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Numerous explorations have been conducted on the determinants of Ghana's environmental quality. However, to the best of my knowledge, there has been no research on the connection between financial inclusion and environmental sustainability in the country. This study was therefore conducted to help fill that gap. In attaining the aforestated goal, econometric techniques that yield valid and reliable outcomes were engaged. From the results, all the series were first differenced stationary and cointegrated in the long run. The DARDL estimator with the support of the conventional ARDL estimator was adopted to explore the marginal effects of the predictors on the explained variable, and from the results, financial inclusion worsened environmental sustainability in the nation via high carbon emissions. Also, foreign direct investments degraded the country's ecological quality validating the pollution haven hypothesis. Finally, trade openness, population growth, and energy consumption were detrimental to environmental sustainability in the nation. On the causal directions amidst the series, unidirectional causalities from financial inclusion and trade openness to carbon effusions were disclosed. Also, feedback causalities between foreign direct investments and carbon emissions; between population growth and carbon effluents; and between energy consumption and carbon exudates were unfolded. The study recommended among others that, financial establishments should not fund the production of carbon-intensive goods, but those that are friendly to the environment. The government can also help to improve environmental sustainability by establishing regulations to mandate financial entities to engage in eco-friendly activities., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

A well established and developed financial system encourages savings and investment which stimulates economic growth. However, the link between financial development and the environment is ambiguous. In general, the role that the environment plays in the finance-growth nexus has received less attention, to the best of our knowledge. Against this backdrop, this study aims to examine the interrelationships among economic growth, financial development and carbon dioxide emissions for Ghana over the period of 1971-2018. To correct for a possible endogeneity problem, the three-stage least-square (3SLS) technique was employed. The results revealed that there is a bidirectional relationship between financial development and economic growth; and a unidirectional relationship from financial development to carbon dioxide emission. However, carbon dioxide emission has a neutral effect on economic growth and financial development. Economic growth exhibits an inverted U-shaped relationship with carbon dioxide emission, confirming the existence of the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis in Ghana. Policymakers should consider the critical roles of financial development in achieving environmentally friendly growth in Ghana., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Numerous studies have examined the influence of macroeconomic factors on environmental quality in Ghana. However, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no study on the connection between green investments, financial development, and environmental quality in the context of this Sub-Saharan African country. This study was therefore conducted to help fill this gap using annual frequency time series data ranging from 1970 to 2018. In attaining the objectives of this study, robust econometric techniques were employed. From the results, all the variables were first differenced stationary and cointegrated in the long run. The dynamic ARDL simulations technique with the support of the ARDL estimator was employed to examine the elastic effects of the predictors on the response variable, and from the discoveries, green investments improved environmental quality in Ghana both in the long and the short run via carbon dioxide mitigations. However, in both the long and the short run, financial development and energy utilization had a detrimental influence on environmental quality due to their positive influence on carbon dioxide emissions. Moreover, the N-shaped association between national income and environmental pollution was validated for Ghana. On the causal directions amidst the variables, there was no causality between green investments and environmental degradation was evidenced; however, a bidirectional causality between financial development and environmental pollution was also discovered. Also, unidirectional causalities running from national income and energy consumption to environmental degradation were discovered. Based on the findings, the study recommend that investments in green sources should be intensified to help improve environmental quality in Ghana. Furthermore, improving developments in the financial sector is a vital means through which the country could attain its sustainable development goals., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to present a conceptual framework to guide the design, development, implementation and evaluation of education and human resource development (HRD) efforts in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach: This paper draws on the concept of a tempered radical approach to provide a framework for a critical HRD (CHRD) and explore ways by which this view can contribute to developing HR who possess the requisite tools and character to function efficiently in the 21st century and beyond. This paper followed a multidisciplinary integrated literature review approach. This paper also reviewed relevant models and theories that align with the goals of this research to provide a broader view of the problems with HRD in Ghana and to help develop a framework that seeks to provide a sustainable guide for those involved in HRD activities in Ghana. Findings: A positive outcome from the synergistic alignment between modern science and indigenous ecological knowledge moderated by the principles of CHRD will result in economic growth and development. HRD's contribution to economic growth and development and its consequential benefit to the actors will depend on how best CHRD goals are accomplished. Practical implications: The mediating role of the tempered radicalism will help modify the swiftness with which education and HRD programs are executed in Ghana. Originality/value: This paper presented the tempered radicalism approach as the quintessential model for education and HRD initiatives in Ghana. The application of tempered radicalism in HRD literature is novel.

