Youth Perceptions, Use and Effects of Social Media on Peace and Conflicts in Tanzania

The article focused on examining how youth perception and use of social media (SM) influences peace and conflicts among Tanzanians, using the Dar es Salaam region as a case study. A qualitative approach was used to collect and analyse data. A purposive sampling technique was used to select respondents, whereby youth, local government officers and community residents were interviewed. The findings revealed that SM has both advantages and disadvantages in promoting peace and activating conflicts, depending on users’ perceptions and interests. SM facilitates conflicts due to the Social Media Networks (SMNs) ability to spread fake news quickly, unfounded claims, and rumours. These promote conflicts between political opponents as well as causing mistrust among citizens and their leaders. Some artists, especially comedians, instigate conflicts in society by editing political and religious leaders’ messages. On the other hand, it was revealed that SM promotes peace due to quicker transfer of relevant information that nurtures positive unit values, solidarity, respect and love among the group, society members, and citizens. These values promote good deeds, such as worshipping God, working and living together amicably. However, the study found out that lack of appropriate education on SM’s use and importance among many youths on youth development seems to have hindered SM use in peace promotion. The study calls for strengthening stakeholders’ initiative to educate and mobilise improved use of SM among youth to sustain peace and security, which is a pre-condition for their self-development and prosperity of their country.

Urban Growth, Fuel Service Station Disasters and Policy Compliance in Ghana

Disasters associated with Fuel service stations (FSS) in Ghana have been debated severally and attracted policy attention, yet their mitigation strategies seem too far off and unimaginably unrealistic. Knowing that such disasters can limit enjoyment of citizenship rights, Ghana has developed safety standards geared towards mitigating their effects. Framed around the compliance theory and drawing on data from 150 residential owners located within 15.4m buffer zone and five state institutions, this article examined the extent of compliance with safety policies guiding FSS in Kumasi, Ghana. The results showed that compliance with safety policies was sinking into its bare existential levels as none of the facilities selected for the study passed all the 11 safety standards. The facilities also negatively affected residents who never considered their place of abode as perilous and that they live in zones of vulnerabilities. This situation it is argued, fundamentally affects development trajectory of the contemporary African city. It obviously obscures the realities of interrelated processes shaping urban disaster management. Even though the spring-up of FSS have catapulted economic growth, inherently they are also hazard-ridden. We suggest that in the broad scheme of urban planning, FSS safety policies must not be discussed in the margins.

Examining the Psychological Health Quality of Life of Older People with Disability in Selected Districts in Ghana

Older people in Ghana suffer from a wide range of disabilities including visual, physical, and hearing with serious ramifications on their quality of life. Therefore, this paper examines the psychological health quality of life (PHQOL) of older people with disability in selected Districts in the Upper West Region of Ghana. Through a census survey, questionnaires were used to obtain data from 810 respondents.Independent-samples t-test and one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to examine their PHQOL. The results showed that mean scores in PHQOL were highest among those aged 60-69 and lowest for those aged 80 years and older with a significant difference [F (807) = 23.872 value, p = 0.000] in PHQOL of their ages. Those who were married had the highest PHQOL mean score compared with those who were separated / divorced and widowed with significant difference [F (807) = 42.690 value, p = 0.000] noticed in PHQOL across marital statuses. Also, those with physical disability had a higher mean score in PHQOL than those with visual disability. The study concludes that any geriatric policy interventions aimed at improving the PHQOL of older people with disability ought not to downplay their background characteristics as they underpin their PHQOL.

Impact of Inflation on Gross Domestic Product Growth in Ghana

This paper examines the impact of inflation and other macroeconomic variables such as physical capital, government expenditure, and money supply on GDP growth in Ghana. The study obtained data from the World Development Indicators for the period 1986-2018 and employed vector autoregressive (VAR) models for the analysis. The results showed that general inflation, low inflation rates, physical capital, and money supply have positive, statistically, significant, effect on GDP growth, while, government expenditure and high inflation have negative, statistically significant, effect on GDP growth for the period studied. The study concludes that GDP grows positively at a general level of inflation and low rates of inflation but grows negatively at a high rate of inflation in Ghana. The study, therefore, recommends that government should implement monetary and fiscal policies that will help keep inflation rates low and redirect her spending to the productive sectors in the country to enhance GDP growth.

Participation in “Planting for Food and Jobs” Programme and Commercialization among Maize Farm Households in Savelugu Municipality, Ghana

Ghana’s “Planting for Food and Job” programme aims to improve farmers’ access to farm inputs. The idea is that through improved access to quality seed varieties, fertilisers and good agronomic practices, output would increase leading to an increased market surplus. This study sought to investigate whether engagement in ‘Planting for Food and Job’ (PFJ ) programme influences farm households’ maize commercialization level in Savelugu Municipality, in the Northern Region of Ghana. To correct for selectivity bias, unobserved endogeneity and avoid the problems associated with weak instrumentation, the conditional mixed process (CMP) method was used. The results revealed that participation in the PFJ programme and maize yield positively influenced maize commercialization. However, commercialisation was negatively influenced by gender of the farm household's head, household size and membership of community based organisations (CBOs). Participation in the PFJ programme itself was enhanced by education, marital status, increased farm size, farm ownership, membership of farmer-based organization (FBOs) and non-farm engagement. Government and all relevant stakeholders should step up efforts at promoting the PFJ programme and maize commercialisation through access to formal education, farmland and other productivity enhancing inputs and services.

