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This article is a contribution to the cross-linguistic discussion on causation. It proceeds on the note that causation is a significant notion, both cognitively and grammatically. I make a case that the Mabia (Gur) languages of West Africa are severely under-represented in the literature on causation. I then focus on causation in Likpakpaanl, an under-researched Mabia language spoken in Ghana and Togo in West Africa. I further present data from thirteen other related West African languages for comparative purposes. Broadly speaking, Likpakpaanl deploys all the traditional causation strategies- lexical, morphological, serialising and analytic. However, the use of nasals, especially vowel nasality as a causativisers is novel and uniquely places Likpakpaanl among its linguistic relatives. The Likpakpaanl analytic causative marker chà has a functional scope for both factitive and permissive causatives. In a sense, the source of the specialised analytic causative marker in Likpakpaanl diverges from the oft-cited cross-linguistic source of analytic causative markers. The Likpakpaanl biclausal causative is the balanced structure and, therefore, aligns well with the biclausal causative structure described for the West African linguistic area, contra the deraked structure of Indo-European languages. A thorough investigation of the constellation of causatives in Mabia promises new insights into causative typology.

The present study examined the effect of workplace bullying on employee wellbeing, and the moderating effects of psychological capital and emotional intelligence in the workplace bullying and employee wellbeing relationship. Data was collected from 224 nurses in a teaching hospital in Ghana. The results of the analysis showed that workplace bullying has a negative effect on the psychological wellbeing of employees. Furthermore, the results showed that psychological capital and emotional intelligence moderated workplace bullying and psychological wellbeing relationship. The present study makes some contributions to theory and practice. Theoretically, the study extends the literature on the JD-R by highlighting the significant effect of personal resources in mitigating the effects of workplace bullying on employee wellbeing.

The rabbit industry has a lot of livelihood and economic potentials. However, constraints such as inadequate production of rabbit to meet customer demand serve as hindrances to the growth of the industry. Commercialization of rabbit production will increase rabbit products which will be beneficial to both farmers and consumers. This paper examines the profitability and viability of commercialization of rabbit production among rabbit farmers in Ghana. The study used primary data collected from 200 rabbit farmers in Upper Denkyira East Municipal of Ghana using a multi-stage sampling approach. Descriptive statistics, income statement as well as discounted and undiscounted measures of project worth were the methods of analysis. The results showed that the gross margins for commercialized and non-commercialized rabbit producers were GH¢1,309.49 (US$221.95) and GH¢907.19 (US$153.76) respectively. Also, whereas the net income and return on investment for commercialized rabbit producers were GH¢689.14 (US$116.80) and 50% respectively, those of non-commercialized producers were GH¢511.07 (US$86.62) and 60% respectively. In addition, at a discount rate of 30%, the viability analysis revealed an NPV of GH¢1,456.10 (US$246.80), BCR of 1.37 and IRR of 36.53%. Finally, the results of the payback period analysis showed that it will take three (3) months to repay the initial investment. We conclude from the aforementioned results that commercialization of rabbit production is both profitable and viable. Government, investors and other stakeholders are therefore encouraged to consider investments in commercialization of rabbit production or its promotion as a way of improving livelihood and reducing poverty in especially rural communities where production inputs are relatively cheaper and poverty is endemic.

Background: Pterygium is a conjunctival subepithelial fibrovascular growth commonly occurring in the inter-palpebral conjunctiva nasally or temporally. It tends to grow over the cornea, leading to visual impairment due to various factors, including astigmatism. Methods: This was a prospective, multi-centered, hospital-based, interventional study carried out within 12 months in three eye centers in the Ashanti region of Ghana. One hundred eyes of 100 adults (≥18 years) with primary pterygia were recruited. Operated eyes had measurements of uncorrected visual acuity (UVA), aided visual acuity (AVA), and keratometry readings (K-readings) before pterygium excision with conjunctival autograft (CAG), 2 weeks after surgery, and 6 weeks after surgery. Results: The mean age of patients was 47.1±11.5 years. The mean pre-operative astigmatism was 5.0±5.9 D. The mean astigmatism values at 2 and 6 weeks post-operatively were 1.7±1.5 and 1.3±1.0 D, respectively. Eighty-nine eyes had AVA ≥6/12 (0.11 mean logMAR) before surgery, whereas 97 eyes had AVA ≥6/12 (0.02 mean logMAR) 6 weeks after surgery, and the increase was statistically significant. Conclusion: Pterygia excision with CAG leads to an approximately fourfold reduction in mean pterygium-induced astigmatism by 6 weeks after surgery.

