travaillant dans le domaine de la nutrition sont nécessaires pour assurer la viabilité des composantes d'éducation à travers le temps.
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Naab, Gilbert Z. "Rethinking the design and implementation of financial services for poverty reduction: A case of Northern Ghana." Thesis, University of Bradford, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/18570.
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The thesis empirically examines how microfinance products are designed and
implemented, and the implications for clients’ households and sources of
livelihood. The study argues that the design of products and implementation
that reflect the livelihood needs and poverty context of clients is one of the
effective ways to reduce poverty. It investigates the microfinance operations of
three financial institutions: Sinapi Aba Trust (SAT), St Joseph’s Cooperative
Credit Union (CCU) and Sonzele Rural Bank (SRB) in Jirapa, a municipality in
Northern Ghana. The study deployed a mixed-methods approach to collect data
from six rural and urban communities. Data was sought from secondary
sources, 20 interviews, 10 focus group discussions and 120 questionnaires.
The research adopted the Sustainable Livelihoods and the Making Markets
Work for the Poor approaches as a guide in the framework of analysis. The
study, using qualitative and quantitative analytical tools found that product
designs of SAT and SRB did not reflect the needs and poverty context of the
majority of their clients. Clients of SAT and SRB were found to be less involved
in the product design processes, suggesting a top-down institutional approach
that seldom incorporated the needs of the poor. The method of group formation
has a substantial implication on members’ poverty outcomes. Groups involving
only females had a significant and positive relationship with members’
household and business outcomes, while members of male-only groups had a
negative relationship with their household outcomes. The thesis concludes that
accessible interest on loans and incentives to encourage savings would make
microfinance markets work more sustainably for the rural poor. The findings
challenge a reconsideration of the design of microfinance products to integrate
financial technology as an efficient approach to deliver financial services,
especially in rural areas.
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Garr, Ewald Quaye. "Infrastructure policy reforms and rural poverty reduction in Ghana : the case of the Keta Sea Defence Project." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2010. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&action=viewtitle&id=gen8Srv25Nme4_3240_1299063830.
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This minithesis seeks to understand why infrastructure projects fail to contribute effectively to poverty (rural) reduction. The thesis assumes that though infrastructure provision can impact positively on rural poverty reduction, the same infrastructure provision has worsened or put people in worse conditions of poverty. Therefore it is not automatic that infrastructure provision would reduce rural poverty as often held. The thesis goes on to postulate that a positive relationship between infrastructure and rural poverty reduction is best achieved within a broad or generic policy which provides the framework for providing such infrastructure. The thesis assesses these assertions empirically by first, testing the relationships between infrastructure and rural poverty reduction. Here a large scale infrastructure project in Ghana known as the Keta sea defence project serves as the case study. Secondly the thesis assesses Ghana&rsquo
s infrastructure provision policy environment and its implications on rural poverty reduction in the affected communities of the Keta sea defence project.
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King, Sylvana Rudith. "The role of urban market trade in local development processes and its implication for policy : a case study of Kumasi Central Market, Ghana." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.300599.
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Alatinga, Kennedy A. "Poverty and access to health care in Ghana: the challenge of bridging the equity gap with health insurance." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/3852.
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Philosophiae Doctor - PhDThis study addresses the issue of the low participation in or enrolment of the poor in Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). The low enrolment of the poor in the NHIS is attributed to the difficulty in identifying who qualifies for exemptions from paying health insurance premiums. In an attempt to address this problem, the purpose of this study was, therefore, to develop a model for identifying very poor households for health insurance premium exemptions in the Kassena-Nankana District of Northern Ghana in an effort to increase their access to equitable health care
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Issahaku, Gazali [Verfasser]. "Contribution of Climate-smart Agriculture to Farm Performance, Food and Nutrition Security and Poverty Reduction in Ghana / Gazali Issahaku." Kiel : Universitätsbibliothek Kiel, 2019. http://d-nb.info/1177797925/34.
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Bayor, Isaac. "Community Participation in Poverty Reduction Interventions: Examiningthe Factors that impact on the Community-Based Organisation (CBO) Empowerment Project in Ghana." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2010. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&action=viewtitle&id=gen8Srv25Nme4_2150_1298618279.
