UDSspace

CIVIC CULTURAL COMPETENCE AND POLITICAL COMMUNICATION IN GHANA: IMPLICATIONS FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

2026-05-21T11:14:30Z

Title: CIVIC CULTURAL COMPETENCE AND POLITICAL COMMUNICATION IN GHANA: IMPLICATIONS FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT Authors: ABDUL-RAZAK, I. Abstract: Ghana's three decades of competitive democracy present a paradox where high political participation coexists with persistent developmental failures. More than half the population remains in or near poverty despite peaceful electoral transitions. This study investigated the relationship between political communication practices and citizens' civic cultural competence in Ghana. Using Tamale Metropolitan Area as the primary data collection site, the research examined why democratic participation fails to generate accountability in human development outcomes. These outcomes include infrastructure provision, service delivery, poverty reduction, and equitable resource distribution. The research employed an integrated conceptual framework combining Political Communication Culture Theory, civic cultural competence dimensions (knowledge, awareness, understanding, and resistance), and Sen's human development approach. Qualitative methods included 4 focus group discussions (6-8 participants each), 16 in-depth interviews with citizens (45-60 minutes), and 10 key informant interviews with media personnel and political actors (60-90 minutes). The findings reveal a sophistication-constraint paradox. Political elites employ sophisticated communication tactics—emotional appeals, symbolic gestures, recycled promises, and strategic ambiguity—to mobilize votes without delivering tangible development. Hierarchical digital networks and partisan media amplify these tactics. Citizens demonstrate remarkably high civic cultural competence across knowledge, awareness, and understanding dimensions. They accurately identify manipulation patterns and comprehend underlying political motives. However, structural barriers prevent citizens from translating sophisticated individual message-decoding capacity into collective resistance and counter-messaging. These barriers include fragmented organizing infrastructure, partisan divisions, meeting access constraints, patronage targeting potential organizers, and captured media. The study makes three interconnected contributions. Theoretically, it develops the civic cultural competence framework and introduces the K-A-U-R (Knowledge-Awareness-Understanding Resistance) analytical model for assessing democratic citizenship. Empirically, it provides first systematic evidence of the sophistication-constraint paradox in Ghanaian democracy, demonstrating that institutional barriers—not citizen ignorance—cause the democracy-development disconnect. Practically, it recommends structural reforms including campaign finance regulation, cross-partisan coalition-building, independent media support, and alternative communication platforms that enable sustained citizen counter-messaging to impose accountability costs on political elites. Description: MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE IN SOCIAL CHANGE COMMUNICATION

POULTRY FARMERS’ PERCEPTION AND COPING STRATEGIES TO CLIMATE CHANGE: IMPLICATIONS ON POULTRY PRODUCTION IN BONO EAST REGION, GHANA

2026-05-21T10:20:15Z

Title: POULTRY FARMERS’ PERCEPTION AND COPING STRATEGIES TO CLIMATE CHANGE: IMPLICATIONS ON POULTRY PRODUCTION IN BONO EAST REGION, GHANA Authors: Apuri, M. A.; Alhassan, H.; Cobbinah, E.; Abujaja, A. M. Abstract: Poultry production has the potential to reduce poverty, food and nutrition insecurity and enhance employment creation. Despite the benefits from poultry farming, climate change is reported to have adverse effects on poultry production. However, literature on the coping strategies adopted by farmers within the Bono East region and their determinants are scarce. Based on this premise, this study used descriptive statistics and chi-square technique to examine poultry farmers' perception and the drivers of the choice of coping strategies adopted to reduce the negative effect of climate change on poultry production in the Bono East region of Ghana. The results revealed that poultry farmers were aware of climate change in their various localities. Majority of the farmers perceived an increase in temperature (63%), a decrease in rainfall (75%) and an increase in drought (60%). The farmers also reported that the changing climate poses severe consequences for poultry production, including, a decrease in the growth rate of poultry birds, increase in the incidence of diseases outbreak, high birds’ mortality rate and low feed quality. The main coping strategies used by the poultry farmers are litter spreading and cleaning out and planting of trees. The Chi-square analysis revealed that marital status, (X2 = 10.403, P <0.05), educational level (X2 = 15.653, P < 0.01), and main occupation (X2 = 21.011, P < 0.01) are the factors that influence the choice of coping strategies used by the poultry farmers. Hence, education interventions on enhancing poultry farmer’s awareness and knowledge about different coping strategies to improve their adaptive capacity on climate change should be encouraged.

CORRUPTION IN GHANA: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE UNDER THE 4TH REPUBLIC (1992-2020)

2026-05-15T10:49:10Z

Title: CORRUPTION IN GHANA: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE UNDER THE 4TH REPUBLIC (1992-2020) Authors: Stephen, D. D. Abstract: Irrefutably, corruption is a long-standing phenomenon that derives its name from the Latin verb 'corrumpere,' which signifies 'to damage or spoil.' This implies that wherever there is corruption, devastation occurs. It is virtually usually provided under the guise of figurative languages and euphemisms because of its nature. For example, in Swahil contexts, corruption means "something modest" in Iran, "money for koko or water" in Ghana, or "advise yourself" and "something for the guys" in Swahil contexts.People who engage in corruption are implicitly aware of the unlawful consequences, but they utilise these euphemisms to hide, minimise, and make corrupt conduct socially acceptable (Ree, 2015). The misuse or abuse of entrusted power for private gain has been defined as corruption. In addition, systemic, individualised, grand, and minor corruptions are all distinguished.Corruption's harmful effects on Ghana, West Africa, the African continent, and the rest of the world cannot be overstated. Furthermore, Ghana's several subsequent democratically elected governments have all had their fair share of corruption. As a result, this paper examines corruption in Ghana from a historical perspective, with a focus on the period after Ghana's independence as the 4th Republic (1992-2020).Thus, thematic areas such as the analysis of each political era for the period between 1992 - 2000, the late former president Jerry John Rawlings, former President John Agyekum Kuffour for the period between 2001-2008, the late President John Evans Attah Mills for the period between 2009 - July 2011, and John Dramani Mahama for the period between July 2011 and 2016 as well as the first term of the current government which is between 2017-2020. Nonetheless, the ardent debate of this paper centered on the corruption in Ghana consideringthe historical perspective under the 4th Republic (1992-2020).

E-RESOURCE PROMOTION IN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES IN GHANA: UDS IN CONTEXT

2026-05-15T10:40:53Z

Title: E-RESOURCE PROMOTION IN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES IN GHANA: UDS IN CONTEXT Authors: Akeriwe, G. A.; Akeriwe, M. L. Abstract: This study examined the various ways academic libraries in Ghana promote their e-resources to patrons. The study employed the survey research design using a quantitative approach. The population of the study included 64 library staff (professionals and para-professionals) of the UDS Library. A sample size was not extracted from the population hence, a census was conducted. A well structured questionnaire was administered to respondents through Google Forms. Responses were analyzed and represented in tables and pie charts with the use of Microsoft Excel. The findings revealed that the UDS Library management engages in various cost-effective activities such as training workshops on e-resources and how to access them, webinars and seminars on the various e-resources and their value in research/academic work, creating social media handles such as Facebook, Twitter, and a YouTube channel where videos on the library services and resources are uploaded to guide users. Fliers and posters are also placed at vantage places to draw user attention. However, the UDS Library suffers some challenges in their attempt to serve their patrons with updated information materials. Some of these challenges include limited budget funds allocated to the Library, weak internet bandwidth, electricity fluctuations that sometimes spoil gadgets, limited or no time allocated to the Library during university and SRC programmes, and poor participation of students and faculty in programmes organized by the Library.