Abstract Background Mining is a global industry and contributes significantly to international economies. This study seeks to compare the patterns of psychological distress, job demand-control, and associated characteristics between two countries (Australia/Ghana) to increase understanding of cross-cultural factors relevant to mental health in this industry. Method A cross-sectional study design was used. Eight coal mines in Australia and five gold mines in Ghana. A total of 2622 mineworkers participated in this study. Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ), Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), the Berkman-Syme Social Network Index (SNI) and help-seeking questionnaire. Results Ghanaian mineworkers reported increased psychological distress compared to Australian mineworkers; Job demands outweighed control among Ghanaian mineworkers but was associated with lower risk of psychological distress compared to Australian mineworkers; Ghanaian mineworkers were significantly less likely to drink alcohol at risky levels but this was associated with higher psychological distress; Increased social network was associated with decreased psychological distress for both countries. Conclusions These findings identify cultural and geographical differences in the socio-demographics, workplace factors, psychological distress, and alcohol use in both countries. Cross-cultural occupational workplace factors and mental health issues are highlighted. Potential workplace interventions applicable in comparable settings are recommended.

Background: Causes of death during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic ranhttp://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.4102/ajlm.v11i1.1766=pdfdate_stamp=2022-11-23ge from direct consequences of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection to deaths unrelated to SARS-CoV-2. Another feature of the pandemic is the post-mortem testing for SARS-CoV-2. Understanding these aspects of COVID-19 are essential in planning and limiting the impact of SARS-CoV-2 virus on healthcare systems. Objective: This study investigated the underlying causes of death and the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in bodies received at the 37 Military Hospital, Accra, Ghana, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study was conducted from 4–27 May 2020. Deceased patients that met the inclusion criteria were prospectively selected during the expanded surveillance period for SARS-CoV-2 testing, autopsy and determination of underlying and immediate cause of death. Results: A total of 161 deceased patients were analysed with 53 autopsies. The overall positive test rate for SARS-CoV-2 was 14.9% (24/161 patients), with a positive rate of 5.0% (8/161 patients) for nasopharyngeal samples and 30.2% (16/161 patients) for bronchopulmonary samples. The underlying causes of death were not related to SARS-CoV-2 infection in 85.1% (137/161) of patients, SARS-CoV-2-associated 12.4% (20/161) and SARS-CoV-2-induced in 2.5% (4/161). Cardiovascular complications formed the most common cause of death in patients with or without SARS-CoV-2. Conclusion: There was a high positive rate of SARS-CoV-2 in post-mortem cases. However, most deaths were not caused by SARS-CoV-2 but by cardiovascular complications. The high rate of bronchopulmonary positive results for SARS-CoV-2 requires that autopsies be done in suspicious cases with negative nasopharyngeal sampling.

The study explored the extent learners' age variances impacted their achievement in a national education assessment in Ghana and how these were moderated by the types of schools (i.e., private and public) they attended. A multistage sampling method was used, and the data were analyzed using a multilevel modeling technique. The sample comprised 19,210 primary grade 3 and 17,088 primary grade 6 learners from 525 and 499 schools, respectively. Relatively younger learners outperformed their older peers in both subjects except for primary 3 mathematics achievement. Schools marginally reduced the age effect on both subjects except primary 3 mathematics achievement, where there was an increase. Moreover, there was a statistically insignificant difference in private and public schools' impact on age-linked effects on subjects except for primary 3 mathematics. The study concludes that being relatively overage for a specific grade level is not beneficial, especially for English language achievement. Hence, enrolling learners at the prescribed age and school term is highly recommended.

