Syfte: Syftet med studien var att undersöka prevalensen av synnedsättning hos hjälpsökande i Ghana under en resa med Vision for All. Vilken är den vanligaste orsaken till synnedsättning? Metod: Mätningarna genomfördes runt olika städer i Ghana under månadsskiftet mars/april 2016. 228 personer deltog i studien, varav 96 män och 132 kvinnor. Medelåldern hos deltagarna var 51 ± 17 år. Åldersspridning hos alla deltagare var 6-86 år. Synskärpa undersöktes med hjälp av en Snellen-tavla med E-hakar, och med hjälp av provbåge med tillhörande provglas korrigerades eventuella synfel. Vid eventuell synnedsättning undersöktes deltagaren med ett oftalmoskop för att hitta synliga hinder för synskärpan. Deltagarna kategoriserades efter World Health Organizations kategorisering av synnedsättning och blindhet. Resultat: Totalt 41 personer hade synnedsättning innan korrektion för synfel, vilket ger en prevalens av 18,0%. Av dessa 41 personer var 19 män och 22 kvinnor. Inget signifikant samband hittades mellan kön och synnedsättning. Monokulär och binokulär synnedsättning varierade mellan de olika kategorierna. Totalt 16 (39,0%) personer har en synnedsättning till följd av katarakt, 10 (24,4%) av okorrigerade synfel, 3 (7,3%) av kongenitala omständigheter, 3 (7,3%) av korneal opacitet, 2 (4,9%) av pterygium, 1 (2,4%) av misslyckad kataraktoperation, 1 (2,4%) av mässling, 1 (2,4%) av trauma och 1 (2,4%) av tumör. Slutsats: Studien visar en prevalens av synnedsättning på 18,0%. Inget signifikant samband mellan kön och synnedsättning hittas. Den vanligaste orsaken till synnedsättning hos deltagarna var katarakt, och den näst vanligaste okorrigerade synfel. / The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of visual impairment of a ghanaian population seeking visual aid during a trip with Vision for All. In addition, to evaluate the most common causes for visual impairment in that population. Measurements were performed in different cities around Ghana during a period of three weeks. In total 228 persons participated in this study, out of these 96 were men and 132 were women. The average age of the participants were 51 ± 17 years, and the age ranged from 6 to 86 years old. Visual acuity was measured using a Snellen E-chart and uncorrected refractive errors were corrected using either trial lenses or flippers. If any visual impairment was present the participant was further examined with an ophtalmoscope to identify its cause. The participants were divided according to WHO’s categorization of visual impairment and blindness. 41 persons out of 228 had a visual impairment before accounting for uncorrected refractive error which gives a prevalence of 18.0%. Out of these 41 persons 19 were men and 22 women. No significant correlation between gender and visual impairment was found. Monocular and binocular visual impairment varied between the different categories. In total 16 (39.0%) persons had a visual impairment due to cataract, 10 (24.4%) due to uncorrected refractive errors, 3 (7.3%) due to congenital conditions, 3 (7.3%) due to corneal opacities, 2 (4.9%) due to pterygium, 1 (2.4%) due to a failed cataract surgery, 1 (2.4%) due to measles, 1 (2.4%) due to trauma and 1 (2.4%) due to a tumour. The prevalence of visual impairment in this study was 18.0%. No significant correlation between gender and visual impairment was found. The most common cause of visual impairment was due to cataract, and the second most common cause was due to uncorrected refractive errors.

Syfte: Studiens syfte var att undersöka prevalensen av avståndsforier och avståndstropier bland hjälpsökande i Ghana under en resa med hjälporganisationen Vision For All. Metod: Vid behov utfördes en enkel binokulär refraktion för att finna den bästa sfäriska ekvivalenten. Med denna eventuella korrektion på utfördes covertest på 6 m avstånd. Om indikation på att en fori eller tropi var förekommande mättes denna upp med prismastav och prisma covertest. Resultatet jämfördes sedan med liknande prevalensstudier i andra länder. Resultat: Av de personerna som screenades ingick 153 personer i studien. Åldern varierade mellan 5-85 år, där medelåldern var 47±19 år. Hos 134 personer (87,6 %) hittades ingen inställningsrörelse och de noterades som ortofori. Hos resterande var 7,8 % exofori, 0,7 % esofori. Exotropi och esotropi var lika förekommande med 2,0 % vardera. Medelvärdet var 0,27±1,21 Δ exofori för hela gruppen, med tropierna borträknade. Vanligast förekommande var 2 Δ exofori. Enbart två utav de sex upptäckta tropierna kunde mätas upp, dessa var 6 Δ esotropi och 10 Δ esotropi. Slutsats: Det vanligaste binokulära tillståndet på avstånd var ortofori. Därefter var den vanligaste binokulära avvikelsen exofori. Vilket ligger i linje med tidigare studier. Förekomsten av tropi var något högre än medelvärdet hos de studier som jämförts med. Denna studie kan ses som en fingervisning om hur prevalensen av avståndstropier och avståndstropier ter sig i Ghana. / The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of distance heterophoria and heterotropia in a sample population of Ghana who attended vision screening camps from the Swedish non-profit organization called Vision For All. Vision For All collects, cleans and measures old spectacles in Sweden. During organized trips to less privileged countries in the world they perform eye examinations and donate spectacles. At first a simple eye examination was performed to find the patients’ best binocular spherical equivalent. Then to determine if a distance phoria or tropia was present, the unilateral and alternating cover test were used. If a heterophoria or heterotropia was found the prism cover test was performed using a prism bar to determine the size. 153 people were included in the study, with an average age of 47±19 years and ranging between 5-85 years. The study found that 87,6 % were orthophoric at distance. 7,8 % were exophoric and 0,7 % were esophoric. Exo- and esotropia were 2,0 % respectively. The average deviation size for the whole group was 0,27±1,21 Δ exophoria, where 2 Δ exophoria was the most common. Only two of the six found tropias could be measured, they were 6 Δ esotropia and 10 Δ esotropia. Earlier studies confirm that the most common condition is no deviation at distance and that an exophoric state is the second most common condition. The presence of tropia in this study was more frequent than the mean of other studies presented in this paper. This study only shows a hint of how the prevalence of distance heterophoria and heterotropia is in Ghana. Desirably further prevalence studies should be conducted with more stable conditions, better spectacle correction and a bigger sample size to accomplish higher reliability.