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Hence, in this mini-thesis I argue that community participation does not automatically facilitate gains for the poor. My main assumption is that internal rigidities in communities, such as weak social capital, culture, trust and reciprocity, affect mutual cooperation towards collective community gains. I used two communities, where a community empowerment project is implemented, as a case study to demonstrate that the success of community participation is contingent on the stocks of social capital in the community. The results show that the responsiveness of the two communities to the project activities differs with the stocks of social capital. I found that trust among community members facilitates information flow in the community. The level of trust is also related to the sources of information of community members about development activities in the community. I also found that solidarity is an important dimension of social capital, which determines community members&rsquo
willingness to help one another and to participate in activities towards collective community gain. The research also demonstrated that perception of community members about target beneficiaries of projects&ndash
whether they represent the interest of the majority of the community or only the interest of community leaders &ndash
influences the level of confidence and ownership of the project. From my research findings, I concluded that, in order for community participation to work successfully, development managers need to identify the stocks of social capital in the community that will form the basis to determine the level of engagement with community members in the participatory process.
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Moikowa, Robert Tamba [Verfasser]. "Capacity building for poverty reduction : the role of foreign NGOs ; a case study of the northern region in Ghana/ Robert Tamba Moikowa." Dortmund : Universitätsbibliothek Technische Universität Dortmund, 2005. http://d-nb.info/1011533669/34.
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Atadja, Franklin Komla. "Sustainability Challenges for Maize and Cassava Farmers in Amankwakrom Subdistrict, Ghana." Thesis, Walden University, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10243184.
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Agricultural system in Ghana underperformed because of limited financing, which constrained some small-scale maize and cassava farmers. The purpose of this case study design was to explore the methods that some small-scale maize and cassava farmers in Amankwakrom Subdistrict used in obtaining farm financing. Two themes from the literature review were a lack of collateral for small-scale farm financing and the small-scale farmers cooperative associations? role in farm financing. Regional-scale management sustainability index formed the conceptual framework for this study. Data collection included semistructured face-to-face interviews with 8 fluent English speaking small-scale maize and cassava farmers who have obtained farm financing in the previous years. Using the Microsoft Excel and Non-numerical unstructured data indexing and theorizing software program for data analysis method, 3 major themes emerged: the farmer?s membership benefits of working in cooperative associations; farmer?s ability to provide the collateral requirements for the financial institutions; and farmer?s good loan repayment history. The study findings indicated that some small-scale maize and cassava farmers obtained farm loans because they used the cooperative associations as their collateral assets in order to satisfy for the requirements of the financial institutions. Social implications include the potential to guide the small-scale maize and cassava farmers to access farm credits to use in expanding their farm sizes. Expansion in farm sizes may result in more maize and cassava production that can help eliminate hunger and reduce poverty in the Amankwakrom Subdistrict of Ghana.
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Atiase, Victor Yawo. "The impact of FNGO services on the performance of micro and small enterprises : empirical evidence from the Volta Region, Ghana." Thesis, University of Wolverhampton, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/2436/621812.
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Financial Non-Governmental Organisations (FNGOs) are regulated microfinance institutions (MFIs) that operate with the social welfare logic in the delivery of Microcredit (MC) and Entrepreneurship Training (ET) to the poor in Ghana. The provision of these two capitals (MC and ET) is aimed at supporting the poor to create sustainable Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) which is aimed at generating both skilled and unskilled employment. The major aim of this study is to investigate the impact of MC and ET delivered by FNGOs on the performance of MSEs in Ghana. Theoretically, the study adopts both the Institutional Theory and the Resource-Based View theory as the underlying theoretical frameworks, assuming that institutional and resource factors have a great influence on FNGOs in their delivery of MC and ET to MSEs in Ghana. The research design adopted in undertaking this study is based on the pragmatic research philosophy. Specifically, the mixed strategy with an explanatory triangulation method has been used. The mixed method has been adopted purposely for model testing as well as for exploring various issues on FNGOs and their role in the performance of MSEs. Primary data were collected through a quantitative method using a survey as well as through qualitative interviews. Adopting a stratified random sampling method, a total of 720 self-administered questionnaires were sent out in March 2017 to MSEs in the Volta Region of Ghana to collect primary data. Out of the number sent, 506 questionnaires were retrieved generating a response rate of 70.2%. Also, interviews were conducted with 10 MSEs. A multiple regression model was applied in measuring the impact of MC and ET on the performance of MSEs. The findings suggest that firm characteristics such as gender, managers educational level, industry category and business age correlate positively with employment sales and profitability growth which are statistically significant at 1% level. Secondly, the study also found that both MC and ET factors have a significant impact on MSE performance in the areas of employment, sales and profitability at 1% significant level. The qualitative findings also support the model tested in this study in the sense that the combined approach of both MC and ET have a significant impact on MSE performance in Ghana. This study has made two main contributions. Firstly, the provision of MC by FNGOs can only have the desired impact on the performance of MSEs if it is combined with entrepreneurship training, thereby leading to a sustainable employment, sales and profitability growth. Therefore, by using the 506 MSEs financed by FNGOs in the Volta region of Ghana, this study has for the first time in the Ghanaian microfinance landscape tested an empirical model and came out with meaningful findings for effective integration of ET into microfinance to improve the delivery of financial services to MSEs in Ghana by FNGOs and other socially oriented MFIs. The study has therefore developed a practical framework for ensuring that ET is provided alongside the delivery of MC in order to have the desired impact on the performance of MSEs. The study provided implications for policy and practice for making MC and ET more accessible to MSEs to achieve the desired goal of creating employment. Secondly, even though FNGOs play a very important role in providing entrepreneurial finance to MSEs particularly in developing countries, it has received insufficient research attention. This study has, therefore, added to the scanty research available about FNGOs and their contribution to entrepreneurship development and poverty reduction in developing countries.