Pulmonary hyalinizing granuloma (PHG) is a rare, benign lung disease of unknown etiology. It usually manifests as solitary and sometimes as multiple pulmonary nodules. It may have irregular margins, cavitation, or calcifications mimicking metastasis or primary lung neoplasm. It should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pulmonary nodules or masses. In this report, we present an unusual case of incidental slow-growing lung mass in a patient with 30 pack-year smoking history, construction-based occupation. The pleural-based calcified nodule in the left upper lobe gradually increased in size over ten years without any hilar or mediastinal lymphadenopathy. For an accurate diagnosis, PET-scan and histopathological analysis through wedge resection by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) were done. The biopsy findings were consistent with pulmonary hyalinizing granuloma, a rare benign cause of lung mass with an excellent long-term prognosis.

Background. Parasitic infections among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients are common in various regions and populations across the world and have since remained a persistent public health challenge. Sub-Saharan Africa harbors the greatest burden of the infections due to sociodemographic and behavioral factors. However, the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasitic infections among HIV-infected persons has been poorly investigated in Ghana. Aim. This study sought to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasitic infections and associated factors in HIV-infected individuals attending the antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinic in St. Mary Theresa Hospital, Dodi Papase. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2021 to September 2021 among three hundred and thirty-five HIV-infected individuals in the study area. Sociodemographic and behavioral factors were collected with the aid of a close-ended structured questionnaire. Furthermore, stool samples were collected from each participant and examined for the presence of intestinal parasites by microscopy using direct wet mount, formol-ether concentration, and modified Ziehl–Neelsen (Zn) techniques. Data obtained were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 and Graphpad Prism version 8. Results. The prevalence of gastrointestinal parasitic infections was 5.97%. Species-specific prevalence was found to be 2.99% for Giardia lamblia, 1.19% for Ascaris lumbricoides, and 0.90% each for Entamoeba histolytica/dispar and Trichuris trichiura. There was a significant association between participants’ educational level and intestinal parasitic infection. In addition, gastrointestinal parasitic infections were not found to be associated with age. Unemployed participants, those with a lower frequency of deworming, and those who do not use water closet toilet facilities were at a higher risk of getting infected. Conclusion. The lower infection rate recorded in this study suggests that public health interventions put in place are yielding significant results. Even though the prevalence is low, routine screening of all HIV-infected patients for parasitic infection is recommended to ensure timely, effective treatment and comprehensive care.

Thoracic endometriosis is a rare progression of a mostly benign disease of ectopic endometrial activity involving the pleura and lung. This is a case of a young female who presented with progressive shortness of breath and was found to have significant anemia. Further investigations showed a massive right-sided pleural effusion and ascites. Subsequent thoracentesis and pelvic diagnostic laparoscopy showed a hemorrhagic pleural effusion and ascites, along with dense pelvic adhesions. Pathology was consistent with endometriosis. Patient improved on leuprolide acetate and norethindrone. This case illustrates an important consideration in the differential of a reproductive-age female with new onset shortness of breath and anemia.

More than 87% of patients report the persistence of at least one symptom after recovery from the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Dyspnea is one of the most frequently reported symptoms following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS CoV-2) infection with persistent chest radiological abnormalities up to 3 months after symptom onset. These radiological abnormalities are variable and most commonly include ground-glass opacities, reticulations, mosaic attenuation, parenchymal bands, interlobular septal thickening, bronchiectasis, and fibrotic-like changes. However, in this case report, we describe findings of bullous lung disease as a complication of SARS CoV-2 infection. As the pandemic continues, there is a need to understand the multiple respiratory manifestations of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19. We, therefore, present this case to add to the current body of literature describing pulmonary disease as a consequence of SARS CoV-2 infection.

Smartphone and wearable devices are widely used in behavioral and clinical research to collect longitudinal data that, along with ground truth data, are used to create models of human behavior. Mobile sensing researchers often program data processing and analysis code from scratch even though many research teams collect data from similar mobile sensors, platforms, and devices. This leads to significant inefficiency in not being able to replicate and build on others' work, inconsistency in quality of code and results, and lack of transparency when code is not shared alongside publications. We provide an overview of Reproducible Analysis Pipeline for Data Streams (RAPIDS), a reproducible pipeline to standardize the preprocessing, feature extraction, analysis, visualization, and reporting of data streams coming from mobile sensors. RAPIDS is formed by a group of R and Python scripts that are executed on top of reproducible virtual environments, orchestrated by a workflow management system, and organized following a consistent file structure for data science projects. We share open source, documented, extensible and tested code to preprocess, extract, and visualize behavioral features from data collected with any Android or iOS smartphone sensing app as well as Fitbit and Empatica wearable devices. RAPIDS allows researchers to process mobile sensor data in a rigorous and reproducible way. This saves time and effort during the data analysis phase of a project and facilitates sharing analysis workflows alongside publications.

