A value chain analysis of tuna industry in Ghana

Every can of tuna purchased by the consumer has taken a long journey before reaching the supermarket shelves. For each can bought there is a lengthy process from sea to shelf. A large proportion of the tuna cans purchased in the European Union come all the way from West Africa; a developing region with a high dependency on fisheries. Amidst an ever-increasing demand for tuna products the global tuna fisheries are set to continue expanding, apparently one of the last natural resource based industries fit to do so in West Africa. Tuna is the biggest fisheries export and dominates the fisheries sector in Ghana, a country situated in West Africa. This thesis aims to understand how this globally important industrial fisheries functions in terms of procedures, practices, Governance and finance. Socioeconomic influences, in the setting of a developing country, were also examined. For these purposes a Value Chain Analysis was employed. A Value Chain Analysis is a tool commonly used to understand how different companies and organizations participate in a domestic policy environment, which directs conclusion in the global economy. This analysis has the potential to allow researchers to fully understand a commodity chain and hence identify realistic opportunities for consequential improvements. Interviews and questionnaires were employed in-field Ghana along with secondary data collection techniques. It was found that the fisheries functions at the production level under influences from large multinational companies and tends to operate with a certain degree of lawlessness. Governance over the value chain is well defined, however implementation is poor or non-existent. The processors, whom are also dominated by multinationals, exert some control over the producers and their sales, however the high value links which are highlighted occur at the retail stage. Socioeconomic dynamics acting in the chain included the lack of communication between the public and private sector, power imbalances amongst players at production, the role of local businesswomen as actors in the chain and the general characteristics of the workers in the industry. Value addition and upgrading are needed the most in Governance over the chain, especially within Monitoring, Control and Surveillance. The results of the study provide a wealth of material about the components of a cost-heavy fishing industry in a developing country; an industry on which many eyes have recently turned due to illegal fishing activities. It highlights clearly where funding and future focus are needed. This value chain can be used as a guide for those that need to comprehend the financial complexities and real life dynamics of the Ghanaian tuna fishing industry today.

Calidad acuática y residuos de contaminantes orgánicos persistentes (COPs) en el área costera del Callao, Perú. Inicios del verano austral 2005

Estudia el área costera del Callao, para evaluar los parámetros de calidad acuática y residuos contaminantes orgánicos.

Residuos de contaminantes orgánicos persistentes (COPs) en el área costera del Callao, Perú. Invierno austral 2005

Estudia tres especies propias de sustrato arenoso-rocoso o pedregoso.

Residuos de contaminantes orgánicos persistentes (COPs) en el área costera del Callao, Perú. Verano austral 2006

Estudia los residuos contaminantes orgánicos persistentes en la isla San Lorenzo.

Antibody levels against GLURP R2, MSP1 block 2 hybrid and AS202.11 and the risk of malaria in children living in hyperendemic (Burkina Faso) and hypo-endemic (Ghana) areas.

Differences in parasite transmission intensity influence the process of acquisition of host immunity to Plasmodium falciparum malaria and ultimately, the rate of malaria related morbidity and mortality. Potential vaccines being designed to complement current intervention efforts therefore need to be evaluated against different malaria endemicity backgrounds. The associations between antibody responses to the chimeric merozoite surface protein 1 block 2 hybrid (MSP1 hybrid), glutamate-rich protein region 2 (GLURP R2) and the peptide AS202.11, and the risk of malaria were assessed in children living in malaria hyperendemic (Burkina Faso, n = 354) and hypo-endemic (Ghana, n = 209) areas. Using the same reagent lots and standardized protocols for both study sites, immunoglobulin (Ig) M, IgG and IgG sub-class levels to each antigen were measured by ELISA in plasma from the children (aged 6-72 months). Associations between antibody levels and risk of malaria were assessed using Cox regression models adjusting for covariates. There was a significant association between GLURP R2 IgG3 and reduced risk of malaria after adjusting age of children in both the Burkinabe (hazard ratio 0.82; 95 % CI 0.74-0.91, p < 0.0001) and the Ghanaian (HR 0.48; 95 % CI 0.25-0.91, p = 0.02) cohorts. MSP1 hybrid IgM was associated (HR 0.85; 95 % CI 0.73-0.98, p = 0.02) with reduced risk of malaria in Burkina Faso cohort while IgG against AS202.11 in the Ghanaian children was associated with increased risk of malaria (HR 1.29; 95 % CI 1.01-1.65, p = 0.04). These findings support further development of GLURP R2 and MSP1 block 2 hybrid, perhaps as a fusion vaccine antigen targeting malaria blood stage that can be deployed in areas of varying transmission intensity.

