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Electronic waste (e-waste) contains heavy metals, which pose enormous human health risks if not properly handled. Evidence shows that the unsafe and crude practices at recycling sites expose workers to several short – and long-term health risks. Considering that different activities pose different risks, this paper examined the health perceptions and attitudes of workers along the e-waste treatment continuum in two informal recycling sites in Ghana; Agbogbloshie (Accra) and Dagomba Line (Kumasi). Using semi-structured interviews with 255 workers, the findings show that workers generally are aware of the “physical” risks associated with their practices but perceived the associated health risks as a normal incident, which required no intervention. Cases of cuts, headache, burns, dizziness, fatigue and muscle pains were the most reported ailments. Knowledge of health risks was obtained by chance and was not activity-dependent. Few of the workers generally use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and adopted safe recycling methods. The use of PPE was influenced by several factors but most importantly awareness of health risks and the type of activity a worker undertakes. This paper therefore calls for continuous training and risk communication on associated risks of unsafe practices and the need to use appropriate PPE.

The purpose of this study is threefold: (i) to analyse local perceptions on climate change and events; (ii) to examine the impact of climate change on local livelihoods and food security and (iii) ...

The increasing demand for telecommunication services in Ghanaian cities has contributed to the expansion of the telecommunication with its associated health and safety concerns. To regulate the sit...

The purpose of this paper is twofold: to explore the factors influencing the emergence and growth of informal e-waste activities and to examine workers’ motivation for involvement in informal e-waste activities. Semi-structured interviews and observations among actors in the recently established Dagomba-Line e-waste site in Kumasi, Ghana were employed to gather relevant data. Emergence and growth of e-waste activities are largely influenced by spatial, political, socio-cultural and economic factors. The reuse and open disposal of e-waste are the common practices due to the cost of transportation to a final disposal site. Similar to findings at the well-established Agbogbloshie e-waste site, also in Ghana, scavengers are found at the bottom of the e-waste financial ladder. The major motivating factor for engaging in e-waste handling is poverty. Additionally, some respondents mentioned the lucrative nature of the activity, landlessness, and peer influence as a motivation. The results showed that younger workers (below 35 years) were more likely to be engaged in the activity for reasons of peer influence and poverty and major source of livelihood. The paper recommends that policy and planning should reflect ways of delivering and creating stable socio-economic conditions that promote an inclusive and sustainable development.

Transport infrastructure and planning decisions are noted to directly influence the physical, social and economic landscape of cities over a period of time. Little is however known about how such interventions positively or negatively affect land use, growth and form of African cities. This is deemed important to assist a re-framing of the urban transport debate by emphasising accessibility as the underlying objective of transport in cities. In response to this gap, the paper examines the dynamics of development, growth and change, phased in two periods (colonial and post-colonial) using transport as a lens in a Ghanaian city of Kumasi. Premised on an extensive review of relevant literature, findings indicate that planning decisions and investments in transport infrastructure have resulted in an extensive change of the city’s landscape, form and growth which have had implications on and resulted in congestion and peri-urbanisation, deteriorating environmental conditions, segregation, informality and accessibility and decay of the urban landscape. Evidence of weak and inadequate planning and policy responses were revealed, a situation that has contributed to the city’s inability to manage the adverse outcomes of transport impacts in the city. The paper concludes that since transport has a multiplier effect on the morphology and development of cities, the use of smart growth management principles are necessary to increasingly reflect orderly development, and tolerable densities to achieve a liveable and sustainable environment.

This paper sought to contribute towards rethinking or affirming the affordability debate on the efficiency of intra-city public transport discourse in Africa. Using the case study approach, primary data was obtained from 400 passengers and nine officials of relevant institutions responsible for managing and regularising the informal public transport service in the city to assess the efficiency of intra city public transport in Kumasi based on nine indicators. Findings of the paper showed that the availability of public transport service largely influenced its patronage, contrary to the ‘popular’ assertion of affordability as the major determining factor. A multiple-linear regression analysis showed a statistically significant and positive relationship between the predictor (efficiency indicators) and dependent (use of public transport service) variables. Nonetheless, there exist inefficiencies in comfortability, vehicular conditions, affordability and travel duration. The transport institutions were unable to fully improve upon efficiency of services due to weak implementation of regulations, poor coordination among transportation agencies and inadequate transport infrastructure. This paper calls for conscious efforts to evaluate the service from its planning, to delivery and management as well as incorporate efficient and good quality indicators in the regularisation and operation of transport services.