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Eduah, Gregory. "The Impact of the World Bank’s SAP and PRSP on Ghana: Neoliberal and Civil Society Participation Perspectives." Thesis, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/31487.
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Ghana’s government implemented the following World Bank programmes: SAP and PRSP. This thesis shows that SAP and PRSP have impacted Ghana in different ways. Sometimes SAP and PRSP worked. Other times both SAP and PRSP had problems and they did not work. SAP created more negative impacts or problems in Ghana than PRSP. The influence of neoliberalism on Ghana’s SAP cannot be ignored. This is because the tenets of neoliberalism include the withdrawal of government subsidies, high productivity, the cutting down of government expenditures or spending and privatization. The withdrawal of government subsidy was seen in the Education and Health sectors of Ghana. In the Education sector under SAP, the government cut down its subsidy to the Ghana Education Service. Then it introduced a programme called “Cost Sharing” in which students and their parents were asked to contribute to the payment of expenditures in providing education in Ghana. Many parents could not afford it, and this led to many school dropouts and a gap in the education of boys and girls. In the health sector, the Ghanaian government cut down its subsidy under SAP. It introduced the “Cash and Carry System,” in which Ghanaians were asked to contribute to the cost of health delivery services. This became a problem for many. Healthcare services became inaccessible for many Ghanaians as well. In the manufacturing sector, under SAP, the rate of productivity fell. Ghana’s products in the world market experienced volatility or fluctuations in prices. In the mining sector the influence of neoliberalism was on privatization. Based on this principle, the government privatized Ghana’s mining sector. It put in place policies that attracted investments into Ghana to do mining. These mining activities contributed significantly to Ghana’s economy. But these mining activities also caused the problem of dislocation of people, loss of farmlands, along with environmental and health problems. SAP had more negative impacts on Ghana. PRSP also impacted Ghana because it attempted to address the problems SAP created in many sectors, including Education, Health, mining, manufacturing sectors. I conclude by saying that although SAP made some contributions to Ghana’s economy especially in the mining sector, it created more problems in the Education, Health, Mining and Manufacturing sectors. PRSP attempted to address them. Thus it cannot be said that both SAP and PRSP impacted Ghana equally in a more positive way. But rather it can said that (1) SAP created more problems in Ghana and PRSP on the other hand attempted to address them.(2)The later developments taking place indicate that the civil society participation in PRSP is having an impact in Ghana.
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Attah, Ramlatu. "Significant others : the influence of support relationships and the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) cash transfer programme on the wellbeing of vulnerable urban people in Ghana." Thesis, University of Bath, 2017. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.760890.
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This thesis has two main objectives. First, it investigates how social support relationships - embedded within kinship systems, friendship networks and associational groups - contribute to the wellbeing of cash transfer beneficiaries in two urban districts in Ghana. Second, it explores how a formal social protection programme affects the wellbeing of beneficiaries both directly and indirectly via its effect on these other support relationships. The thesis takes the Ghana Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) cash transfer programme as a case study, examining how it is implemented in practice within an urban setting, and how social support relationships influence its effect on the wellbeing of cash recipients. Throughout this thesis wellbeing is used as a discursive space for looking at the often neglected non-material dimensions of wellbeing. In particular, it takes a relational wellbeing approach which emphasises how material, emotional and cognitive dimensions of wellbeing are embedded in social relationships. It uses a Qualitative Longitudinal Research (QLR) approach, complemented by a qualitative social network analysis to map the constellation of relationships on which urban recipients of LEAP transfers rely, and to explore the motivations and rationalities underpinning them. The findings of the thesis add to existing research on social relationships and cash transfers in Africa by extending the analysis to a contemporary urban context. They challenge the assumption that urban residents can draw upon a vibrant support system, by finding that such relationships can be unreliable, provide inadequate support and can be associated with exclusion and marginalization. In addition, the thesis finds that norms underpinning support relationships are constantly being reshaped and challenged. The thesis also highlights the important but diverse effects that formal social protection programmes can have on material, emotional and cognitive wellbeing of recipients, both directly and indirectly via their effect on other significant social relationships of beneficiaries.
