Ghana Social Science Journal, Volume 16, Number 1, June, 2019 ISSN 0855-4730 Attributions License 4.0
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
ARTICLES Ghana Social Science Journal V Occupational Hazards, Safety Culture and Safety Behaviour: A Study of Fishermen in Jamestown, Accra. Maxwell A. Asumeng & Benjamin Y. Folitse Trading on-and-off the Road: Experiences of Ghanaian Informal Cross Border Traders Charlotte Wrigley-Asante & Ernest Agyemang GHANA Negotiating Entry into Marriage: Strategies of Ghanaian Women in 'Marriage- like' Partnerships Rosemary Obeng-Hinneh SOCIAL Girls' Re-entry into School after Pregnancy in the Ashiedu Keteke Sub-metro District, Accra: Implications for a Substantive Policy Jeffrey Baa-Poku Aboakyer: A Traditional Festival in Decline SCIENCE Oheneba A. Akyeampong Strategic Adaptation of Traditional Festivals for the Sustainable Development of olume 16 Number 1, June, 2019 the Biodiversity of Local Communities Dickson Adom JOURNAL Disaggregated Government Expenditure and Economic Growth in Ghana Ferdinand Ahiakpor & Edmund Adinkra-Darko BOOK REVIEW Volume 16, Number 1, June 2019 The Corrupt Elites: An Anatomy of Power and Wealth in Ghana. By Kwame Akon Ninsin. Reviewed By: Joseph Atsu Ayee Notes to Contributors and Call for Papers School of Social Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon YAMENS PRESS LTD. 0302 223222 , 2018 GHANA SOCIAL SCIENCE JOURNAL Volume 16, Number 1, June 2019 School of Social Sciences University of Ghana, Legon Ghana Social Science Journal, Volume 16, Number 1, June, 2019 ISSN 0855-4730 Attributions License 4.0. eISSN (online): 2590-9673 Ghana Social Science Journal Volume 16, Number 1, June 2019 Editor James S. Dzisah Incoming-Editor Martin Oteng-Ababio Editorial Committee Charity Sylvia Akotia Chairperson Ama de-Graft Aikins Member Maxwell Asumeng Member Mavis Dako-Gyeke Member Akosua K. Darkwah Member Michael Perry K. Okyerefo Member Alidu Seidu Member Edward Nketiah-Amponsah Member Supporting Staff Sandra Alima Fiamavle Editorial Assistant Editorial Advisory Board Emmanuel Akyeampong, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States. Samuel Agyei-Mensah, College of Humanities, University of Ghana. Eugenia Amporfu, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. Timothy Insoll, University of Manchester, United Kingdom. Michael Lofchie, University of California, Los Angeles, United States. Patience Elabor-Idemudia, University of Saskatchewan, Canada. John Onu Odihi, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Nigeria. Mohammed Salih, Erasmus University of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Wilson Kwame Yayoh, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana. ii Ghana Social Science Journal, Volume 16, Number 1, June, 2019 ISSN 0855-4730 Attributions License 4.0. eISSN (online): 2590-9673 © School of Social Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana, 2019. ISSN: 0855-4730 eISSN (2590-9673- ONLINE) All rights reserved; no part of this journal may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this journal will be liable to prosecution and claims for damages. Published by the School of Social Sciences, College of Humanities, University of Ghana, Post Office Box LG72, Legon, Accra, Ghana Telephone Number: +233-302-500179 Electronic mail address: [email protected] Production editing of this issue was undertaken by James S. Dzisah. Printed by Yamens Press Limited, Post Office Box AN6045, Accra, Ghana Telephone Number: +233-302-223222/235036. Electronic mail address: [email protected] The views expressed in the papers are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or the Publishers or the University of Ghana. Ghana Social Science Journal is indexed and abstracted in the ProQuest Periodicals Acquisition Databases, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. The Ghana Social Science Journal is visible on the Web of Science through the Thomson Reuters’ Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI). The Ghana Social Science Journal is accepted for indexing in African Journals online (AJOL). iii Ghana Social Science Journal, Volume 16, Number 1, June, 2019 ISSN 0855-4730 Attributions License 4.0. eISSN (online): 2590-9673 CONTENTS ARTICLES Occupational Hazards, Safety Culture and Safety Behaviour: A Study of Fishermen in Jamestown, Accra. Maxwell A. Asumeng & Benjamin Y. Folitse………………………… 1-22 Trading on-and-off the Road: Experiences of Ghanaian Informal Cross Border Traders Charlotte Wrigley-Asante & Ernest Agyemang………………………. 