Wetlands all over Africa are being unsustainably reclaimed due mostly to high rate of population growth, urbanization and rising poverty. Despite having numerous ecosystem services that are of great benefit to humanity, wetlands are among the most threatened ecosystems due to destructive anthropogenic activities. However in order to sustainably use and manage wetlands in Africa, more data must be made available for policy formulation and decision-making. Africa lacks sufficient, basic and accurate data on population demographics that have affinity to wetland settlement. Research is needed to provide this scientific basis in Africa. This study investigates the demographic characteristics of the population with affinity to wetland settlements in Ghana to also contribute in filling in the gap identified by the National Environmental Action Plan of Ghana. The questionnaire survey approach was used with a sample size of 318 residents along two rivers in Kumasi. The demographic information that characterizes wetland settlers as revealed by this study include, low incomes, high rate of unemployment and poverty and low patronization of formal education. The high percentage of those with Senior High School certificates holders at the wetlands was also alarming. The settlers were mostly young and active. However, it was also found that data on the gender, ethnicity and religion of wetland settlers must be better determined at individual localities.

The attitudes and roles of residents toward water stress are expected to be cost-effective means of improving efficiency and sustainability in water supply in urban communities. This paper seeks to examine the effectiveness of coping strategies and perceived roles of urban dwellers in addressing water stress in the New Juaben Municipality, Ghana, and to identify best practices for replication. Data were obtained from 380 household heads in ten urban communities and relevant institutions through direct interviews, observations and focus group discussions. The study showed a 59% deficit in water supply due to rapid urbanisation and increased demand, resulting in shortages and rationing. Households spent 12 min above the recommended 30 min by the World Health Organisation to access potable water including queuing and in required quantities. The dominant coping strategy, among six identified, was reducing water intake. Other emerging and fast growing strategies were the use of sachet water (0.5 L/sachet) and activities of private water tanker drivers, who supply water at costs relatively higher than that provided by formal suppliers. Households were not involved in management processes and remained uninformed about causes of frequent shortages. Nonetheless, households generally showed positive attitudes (willingness to pay additional charges, reporting leakages, and promoting safe use of facilities) toward addressing water shortages with significant variations among gender, age and economic status. The study concludes that sustainable provision will occur when attempts are made to understand, appreciate and integrate the roles, socio-cultural and economic conditions of urbanites to ensure all-inclusive efforts towards attaining the Sustainable Development Goals.

The purpose of this study was to assess how Ghana’s educational system is promoting educational equity. In terms of data collection, the study relied on secondary sources whilst Scott’s goals of ed...

This paper examines gentrification and redevelopment in the context of an ongoing phenomenon of changing traditional residential land uses into modern multi-purpose commercial and mixed uses in the Central Business District (CBD) of Kumasi, Ghana. The paper explores the implications of such changes towards understandings of gentrification and redevelopment of Kumasi. Using physical surveys, institutional interviews, and in-depth interviews with property owners, the paper reveals a gradual disappearance of traditional buildings in Kumasi central. This process of land use conversion is characterised by increasing land values, and mixed commercial and residential uses in the CBD. Given the considerable influence of land values in determining land use changes, the paper proposes a ‘land value’ gap as a theory for understanding the dynamics of gentrification and redevelopment in Kumasi.

This paper examines the factors which have interacted to alter patterns of land use, crop preference and forest cover between the pre-colonial and post-colonial periods, using the multi-case study ...

The proliferation of illegal mining in Ghana, coupled with its environmental impacts, especially on water bodies has compelled the government to ban all artisanal small-scale mining (ASM) activities in the country. The ban is intended to promote environmental sustainability while the government takes steps to provide sustainable health, and environmental-friendly ASM in Ghana. This paper assesses the perception of registered miners on the current approach by the Ghanaian government to stop illegal mining. Analyses of data from focus group discussions and key informant interviews revealed that the miners felt “left out” of the entire process. They maintained that they were not directly involved in the process to ban illegal mining in Ghana. To them, the proliferation of illegal mining in Ghana is the result of non-performing government institutions, corruption, and cumbersome licensing procedures. The article calls for improvement in the collaboration between the government and miners through a simplified participatory framework for the management of ASM in Ghana.

