Ghana Journal of Development Studies

Farmer-herder conflicts and livelihood nexus insights from Kwahu Afram plains south district of Ghana

Mercy Afua Adutwumwaa Derkyi — 2025-01-02

This paper sought farmers, herders, and cattle owners' insights into farmer-herder conflict dynamics and the effects of the conflicts on their livelihood assets. A sample size of 168 respondents comprising 147 farmers, nine cattle owners, and 12 settler herders was employed. After literature review, the study used a blend of semi-structured questionnaires, focus group discussions (FGDs), and interview guides to gather data from respondents. Data were analyzed using inferential statistical tools of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. The paper revealed three essential conflict causes related to crop destruction, water pollution, and competition for land, which are mostly non-violent. Farmers, herders, community members (e.g., youth), and cattle owners were the primary actors in the farmer-herder conflicts. Financial capital was most affected (38.1%), and natural capital (12.9%) was the least affected, with critical effects such as competition for water and land resources. It was concluded that the increasing prevalence of cattle crop destruction has the potential to cause food insecurity. The findings imply that attention to conflicts' effects on financial capital is needed to identify holistic interventions, which could be done through a multidisciplinary approach using expertise from different disciplines to achieve oriented results.

The technical management and sustainability of small-town water systems: experiences from the North Gonja District, Ghana

Maxwell Okrah — 2025-01-02

Many interventions have been implemented for the technical management and sustainability of Small-Town Water Systems, but the expected results are few. Small-Town Water Systems are fraught with challenges, leading to the unsustainability of most of them in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, this study assessed the technical management and sustainability of Small-Town Water Systems using experiences from the North Gonja District in Ghana. A qualitative approach to research with a case study design was adopted. A total of 53 participants were purposively sampled and were seen as key stakeholders with in-depth knowledge of the Small-Town Water Systems in the District which they shared for this study. Interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect data from the participants. The data were analysed by thematic analysis. The results revealed that the Small-Town Water Systems needed rehabilitation with innovative technologies, maintenance and repairs were reactive, small-towns recovery mechanisms from major breakdowns were weak, resulting in long Small-Town Water Systems downtimes, Water System Management Teams technical know- how was low, and there was limited technical support services. Small-Town Water Systems should be revamped with modern and digital technological designs and operated professionally. The study concludes that the current technical management of Small-Town Water Systems by the Water System Management Teams poses a threat to their sustainability. The study recommends an establishment of a linkage between technical management and the operations of Small-Town Water Systems to ensure sustainability.

Empowering women in local politics and community engagement: a pathway to inclusive governance in Ghana

Janet Serwaa Boateng — 2025-01-02

Women's participation in local politics and community engagement is crucial in ensuring a fair representation in local government administration. Studies have acknowledged the low representation of women, but there is limited research on the roles of the elected few in local government. The study recognises the efforts of assemblywomen’s mentorship to empower other women in the local governance system in Ghana. It investigates assemblywomen’s administrative responsibilities that involve other women in community engagement. This strategy politically empowered them and enhanced inclusive governance in five regions of Ghana: Eastern, Central, Bono, Greater Accra, and Western Regions. The study employed a qualitative research approach, used the exploratory design, and sampled 30 assemblywomen for face-to-face interviews on their lived experiences. Four key informants were also interviewed. Other key informants were 6 assemblymen who engaged in focused group discussions. This study is underpinned by substantive representation theory, where elected assemblywomen engaged other women and responded to the needs of the communities. The findings revealed that assemblywomen’s responsibilities and community engagement empowered other women to address their needs. The study recommends the encouragement of assemblywomen to mentor other women to participate in local politics to improve inclusive governance.

Challenges of microcredit access and usage for micro-, small-, and medium-scale enterprises in the upper west region, Ghana.

Fauster Agbenyo — 2025-01-02

The article examined the challenges confronting women micro-, small-, and medium-scale entrepreneurs (MSMEs) in accessing and utilizing microcredit from microfinance institutions (MFIs) in the Upper West Region of Ghana. The article used a cross-sectional design and mixed-methods approach with a sample of 274 MSMEs. It employed questionnaires to rank the challenges, while interviews elicited the entrepreneurs’ experiences regarding challenges they confront. Garrett’s constraints ranking statistics and verbatim presentation from interviewees were adopted to analyse and present the quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. The results indicate that out of ten constraints, delayed disbursement of microloans, with a total rank of 716, mean rank of 2.36, mean Garrett’s percentage position of 21.13, and mean Garrett’s score of 68.40, ranked highest. The least constraint was little or no concern for clients’ businesses by MFIs with a total clients’ rank of 2,222, mean rank of 8.11, mean percentage position of 76.09, and mean score of 32.94. It is concluded that though a myriad of challenges face MFI-supported MSMEs, the MSMEs have preferences as to which challenge impact their businesses most. It is recommended that in tackling challenges that MFI-clients MSMEs face, it is important to use the preferences of the clients as a guide for better results.

Living afar from marriage: experiences among a selected Ghanaian formal sector couples

Esther Yeboah Danso-Wiredu — 2025-01-02

It is usually perceived that when couples marry, they live together to complement each other and keep each other’s company. There have been changes in family behaviour at the global level. In both the Western world and Africa, mainly when people achieve material well-being, their family relationships become subsidiary to their needs and wants. This study examines married couples who live separately and the consequences of this arrangement on their social and economic lifestyles. It uses examples from formal sector workers, and largely based on a qualitative study conducted using virtual interviews. The study reveals that although the usual expectation is for married couples to live under the same roof, contemporary socio-economic conditions often prevent this. As a result, couples adapt as needed to maintain and sustain their marriages. The study adapts the Living Apart Together (LAT) concept to suit legally married couples who are separated based on economic activities. It concludes that LAT, as discussed in the literature, focuses on couples, usually unmarried, who decide to live apart because of reasons beyond their control.