The paper examines the economic rationale for the provision of technical/ vocational education (TVE) in colonial Ghana. It further highlights some key lessons drawn from the study, particularly, in term of the Ghanaian contemporary search for a more pragmatic policy formulation for TVE. Data were retrieved from primary sources in the form of archival materials and some secondary sources as well some interview sessions with two personalities who were actively involved in the provision of TVE during the period. Chronological and thematic analysis of the data were utilized. The study revealed that the missionary bodies and the colonial administration vigorously promoted TVE largely because of economic reasons. It further argues that this level of vigor could not unfortunately keep pace with the developmental needs of the country due mainly to overriding interest in literary/grammar education, lack of entrepreneurial training for graduates of the TVE institutions and virtual non-existence of local industries to absorb these graduates.

This paper examines three interrelated factors outside of formal provision of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in sub-Saharan Africa that have undermined TVET systems. The first is the process, pace, and levels of industrialisation, which has had a direct effect on TVET provision: low numbers of well-paying jobs requiring technical expertise. This has an indirect effect, which is the second crucial factor: lack of economic development and change in labour markets. There are very few jobs that would be considered 'middle class' or 'mid-level' in wealthy countries. Most people are in survivalist work. An international consensus since the 2000s on palliative approaches to development which address the effects but not the causes of the lack of economic development in Africa has resulted in mass poor quality provision of education--the third factor. Education systems are rapidly expanding and achievement levels rising, in the context of very little possibility of labour market rewards for most people, and substantial labour market rewards confined mainly to graduates. This reinforces deeply embedded cultural preferences for general education, which originate in the type of education systems established by colonial powers, as well as the relationships between educational credentials and elite jobs.

Purpose: In spite of extensive literature on disability studies, little has been done on disability and development, more so the role of language and learning technologies in all of this. The purpose of this paper therefore is to focus on the crucial role language plays in the inclusion or exclusion of people with disabilities in development and their inaccessibility to learning technologies in northern Ghana. Design/methodology/approach: Interviews and life history approach in Dagbanli, the local language were used to find out how the use of language affects the participation of people with disabilities (PWDs) in the development of their communities. The use of the local language was to ensure that expressions used to talk about people with disabilities were captured. Findings: The main findings of the study include stigmatization of people with disability, more so with females. It was also found that these discriminations were conveyed through daily language use, thus constantly reminding people with disabilities of their "class" thereby excluding them from decisions and activities of the development agenda. Education is key and the way out is e-learning. Originality/value: This paper provides insights of how Dagombas use language to exclude PWDs. No such study has been carried out in northern Ghana and more precisely among the Dagombas. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)

Within the last decade, adult education has faced significant challenges in terms of its relevance to socio-economic development as it sought to define itself through many international conferences. In spite of these re-conceptualisations, adult education continues to be relegated to the periphery, and therefore lacks the needed funding to play a key role in national development. This paper traces the history of university-based adult education in Ghana. The paper examines how various conceptualisations of adult education have affected university-based adult education in Ghana. Within the context of globalisation and the progression towards knowledge-based society, the paper discusses adult and continuing education as lifelong learning and explains how the Institute of Continuing and Distance Education could transforming itself into a university-based lifelong learning institution. (Contains 2 notes, 1 table, and 1 figure.)

Higher education institutions seem to be becoming increasingly flexible with different functions. Most universities' mission statements involve teaching, research and service, but while the teaching and research missions are clearly defined and located within certain areas of the university activities, service is less clear and more ambiguous, assuming an increasingly important and central catchphrase in many higher education institutions' publicity or 'marketing' strategies. As little research has come out to understand and locate the place of service in relation to the other core activities, an understanding of it could be useful in comprehending the wider implication of utilitarian-driven higher education policies and developing effective frameworks to rethink policy and practice. Based on two case studies, this paper argues that service, rather than being simply one of three functions, is a broad concept that covers the core activities and is influenced by the context of universities. (Contains 4 notes.)