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Asuru, Sumaila. "The new philanthropy and smallholder farmers' livelihoods : a case study of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) in the northern region of Ghana." Thesis, University of Bradford, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/15940.
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The new philanthropy is increasingly seen as a panacea and an alternative source of global development finance for rural development, especially in developing countries. The theoretical underpinning of the new philanthropy entails the idea that the private sector, led by philanthropists and civil society organisations in social policy issues can lead to more effective outcomes through partnership. The existing literature on the new philanthropy mainly focuses on its economic or commercial impact. This is particularly the case in the rural parts of Ghana; there has been very little research on the new philanthropy’s impact on the livelihoods of the poorest segments of society. Therefore, this research investigates the impact of new philanthropy on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Northern Ghana in order to fill the gap. The study employed ethnographic research, utilising qualitative techniques involving 20 stakeholders in philanthropy and livelihood affairs and 100 smallholder farmers. The research findings suggest that there is a significant relationship between philanthropic sponsored interventions in Ghana and an increase in smallholder farmers’ yields. The few farmers who purchased improved seeds and other agricultural inputs registered significant increases. However, this study identified some bottlenecks inhibiting access to agricultural inputs by smallholder farmers. Majority of smallholder farmers revealed that they could not afford them (seeds, chemical fertilizer and other inputs) despite the subsidies. Furthermore, rainfall variability gives rise to fluctuating food production from one season to another; meanwhile, there is a lack of strategy from philanthropic practitioners to address the variability in rainfall. Through philanthropy, other methods of faming such as irrigation farming agroecology, and permaculture could be exploited to the benefits of smallholder farmers. The outcomes of this study have policy implications for philanthropic practitioners. This study shows that the failure to involve farmers directly in decisions that affect their livelihoods is a major cause of livelihood interventionist programme failures in Ghana. Thus, this study argues that understanding the socioeconomic dynamics in the Northern Region and amongst the farmers should be an important part of policy formulation for philanthropic involvements seeking to improve livelihood of smallholder farmers. Lastly, the study called for a separate policy framework for philanthropy that would have a key objective of mobilising private philanthropic resources to support steady economic growth and sustainable development, dealing directly with recipients.
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Akanchalabey, Eva Azengapo Verfasser], Einhard [Akademischer Betreuer] [Schmidt-Kallert, Francis Zunuo Lankuu Gutachter] Bacho, and Karin [Gutachter] [Gaesing. "Water, sanitation and poverty: CBOs activities and policy planning in Northern region, Ghana / Eva Azengapo Akanchalabey. Betreuer: Einhard Schmidt-Kallert. Gutachter: Francis Zunuo Lankuu Bacho ; Karin Gaesing." Dortmund : Universitätsbibliothek Dortmund, 2015. http://d-nb.info/1108290078/34.
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Akanchalabey, Eva Azengapo [Verfasser], Einhard [Akademischer Betreuer] Schmidt-Kallert, Francis Zunuo Lankuu Gutachter] Bacho, and Karin [Gutachter] [Gaesing. "Water, sanitation and poverty: CBOs activities and policy planning in Northern region, Ghana / Eva Azengapo Akanchalabey. Betreuer: Einhard Schmidt-Kallert. Gutachter: Francis Zunuo Lankuu Bacho ; Karin Gaesing." Dortmund : Universitätsbibliothek Dortmund, 2015. http://d-nb.info/1108290078/34.
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DARKO, PHIDELIA. "EU DEVELOPMENT POLICY FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES VS. THE NEW SECURITY AGENDA : A CASE STUDY ON GHANA." Thesis, Malmö högskola, Fakulteten för kultur och samhälle (KS), 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-23826.
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Development issues have been the centre of most international governmental organisations for quite a long time. Most developing countries tend to depend on Western foreign donors to assist them in their developmental ambitions. Ghana as a developing nation also depends on it foreign donors to finance most of it developmental projects. Even though the European Union is an international governmental organisation that is much known for assisting developing countries with their developmental projects it is anticipated that recent occurrence such as the global economic meltdown, climate change coupled with terrorist attacks on most developed nations will limit or perhaps even halt the flow of development aid to developing countries as they might be more concerned with securing their territory rather than thinking of other people somewhere else.This is because such occurrences have resulted in raising a new concern, thus the New Security Agenda or Human Security. The Human Security in respect to its economic sector is what this paper deals with. This paper takes a critical look on Ghana’s Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (GPRS), as pertaining to the aspect of these papers that received developmental aid from the European Development Fund (EDF). It is proved here that almost all aspect of Ghana’s developmental projects in one way or other received funding from the EDF. The New Security Agenda in terms of its economic sector was rather found out to be a positive influence for developing nations like Ghana as a result of the country’s stability. This is because it was found out that rather than limiting the flow of development aid to Ghana, it is during this time that the 10th EDF budget for Ghana received the highest funding. It was later found out that all these developmental projects conforms to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which is also an area of concern in the New Security Agenda. All this occurrences are much more explained along a theoretical framework (thus the notions of liberalism, critical theory and constructivism). However other academic works on the subject matter was also comprehensively acknowledged.