Changes in rainfall onset and cessation dates are critical for improving decision making and adaptation strategies in numerous socio-economic sectors. An objective method of determining onset and cessation date is employed over Southern West Africa (SWA) in this study. The method is applied over 34 years of the quasi-global rainfall dataset from the Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Stations (CHIRPS) and five High Resolution Model Intercomparison Project (HighResMIP) model datasets under the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) experiment. Generally, a strong agreement exists between CHIRPS and the HighResMIP models in capturing the behaviour of seasonal rainfall over SWA, with models able to capture the bimodal rainfall season. The ability of models in capturing onset and cessation dates as observed in CHIRPS shows the strength of these models in representing the short break between the two wet seasons that is otherwise known as the ‘Little Dry Season’. Patterns observed in the onset and cessation dates over the SWA region are consistent with the northward and southward displacement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). The seasonal timing of the models shows good agreement with observations such that most mean onset/cessation dates agree within 26 days. While IPSL-CM6A-ATM-HR, a model among the five HighResMIPs used in the study, best agrees with CHIRPS in representing onset and cessation dates during the unimodal rainfall season, no one model best agrees with CHIRPS during the bimodal season, with models outperforming each other in representing onset/cessation dates with little variation.

This paper presents the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) as the possible source mechanism of the medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs) propagating to the southeast direction over the South American region. Using the data collected by the GNSS dual-frequency receivers network from January 2014 to December 2019, detrended TEC maps were generated to identify and characterize 144 MSTIDs propagating southeastward over the South American low-latitude and equatorial region. We also used images from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) 13 and 16 in the infrared (IR) and water vapor (WV) channel, and reanalisys data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to study the daily features and seasonal migration of ITCZ. In the winter, when ITCZ migrates to the northern hemisphere around 10–15° N, 20 MSTIDs propagated southeastward. During summer, when the ITCZ lies within the continent, around 0–5° S 80 MSTIDs were observed to propagate southeastward; in the equinoxes (spring and fall), 44 MSTIDs were observed. Again, the MSTIDs propagating southeastward showed a clear seasonality of their local time dependence; in summer, the MSTIDs occurred frequently in the evening hours, whereas those in winter occurred during the daytime. We also found for the first time that the day-to-day observation of ITCZ position and MSTIDs propagation directions were consistent. With regard to these new findings, we report that the MSTIDs propagating southeastward over the South American region are possibly induced by the atmospheric gravity waves, which are proposed as being generated by the ITCZ in the troposphere. The mean distribution of the horizontal wavelength, period, and phase velocity are 698 ± 124 km, 38 ± 8 min, and 299 ± 89 m s−1, respectively. For the first time, we were able to use MSTID propagation directions as a proxy to study the source region.

Abstract Spontaneous intercostal artery bleeding is a rare disease seen in cirrhosis and can present with hemodynamically significant blood loss anemia, hypotension, and shock. Transcatheter arterial embolization is an effective treatment for severe cases.

Abstract Aim The present study was set out to establish the link between emotional labour (surface and deep acting) and job attitudes (job satisfaction organizational commitment) by introducing perceived organizational support as a moderating variable. Design The study made use of a cross‐sectional design by sampling three hundred and forty‐two (342) nurses and midwives from six health facilities in Ghana. Methods The study employed a quantitative approach to examine the relationships between the study variables. Results The study disclosed that whereas surface acting related negatively with job satisfaction but not with organizational commitment, deep acting did not relate significantly with both job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Perceived organizational support as a moderating variable showed a significant moderating effect between surface acting and job attitudes. However, Perceived organizational support moderated the relationship between deep acting and organizational commitment but not job satisfaction. The findings pose much contextual relevance to health professionals where emotional regulations are core responsibilities of health care.