Foro Internacional La Competitividad de las Ciudades y la Gestión Tributaria Mejores Prácticas en Servicios Tributarios Electrónicos - La experiencia de Chile -

Gestión del conocimiento

Foro internacional : La competitividad de las ciudades y la gestión tributaria. Mejores Prácticas en Servicios Tributarios Electrónicos - La experiencia de Chile -

Gestión del conocimiento

Advocating recognition and redistribution in poverty alleviation programs in Ghana : an examination of state and NGO programs and policies

Abstract This thesis argues that poverty alleviation strategies and programs carried out by the government and Non Governmental Organizations in Ghana provide affirmative solutions to poverty. This is because, these intervention strategies have been influenced by conventional discourses on poverty that fail to adequately address non-economic issues of poverty such as powerlessness, marginalization and tmder-representation. The study is carried out in a two-pronged manner; first, it analyses state policies and strategies, particularly the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS), on poverty alleviation and compares these to NGO programs, implemented with funds and support from external donor organizations. Specifically, I focus on how NGOs and the governnlent of Ghana negotiate autonomy and financial dependency with their funding donor-partners and how these affect their policies and programs. Findings from this study reveal that while external influences dominate poverty alleviation policies and strategies, NGOs and the government of Ghana exercise varying degrees of agency in navigating these issues. In particular, NGOs have been able to adapt their programs to the changing needs of donor markets, and are also actively engaged in re-orienting poverty back to the political domain through advocacy campaigns. Overall, rural communities in Ghana depend on charitable NGOs for the provision of essential social services, while the Ghanaian government depends on international donor assistance for its development projects.

Rethinking Fiscal Decentralization Policies in Developing Economies: A Case Study of Ghana

This thesis invites geographers to pay more attention to public policy research by addressing the need to rethink fiscal decentralization policies in Ghana. By applying “Simandan’s wise stance in human geography” and “Grix’s building blocks of social research design”, I developed a conceptual framework that unites two incommensurable ontological and epistemological research positions in geography—the positive and normative positions. I used the framework to investigate two key research questions. First, does fiscal decentralization actually work in Ghana? Through quantitative analysis of empirical revenue and expenditure data (1994-2011) of local governments in Ghana, this study reveals significant issues of inefficiency, inequity, and unaccountability. Local governments generate less revenue, and therefore depend largely on central government transfers for developing their jurisdictions. Worse yet, these transfers are highly unpredictable in terms of amount and timing. Even though a multivariate regression analysis revealed that these transfers are apolitical, the actual disbursement formula tends to focus on equality instead of equity. Additionally, the unclear expenditure assignments in each locality make accountability difficult. In view of these problems, I addressed the question: why is fiscal decentralization held out as a good thing in Ghana? By drawing lessons from Foucault’s and Escobar’s critical discourse analysis, I traced a genealogy of Ghana’s fiscal decentralization. I found that the policy is held out as a good thing in Ghana because of the triangular operation of multiplicities of power, knowledge, and truth regimes at the local, national and international scale. I concluded that although nation-states remains a necessary causal link in fiscal decentralization policy process in Ghana, direct and indirect international involvement have profound effect on these policies. Therefore, rethinking fiscal decentralization involves acknowledging the complex intermingling effects that global, national, and local territories produce.

Creating and Enabling a Sustainable Livelihood for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities: A Comparative Case Study of Ghana and Canada.

Abstract Despite the plethora of published studies on rights, including employment rights, for persons with intellectual disabilities (Hatton, 2002; Tarulli, et al., 2004; Ward & Stewart, 2008), relatively few have discussed their applicability to individuals with intellectual disabilities to facilitate their full involvement in socio-economic development. This study explored the mechanisms facilitating and inhibiting the full participation of persons with intellectual disabilities in the area of employment through a comparative case analysis of policies and practices in Ontario, Canada (a developed country) and in Ghana (a developing country) both of which are signatories to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). The study employed targeted recruitment based on the nature of the research which is a combination of policy and practice investigation.

Minimización de los residuos de esmalte en una planta de productos cerámicos a través del reciclado del agua residual

Tesis (Maestría en Ciencias con Especialidad en Ingeniería Ambiental) UANL