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Pimenta, de Castro Fonseca Catarina. "The death of the communal handpump? : rural water and sanitation household costs in lower-income countries." Thesis, Cranfield University, 2014. http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/8512.
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Rural water supply and sanitation in low and middle income countries face the same challenges now as in the 1970s. Despite massive efforts in providing communal “borehole with handpump” and “improved latrines” to improve the lives of millions of people, this traditional approach to development is failing to deliver long lasting improved services - even if for the last 40 years many attempts have been made to solve problems in the approach. The main research question is “Can low-income rural families pay for rural water supply and sanitation?” This thesis has analysed household poverty and costs on water and sanitation services in Mozambique and Ghana based on 3,049 surveys collected between 2009-2010 by the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre WASHCost project. Evidence shows that even extreme poor households can and do pay for improved water and sanitation services. However, households prefer to pay for more expensive services to reduce the distance required to collect water instead of paying for the cheaper maintenance of communal (further away) sources. For sanitation, without targeted support towards the poorest, improved latrines might be unaffordable. Also, without follow up support, behaviour change and health impact will not be sustained. Small increases in the wealth of the poorest have a large impact on the services demanded in terms of quantity, distance and time spend as well as an increase in the level of capital and maintenance expenditure. Ultimately, the world now is not the same as in the 1970s and for achieving universal sustainable coverage for water and sanitation we need to rethink the failed traditional approach to development in low income countries with a deeper understanding of the market segmentation in the lowest quintile of the population and their real aspirations and demand.
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Annin, Collins. "From Messages to Voices: Understanding Girls’ Educational Experiences in Selected Communities in the Akuapim South District, Ghana." Ohio : Ohio University, 2009. http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/view.cgi?ohiou1234365460.
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Sackey, Harry Albert. "Labour market participation and poverty in Ghana." 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/1993/15781.
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Kodj, Grace Dede. "The role of women in poverty reduction in Ghana." Diss., 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/27560.
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Various governments in post-independent Ghana have attempted to alleviate poverty among the citizenry. In furtherance of this, several poverty reduction strategies have been employed with different results. Even though the rate of poverty has fallen over the years, it is still high at 21,4% (Molini and Paci, 2015) with women unfortunately bearing most of the brunt of this (National Development Planning Commission, 2012). This dissertation looks at filling the gap in information by exploring the role women can play in poverty reduction,
using Ghana as a case study. In doing that, the study analyses poverty and the underlying reasons for endemic poverty among Ghanaians.
The objective of this study was to contextualize and make a dimension of poverty broadly in Africa and Ghana in particular. It also sought to critique the current policy alleviation policies and programmes, in relation to various factors contributing to endemic poverty among Ghanaian women, with the aim of identifying the roles that women can play in poverty reduction and making recommendations.
In this regard, a descriptive research design coupled with qualitative research methodological technique was employed, where relevant publications in the form of government reports, journals, textbooks and internet were used to collect data.
Inferences were extracted based on the requirements of the research topic.
The study found that women play an important role in food production, trade, and business. It also emerged from the study that there are numerous factors inimical to the reduction of poverty among women in Ghana. They included their inability to negotiate labour matters; a lack of, or limited education; patriarchal culture or customs; and economic sabotage. In addressing the aforementioned factors, the study recommended that in its pre-assessment of NGOs, government tailor their intervention to synchronize with the development strategies to alleviate poverty among women. It also advised educational awareness and public-public partnerships in the establishment of schools targeted most especially at women for empowerment purposes. Finally, there was an emphasis on advocacy for the reservation of land exclusively for women through land reforms.Public Administration and Management
M. Admin. (Public Administration)
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Darkwah, Michel. "Impact of value addition to tomatoes on poverty in Ghana." Master's thesis, 2015. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-249624.
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The aim of the thesis is to determine the impact of value addition to tomatoes on poverty in Ghana. The research is based on the Scholarly Internship Development (SID) project that was taken in Ghana 2014 in association with Mendel University in Brno. There were used qualitative and quantitative methods for the research. The main methods were comparative analysis, regression and correlation analysis to determine whether domestic production is cheaper than imported tomato paste and its impact on poverty in Ghana. The result of this work shows a positive impact based on the research provided in this work.