The purpose of the study was to examine the potential of palm biomass, taking a case of the Juaben Oil Mills in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, which has over the years generated electricity for its operations from its waste products and other benefits that have accrued to the company and the host community. Primary data collection and intensive desk study approaches were employed albeit qualitatively, to describe the use of palm biomass as supplementary source of electricity generation in Ghana. The study showed that there is enough potential (waste by-products) for electricity generation to supplement current production from hydropower to meet growing demand. However, policy and institutional arrangements do not easily allow generation and extension for communal benefits. The authors therefore recommend a relook at existing policy and institutional arrangements to help promote this alternative source of energy for efficient and sustainable domestic and industrial uses. We also argue that ensuring efficiency in energy generation calls for R&D into its commercial potential and explore more efficient means of managing industrial and other agro biofuel wastes in developing economies. Future energy policy must also create and harness diversity of available biomass resources and reduce the delivery risks of the resources.

The influx of people of different sociocultural and ethnic background affects the composition of the city in ways that go beyond the conventional disaggregation by age, sex and income. The paper examines (i) the nature and patterns of residential segregation of ethnic minorities, (ii) the factors and processes underlying the locational choice of ethnic minorities, and (iii) the knowledge or perception on dimensions and effects of ethnic residential segregation on sustainable city development. This paper uses two migrant communities – Aboabo and Asawase – in Kumasi, Ghana's fastest growing city as case studies. The study adopts household surveys, focus group discussions, secondary data and agency interviews to achieve the objectives of the research. Findings of the paper generally show that even in highly dense populated and multi-ethnic neighbourhoods, some levels of clustering are possible for several reasons. The existence of migrant communities has both positive and adverse implications on environmental, social and economic sustainability of the city. There is however no urban planning or management regime in place to harness the potentials of such neighbourhoods for sustainable city development.

Various slum upgrading interventions have been implemented by numerous institutions to improve conditions of slum residents. It however remains unclear the extent to which the social diversity of slum residents is integrated in slum interventions. This paper thus assesses different slum upgrading approaches and methodologies to ascertain the extent to which they consider residents' diversity. Undertaking comprehensive desk review of relevant literature and adapting Fraser's ‘tripartite’ approach to social justice, the paper analyses three slum upgrading interventions in Kenya, Brazil and Thailand. The paper revealed that interventions in Kenya and Brazil implicitly aimed at ensuring spatial order and hence, focused majorly on physical projects with minimal focus on identifying and incorporating the diverse needs of residents. This resulted in the non- or minimal use of delivered projects. Contrary to this, the diverse needs of residents were considered and adequately reflected in the case of Thailand. The consideration of diversity in the slum upgrading interventions was observed to fundamentally stem from project objectives set by the implementing institutions. The paper concludes that policy interventions to improve conditions of slums should acknowledge the diverse needs of residents and the intersectional nature of the different social identities.

The importance of cultural enterprises to the creation of jobs, generating incomes, alleviating poverty and distributing development has long been recognized. Based on empirical research, this article adopts the convergent parallel mixed design to assess extent of influence of cultural values on the type of cultural industry established in Ghana, taking a case of the kente textile industry in Adanwomase. Adanwomase is argued to be a prominent traditional community in the printing of kente cloths in Ghana. Primary data were obtained from 210 weavers and relevant bodies, such as the Business Advisory Council and traditional leaders through direct interviews, observation and focus group discussions. Findings show that the craft industry in Adanwomase is informal and small-scale in nature. Six key cultural values were identified to statistically have significant influence on the establishment of the textile craft industry. Strongest among them were the festival celebrations and customary law/traditional customs. There was strong correlation between the identified cultural values and the establishment of the textile industry in Adanwomase. Urgent policy and creation of the enabling environment to promote entrepreneurship and create employment through support for research and development (R&D) of cultural industries are needed.