Higher education policy and research tend to be dominated by the messaging systems of the North. De Sousa Santos argues that we need to start listening to the South and that we need to develop a sociology of absences. This paper attempts to engage with some of these absences by deconstructing participation in higher education, in quantitative and qualitative terms, in Ghana and Tanzania. The paper is based on interim findings from a research project on Economic and Social Research Council/Department for International Development-funded research project on Widening Participation in Higher Education in Ghana and Tanzania: Developing an Equity Scorecard (www.sussex.ac.uk/education/wideningparticipation). It argues that, while globally the higher education sector has become associated with economic development and the hyper modernisation of the knowledge economy, some archaic patterns of participation appear to be continuing. (Contains 4 tables.)

Against a backdrop of some two decades of sustained economic growth in Ghana, this paper argues that there are a series of sustainability challenges related to technical and vocational skills development (TVSD) that need to be addressed. This paper analyses several sustainability dimensions of TVSD related to: promoting the sustainability of education-for-all achievements through expanding post-basic education and TVSD; identifying sustainable financing mechanisms for an expansion of TVSD; promoting and sustaining equitable access; ensuring that expansion in quantity does not lead to a compromise on the achievement and sustainability of quality and relevance issues; promoting the sustainability of TVSD expansion by widening opportunities for lifelong learning; creating an enabling environment for skills utilization through sustainable employment growth.

This paper examines the relationship between financial sector reforms and sustainable economic growth in Ghana. Employing the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach and using GDP per capita as a growth indicator, this paper establishes a long-run relationship between economic growth and financial reforms, which is represented by an index calculated using principal component analysis (PCA). The paper finds that in the long run, financial sector reforms have an insignificant impact on economic growth in Ghana. This supports numerous past studies that have reported mixed or inconclusive results on the effects of financial reforms on economic growth. The paper concludes that increase in capital stock, not financial sector policy reforms, affects economic growth in Ghana. This paper therefore recommends an increase and modernization of capital stock in order to promote real sector growth in Ghana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Donors have strongly advocated decentralization on the grounds that it broadens the participation of citizens in development processes, thereby increasing government responsiveness to their needs. Although there have been studies seeking to establish the veracity of this claim, they remain weak on two fronts. One, while wealth differentials affect citizen participation, these studies approach citizens as a homogenous group. Two, participation is mostly viewed narrowly—participation in elections. Drawing on empirical data from Ghana's decentralization reform, this paper addresses these gaps by questioning how pro-poor citizen participation in decentralized development planning has been. I argue that although Ghana's decentralization was propagated on championing pro-poor grassroots participation in governance and development, in reality, participation is elitist and has failed to reflect the voices of the poor. My findings demonstrate that the participation structures and processes used in local development planning are unfavourable to the poor in many respects. Elite and representative participation is promoted to the detriment of broad citizen participation. This exclusion is resulting in surging apathy of citizens towards the district assemblies—institutions hitherto trusted as their development champions. This paper concludes that the poor will remain voiceless despite decentralization unless the structural barriers to their participation are tackled in decentralization design and praxis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After decades of decline, African higher education is now arguably in a new era of revival. With the prevalence of knowledge economy discourse, national governments in Africa and their development partners have increasingly aligned higher education with poverty reduction plans and strategies. Research capacity has become a critical development issue; and widening participation to doctoral education is seen as an instrument for enhancing this capacity. Against this backdrop, this paper presents a review of emerging initiatives and policies that have some bearing on the PhD in select sub-Saharan African nations, namely Ethiopia, Ghana and South Africa. The findings show a shared optimism about the economic value of higher education, and explicate divergences and convergences in the framing of problems and policy responses related to doctoral education across the three nations. In the conclusion we reflect on challenges and policy omissions in the pursuit of the African PhD.