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"Transnational actors and anti-poverty policymaking in Ghana : An ideational perspective." Thesis, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10388/ETD-2016-06-2257.
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The influence of transnational actors (TNAs) on the policy process in most sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries is widely acknowledged. Yet, studies examining this phenomenon focus mainly on the imposition of policy conditionality and under explore other mechanisms such as ideational processes, which mediate the relationship between national and transnational actors. Focusing on two poverty alleviation policies implemented in Ghana – Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), and Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) –, this study draws on the Transnational Policy Process (TPP) Framework to explore the ideational mechanisms that were instrumental in the development of these two social policies. In order to do so, qualitative case study research methods involving interviews and document reviews are used. This thesis argues that policymaking is multi-causal, which means that focusing exclusively on conditionalities without accounting for the role of ideational and other factors obscure our understanding of the policy process in developing countries. By examining the policy process in Ghana, this study ascertains that, beyond imposition of policies through conditionalities, TNAs also deploy other mechanisms that are mainly ideational in nature. Ideational channels include conferences, field trips, technical cooperation, training and capacity building, as well as collaboration with civil society organizations. Beyond these, TNAs use their memberships in policy structures, such as Ghana’s cross-sectoral planning groups (CSPGs) and sector working groups (SWGs) as a crucial platform to purvey policy innovations. Additionally, in some cases, the mechanisms are also coupled to improve effectiveness. The study also shows the mediating role of national institutions and contexts more generally, a role that makes the adoption of new policy ideas a necessary part of the policy process. Moreover, there is an indication that using ideational mechanisms promotes a sense of policy ownership among national policymakers who actively participate in shaping policies in partnership with transnational actors.
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Callistus, Agbaam Akachabwon. "Assessing the impact of the livelihood empowerment against poverty (leap) social grant programme on household poverty reduction in rural Ghana: a case study of the Tolon-Kumbungu district in northern Ghana." 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/3940.
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Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS)Over the last decade, there has been a marked convergence in thinking regarding the importance of social cash transfers in poverty alleviation. As such, most governments especially in the developing world have began embracing the idea of rolling out various social cash transfers programmes in a bid to address poverty, social exclusion and vulnerability. This study which is predominantly centred on the LEAP social grant programme in Ghana aims at assessing the impact of the programme in alleviating household poverty in rural Ghana, specifically in the Tolon-Kumbungu district of the Northern region. Through a combination of both qualitative and quantitative strategies, the study focuses on unravelling in how far the programme has contributed to improving the livelihoods and general welfare of beneficiary households in the case study area. Using data from structured household questionnaires, focus group discussions and in-depth interviews conducted in two rural communities (Dingoni and Woribogu), the study establishes that the LEAP social grant has a significant positive impact on food consumption, frequency of utilization of healthcare facilities and the school enrolment rate for children aged 6-13 years in beneficiary households. However, although hypothesised, no significant impact is observed in relation to the incidence of child labour in the household. Thus, in line with Rawls’ theory of justice, the researcher argues that the LEAP social grant programme is a very useful mechanism for promoting social justice in the Ghanaian society. Despite its successes, the study also uncovers that, the insufficient nature of the cash transfer, irregular payment periods, lack of access to complimentary services and lack of transparency and accountability on the part of payment officials are some key challenges confronting the programme from the perspective of beneficiaries, whilst limited staff capacity, the non availability of training opportunities for staff, inadequate logistical support and no motivation for programme staff and voluntary structures also constitute some key challenges from the institutional perspective. In all, the study recommends that government increases the cash amount and pay transfers regularly, link beneficiaries to existing complimentary services in the district, recruit more staff and provide in-service training opportunities for them, strictly monitor compliance to LEAP conditionalities and ensure transparency and accountability in the payment of transfers to beneficiaries.
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Millogo, Tieba. "Trends and predictors of home deliveries in Kassena-Nankana East and West districts in Ghana: 2003-2009." Thesis, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10539/17389.
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Introduction: About sixty million of home deliveries occur worldwide every year. The vast majority of them in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC) where most of all out of health facility deliveries are attended by relatives and traditional births attendants . Poor hygienic conditions, ignorance of clean birth practices and lack of skills to manage the complications when they occur, make home deliveries unsafe for the mothers and their new-borns. Thus, getting pregnant women to give birth at health facility is critical in the efforts to improve reproductive health outcomes in many LMIC.
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Owusu-Sekyere, Bernard Nyarko. "Is the HIPC initiative of benefit to the people of Northern Ghana? : a theological reflection." Thesis, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/1940.