This study investigates the role of privacy and data protection in the implementation of e-government in developing countries. It examines the privacy and data protection issues which arise when e-government is introduced in Ghana. E-government is a way that governments liaise with their various departments and agencies through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Through e-government, governments are able to provide better, effective and efficient services to their citizens. This new form of governments’ delivering services electronically to their citizens, businesses and various departments potentially offers benefits (for example, economic development, low costs and improved services) to society. However the implementation of e-government carries potential risks to users. The potential for online identity theft and fraud raises privacy concerns. From a theoretical foundation, fieldwork in Ghana, through interviews and focus groups, is used to investigate the issue of privacy and data protection in e-government implementation in an empirical setting. Interviewees included senior civil servants, political leaders, members of the Select Committee on Communication, academics, university students as well as stakeholders from private and public organisations. The research borrowed from the Straussian grounded theory approach as a technique to analyse the fieldwork data. The results of the study indicate that privacy and data protection does not currently play a significant role in e-government implementation in a developing country such as Ghana. Other factors such as access to information and communication technologies (Internet accessibility) and e-skills were found to be challenges which significantly impact individuals’ use of e-government. The study found that there is a low privacy concern among Ghanaian citizens. This was found to be significantly related to a lack of awareness of privacy issues; and also the national cultural dimensions of Ghanaian society. The study concludes by emphasising the importance of government investing in ICT infrastructure and public education to raise awareness of e-government services, as well as privacy and data protection issues. Implications for research and policy makers are discussed. The study suggests future research to investigate the further impact of privacy awareness on individuals’ adoption of e-government in a collectivist society such as Ghana.

The influence of transnational actors (TNAs) on the policy process in most sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries is widely acknowledged. Yet, studies examining this phenomenon focus mainly on the imposition of policy conditionality and under explore other mechanisms such as ideational processes, which mediate the relationship between national and transnational actors. Focusing on two poverty alleviation policies implemented in Ghana – Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), and Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) –, this study draws on the Transnational Policy Process (TPP) Framework to explore the ideational mechanisms that were instrumental in the development of these two social policies. In order to do so, qualitative case study research methods involving interviews and document reviews are used. This thesis argues that policymaking is multi-causal, which means that focusing exclusively on conditionalities without accounting for the role of ideational and other factors obscure our understanding of the policy process in developing countries. By examining the policy process in Ghana, this study ascertains that, beyond imposition of policies through conditionalities, TNAs also deploy other mechanisms that are mainly ideational in nature. Ideational channels include conferences, field trips, technical cooperation, training and capacity building, as well as collaboration with civil society organizations. Beyond these, TNAs use their memberships in policy structures, such as Ghana’s cross-sectoral planning groups (CSPGs) and sector working groups (SWGs) as a crucial platform to purvey policy innovations. Additionally, in some cases, the mechanisms are also coupled to improve effectiveness. The study also shows the mediating role of national institutions and contexts more generally, a role that makes the adoption of new policy ideas a necessary part of the policy process. Moreover, there is an indication that using ideational mechanisms promotes a sense of policy ownership among national policymakers who actively participate in shaping policies in partnership with transnational actors.