Mycobacterium abscessus is a rapidly growing mycobacterium. It rarely causes disseminated infection or endocarditis. A 55-year-old male with a history of hepatitis C, liver cirrhosis, intravenous drug use (last use was four years ago), and chronic back pain presented with a three-week history of a right calf nodular lesion. He did not have a fever, chills, rash, dyspnea, or cough. Laboratory data showed mild leukocytosis. Computed tomography of the chest revealed bilateral cavitating nodules. Skin biopsy, sputum, and blood cultures grew Mycobacterium abscessus. Therapy with meropenem, tigecycline, and amikacin was initiated. He was re-admitted with worsening lower back pain. A lumbar magnetic resonance imaging showed destructive changes of L4 and L5 vertebral bodies concerning for osteomyelitis. Blood culture and bone biopsy grew Mycobacterium abscessus again. An echocardiogram was performed due to persistent bacteremia, which revealed large vegetation on the tricuspid valve and small vegetation on the mitral valve. Therapy was changed to eight weeks of amikacin, with cefoxitin and imipenem for twelve months based on drug susceptibility. Treatment of disseminated Mycobacterium abscessus is challenging due to antibiotic resistance. Typically, multidrug therapy is warranted with at least three active drugs. In severe valvular endocarditis, valve replacement may be required.

Complications that arise in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia are acute respiratory distress syndrome, often leading to mechanical ventilation, shock requiring vasopressors, acute kidney injury, stroke, thromboembolic phenomena, and myocardial injury. To date, there are four cases of tension pneumothorax in patients with COVID-19, published in literature. We present a 33-year-old man with no prior history of lung disease who was admitted to our hospital on account of hypoxic respiratory failure secondary to COVID-19 pneumonia. During his hospitalization, he developed sudden onset of chest pain which worsened with coughing. A chest X-ray showed a right-sided pneumothorax with left-sided mediastinal shift. He required placement of chest tubes with eventual resolution of the pneumothorax several days later. This case highlights the need for clinical recognition, consideration of differential diagnoses, prompt evaluation, appropriate imaging, and management of this severe life-threatening unusual complication of COVID-19 pneumonia.

A 60-year-old female was evaluated for significant weight loss, nausea, vomiting, and dysphagia. A computed tomography (CT) of the chest showed a 3 cm mass in the middle mediastinum. CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis revealed no abnormality. Positron emission tomography (PET) of the whole body revealed tracer uptake in the pre-carinal nodal mass. There were no other suspicious foci of tracer uptake. Mediastinoscopy and biopsy revealed a well-differentiated low-grade neuroendocrine tumor. She underwent sternotomy, and after careful mobilization of the great vessels, the middle mediastinal mass was successfully resected. Final pathology revealed a paraganglioma with no morphological signs to suggest malignancy. The right lower paratracheal lymph node did not show any tumor cells. She did well postoperatively.

This study analyses the effect of the Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement (KAFTA) on the trade structure between Korea and Australia (2012-2015). The TSI, GL/IIT and CTB indexes were employed to analyse the items traded between Korea and Australia during the period. The results showed a positive effect of the KAFTA, taking into consideration increasing trade between the two countries and Australia securing a competitive position in Korea. An existence of trade interdependence between the two countries is ascertained, looking at the changing trade structure of both countries before and after the agreement. The implementation of the KAFTA is aiding industries and traded items to contribute positively to the trade balance of Korea and Australia, thereby boosting trade between the two countries and with the rest of the world.

Background: Workplace victimization is considered a major social stressor with significant implications for the wellbeing of employees and organizations. The aim of this study was to examine the influences of employees' personality traits and organizational politics on workplace victimization among Ghanaian employees. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, data were collected from 631 employees selected from diverse occupations through convenience sampling. Data collection tools were standardized questionnaires that measured experiences of negative acts at work (victimization), the Big Five personality traits, and organizational politics. Results: The results from hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that among the personality traits neuroticism and conscientiousness had significant, albeit weak relationships with victimization. Organizational politics had a significant positive relationship with workplace victimization beyond employees' personality. Conclusion: The study demonstrates that compared with personal characteristics such as personality traits, work environment factors such as organizational politics have a stronger influence on the occurrence of workplace victimization.