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The HIPC debt relief initiative is a controversial IMF/World Bank program. This thesis examines whether the HIPC initiative in Ghana is "pro-poor". The concept of the "poor" and what this means for pubic policy is discussed in the framework of the biblical concept of shalom, that is the promotion of human wellbeing, within the context of Northern Ghana. To enable a fair assessment of the HIPC program in Northern Ghana, a review of Ghana's debt crisis is provided alongside a brief economic history. The origin of the debt crisis is traced to the first republic. A review of HIPC is undertaken from the perspectives of both theory and its practical implication. In the implementation process, particularly in Northern Ghana, the research identifies a number of infrastructural projects being accomplished by the HIPC funds and evaluates their usefulness and relevance. The thesis argues that there are three strengths to HIPC in Northern Ghana, namely, political accountability, social participation and infrastructure development; and that there are six weakness, namely, dependency syndrome, cultural relevance, ethnic conflict, adult capability development, personnel provision and economic distribution. It concludes that problem of human development that has been lacking in Ghana's economic policies, and the crisis of skilled personnel could undermine the provisions of HIPC in Northern Ghana to contribute meaningfully to shalom, or some measure of real development in people's life.Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.
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オッセイ-アシベイ, エリック, and Eric OSEI-ASSIBEY. "Financial Inclusion and Poverty: A Study of Socio-Economic Factors Underlying Financial Exclusion in Ghana." Thesis, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2237/15950.
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Moyi, Peter L. "Child labor and schooling in Ghana and Kenya the roles of poverty and education policy /." 2006. http://etda.libraries.psu.edu/theses/approved/WorldWideIndex/ETD-1548/index.html.
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Adom, Alex Yaw. "Analysis of the role of foreign donor aid in Ghana's economic development and povery alleviation." Thesis, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/19050.
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This study sought to analyse the role of foreign aid in poverty alleviation and economic development of Ghana from 1957 to 2008. Literature related to the study on foreign aid and economic development was reviewed to get an insight into the views of other writers on the topic under study. The study adopted both primary and secondary sources of data to examine the concept of foreign aid, poverty reduction and economic development in Ghana. The study collected data using qualitative interviews consisting of open- and close-ended questions from the field. Content analysis involving the use of existing materials by researchers and the analyses of data originally collected by others was also relied on as a complement to the primary sources in the study. The study found that donor aid is not well coordinated in Ghana because of the proliferation of donor agencies in the country. Though aid is provided to the Ghanaian economy to address poverty and economic development challenges, the study found that foreign aid did not achieve the set objectives because of poor management of donor resources. This study, therefore, recommends that the informal economy should be promoted with funding from microfinance as an alternative to donor-driven development to effectively harness the natural resources in the country for development.Development Studies
D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)
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Torto, Eric Obodai. "Securing the Northern Region of Ghana? Development Aid and Security Interventions." Thesis, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/8092.
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This dissertation offers a perspective through which we can explore the processes of joint development and security interventions in conflict-prone regions. In employing the experiences of the Northern Region of Ghana as my case study, this thesis examines the ways that the rationales of both development and security interventions are articulated in the field of practice. The central argument of the thesis is that most analyses of aid interventions, particularly those stemming from mainstream development literature, rarely interrogate the underlying rationales and assumptions behind the ideas, strategies and discourses employed in aid intervention. Notably, these rationales and assumptions tend to reduce the complexity of development and security challenges, and, as an end result, facilitate the implementation of technical solutions. The translation of development and security discourses and strategies into programmable practices as they encounter a local population is characterized by complex processes. Following the central argument of the thesis, the key research question interrogates the way that the rationales behind development aid and security interventions have been articulated in conflict- prone Northern Region and how they have been received by the local population. With the overarching aim of understanding the complexities associated with the joint articulation of development and security programmes, this study provides a unique and critical analysis of international development and security practices. The study also provides deeper understanding of the broad socio-economic and political contexts for the delivery of aid interventions. I scrutinize the rationales behind these interventions through the critical examination of colonial practices and three contemporary interventions: 1) Region-wide interventions, 2) the UN Human Security Program, and 3) Post-liberal interventions used as a panacea to prevailing implementation challenges. Based on the analysis of archival documents, alongside policy, program, and interview documents, my study reveals the ways that the development-security nexus perpetrates liberal practices in the declared conflict-prone Northern Region of Ghana. I also evaluate the way that the development-security nexus reconstitutes individuals as resilient subjects through practices of empowerment and entrepreneurialism, and demonstrates the contestations, contradictions, and colonial features that characterize interventions in the field of articulation.
