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Itinerant merchants are actively involved in various economic activities within and around African cities, albeit on a small scale. However, there remains a gap in understanding their contribution to host cities' local economic development (LED). This research aims to fill this gap by examining how itinerant immigrant retailers support LED in host cities, using Wa in Ghana. Recognising their role is essential for informing location-specific development plans to boost local economies. Employing a qualitative research approach, we interviewed 52 participants, including itinerant immigrants, city residents, and officials from relevant state agencies. Thematic analysis using NVivo version 11 was employed to analyse the responses. Itinerant merchants play a crucial role in local economies by creating employment opportunities, providing income sources for residents, ensuring convenient access to goods and services, and contributing to market diversification. We discuss how these insights could inform LED policies and planning in sub-Saharan Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2018, the government of Ghana set out to reorganise some administrative regions to ensure balanced development across the country. The reorganisation was informed by spatial extent and concerns about the limited access to government institutions or services, measured by the travel distances between communities or towns and the capital of a region. However, studies have failed to assess the changes in the spatial extent and the travel distances from human settlements to the regional capitals in the newly created regions as well as the distribution of public services. As such, the motivation for this study. The data were gathered using an interview guide and from the Mapcruzin open-source database whereas the analysis was done using ArcMap, Geographical Information Systems, descriptive statistics, paired sample t-tests, and thematic analysis. The results indicate that the reorganisation significantly decreased the average travel distances in all the regions of interest, and the same was observed at the district and municipality levels, which suggests a general improvement in accessibility to services and institutions. However, the average travel distance rose for a few affected districts and municipalities. To achieve balanced development, the government must improve the transportation network to facilitate better access to public services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), a social assistance programme, aims to reduce poverty and vulnerability. To this end, complementary services accompany such programmes to accelerate the process. However, a few studies have concentrated on access to complementary services. As such, this study focuses on investigating access to LEAP complementary services employing the mixed-methods design. Data were collected from 229 LEAP beneficiaries and LEAP programme implementers using questionnaires and an interview guide. The analysis of data involved descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The study found that national health insurance (NHI), school feeding, the education capitation grant, and labour-intensive public works were the LEAP complementary services accessed although skewed to NHI. The barriers to access to complementary services included unavailability of services, ignorance of entitlement, inability to enforce the memorandum of understanding, and poor institutional coordination. To improve access to complementary services, sensitisation and enforcement of memorandum of understanding are vital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, there is a frantic rush to establish social assistance programmes such as Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), which are viewed as a panacea for poverty reduction. Nonetheless, prior research ignored the critical issue of exiting these programmes, which is essential given the likelihood of scheme dependency. As a result, this study employs a concurrent mixed methods design to examine LEAP exit. Three hundred and two LEAP beneficiaries were included in the sample. Primary data were gathered through the administration of questionnaires and an interview guide, whereas secondary data were gathered from LEAP policy documents. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, a hypothesis test for two independent proportions, the Mann-Whitney U test, thematic and content analysis. The study discovered that there was limited awareness regarding exit strategies. While some beneficiaries met the exit requirement, they did not graduate. To ensure a sustainable exit from LEAP, complementary services must be ensured. The unique contribution of this study is that it brings to light a previously unrecognized issue of social assistance programme exit (in this case, LEAP) by demonstrating that some beneficiaries had reached the exit threshold, thereby paving the way for enrolment of new eligible beneficiaries and saving the state from spending its scarce funds on those who do not need it anymore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women's self-help groups (SHGs) play an essential role in the fight against poverty. Despite this, studies on the impact of SHGs on women's asset accumulation and incomes tend to focus on rural and urban areas, with peri-urban areas receiving little attention. Consequently, to help fill this gap, using the after-only study design, this study investigates the contribution of SHGs to asset accumulation in Wa's peri-urban areas. A questionnaire and an observation guide were used to collect data from 199 SHG members. Thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative data, while descriptive statistics, parametric and non-parametric methods were used to analyze quantitative data. Members were given loans, according to the study, but the repayment schedule was unfavourable. After joining SHGs, both productive and non-productive assets were acquired. Furthermore, those who took out loans and invested in income-generating ventures saw an increase in their earnings. In general, SHGs contributed to asset acquisition and income. SHG members should invest in productive assets to increase their incomes, according to the policy recommendation of this study. This study is unique because it focuses on SHGs in peri-urban areas, deviating from the norm by arguing that SHGs contribute to asset accumulation in those areas, thereby empowering members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chieftaincy violence and tensions have persisted in most of the Savannah Region's traditional areas, and attempts to resolve them through the formal court system have failed since the parties reject most court decisions. Consequently, this study examined cultural dynamics in conflict management. A multiple case study design was used while data were gathered using interviews and focus group discussions. Thematic and cross‐case analyses were used to analyze the data. The study found that structural causes of the conflicts are interwoven with cultural breakdowns. The cognizance of culture into the management process by the traditional committees formed resulted in acceptable outcomes, as the processes proved to be meaningful to all stakeholders because it better met local needs. It is proposed that stakeholders in conflict management and peacebuilding should encourage, develop, and expedite local conflict management processes, with culture as an essential factor to consider in the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gari enterprise is a catalyst for economic progress and a route out of poverty as it is a major staple food for many Ghanaians. Despite the problems confronting gari enterprises, it has attracted less attention. As such, this study aims to explore the problems facing gari enterprises in the West Gonja Municipality of Ghana. The case study design was adopted for the study. The sample size comprised 30 participants who were engaged in gari enterprises. Interview and observation guides were used to collect data, whereas thematic analysis and pairwise ranking were used to analyse the data. The results showed that gari enterprises faced internal problems covering, technology adoption, and marketing problems, while external problems encountered included funding and poor infrastructure. However, production problems emerged as the most predominant. In general, both internal and external problems undoubtedly influenced the operation of the gari enterprise. To overcome these problems, gari enterprises should acquire and use modern equipment for production, develop their human capital, and secure affordable loans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme was established in Ghana to tackle poverty, yet studies on LEAP yielded inconclusive results on its effects. This article reports on an assessment of the effects of LEAP on poverty reduction, using an "after-only" study design. Results suggest that beneficiaries saw improvement in food consumption, income levels, savings levels, access to healthcare, and school attendance following participation in LEAP. The study concludes that LEAP contributed to poverty reduction as it enhanced beneficiaries' living conditions. It recommends that LEAP targeting be based on the Ghana National Household Registry's database to eliminate inclusion errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social cash transfers as a strategy for poverty reduction acquired prominence in Latin America but spread later to the rest of the developing world because earlier poverty reduction strategies did not make many gains. Most studies on cash transfer schemes seem tilted towards evaluating their impacts while neglecting the arguments surrounding their design and operations. As such, this paper reviews some of the debates that engulf social cash transfers as a form of social assistance. The review showed that debates about social cash transfers generally centre on targeting, affordability, conditionalities, poverty reduction ability, utilisation of cash, market effect, cash versus food stamp, and dependency. It is concluded that the debates are crucial as they lay the pedestal upon which policy makers take the decision as to whether to set up, change or end an existing cash transfer programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]