Background: safety and healthy working environment has received numerous research attention over the years. Majority of these researches seem to have been conducted in the construction industry, with little attention in the health sector. Nonetheless, there are couple of studies conducted in Africa that suggest pressure in hospitals. Therefore the aim of the study was to examine how pressure influence safety behavior in the hospitals. With reference to the relevance of safety behavior in primary health care delivery, there was the need for the study. Method: Data was obtained from 422 public hospital employees. Respondents were assured that all information would be kept confidential to increase the response rate and acquire more accurate information. Collection of questionnaires from participants took four weeks (20 working days), after which the data was analyzed. Results: The result of the study showed that work pressure correlated negatively with safety behavior. General safety climate significantly correlated positively with safety behavior and negatively with work pressure, although the effect size for the latter was smaller. Hierarchical regression analysis showed management commitment to safety to moderate the relationship between work pressure and safety behavior. Conclusion: When employees perceive safety communication, safety systems and training to be positive, they seem to comply with safety rules and procedures than voluntarily participate in safety activities.

This study examines the direct and indirect effects of interpersonal fairness on employees’ willingness-to-stay and organisation-based self-esteem through affective commitment among manufacturing workers in Tema, Ghana. Using the survey design, 300 manufacturing workers in Tema were conveniently sampled for the study. The confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used to analyse the data. Results indicated that affective commitment partially mediated the relationship between interpersonal fairness and employees’ willingness-to-stay. Affective commitment also fully mediated the interpersonal fairness-organisation-based self-esteem relationship. Results further showed that organisation-based self-esteem partially mediated the affective commitment and willingness-to-stay relationship, such that, an increase in organisation-based self-esteem leads to a decrease in employees’ willingness-to-stay. These findings emphasised the roles of interpersonal fairness and affective commitment in organisations, where affective commitment increases as a result of an increase in interpersonal fairness and makes employees have an intention-to-stay. The findings imply that employees who are very confident and have higher organisation-based self-esteem stand lower chances of staying in their current organisations. This study is the first to examine how affective commitment transfers the effects of interpersonal fairness unto employees’ intention-to-stay among manufacturing workers in Ghana.

The study's goal was to determine how peer tutoring affected the anxiety of undergraduate students studying Integrated Science at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) in Ghana's Central Region. The study used a cross-sectional survey research design. Out of 193 students majoring in Integrated Science in their last year at UEW, the researchers chose a sample size of 82 for the survey using a simple random selection procedure. Interviews and a questionnaire served as the study's research tools. After the students completed the surveys, the respondents were then questioned to discover their answers. Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) version 26.0 was used to enter, purify, and analyze the gathered data. The data were arranged into frequency and percentages using the descriptive SPSS function. Due to academic pressure and a fear of failing, the study's findings indicated that the respondents experienced extremely high levels of anxiety in Integrated Science. In addition, it was discovered that one of the main contributors to Integrated Science anxiety was that most students paid attention to what their peers had to say about the program, and in particular, some courses, which had instilled fear in them even before they had taken the course. The study suggested that teachers do their best to aid students' comprehension and that teachers should encourage students to interact more with one another.

Focusing on West Africa, a region riddled with in situ data scarcity, we evaluate the summer monsoon monthly rainfall characteristics of five global reanalysis datasets: ERA5, ERA-Interim, JRA-55, MERRA2, and NCEP-R2. Their performance in reproducing the West African monsoon (WAM) climatology, interannual variability, and long-term trends for the main monsoon months are compared to gauge-only and satellite products. We further examine their ability to reproduce teleconnections between sea surface temperatures and monsoon rainfall. All reanalyses are able to represent the average rainfall patterns and seasonal cycle; however, regional biases can be marked. ERA5, ERA-Interim, and NCEP-R2 underestimate rainfall over areas of peak rainfall, with ERA5 showing the strongest underestimation, particularly over the Guinea Highlands. The meridional northward extent of the monsoon rainband is well captured by JRA-55 and MERRA2 but is too narrow in ERA-Interim, for which rainfall stays close to the Guinea Coast. Differences in rainband displacement become particularly evident when comparing strong El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) years, where all reanalyses except ERA-Interim reproduce wetter Sahelian conditions for La Niña, while overestimating dry conditions at the coast except for NCEP-R2. Precipitation trends are not coherent across reanalyses and magnitudes are generally overestimated compared to observations, with only JRA-55 and NCEP-R2 displaying the expected positive trend in the Sahel. ERA5 generally outperforms ERA-Interim, highlighting clear improvements over its predecessor. Ultimately, we find the strengths of reanalyses to strongly vary across the region.