This paper describes the contribution of the Tuning Methodology toward harmonisation of undergraduate mechanical engineering programmes in Africa. This methodology is an interactive process in which academics develop high quality curricula and learning standards for students through the identification of generic and subject specific competences in consultation with employers, students, graduates, peers and other stakeholders involved in Mechanical Engineering higher education. The current Tuning process involves academics in 11 universities drawn from across Africa. The aim is to collaboratively contribute to revitalizing and reforming Mechanical Engineering higher education in Africa to make it more responsive to Africa's developmental needs. The results so far show that such a project is not only highly feasible but also holds promise for establishing compatible academic structures and reference standards across Africa, which would facilitate student and staff mobility as well as enhance cooperation not only among African academic institutions, but also between African institutions and those in the rest of the world. Eighteen generic competences and nineteen mechanical engineering-specific competences are developed, analysed and synergised to form a meta-profile that will inform the next phase of the project, which is the actual curriculum development. This activity is part of "Tuning Africa" project, which is funded through European Union-African Union collaboration.

Several African countries instituted education reforms in the 1980s and 1990s. Yet, there is only little evidence on the effectiveness of these programs. Additionally, most previous studies of the determinants of literacy and numeracy have considered the proficiency in only one language and, possibly, numeracy. This paper examines both of these issues for the case of Ghana, analyzing the trends in and determinants of four different literacy skills and numeracy. A comparison of outcomes before and after the 1987 Education Sector Reform indicates that literacy and numeracy skills levels increased following the Reform, and more so for English literacy skills than for Ghanaian literacy skills, thus confirming prior expectations. The results from linear probability models of literacy and numeracy outcomes indicate that, consistent with the objective of the Reform, the productivity of primary education in terms of literacy and numeracy increased, while the productivity of other levels of education remained constant or decreased. Additionally, the results highlight the importance of school quality and other community level factors in the creation of literacy and numeracy and therefore also the importance of incorporating these factors in empirical analyses. The results indicate that the focus of the 1987 Education Sector Reform might have been too narrow, so that future education policy in Ghana may want to focus on strengthening the quality of education above the primary level, also.

This paper examines the nexus between financial development and economic growth in Ghana between 1970 and 2020. The study adopted the Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA) techniques to address issues of model uncertainty due to many potential explanatory variables that could influence growth. The study revealed that credit to the private sector, gross domestic savings, inflation rate, labour force participation, current account balance and population growth as key promoters of growth. Therefore, there is the need to address cost of doing business and promote increased credit delivery to the private sector. The direct association between financial development and growth indicates the need for policy makers to implement measures such as provision of legal environment for efficient allocation of credit to the private sector and provide the environment for the establishment of more financial institutions to enhance the growth of the financial sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The informal economy has become a vibrant and growing phenomenon across the world. Within the context of sustainable development, connecting local economic development (LED) to the informal economy is imperative. However, the informal economy remains largely neglected within the conventional LED literature. Using key informant interviews and focus group discussions, this paper found that recognizing, embracing and supporting informal economy contributes to a more inclusive form of LED. The study concluded that local government authorities need to be more innovative in recognising the informal economy as part of local governments' strategies for addressing unemployment, and supporting livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on an ongoing project examining the literacies prevalent at an outsourcing site, this article explores the changing nature of workplace practices enabled by new information and communication technologies. It also examines the complex geopolitical dynamics of these practices, the discourses of development, and globalization. The author identifies the tensions and contradictions that the demands for "new" work and new work practices create for communities as they seek access to the benefits of globalization. The key arguments of the article are that: (1) Cyber work and its practices in these new locations have social, cultural, and political implications; (2) Workplace studies must move beyond studies of how technologies are shaping work in industrialized economies if we are going to understand work in the 21st century; and (3) Research and advocacy offers communities possibilities for creating work spaces that are helpful to sustainable development but which also mitigate some of the consequences of globalization.

This paper examines decline in cocoa production at three historical moments: Trinidad in the early 18th century, Brazil in the first half of the 20th century, and Ghana in the recent transition from colonialism to independence. In each, decline followed promising expansion. Conventional explanations have been based on biological, agronomic, and market factors. Following a commodity systems approach, we use the extant literature to focus in addition on labor control dilemmas and the consequences of state action and inaction. Throughout, use of the cocoa commodity system as the unit of analysis exposes important commonalities related to power, constraint, and motivation.