The study examines the nature of activities and assess knowledge on occupational safety and health (OSH) risks and practices among solid waste collectors in two low-income informal neighbourhoods in Kumasi (Aboabo and Asawase). Using observations and semi-structured interviews with 83 participants and relevant institutions, the findings indicate that informal tricycle waste collectors provided spot-to-spot waste collection using improvised sirens to signal their arrival. Workers generally had low knowledge, expressed less about occupational health risks, and thus adopted less safe work practices. The study however showed significant differences between knowledge of health risks (

Urban farmers remain vulnerable and trapped in poverty due to urbanisation and food crop and input price volatility. However, studies on the causes and effects as well as coping strategies to the phenomena remain inconclusive amidst diminishing urban farmlands, as the focus has been on smallholders in rural areas. This paper examines the attitudes of urban farmers on the strategies adopted to cope with input and crop price fluctuations in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality, Ghana. Data obtained from 380 respondents showed that four major factors influence the volatility of input prices: oil prices, exchange rates, cocoa producer prices and inflation. Farmers, however, had no coping strategies to these due to the limited control over them. Two key factors were noted to influence crop price fluctuation: natural and demand and supply factors. Farmers coped with food crop price fluctuations by: adding value to crops; farming in flood plains; diversifying income sources and shifting to cocoa cultivation. A shift to cocoa production and farming in flood plains was however revealed to have adverse environmental and ecological implications. The paper recommends the promotion of contractual farming to safeguard farmers against income falls; and the formulation of an environmental strategy which emphasises drought-resistant crop varieties with shorter gestation periods as well as promoting sustainable land and water management practices.

The paper examines the attitudes and roles of urbanites towards the sustainability of urban parks; using Kumasi’s Rattray Park as a case. Using semi-structured interviews and observations, data was obtained from 217 users of the Park as well as relevant institutions mandated to manage urban parks in the Metropolis - Town and Country Planning Department, management staff of the Park, Department of Parks and Gardens and Environmental Protection Agency. Findings indicate that an entry fee was charged as a self-financing mechanisms for running the facility; and was thus deemed inappropriate by city authorities to further directly involve urbanites in management efforts. The Park was frequently patronised by the youth for outdoor activities. Contrary to other studies, participants did not prefer to regularly recreate at Parks within their immediate vicinities. The youth largely exhibited positive attitudes towards the sustainability of the Park. Whiles some participants expressed commitment to pay additional charges and make other efforts (voluntarism on safe use of facilities and sensitisation), others deemed the fees charged as enough to ‘pay’ for their contribution towards the Park’s sustainability. Factors such as poor condition of facilities, undesirable behaviour of other users, environmental quality and safety concerns limited widespread patronage of the Park which confirmed assumptions of the theory of planned behaviour. The study concludes that management approaches should incorporate roles and concerns of users and should reflect on delivering and creating stable urban landscape conditions that promote an inclusive and sustainable development. Keywords: Behavioural assessment, Leisure, Pattern of use, Physical activity, Theory of planned behaviour (TPB), Urban neighbourhood

The growing assumption in urban studies literature is that residents of slum communities struggle to find space to live but not a place to recreate and enjoy green space. However, at present no research has explored slum residents' perspectives and attitudes towards urban green spaces. The purpose of this study is threefold: (i) to establish a spatio-temporal analytical evidence of urban green spaces in slum communities; (ii) to examine slum residents' perceptions on urban green space availability and use; and (iii) explore how their perceptions have influenced their attitudes towards urban green space management. Using two slum communities - Nima and Agbogbloshie - in Ghana's national capital Accra as case studies, household surveys, focus group discussions, secondary data analysis and agency interviews were conducted. Spatio-temporal analysis showed significant loss of green spaces (about 83% in Agbogbloshie and 92% in Nima) between 2000 and 2018. Yet, slum residents generally expressed positive attitudes towards urban green spaces despite government agencies reporting otherwise (χ2 = 16.140, p

This paper examines: (i) energy policies and plans in Ghana to understand their responsiveness to gender-energy needs for productive uses, (ii) the fuels utilised by men and women for productive purposes at the rural non-farm economy (RNFE), and (iii) the factors that influence the choice of fuels by men and women for productive purposes at the RNFE. Using the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality of Ghana as a case and by adopting the mixed methodological approach, primary data was obtained from 256 enterprise operators and relevant institutions. The results indicate that energy access policies in Ghana fail to clearly promote gender inclusivity in terms of identifying the energy needs of men and women for productive purposes. Energy use varied across genders and enterprises. Women largely used solid fuels while men used cleaner fuels for productive purposes. The use of energy services for productive purposes in the RNFE was gendered, which was similar to the reasons for utilising a fuel type. The paper concludes that policy interventions should identify gendered energy needs to address energy poverty between men and women.