This thesis investigated the migration experiences and subjectivity of belonging of Members of the African American Association of Ghana (AAAG) in obtaining permanent status in Ghana. An estimated three thousand African Americans are living in Ghana (Brown, 2013). Fieldwork was conducted primarily in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana with sixteen Research Participants, including members of AAAG and the African American community at large. Life history interviews were conducted utilizing a twenty-one question instrument that guided the data collection. Participant observation and autoethnography was unique to this study as the Researcher himself; an African American, spent two years living in Ghana prior to submitting this thesis. This thesis offers new data and experiences to the ideas surrounding a “return” migration of the descendants of victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade to Ghana. Attention was given to the experiences of African Americans being referred to by Ghanaians as obruni, which effectively means “white man and/or foreigner” and what impact, if any, it had on my Research Participants. Necessarily, issues of identity, nationhood, race as well as religion/spirituality was explored with this thesis. Pierre Bourdieu’s cultural capital theory was utilized in looking at the interconnections of cultural capital between my Research Participants and what he describes as the embodied state, objectified state and the institutionalized state (Bourdieu, 1986). The results of this thesis are that the experiences of the Research Participants varied regarding the pursuit of permanent status in Ghana. Moreover, the use of the word obruni had various levels of interpretation and use that were expressed.

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The main purpose of the study was to trace the monetary history of Ghana, providing an overall view of how the various monetary regimes in Ghana's history affected the method(s) adopted to finance government budget deficits. The impact of the budget deficits on the money supply process and prices was also analyzed. The study begins with an overview of the various definitions of deficit financing. A brief account of the monetary developments leading to the establishment of the West Africa currency Board in 1912 was given. The study then goes on to show how currency was acquired during the existence of the Currency Board (that is, 1912-57) This led to a discussion of how the Ghana Government financed its budget deficits during this period. The role of the Bank of Ghana in the monetary development after independence was discussed. The persistent Government budget deficits after independence and its effect on the money supply and prices was also discussed. It was found that there is a close connection between changes in the stock of money and changes in prices, and that in Ghana inflation has essentially been a monetary phenomenon. The study concludes with the results of its findings and, their implications for public policy and, topics for further research. A guide to the history of Ghana's currency is provided in appendix A. Appendix B is notes on data used in the study. / Master of Arts

Drying of agricultural products using solar energy is a method for preservation that has been used for centuries all over the world. This method has been effective especially in tropical and subtropical climates, due to the great availability to solar energy. The village Edumafa in Ghana has great cultivation of pineapples but has no post harvest process. A post harvest process as drying of pineapples can increase cultivation and introduce a new product to be sold at the market. This thesis is investigating the possibility of drying pineapples in coastal Ghanaian climate including both experimental method and simulation. A well functioning solar dryer is constructed based on literature study, which after the dryer is studied in simulated environment. Modifications on the model based on the actual dryer are simulated focusing on the temperature and air velocity distribution. The experimental study results in drying pineapple slices corresponding to eight pineapples in two days. Simulation of the solar collector shows that increased temperature at the end of the solar collector can be achieved when decreasing inclination and decreasing the size of the energy storage layer. Simulation of the drying chamber results in improved distribution of temperature and air velocity inside the drying chamber, providing improved drying conditions with increased inlet size and added flow disturbance. Further studies based on this thesis would be a study of adjustable thickness of the energy storage, and transient simulation. Adjustable thickness of the energy storage and air duct on a experimental dryer could improve the drying in undesirable weather conditions, why a study of defining the optimal adjustment thicknesses for different weather conditions could be of interest. Transient simulation of the drying process accounting for the weather change could improve the drying, since the geometry changes could be made and the drying process studied directly in the simulation tool before building the actual dryer. Transient study of the drying process could even study the effect of different thicknesses of the pineapple slices during drying.