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Wombeogo, Michael. "The influence of the poor in pro-poor activities : a case study of community participation in development intervention programmes in Northern Ghana." Thesis, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/18473.
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The aim is to explore how community participation can situate beneficiaries to discover and commit to what they need for the future in northern Ghana. The methodology used was observational, descriptive, qualitative and quantitative, cross-sectional and longitudinal survey. A convenient sampling method was used for the community and district selection process. Respondents were randomly selected to ensure equal opportunity for all those available at the time of the interview. Eight communities were used from the three regions of northern Ghana in which community-based pro-poor interventions by interventionists have either completed or are still in process. The participatory, reflective and participatory rural appraisal, techniques were used in the data gathering. The results show that 57% males and 43% females participated in the study. The study shows that 95.2% respondents from Northern region, 93.3%, from Upper West region and 88.7% from Upper East region participated more in NGO than government led activities. There were five main findings of the research. First, 61% of respondents give high priority to farm credit, boreholes/wells and dams. Respondents claim to gain maximum benefit from these interventions more. Second, 92.4% of respondents from the eight communities participate more in activities organised by NGOs for personal gain and motivation. Third, 53% of all target respondents participated actively at the implementation stage of the participation process. Fourth, there is low investment in the area of school, road and dam projects in the study communities. Only two of the eight communities benefited from a school or road project, and three out of eight communities benefited from dam projects. Fifth, 57% males against 43% females participate in pro-poor intervention activities in the eight communities. As a contribution to knowledge, the thesis shows community members in northern Ghana participate in activities when there is immediate motivation (either in cash or kind) or when projects border more on their main occupational areas. The thesis recommends that Government facilitates community members to demand the right to take active part in the participatory process in all pro-poor interventions in their communities.Development Studies
D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)
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Eshun, Samuel Nuamah. "Labour Intensive Public Work (LIPW) Programme as an empowerment tool for youth development : the Ghanaian experience." Thesis, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/26796.
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The Labour Intensive Public Work (LIPW) programme under the Ghana Social Opportunity
Project (GSOP), is a social protection programme initiated by the Government of Ghana, to offer
jobs and income earning opportunities to some targeted rural residents, especially the youth,
through the application of labour intensive technology in the construction of community
infrastructure that has the potential of generating secondary employment. This is a mixed method
study sought to provide an account on the Ghanian version of LIPW programmes. The study
assessed and identified the challenges facing the programme implementation from beneficiary and
implementers’ perspective in order to set the platform for an interactive feedback between project
implementers and community members for the smooth implementation of future LIPW
programmes. The study also assessed the impact of the programme on poverty and migration
among the youth in Ghana. In identifying the challenges facing the programme from implementers’ perspective, 15 key project
implementers were interviewed. An interview guide and a questionnaire were also developed to
collect data from 500 beneficiaries of the programme to know their challenges. In assessing the
impact of the programme on migration among the youth, questionnaires were administered to 239
households in beneficiary communities and 189 households from non-beneficiary communities of
the LIPW programme. Finally, data was collected from 90 youth who benefited from the
programme and 90 youth who did not benefit from the programme to compare and determine the
extent to which the programme has contributed in reducing poverty among the youth.
The study revealed that the key challenge facing the programme implementation from the
implementers’ perspective is capacity problem involving, inadequacy of staff to implement the
programme at the district level, frequent breakdown of vehicles for monitoring, and delays in the release of funds for commencement of project. Beneficiaries of the programme also indicated that
they were not satisfied with the amount of money they were receiving as wage for their labour.
They were also unhappy with the delays in payment of their wages and the period of engagement
in the programme. The study found out that the LIPW programme under the GSOP has not
contributed in reducing migration among the youth. However, the programme has contributed to
reducing poverty among the youth. The study therefore recommends that capacity gap analysis
conducted before project initiation should include adequacy of staff and logistics to cater for any
deficiency. It is strongly recommended that beneficiaries of the programme should be consulted
in setting the wage rate to avoid resentment provoking misunderstanding between beneficiaries
and project implementers. The study further recommended that the government should scale up
the programme to cover more communities in order to reduce poverty among the youth in Ghana. Finally, the study proposed a new model for LIPW for the youth known as ‘LIPW +3Cs’. This
model incorporates three Cs, that is ‘C’ompetence’, ‘C’onnections’ and ‘C’haracter’ into LIPW
programmes. ‘LIPW +3Cs’ will not only train youth to secure jobs after the programme
(Competence) but will assist them to establish a network among themselves and other supporting
institutions (Connections). Issues of character which encompases a sense of right and wrong will
also be inculcated in the youth to assist them to function effectively in the society (Character).Adult Basic Education (ABET)
D. Phil. (Adult Education and Youth Development)