Energy plays a pivotal role in human development. Not only is it sine qua non for national economic development, but it also provides services that enhance social development including, health and sanitation, education, potable water, cooking. In spite of this, at present, there are about two billion people without access to modern sources of energy, most of them in the rural areas of the developing world. Consequentially, the social and economic development of these two billion people hangs in the balance. In recent times, however, considerable advocacy has taken place in the academic and policy studies, environmental fora, and national agenda about solar PV energy technology serving as a panacea to the energy problems of rural populations in developing countries, especially Sub-Sahara Africa, whilst also helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Notwithstanding this great advocacy, the literature on the dissemination of this technology has been incomplete in fostering understanding on the discourses surrounding its low dissemination rates in rural Ghana compared to countries such as Kenya and Zimbabwe; the sustainability of installed solar PV systems; and the usefulness of solar PV in serving the needs of the rural poor. In resorting to an interdisciplinary approach (methodology and theoretical foundation), this study has explored the energy perspectives of Ghana, the dynamics of rural electrification and energy needs, and the interplay of processes and forces underpinning the adoption and non-adoption of solar PV in rural Ghana. Results of this study show that, Ghana has abundant renewable energy resources, especially solar radiation. However, the study further reveals that the resource base alone of solar PV technology is not the panacea to its successful dissemination and the energy needs of all in rural Ghana. Significantly, this study has shown that the adoption and non-adoption perspectives of solar PV in rural Ghana and the sustainability of installed solar PV systems, as well as the disparate levels of solar PV dissemination in Ghana, Kenya and Zimbabwe, are contingent on multi-dimensional circumstances. This stands in contrast to the majority of literature that often emphasise cost as the sole determining factor of the non-adoption of solar PV in most developing countries. Results of this study therefore have implications for rural energy supply policy approaches and other institutional arrangements on solar PV issues in Ghana.

No description available.

Background: Leprosy has long been associated with stigma and the disease causes a lot of suffering to those affected, not only physically but also emotionally and psychologically due to the effects of stigma. Aim: To describe the nurse’s experiences of leprosy related stigma in the Central Region of Ghana. Methods: A qualitative interview study with semi-structured interviews. Seven individual interviews were conducted four with nurses working at a hospital, specializing in leprosy care, at in the Central Region of Ghana. The data was analyzed using a content analysis based on Graneheim and Lundmans concept. Results: The nurses described an exclusion affecting leprosy patients because of their disease. Significant factors, such as lack of knowledge and social circumstances, could be linked to leprosy related stigma. Discussions: The result was discussed using Watson's theory of human, referring to eight of her ten carative factors. Three main subjects were identified and discussed related to the result. These were educational factors, social factors and stigmatization.

This thesis tests the hypothesis that variation in water supply, nutrient availability and irradiance determined variation in tree growth along local and regional gradients of resource availability, and over time, in Ghanaian forests. Regional variation in soil water availability determined seasonal patterns of diameter change of Celtis mildbraedii and Strombosia glaucescens in semi-deciduous and evergreen forest, over two years. However, in a semi-deciduous forest, annualized diameter increment of Celtis mildbraedii was higher in summit and slope, compared to valley, positions after two years, even though trees in valley positions experienced a shorter effective dry season. Growth was also greater in the semi-deciduous than the evergreen forest in the second year of the study. These patterns suggest that concentrations of N in soil over topographic gradients, and concentrations of available P and the base cations over regional scales, may be important determinants of growth. Dry season stem shrinkage in semi-deciduous forest can comprise up to 0.5% of tree diameter, and varies between years. Re-enumeration of forest plots in seasonal climates should be carried out over whole year intervals, during the wet season, to minimise bias derived from variation in tree water status. In a semi-deciduous forest, no relationship was found between topography and six year growth rates of two common species or of six functional types defined on the basis of regeneration strategy and regional distribution pattern. However, within this forest, and in a comparison within five different forests across the regional gradient of rainfall and soil fertility, pioneer species with distributions biased towards drier forests had significantly higher growth rates than pioneer species associated with wetter forests. Variation in growth of dry forest pioneer species explained more than half the total variation in stand-level growth rates, demonstrating that it is the presence of abundant, potentially large, fast growing pioneer species in more seasonal forest types that generate regional scale variation in forest growth. These results indicate that the environmental variables found to determine growth are dependent on the scale of the study and the magnitude of the gradient in resources being compared. Variation in soil fertility over regional rainfall gradients in tropical forests has a significant impact on variation in tree growth, within and between species, and at the stand-level.

No description available.

"A Case Study Regarding Ghana and Zambia’s Democratization". This study investigates why two African states have developed differently, regarding democratization. Ghana and Zambia are two countries, that in many ways had similar starting points. They both have a history as English colonies. They became independent reasonably at the same time and they began the process of democratization in the early 90s. Despite many similarities, Ghana has succeeded better than Zambia. This essay aims to examine whether the Institutional theory can explain why the two nations have developed in different directions regarding democracy. By examining the various criteria that researchers in institutional theory considers important for democratic conditions, the author hopes to find an answer to the question why some nations succeed, while others fail. This essay aims to put an institutional perspective on democratization. By describing and presenting a case study of the two chosen countries, the results show that institutions have a considerable role in a country’s development. Zambia’s problems can be explained by its lack of freedom of the press and violent demonstrations. Ghana’s success can be traced back to independence, where Ghana already had created a stable institutional base and centralized state. Ghana seems to have accepted pluralism and inclusive elements; more than Zambia have done. Overall, the results show that institutions can explain the differences regarding the two nations democratization-process. However, the importance of multiple elections, cannot be confirmed.