Includes five articles that discuss library and information work in Africa. Highlights include computerization in Nigerian libraries; education for library and information services in Ghana; an evaluation of African librarianship; the role of Nigerian publishers in national development; and the role of information services in national development planning in Sierra Leone. (LRW)

This paper explores the complexities, degree of organisation and embedded potentials in selected informal worlds of work involving women in Agbogbloshie, a site that has achieved both national and international notoriety for its ostensible environmental and social unrest challenges. The analysis provides empirical evidence to show how informality remains a persistent, substantial and the defining feature of Ghana’s economy in terms of its fostering growth and creating jobs, although its overall role in the national development discourse is largely ignored or seldom considered. Drawing on participant observation and qualitative field-based survey data, the paper presents the multi-dimensional ways migrant women from northern Ghana adopt to innovate, network and “graduate” from e-waste-related activities to engage in long-distance trade, which, in turn, serves as a catalyst for spin-off activities that manifest differently between the south and the north of the country. It also sheds light on how these women, with little prospect of formal employment, negotiate contemporary economic shifts and create an occupational continuum that defies strict compartmentalisation. The paper adds to the expanding corpus of writings on informalisation as a growing, noteworthy and integral feature of Sub-Saharan Africa’s economy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study analyzed the impact of technological progress and digitization on Ghana's economy using panel data for the period 2009–2019. Technological progress and economic growth inter-dependency was analyzed in two steps. First, the relation was tested using Augmented Dickey–Fuller method. Second, we estimated the long-run relation between the variables by using Engel Granger and Error Correction models. The results indicate that adopting technology or digitizing the economy has the potential to drive sustainable growth and development. In particular, it was noted that ICT investments drive high productivity rates and faster economic growth. In sum, technological progress and digitization have the potential to foster significant growth and therefore must be given high credence in the planning and designing of development programmes. This paper contributes to development theories on the role that ICT plays in economic growth and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The search for sustainable economic growth and development in Ghana commenced in 1957 when the country gained independence. After the first president, Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown in 1966, the nation witnessed a significant setback in terms of development which affected all aspects of the society including utilization of biodiversity and its sustainable development. Sustainable development is a kind of development that helps to meet the present's needs without preventing the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The biodiversity in Ghana is very rich. It plays a significant role in ecosystem services and functions by providing food materials, medicine and industrial raw materials. This paper seeks to review the potential utilization of Ghana's biodiversity and its sustainable development. In this paper, a broad literature search was conducted to identify relevant articles that correspond to the main topic. The results indicate that Ghana has rich biodiversity and it is the potential heritage and valuable asset for the country's ecological integrity and economic reformation, if only it is managed properly. The country's biodiversity also underpins ecosystem resilience which plays a critical role by reducing disaster risks and peace-building strategies. It was found that the forests, wetlands and mangroves which form part of the biodiversity help to reduce the impact of floods, drought and tsunamis. For successful sustainable development of Ghana's biodiversity, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should collaborate with main stakeholder agencies that are more concerned about biodiversity. In other to achieve sustainable utilization, resourcing research institutions and universities to join the regional tray of biotechnology studies should be of great interest to the government and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The business enterprise sector has been known as a key supporter in the achievement of the economic evolution in the world at large nowadays. The small and medium scale enterprise in particular have attracted the attention of many governments in our world of today as a key source of employment and economic steadiness. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in the economic growth in Ghana. SMEs contribute to economic development in various ways: by creating employment for rural and urban growing labour force, providing desirable sustainability and innovation in the economy as a whole. The success or failure of new business is often dependent on overcoming a series of potential barriers, such as securing financial backing, adequate and appropriate guidance and training (Fielden et al, 2000). In line of these challenges, this paper sought to evaluate the influence of receivable management on performance of small and medium scale enterprises in Kumasi Metropolis in Ghana. This study adopted a descriptive design with cross sectional survey. According to Churchill (2011), cross sectional survey affords the researcher to capture the relevant information from almost all the key stakeholders within the SMEs across the Metropolis to be able to do a critical assessment. The study sought to collect data from the SMEs at one point in time and determine the impact of management accounting practices on financial performance of SMEs in in the Kumasi Metropolis in Ghana. The study established Receivable management practices were effectively followed by the selected SMEs, and there was a statistical significant effect of receivable management practices on firm performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Agricultural development still constitutes an integral part of Ghana's drive towards job creation, industrial development and economic growth with various growth policies placing the agricultural sector at the core. While there are likely environmental effects of agricultural activities, evidence in Ghana remains scanty. The study focused on examining, empirically, the effects of the development of the agricultural sector on carbon dioxide (CO2) emission in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach: The paper employed the Stochastic impacts by regression on population, affluence and technology (STIRPAT) framework to test for the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for agriculture and carbon dioxide emission as well as the effect that the changing structure of Ghana's agricultural development has on carbon dioxide emission for the 1971–2018 period. Regression analysis, variance decomposition and causality analysis were performed. Findings: The regression results revealed a U-shaped relationship between agricultural development and carbon emission, implying a rejection of the EKC hypothesis between the two variables. In addition, the Structural Adjustment Programme was found to positively moderate the effect agriculture has on carbon emission. Practical implications: The study recommends the need for policy-makers to facilitate the large-scale adoption and use of modern technology and environmentally friendly agricultural methods. Originality/value: The study is among the few works to assess the EKC hypothesis between agriculture and carbon dioxide emission in Africa. The direct and indirect effect of structural adjustment programme on carbon emission is estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the relationship between inflation and economic growth for South Africa and Ghana using quarterly empirical data collected from 2001 to 2016 applied to the quantile regression method. For our full sample estimates we find that inflation is positively related with growth in Ghana at high inflation levels whilst inflation in South Africa exerts its least adverse effects at high inflation levels. However, when particularly focusing on the post-crisis period, we find inflation exerts negative effects at all levels of inflation for both countries with inflation having its least adverse effects at high levels for Ghana and at moderate levels for South Arica. Based on these findings bear important implications for inflation targeting frameworks adopted by Central Banks in both countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines Korea's answer to the rural development challenge in the 1970s, the Saemaŭl Undong movement (SMU). As one of the revolutionary polices of Park Chung-Hee, it has been highlighted as contributing greatly to the South Korean economic miracle. There is consensus that it is a shining example of a successful rural development policy and has been widely documented. Given the signal achievements of the programme, this paper attempts to establish whether the SMU could be useful for Ghana as a lasting solution to rural underdevelopment. This paper presents a critical historical background of the SMU and how it was executed highlighting in particular the factors that were crucial to the success of the initiative. The Korean explications are then set against an overview of Ghana's attempts at rural development in an attempt to account for the reasons why Ghana has not been as successful at this task. Our conclusion is that the SMU can serve as a repository of best practices and outline lessons therefrom to guide the formulation and implementation of an integrated, home-grown rural development strategy to ensure the best possible chance of success of such a strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The service outsourcing sector is often regarded as a driver for economic growth of developing countries. The success story of India in acquiring foreign investments and building local firm capacity has led that many developing countries seek to develop an ICT-driven development agenda. Ghana actively pursues such an agenda with its ICT4AD programme that aims at developing a knowledge economy. This paper concentrates on the Ghanaian efforts to attract foreign outsourcing firms and develop local firm capacity. While the ambitions are pointed towards servicing Western markets, it is rather the domestic and regional market that attracts foreign investors to invest in the Ghanaian outsourcing sector. Second, the paper identifies the symbolic significance of the sector. The service outsourcing sector is often used as a representation of a modernising Ghana and, despite its small size, provides a good illustration of the current optimism on Africa's development potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the existence of the Environmental Kuznets Curve for carbon dioxide emissions in Ghana. The causal relationship between economic growth and carbon dioxide emissions being examined and the short-run and long-run parameters of the estimated vector autoregressive models are found to be unstable. This necessitated the use of a time-varying approach and the rolling window Granger causality test to investigate the causal relationship between economic growth and carbon dioxide emissions. We find that GDP has a positive effect on carbon dioxide emissions in the sample periods where GDP Granger causes carbon dioxide emissions. Significant feedbacks from the environment to the economy are observed, with carbon dioxide emissions having a positive effect on GDP in most of the subsample periods. The empirical results show that the Environmental Kuznets Curve for carbon dioxide emissions for Ghana is upward sloping, contrary to the standard Environmental Kuznets Curve theory which postulates an inverted "U"-shaped relationship between economic growth and environmental degradation. The implication of the result is that carbon dioxide emissions increase with increases in GDP. The study recommends that existing policies designed to ensure environmental sustainability and hence control carbon dioxide emissions need to be strengthened and enforced to ensure that the rapid urbanization and industrialization of the Ghanaian economy does not come at a cost to the quality of the environment.