Tourism as a Pathway to Rural Livelihood Diversification: A Study of Mognori Ecovillage in the Savannah Region of Ghana

As a means of mitigating the effects of restrictions arising from the creation of the Mole National Park, a tourism intervention was introduced in Mognori, a village on one of the fringes of the famed park.This study assesses the Mognori Ecovillage Project especially in terms of its anticipated role in diversifying livelihoods. Qualitative research approaches were employed. Instruments such as In-depthInterview schedules were used to elicit information from household heads while focus group discussions (FGD) were used to elicit data from homestay operators and cultural dance troupes. Tourism was found to play an important diversification role in the sense that it provided both full-time and alternative means of income for some residents especially in the dry season. Tourism has become the “life wire” of some locales and the community needs to take steps to attract more tourists and provide a richer but engaging itinerary through improving cultural tourism resources such as the introduction of products like farm tourism and angling in the Mognori River. It is recommended that the homestay providers be trained in visitor reception skills including basic communication in Enghish language to enhance the experience of visitors. Keywords: Mognori Ecovillage, homestay, livelihood diversification, stipends, canoe safari

Examining Ghana’s Cash Transfer Programme Outcomes in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality from Conversation and Membership Categorisation Analyses Perspectives

Since the start of cash transfer programmes in developing countries in the late 1990s and its spread, studies have demonstrated a variety of outcomes comprising education, health, and nutrition for the poorest households. These studies focused on macro analysis of programmes’ outcomes but paid little attention to an indepth micro study of the everyday intersubjective accounts and actions of local community focal persons and caregivers, which construct programme outcomes. The objective of this study is to highlight the everyday concrete outcomes of a cash transfer programme in Ejisu-Juaben Municipality in Ghana. This study draws on Foucault’s notion of subjectivation and discourse to construct a conversation and membership categorisation analyses framework to explore community focal persons’ and female caregivers’ conversations from focus group discussions. The Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty cash transfer programme in Ghana is the empirical case. This article demonstrates that caregivers and poor households arehappier, practice joint decision-making, and have cohesive social relations in poor households. Thus, localised programme outcomes improved participation in the decision-making, happiness, and social cohesion of beneficiary poor households. Evaluation mechanisms for programme outcomes could consider the everyday intersubjective accounts, practices of focal persons, caregivers/beneficiaries in poor households at the micro-level. Keywords: Social Protection, Ethnography, Discourse, Subjectivation, Governmentality

Livelihood Diversification Among Indigenous Peri-Urban Women in the Wa Municipality, Ghana

Studies on peri-urban development have not paid enough attention to the strategies and dynamics of diversifying livelihoods among indigenous women in the Global South. This paper explores the dynamics of livelihood diversification strategies among indigenous women in response to peri-urban development in Wa, Ghana. The mixed-methods design guided the study, while the sample consisted 399 respondents selected from a sample frame of 1494 women. Data analyses involved descriptive statistics, non-parametric and thematic analyses. The study found that peri-urban development had led to the loss of access to farmland among indigenous women. In response, women have resorted to switching from farm-based to non-farm-based livelihoods amidst multiple production challenges.There is, therefore, the need to support the sustainability of women’s livelihoods through the Municipal Assembly and, in particular, through policy interventions such as support for skills training and financial support to enable indigenous people to make a sustainable living. Keywords: Diversification, Ghana, Livelihoods, Peri-Urbanization, Women

The Role of Dagbani Movies in Promoting Peaceful Co-existence in Northern Region, Ghana

This study explores themes in Dagbani movies which enhance peace-building, and discusses cultural conflict resolution techniques employed in Dagbani movies for peace-building. Qualitative research design was employed for the study. Focus group discussions and interviews were used for data collection. The study used Agenda Setting theory as analytical framework, and undertook thematic analysis to tease out messages in the content of selected movies. It showed that Dagbani movies contain lessons on peace-building and have become reference materials for opinion leaders and peace campaigners within Dagbon. Out of 11 movies sampled, six exposed bad traditional leadership with a view to admonishing Dagbon chiefs to desist from acts that could promote conflicts. Dagbani movies, re-establish working relations among warring factions, deal with systemic issues underlying conflicts and rebuild mutual relationships. The movies advocate the use of traditional peace-building techniques for conflict resolution. The study concludes that if movie producers get the support of relevant stakeholders, Dagbon movies could be effective in resolving conflicts. It recommends that film makers solicit funding from donor agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to produce movies targeted at maintaining peace in Dagbon. Keywords: Dagbani Movies, Peaceful Co-existence, Chieftaincy Disputes, Conflict Resolution and Culture

Interrelated and Multi-Dimensional Factors Affecting Quality Basic Education in Nandom Municipality of the Upper West Region of Ghana

Worldwide, quality education is a platform for social and personal development. In recent times, pupils in basic schools in Nandom Municipality seem not to acquire critical learning skills and consequently are underperforming. This paper investigates the interrelated and multi-dimensional factors affecting quality education in basic schools in the Nandom Municipality. Through the system andhuman capital theories, the paper draws a link between the various kinds of educational inputs pupils receive, the processing of such inputs and their outcomes, which reflect in their academic performance at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). The study employed a mixed research methods design. Cluster sampling technique and purposive sampling technique were used to selectrespondents. The study found that many pupils are not acquiring foundational knowledge in Literacy and Mathematics as reflected in the BECE performance due to inadequate educational resources, poor school management and supervision, and family socio-economic background factors. The study concludes that the quest for quality education for pupils would continue to be illusive unless thefundamentals underpinning quality education such as school resources and management are improved. It is recommended that government provides adequate educational resources for schools and reinforces the decentralisation concept of school management. Keywords: Quality Education, Resources, Management, Pupils, Learning Achievements