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Gender Disparities in Living Arrangements of Older People in Ghana: Evidence from the 2003 Ghana Demographic and Health SurveyIn this study, the living arrangements of persons aged 60 years and older in Ghana are examined. The data for the study emanate from the household roster component of the most recent nationally representative sample survey, the 2003 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey. The focus is on socio-economic and demographic characteristics, as well as co-residential patterns, of the elderly persons. Additionally, use is made of the 1960-2000 census results of Ghana in order to through light on the emerging phenomenon of population ageing in the country. The results show that the proportion of persons aged 60 years or older in Ghana has consistently risen from 5.2 percent in 1960 to 7.2 percent in 2000, representing 38 percent increase, while the number rose from 457,067 in 1960 to 1,367,343 in 2000, representing about 200 percent increase over the period. Differences by sex are marginal. Also, older adults in Ghana live in a variety of household arrangements. The elderly men are more likely to be living in nuclear households, while older women are more likely to be living in extended family households. Logistic regression analyses indicate that determinants of living with adult children and grandchildren differ by sex. A combination of fertility decline, migration, and urbanization puts the older women in a disadvantaged position since there are fewer adult children available to provide support and care, and there is no universal non-familial social security system. It can be argued that knowledge about the types of households in which older women live is a first step to understanding their needs in a part of the world with limited resources such as Ghana.
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Impact of Mobile Number Portability on Service Delivery in the Mobile Telecommunication Industry in Ghana; Case Study of Bharti Airtel Ghana Limited, KumasiThe mobile telecommunication industry has seen a major increase in competition in recent years. This as a result of similarity of service provided. In giving consumers more bargaining power the, National Communication Authority (NCA) has introduce Mobile Number Portability (MNP) which enables subscribers the opportunity to switch or change providers. The study intents to investigates the impact of MNP on service delivery, and go further to ascertain the factors that influence customer porting decisions, benefit of porting to the company and customers, the nature of service quality before and after the introduction of MNP. The research design was descriptive, both primary and secondary sources of data collection method were used to answer the research questions. Primary data was gathered from the one hundred and sixty four (164) respondents through a structured questionnaire. The target population for the study was therefore all the customers who have ported to Airtel in Kumasi. Combinations of purposive and accidental sampling techniques were used to select the one hundred and sixty four (164) respondents. The study revealed that price, service quality and company reputation influence customers porting behavior. It was recommended that the companies should adopt a cost leadership competitive strategy, continues corporate social responsibility programmes, and continues improvement of service quality delivery. Keywords: Mobile number portability, Service Quality, Competition, Price, Company reputation
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The Speargrass (Imperata cylindrica (L) Beauv.) menace in Ghana: Incidence, farmer perceptions and control practices in the forest and forest-Savanna transition Agro-ecological Zones of GhanaSurveys to determine farmers’ practices, perceptions and the incidence of speargrass were conducted in the forest and forest-savanna transition zones of Ghana in 1996 and 2000. Mean farm size was 1.2 ha, fallow and cropping length was 4.7 and 4.5 years, respectively, with a mean cropping intensity factor (CIF) of 49%. Speargrass had been present in the area for over 40 years and was perceived as the most noxious weed. Eighty- six percent of fields that relied on slash-burn method of land preparation had severe speargrass infestation. Infestations > 50% cover, mean density of 33 plants m-2 and shoot height range of 15–300 cm were observed on 60% of the fields. Fifty-one percent of farmers reported of inadequate level of control with current control practices. Glyphosate was applied onfields with > 50% speargrass cover. Speargrass becomes a problem after 3 years continuous cropping from fallow and, under severe infestation, most farmers abandon fields to natural fallow. A dense regrowth of Chromolaenaodorata is indicative of a speargrass-suppressed field. Follow-up weed control could be 3-6 times/season depending on initial land preparation, type of crop and/or level of infestation. Cost of weed control was 20–60% higher on speargrass-infested field ($71/weeding/ha) than on other fields, and weeding may take 20–25 mandays/ha. Farmers perceived average yield losses of 30–80% ha–1 due to speargrass interference, implying anational average crop loss ha-1 of $31–$84, $155–$414 and $272–$727 for maize, cassava and yam systems, respectively. Reductions in food quality due to the piercing nature of the rhizomes was also paramount.