Climate change remains a serious threat to climate sensitive pro-poor development interventions in the Pru District of Ghana. This study examined how climate change impacts on Local Economic Development (LED) interventions, the extent to which climate change adaptation (CCA) initiatives are integrated into LED and the challenges associated with the mainstreaming process. Qualitative research design and purposive sampling was used to collect data from 28 respondents at the Pru District Assembly with an interview guide. The results show that climate change adversely affects the following LED programmes; beekeeping, micro-credit for agricultural development programme, and fishing net and outboard motor programmes. The findings further indicate that climate-smart Agriculture, aquaculture (Fish Cage Culture) and Sustainable natural resource utilization and management the CCA initiatives mainstreamed into pro-poor LED in the Pru District to reduce the inevitable impacts of climate change. The study identified multifaceted challenges militating against CCA mainstreaming in the District to include inadequate resources for CCA, inactive stakeholder and institutional collaboration, and lack of continuity of CCA programmes. This paper recommends strong government support for CCA programmes, commitment of adequate resources and effective stakeholder and institutional collaboration. The paper concludes that effective integration of CCA into pro-poor LED is a panacea to achieving sustainable local development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- Building energy efficiency is an inescapable part of the solution to Africa's sustainable development; its implementation can result in cost effective ways that can contribute to economic and social development as well as environmental sustainability. Despite this, a number of factors including financial barriers and market barriers are perceived by policy makers and building designers to influence the efficient use of energy in buildings. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the perceptions of architects in relation to the challenges of building energy efficiency in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach -- From a review of pertinent literature 18 factors were identified as challenging. Empirical investigation was carried out using survey questionnaire. The consideration of overlapping aspects of the study largely motivated the use of factor analysis to analyse the data which made it possible to make scientific deductions and built explanations from the results. Findings -- The study derives five brands of uncorrelated variables that better explains challenges faced in implementing building energy efficiency in Ghana. These variables include financial barriers, information barrier, private sector participation, behavioural barriers and production barrier. The study provides insight on the contextual provision of realities faced in implementing building energy efficiency in Ghana. Originality/value -- Key contribution of the paper to the body of knowledge is manifested in the use of the principal component analysis. This has rigorously provided understanding into the complex structure and the relationship between the various knowledge areas of building energy efficiency barriers in Ghana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proposal for regional re-organisation and the creation of four additional ones seem feasible and has the needed popular support. Using archival sources and data from the IEA-VOTO Survey, the paper undertakes a thorough and detailed analysis of the processes leading to the creation of additional regions, and reveals imponderable challenges likely to be encountered. It argues that popular support for governmental policy proposals is not necessarily coterminous with feasibility, effectiveness and relevance. The paper therefore examines the feasibility and relevance of the proposal for the creation of additional regions in Ghana and proffers policy recommendations to re-focus the attention of policy makers on the critical challenges and barriers to rural development and how they could be effectively tackled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Domestic savings remain low in Ghana despite several attempts to improve this situation. Whereas existing studies on private savings have identified several determinants, the role of financial literacy in saving decisions has not been explored. In this paper, we build on existing studies and provide evidence supporting our hypothesis that financial literacy is key to promoting domestic saving. The study relies mainly on primary data, and the binary probit regression model is employed as the estimation technique. Our results show that improving financial literacy among Ghanaians should be incorporated into the broad policy package aimed at increasing domestic saving which is a prerequisite for investment and subsequently sustainable economic growth. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transnational investments in farmland in developing economies are recent and controversial. While they bring developmental opportunities including capital deepening, new technology, and employment opportunities, there are also concerns about the dislocation of local farmers and insufficient compensation for land use. This paper investigates how these seemingly conflicting effects interact in the process of economic growth by fitting a dynamic general equilibrium model to Ghanaian data. The differing effects of two common foreign investment activities, grain farming and biofuel production, are investigated. Grain farming investments tend to promote capital accumulation and increase income and consumption over the transition, whereas labor income is adversely affected. Biofuel projects induce the reverse. Results identify the relative labor intensity of technology on foreign‐operated farms, which affects the returns to domestic capital and the pace of capital deepening, as a major determinant of the