ABSTRACT Provision of electricity in rural areas enhances the achievement of economic and social development objectives. A photovoltaic mini-grid in the Tsumkwe Settlement Area of Namibia was established to enhance human and community development in the sparsely populated rural areas of Namibia to alleviate poverty. The impact that the mini-grid has had on the target beneficiaries has not been fully quantified and qualified. This study evaluated, and documents such impacts, thus facilitating...
ABSTRACT Informal settlements expansion and development continues to be a problem for the government and urban planners. Understanding spatial dynamics of informal settlements may therefore be a key for future success in their effective management. This research explores the possibilities offered by the advancement in GeoInformation science and spatial analysis to improve the understanding of informal settlement spatial dynamics. A geographical information system (GIS) was used to analyse th...
ABSTRACT This empirical study was conducted in the Kabbe Constituency of the Zambezi Region which is inundated by recurrent floods of varying magnitudes each year. The flood risk perceptions and coping strategies used by the indigenous residents have not been given much academic attention. Although the flood mitigation approaches applied in the Kabbe Constituency seemingly ameliorate the disastrous impacts, they have proved inadequate. This study used 150 unstructured interviews and field st...
ABSTRACT The aim of the study was to assess solid waste recycling as an emerging source of raw material in Namibia. Recycling solid waste has become part of society. In striving to meet the high demand for raw materials and finding solutions to waste management challenges, countries worldwide are turning to recycling of solid waste. In developing countries, recycling is an emerging industry. While there have been numerous studies on recycling processes, very few studies have focused on recyc...
Abstract Drought poses a threat to socio-economic activities across eastern Africa and its river basins. While there are indications that global warming may continue to enhance evaporation and intensify droughts at all scales, most drought projections over eastern Africa are based on rainfall alone and are limited to meteorological droughts. The present study combines rainfall and Potential Evapotranspiration (PET) to examine the characteristics of meteorological and hydrological droughts in ...
ABSTRACT In light of the current literature on green grabbing, this study is motivated by the need to understand whether TFCAs are characterized by green grabbing and what form they take if indeed they are unfolding there. It investigated the modes of land control and transfer - within the Lesotho component of the Maloti Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation Area and South Africa’s Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area – in order to explore the politics of land in TFCAs thro...
ABSTRACT Recent demographic dynamics have revealed a dramatic shift in the world’s population, manifesting for the first time ever, more than half of all the world’s population living in urban areas, with 2008 being the transition year. Ghana is not an exception, as its urban centres continue to experience unprecedented growth. Although cities are focal points for development, they equally potentiate the accumulation of risks if not managed properly. The objective of the study therefore i...
ABSTRACT The study focused on analysing geospatial internet customer satisfaction levels, using the Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. The aim of the study was to investigate how demographic and economic factors influence satisfaction levels. The study followed a quantitative design and employed the systematic sampling method to select a sample of 248 potential internet users. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from selected samples. The statis...
ABSTRACT Waste accumulation in developing world cities has become common sights in recent times. Management of solid waste has been one of the challenges facing urban areas in the world owing to an aggregation of human settlements and increased consumption thereof that has the potential to produce a large amount of solid waste. The situation is further compounded with the failure of some cities in setting up an effective waste collection system. The aim of this study is to develop an effect...
ABSTRACT Globally, attention and investments towards demand-side strategies to enhance health care utilisation have improved over the years. Despite this significant investment in health care, its utilisation is far from adequate. Against this backdrop, this study examined the utilisation of health services in the Obuasi Municipality. Drawing on Kroeger’s (1983) health behavioural model, it specifically examined the incidence of major diseases and people’s perception about disease causati...
Abstract This study is about the spatial patterns of the Mycobacterium ulcerans infections (Buruli ulcer) in the Akwapim South district. The Triangle of Human Ecology model was used to account for the observed spatial patterns of the disease. The spatial distribution of the disease was mapped through the residential addresses of the patients as shown in the district medical records. The endemic communities were stratified into three segments namely the high, low and nonendemic areas or zones....
ABSTRACT Coastal pollution is not only a serious threat to the coastal ecosystem but also to the life of those living there and depending on the coastal environment for their livelihood activities. The research examined the causes and effects of coastal pollution on socio-economic life of the people of Elmina as well as measures to mitigate the problem. A model of conceptual frame work showing circular inter-relationship among causes, environmental and socioeconomic effects and solutions of c...
ABSTRACT Malaria control has received significant attention in the Akwapim South Municipality yet remains the highest cause of ill-health among the people. Not only must interventions be put in place but they must actually be effective in ensuring that malaria morbidity and mortality are eliminated. There have been series of strategies that have been implemented under the malaria control programme to control and prevent malaria. Despite the fact that interventions have been introduced, their ...
ABSTRACT Throughout history, studies have amply revealed that where people choose to settle within the urban space is not new. This has been explained to be an important part of the urbanisation process. Effect of fear of crime on the urban environment especially that which involves the re-location of activities and the restructuring of the built environment as an impact factor response strategy is less acknowledged in urban security scholarship especially in developing countries. Rather, con...
ABSTRACT Guinea Worm Disease (GWD) was officially reported in Ghana in 1965. As a result of the global campaign to eradicate the disease in the mid 1980s, Ghana investigated the magnitude of the disease on a pilot basis in the Northern Region. When it was established that the disease was a major public health problem in the country, Ghana started a local initiative towards eradicating the disease in 1986. Global assistance was extended to Ghana in its effort to eradicate the disease which was...