PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate overconfidence bias and the effect of presidential elections on investor overconfidence bias in sub-Saharan African stock ...markets.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses the vector autoregressive (VAR) model and its associated impulse response functions to investigate overconfidence bias. Furthermore, we make use of OLS regressions to examine the effect of presidential elections on investor overconfidence bias.FindingsInvestor overconfidence bias is present in the markets of Ghana and Tanzania suggesting that the phenomenon persists in sub–Saharan Africa's small markets. We also find that post-presidential election periods have a dampening effect on investor overconfidence in a country where there is less post-election uncertainty.Originality/valueDespite the previous studies on investor overconfidence bias in sub-Saharan Africa, this paper to the best of the authors’ knowledge, is the first to investigate investor overconfidence bias in the context of presidential elections.
Influenza A viruses that cause highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) also infect humans. In many developing countries such as Ghana, poultry and humans live in close proximity in both the general ...and military populations, increasing risk for the spread of HPAI from birds to humans. Respiratory infections such as influenza are especially prone to rapid spread among military populations living in close quarters such as barracks making this a key population for targeted avian influenza surveillance and public health education.
Twelve military barracks situated in the coastal, tropical rain forest and northern savannah belts of the country were visited and the troops and their families educated on pandemic avian influenza. Attendants at each site was obtained from the attendance sheet provided for registration. The seminars focused on zoonotic diseases, influenza surveillance, pathogenesis of avian influenza, prevention of emerging infections and biosecurity. To help direct public health policies, a questionnaire was used to collect information on animal populations and handling practices from 102 households in the military barracks. Cloacal and tracheal samples were taken from 680 domestic and domesticated wild birds and analysed for influenza A using molecular methods for virus detection.
Of the 1028 participants that took part in the seminars, 668 (65%) showed good knowledge of pandemic avian influenza and the risks associated with its infection. Even though no evidence of the presence of avian influenza (AI) infection was found in the 680 domestic and wild birds sampled, biosecurity in the households surveyed was very poor.
Active surveillance revealed that there was no AI circulation in the military barracks in April 2011. Though participants demonstrated good knowledge of pandemic avian influenza, biosecurity practices were minimal. Sustained educational programs are needed to further strengthen avian influenza surveillance and prevention in military barracks.
Sakawa indexes a cyberfraud practice in Ghana allegedly linked with occult rituals. This article examines the phenomenon as an analytically relevant example of a material understanding of religion. ...It then offers a critical reading of a popular sakawa video series and contrasts its thematic perspectives with the reactions of some Ghanaian political leaders to the possible motivations for the practice. This critical approach is conceived as a response to the persistent myopic view of such popular genres as irrelevant to key debates around problematic Ghanaian issues and also to calls in global media studies to de-Westernize the field. Les rituels Sakawa indiquent une pratique de la cyber-fraude au Ghana qui serait liée à des rituels occultes. Cet article examine le phénomène comme un exemple analytique pertinent d’une interprétation matérielle de la religion. Il propose ensuite une lecture critique de la série populaire vidéo appelée Sakawa et contraste ses perspectives thématiques avec les réactions de certains dirigeants politiques ghanéens aux motivations possibles pour cette pratique. Cette approche critique est conçue comme une réponse à la perspective myope persistante que ces genres populaires ne sont pas pertinents pour les débats sur les problématiques ghanéennes, et aussi comme une réponse aux incitations des études sur les médias globaux à désoccidentaliser le domaine de recherche.
Glutathione (GSH) is a major source of reducing equivalents in mammalian cells. To examine the role of GSH synthesis in development and cell growth, we generated mice deficient in GSH by a targeted ...disruption of the heavy subunit of γ -glutamylcysteine synthetase (γ GCS-HStm1), an essential enzyme in GSH synthesis. Embryos homozygous for γ GCS-HStm1fail to gastrulate, do not form mesoderm, develop distal apoptosis, and die before day 8.5. Lethality results from apoptotic cell death rather than reduced cell proliferation. We also isolated cell lines from homozygous mutant blastocysts in medium containing GSH. These cells also grow indefinitely in GSH-free medium supplemented with N-acetylcysteine and have undetectable levels of GSH; further, they show no changes in mitochondrial morphology as judged by electron microscopy. These data demonstrate that GSH is required for mammalian development but dispensable in cell culture and that the functions of GSH, not GSH itself, are essential for cell growth.
This study investigates the role of sectoral effects in the financial development-international trade nexus using time series data from Ghana for the period 1960 to 2017. Our evidence from the ...autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) estimates indicates that while the effect of sectoral value additions on trade is conditional on the proxy of financial development, financial development significantly promotes trade in both the long- and short-run, regardless of the proxy. Moreover, even after accounting for sectoral value additions, finance positively affected international trade. On the moderation front, we observe that increased agricultural value additions mitigate the beneficial impact of financial development on international trade, whereas increased service value additions magnify the beneficial effects. Thus, to boost international trade in Ghana, policymakers should prioritise fostering complementarity between the industrial, agricultural, service, manufacturing, and financial sectors.
In Ghana, 77% of traceable foodborne diseases results from improper handling in Food Service Establishments (FSE). The FSE Inspection surveillance system instituted by the Food and Drugs Authority ...(FDA) in 2010 inspects and license FSEs to ensure compliance to Good Hygienic Practices (GHP). We evaluated the FSE Inspection surveillance system to assess if the systems objectives were being met and to assess attributes and usefulness of the system.
We evaluated the FSE surveillance system by interviewing 20 stakeholders in the Greater Accra Region (GAR) using a semi-structured questionnaire adapted from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention updated guidelines for evaluating health surveillance systems. We reviewed systems records from 2017 to 2019 and made observations of surveillance activities. Microsoft excel was used for collation and analysis of data into frequencies and proportions and results were presented in tables and graphs.
From 2017 to 2019, 36.5% (876/2400) FSE applications were received with 1206 inspections carried out within the evaluation period. About 14.8% (355/2400) FSE's accepted the system with 12 out of 16 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDA's) represented in the surveillance system. Overall, sensitivity was at 60.5% with (530/876) of FSEs issued with a food hygiene permit (FHP). System restructuring or modifications barely affected the operational procedures. Timeliness was 54.3% (38/70) with almost half of FSEs inspected after the 40 days benchmark. Data completeness was 93.8% (333/355) for stored data.
The FSE inspection surveillance system was found to be useful in meeting its set objective of ensuring FSE compliance to GHP. The system was flexible, stable and sensitive but was not acceptable, fairly timely and had a poor representation in GAR. Introduction of an electronic application or web-based inspections and strengthening of collaboration among stakeholders are key to improving the systems timeliness and representativeness respectively.
•The Food service establishments (FSE) surveillance system in Accra was assessed.•FSE inspection is useful for improvement of food safety management systems.•Almost half of FSE's were inspected after the 40-day benchmark.•The FSE Surveillance system is flexible, stable and sensitive.•The FSE Surveillance System was poorly representative and not acceptable.
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