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The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set forth by the United Nations represent a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people, enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. The SDGs have been criticized as aspirational and over-ambitious, and recent assessments suggest many of the goals may not be met by 2030. This study investigates the perceptions of Ghanaian university students regarding the attainability of the SDGs and identifies the educational and informational enablers that enhance their engagement with these goals. A total of 400 students drawn from three universities — University of Ghana (n = 200), Central University (n = 100), and University for Development Studies (n = 100) — participated in a structured questionnaire survey. The findings reveal a dual perspective among students: there is significant optimism about achieving SDGs related to quality education, gender equality, and clean water, whereas skepticism prevails regarding the goals aimed at eradicating poverty and achieving zero hunger. The study also highlights the critical role of universities as facilitators in the discourse and actions toward the SDGs. It emphasizes the potential of leveraging digital and social media to boost student engagement and calls for an integration of SDG-focused studies into university curricula. The study provides insights into the need for enhanced educational strategies and inter-institutional collaborations to prepare students effectively for their roles in global sustainability efforts. It is vital for higher education institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa, where sustainability challenges are significant and innovative solutions are often lacking, to embed SDG-focused studies into their curricula and promote student engagement in SDG initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal towns along the coast of Africa are among the most vulnerable to climate change impacts such as flooding and sea level rise. Yet, because coastal conditions in many parts of the region are poorly understood, knowledge on which population groups are at the most risk is less known, particularly in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) of Ghana, where the capital city Accra is located. Without adequate information about the risk levels and why, the implementation of locally appropriate adaptation plans may be less effective. This study enriches our understanding of the levels of flood risks along the coast of GAMA and contributes knowledge to improve understanding of place-specific adaptation plans. The study uses data from a 300-household survey, stakeholder meetings, and interviews with local community leaders to construct an integrated vulnerability index. The index includes seven components made up of: dwelling type; house and house environment; household socioeconomic characteristics; experience and perception of flood risk; household and community flood adaptation strategies; house location, and physical characteristics. Our findings show that exposure to floods, particularly from local flash floods is relatively high in all communities. However, significant differences in sensitivity and adaptive capacity of the communities were observed due to differences in location, socioeconomic characteristics, and perception of risks to flooding and sea level rise. The complexity of factors involved in the determination of local-level vulnerability requires that the implementation of adaptation strategies needs to involve cross-sectorial partnerships, involving local communities, in building a comprehensive multi-risk adaptation strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1980s, many regions in Africa that are rich in mineral resources have undertaken significant reforms to attract foreign investments. While the reforms have broadly boosted mineral production and spurred economic growth, there is a general feeling among stakeholders in the mining sector that such investments have not lived up to their rhetorical promise of improving human well-being. In Ghana, such concerns are particularly pronounced in localities that host mining activities. In such areas, mining can have a series of sustainability impacts that affect manifold the local environment and the local communities. However, there is very little effort to systematically assess the local impacts of mining in Ghana and Africa in general. Our study develops a composite sustainability index that can provide a holistic assessment of the local sustainability impacts of mining. We apply this index to understand the sustainability of three communities surrounding the gold mine of the Newmont Ghana Gold Ltd., in the Ahafo South District of Brong Ahafo region. We combine indicators that represent the key local environmental, social, economic, and institutional impacts of mining to assess local sustainability during the active stages of mine development and operation. We use a series of different methodologies and participatory techniques to arrive at the different indicators, as well as to rate them. Results suggest that despite some between-community similarities for some environmental impacts, the local communities often had radically different scores for social, economic, and institutional aspects of sustainability. Based on the findings, we argue that restoration efforts need to be customized to reflect the between-community variation and go beyond simple landscape reclamation to include interventions that improve human well-being, secure infrastructure, and enhance the collaboration among stakeholders to enable the affected local communities' transition to sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction is presented to the article "Assessment of coastal communities' vulnerability to floods using indicator-based approach: a case study of Greater Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana" published in the perodical.