The spread of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms in the environment is recognized widely as an important public health issue, with concerns about future ability to treat infectious diseases. The main risk to public health is that the resistance genes are transferred from environmental bacteria to human pathogens. Safe water is one of the most important needs in public health in the twenty first century. The major health threat posed by drinking unsafe water is the transmission of infectious diseases, which are the leading causes of mortality and morbidity for children under the age of 5 and it is estimated to cause 1.5 million deaths annually in developing countries. In addition to the wide spread cases of water-borne diseases resulting from the contamination of water sources, concerns have been raised when these diseases fail to be cured due to development of resistance to most prescribed antibiotics by the contaminating microorganisms. It is now a well-established fact that E.coli is a significant cause of diarrheal illnesses both in infants and adults in many parts of the world. Data on clinical isolates is plenty while less attention has been given to environmental isolates of these enteric pathogens. Samples from the environment such as water may serve as probable reservoirs of these pathogens; this is compounded by the entry of functional compounds of antibiotics into waterways, through humans and animals that have ingested antibiotics. This is because antibiotics are not completely metabolized and may enter waterways through the waste products of these humans or animals.Studies on antimicrobial resistance is important in order to detect changes in patterns of resistance, implement control measures on the use of antimicrobial agents, and to prevent the spread of multidrug-resistant strains of bacteria. It also provides surveillance data for antibiotic resistances, necessary to define or update guidelines for empirical treatment, as well as a guide for appropriate antibiotic supplies. Study objectives: The objectives of this research were: (i) to determine the total and faecal coliform status of drinking water sources, as an indication of quality; (ii) to determine the bacteriological profile of bacteria flora in the drinking water sources; (iii) to determine prevalence and susceptibility profiles of antibiotic resistant water-borne E.coli; (iv) to investigate the virulence genes associated with multiple antibiotic resistant E. coli isolates; (v) to compare three laboratory based techniques: PCR, API 20E, and Culture based methods used for detection of E.coli and (vi) to determine the association between multiple antibiotic resistance and radiation sensitivity (D10). © University of South Africa 2014 VII Methodology: Four hundred and sixty four (464) water samples were collected for assessment between June 2011 and May 2012. The samples were collected from 57 sampling sites, from six different water sources including: boreholes (10), a canal (1), dams (15), hand-dug wells (15), a river (1), and streams (15). Total coliforms, faecal coliforms, and E. coli analysis were done by the MPN method. Bacteria isolation and identification were done using API 20E, conventional methods, and a PCR based DNA STRIP technology that allows simultaneous detection of virulence genes and confirmation of E. coli isolates. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was also conducted using the Kirby-bauer method. Radiation sensitivity was done using a cobalt 60 source. Results: The results obtained indicated that all the water sources were of poor quality in terms of microbial distributions with total coliform and faecal coliform counts ranging between 0 to 2.4x103 MPN/100ml. E. coli counts ranged between 10 to 7.9x101MPN/100ml. Disease risk assessment of the various water sources indicated that dam water sources presented a high disease risk, while borehole water sources had a low disease risk. A total of five hundred and twenty bacterial isolates (520) were obtained during the period of study. Three hundred and five (305) isolates representing 58.65% of the total were obtained during the dry season, as against (205) representing 41.35% in the rainy season. The most commonly occurring bacteria in the water samples was Klebsiella spp constituting 20%. The next most occurring organism was E. coli (18.7%). This was followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (15.61%), Enterobacter spp. (15.4%), Proteus vulgaris (13.1%), and Enterococcus faecalis (9.2%). The least isolated bacteria were Vibrio cholerae (1.2%) and Shigella spp. (1.2%). The prevalence of multi drug resistance E. coli was 49.48 %. E. coli isolates showed a high sistance patterns to the tested antibiotics. They were most resistant to penicillin (32.99%), cefuroxime (28.87%), erythromycin (23.71%), and tetracycline (21.45%). In contrast, they were susceptible to nitrofurantoin (93.8%), cefotaxime and amikacin (91.75%), gentamicin (90.7%), nalidixic acid (89.65%), ciprofloxacin (74.2%), chloramphenicol (69.07%), pipemidic acid (65.97%) and cefuroxime (52.58%). Sixty-three percent (63%) of the multidrug resistant E. coli strains recorded a multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index value of >0.2. Six (6%) percent of he multiple antibiotic resistant were eae virulence genes producing however, none of the E. coli isolates produced the stx1 and stx2 virulent gene. The analytical profile index (API) recorded specificity and sensitivity of 99.7% and 98.50 % respectively for the detection of E. coli. The © University of South Africa 2014 VIII culture/ biochemical based methods for detection of E coli recorded specificity of 81.82% and a sensitivity of 96.91%. There was no association (P> 0.05) between radiation sensitivity (D10) and antibiotic resistances. Conclusion: The study has confirmed that majority of the water sources used for drinking and domestic purposes in the study area are highly contaminated with high levels of faecal coliforms above the recommended standards. There were also resence of bacteria of public health importance in the water sources. Both animals and humans could be sources of faecal bacteria contamination of the drinking water sources. The study confirmed a high prevalence of multiple antibiotic resistances in E. coli isolates. The eae virulence gene was associated with some of the multiple resistant E. coli isolates. The study also concludes that API 20E has a high specificity and sensitivity close to that of the PCR. Lastly, There is no association between multiple antibiotic resistant indexes and radiation sensitivity (D10) of antibiotic resistant E. coli. / School of Environmental Sciences / D. Phil. (Environmental Science)