Background: This study seeks to examine the relationship and impact of occupational health and safety on employees' organizational commitment in Ghana's mining industry. The study explores occupational health and safety and the different dimensions of organizational commitment. Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was used for this study. The respondents were selected based on simple random sampling. Out of 400 questionnaires administered, 370 were returned (77.3% male and 22.7% female) and used for the study. Correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to determine the relationship and impact between the variables. Results: The findings of this study revealed positive and significant relationship between occupational health and safety management, and affective, normative, and continuance commitment. Additionally, the results revealed the significant impact of occupational health and safety on affective, normative, and continuance commitment. Conclusion: Management within the mining sector of Ghana must recognize the fact that workers who feel healthy and safe in the performance of their duties, develop emotional attachment and have a sense of obligation to their organization and are most likely committed to the organization. Employees do not just become committed to the organization; rather, they expect management to first think about their health and safety needs by instituting good and sound policy measures. Thus, management should invest in the protection of employees' health and safety in organizations.

Purpose: The paper empirically compares employee motivation and its impact on performance in Ghanaian Mining Companies, where in measuring performance, the job satisfaction model is used. Design/methodology/approach: The study employed exploratory research design in gathering data from four large-scale Gold mining companies in Ghana with regards to their policies and structures in the effectiveness of motivational tools and strategies used by these companies. Findings: The study observed that, due to the risk factors associated with the mining industry, management has to ensure that employees are well motivated to curb the rate at which employees embark on industrial unrest which affect performance, and employees are to comply with health and safety rules because the industry contribute hugely to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country. Research Limitations/Implications: Limitation to the present study include the researcher’s inability to contact other mining companies. However, the study suggests possibilities for future research including contacting other mining companies, expanding the sample size, managers ensuring that the safety and health needs of staff are addressed particularly those exposed to toxic and harmful chemicals. Originality/Value: A lot of studies have been done on mining companies in the past. This paper fills a gap perceived that employees in this sector are highly motivated in spite of the challenges being faced by them, and knowing more about what keeps employees moving is still of national interest.

Background: The mining industry is considered as one of the most dangerous and hazardous industries and the need for effective and efficient occupational health and safety management is critical to safeguard workers and the industry. Despite the dangers and hazards present in the mining industry, only few studies have focused on how occupational health and safety and turnover intentions in the mines. Method: The study suing a cross-sectional survey design collected quantitative data from the 255 mine workers that were conveniently sampled from the Ghanaian mining industry. The data collection tools were standardized questionnaires that measured occupational health and safety management and turnover intentions. These scales were also pretested before their usage in actual data collection. Results: The correlation coefficient showed that a negative relationship existed between dimensions of occupational health and safety management and turnover intention; safety leadership (r = −0.33, p

Purpose: This study is to examine and develop sector skills strategies and action plans for the textile and apparel (T&A) sector. Design/methodology/approach: The paper used a participatory action qualitative method anchored on the Skills for Trade and Economic Diversification (STED) framework, utilising the workshop-based approach with 24 key stakeholders of the sector. Content analysis was used with the help of Nvivo software. Findings: The findings revealed that there are skills shortages, skills gaps, skills mismatches and skills diversification programmes available through higher education and work-based learning. Further, there are labour supply challenges such as national skills policy and strategy, government and stakeholder coordination, funding, relevance of curriculum and qualifications, access to practicals and the absence of a clear national vision for the sector. Research limitations/implications: This study possesses an inherent limitation in terms of generalising the findings derived from qualitative research. Originality/value: This research is among the first of its kind to assess skills needs and gaps through the lens of STED framework, which has been overlooked in previous literature. Importantly, this study provides vocational insights into skill needs in the sector.