long‐term effect of farmland investments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism continues to be a significant source of economic activity for many developing countries. The challenge for such countries has been how best to effectively plan for tourism development within overall national economic development planning and policies. This paper takes a historical approach in examining the conception of tourism development in Ghana within successive national economic development plans. Since independence in 1957, tourism has been identified as an opportunity for economic growth. In the early days of national development planning, tourism was seen mainly in terms of its foreign-exchange-earning potential. Within the current medium-term national economic development plan (Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda 2014-2017), tourism is now positioned as one of seven key economic pillars for transforming the economy. This paper argues that the shift in thought about tourism's economic role within a country can be traced through the historical eyes of successive national economic development plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary national development policy in many parts of the world is focused on the promotion of entrepreneurship. This is because policy makers see entrepreneurship as an important driver of economic development. Drawing on in-depth research in Ghana and Uganda, this paper provides a comparative analysis of the characteristics of entrepreneurs and their enterprises, their motives for choosing self-employment and the constraints to their businesses in Ghana and Uganda. Using a sample of over 1,000 micro and small entrepreneurs in each country, we found that Ghanaian entrepreneurs are much more motivated by necessity-driven motives while Ugandans are motivated by a combination of opportunity- and necessity-driven motives. Specifically, the factor analysis indicated that whereas Ghanaian entrepreneurs are significantly motived by 'Work-family consideration' and 'Low opportunity,' entrepreneurs in Uganda rated 'Career consideration' and 'Survival consideration' as their main motives for engaging in self-employment activities. On success, a much higher fraction of Ugandan entrepreneurs are found to be more successful than their Ghanaian counterparts. Comparatively, we found that Ghanaian businesses are significantly challenged with access to finance or credit; however, their counterparts in Uganda significantly face problems related to institutional weaknesses. Thus, from the factor analysis, 'Financial problem' and 'Institutional problem' were found to be significantly higher for Ghana and Uganda respectively. Hence, among others, Ghanaian policy makers can stimulate entrepreneurship by taking steps to reduce the level of financial constraints facing its entrepreneurs while in Uganda, much effort should be geared toward improving the business institutional environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper uses survey data from 1458 households in 60 communities from 24 districts in 5 regions of Ghana and logistic regression to examine conflicts as a contest for mineral wealth in mining communities, estimates the determinants of conflicts in these mining communities and examines how these contests could erode and/or enhance Ghana’s gains from mining. The paper finds that the likelihood of a conflict occurring in a mining area is about 56.7%. Village effect was found to be a significant positive predictor of mining conflict. Also, improvement in primary education, employment opportunities to community members of ages 25–50, the strength of institutions and the absence of small-scale miners in a mining community reduces the probability of conflicts occurring by 12.8, 35.8, 6.57 and 17.7%, respectively. While an increase in pollution levels increases the likelihood of conflicts occurring by 7.1%, primary occupation in manufacturing and services, and increase in household monthly expenditure significantly increases the likelihood of conflicts within the mining communities as the cost of living increases. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines the relationship between inflation and economic growth in Ghana. Using quarterly data from 1986Q1 to 2012Q4. The study employs Co- integration and error correction model. The study reveals that capital, government expenditure, labour force and money supply have a positive impact on GDP. In addition, inflation and interest rate has a decreasing impact on economic growth. The study recommends inflation targeting as best monetary policy. There is the need for government to increase expenditure in the area of infrastructure development and human capital to increase output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migrant remittances play an important role in the economic development and the improvement of household welfare in Ghana. The movement of youth from rural Northern Ghana to the South has been a recurrent research focus. This paper examines the dynamics of north-south migration of the youth and resulting remittances in Ghana using Accra and Kumasi as study areas. The paper shows that the youth embark on the southward journey with the anticipation of getting employed so as to earn money to be able to remit to support and improve the wellbeing of relations back home. Also, the paper highlights that the young migrants remit varying amounts of money. These monies have been put to different uses, much of which is used in buying food for consumption, the maintenance of the household and other ventures. The study notes that the mode of savings, the duration and place of stay, the level of income and sex to a larger extent determine the amount of money, frequency and the likelihood that a migrant will remit at any point in time. Most importantly, the migration of the youth from Northern to Southern Ghana and the remittances sent, play an important role in improving household wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]