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A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Johannesburg, 2013 / Deforestation is a growing environmental concern in tropical areas of the world where it is believed that the increase in human population and associated land use practices are the key drivers of this land cover change transition. This research tests these hypotheses in the Ho Municipality of Ghana and aims to predict future land cover change by assessing remote sensing images and considering the complex interrelationships and synergies of multiple driving forces. The study specifically examines how multiple driving forces of land cover change transition have contributed to the accelerating pace of deforestation in the last 25 years based on observed trends in land use and remotely sensed land cover change data. The study looks at the future prospects for Ghana’s forests. The field study was carried out in four settlements of the Ho Municipality namely Wumenu, Agbokofe, Abutia Kloe and Takla. The data collection was done using structured questionnaires administered to 376 households to investigate their opinions regarding the driving forces of deforestation in the area. The analysis of questionnaire data involved the use of descriptive statistics and factor analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) software. Satellite images comprising, Landsat MSS 1975, Landsat TM 1991 and Landsat ETM+ 2001 were classified using the maximum likelihood algorithm supervised classification to determine the extent and nature of vegetation cover change and to assess the potential of using a Markov model to predict the future state of forest cover. The research concludes that the municipality lost forest cover from 1975 to 2001 based on satellite and questionnaire data analysis which suggests that the following are the key underlying drivers of deforestation: demographic pressure, poverty, institutional factors, policies, technology and attitudes. Proximate drivers of deforestation are agricultural expansion, illegal logging and wood energy exploitation. The Markov models showed that in the next 25 years various probabilities of change are possible, such as no change in forest cover, forest cover loss and some probabilities of increase in forest cover. These predictions illustrate the need to study the complex driving forces of change to interpret models that are solely based on past land use change transition. Based on the results of the household surveys, current drivers are unlikely to change. Land use planners should thus be aware that deforestation in Ghana is most likely going to continue. On the basis of these findings the following recommendations have been made. There is a need to intensify tree planting activities in the municipality to increase forest cover. Planting of fast maturing trees for woodlots will reduce pressure on the forest for wood energy. Public education on the advantages of family planning should be undertaken by the Municipal Assembly and NGOs working in the area to reduce population pressure on forests. Poverty reduction strategies should focus on alternative livelihood opportunities to divert attention from forest goods while also increasing the protection of remaining forests. Lastly, community participative approaches to forest management could mitigate both underlying and proximate causes of deforestation.

MSc (Med), Population-Based Epidemiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2010