23-53 Negotiating Entry into Marriage: Strategies of Ghanaian Women in ‘Marriage-like’ Partnerships Rosemary Obeng-Hinneh………………………………………………... 54-70 Girls’ Re-entry into School after Pregnancy in the Ashiedu Keteke Sub- metro District, Accra: Implications for a Substantive Policy Jeffrey Baa-Poku………………………………………………………….71-96 Aboakyer: A Traditional Festival in Decline Oheneba A. Akyeampong………………………………………………..97-119 Strategic Adaptation of Traditional Festivals for the Sustainable Development of the Biodiversity of Local Communities Dickson Adom………………………………………………………….120-156 Disaggregated Government Expenditure and Economic Growth in Ghana Ferdinand Ahiakpor & Edmund Adinkra-Darko……………………157-179 BOOK REVIEW The Corrupt Elites: An Anatomy of Power and Wealth in Ghana. By Kwame Akon Ninsin. Reviewed By: Joseph Atsu Ayee…………………………………..….180-194 Notes to Contributors and Call for Papers…………………...……..195-197 iv Ghana Social Science Journal, Volume 16, Number 1, June, 2019 ISSN 0855-4730 Attributions License 4.0. eISSN (online): 2590-9673 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This issue of the Ghana Social Science Journal was produced with financial support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York through the University of Ghana Building A New Generation Of Academics in Africa (BANGA-Africa) Project. v Ghana Social Science Journal, Volume 16, Number 1, June, 2019 ISSN 0855-4730 Attributions License 4.0. eISSN (online): 2590-9673 OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS, SAFETY CULTURE AND BEHAVIOUR: A STUDY OF FISHERMEN IN JAMESTOWN, ACCRA Maxwell A. Asumeng1 & Benjamin Y. Folitse2 Abstract This study investigated occupational hazards, safety culture and safety behaviour among fishermen in Jamestown Landing Beach, Accra. Primary data was collected from one hundred and fifty five (155) selected artisanal fishermen using questionnaire. Running correlational and regression analysis on the data, the results indicated that the main causes of accidents at sea included; fatigue and reduced alertness, overloading of canoes, inadequate training and supervision; belief in supernatural protection, defective equipment and facilities, professional pride, and lack of awareness of hazards. Also, age of the fishermen and their fishing tenure influenced their safety behaviours and practices. Further, when demographic variables of the fishermen were controlled for, adherence to safety culture predicted their safety behaviours and practices. The study recommends that to facilitate adherence to safety culture, promote safety behaviours and reduce accident rates at sea, fishermen need to hold regular safety meetings. Also, the Ministry of Fisheries needs to organize education and training programmes in occupational hazards, risk perception and safety at fishing for artisanal fishermen. Keywords: Artisanal fishery, occupational safety, workplace hazard, fishing in Ghana, maritime safety. 1 Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, College of Humanities, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana. Email;[email protected] 2 Senior Librarian, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research- Institute for Scientific and Technological Information (CSIR-INSTI), Accra, Ghana. Email:[email protected] 1 Ghana Social Science Journal, Volume 16, Number 1, June, 2019 ISSN 0855-4730 Attributions License 4.0. eISSN (online): 2590-9673 Introduction Fishing is one of the world’s oldest occupations and probably the most dangerous occupation in the world (Udolisa, Akinyemi, & Olaoye, 2013). Globally, protection of workers against work-related injuries and illnesses has over the years been an issue of great concern to employees, workers, governments, and the general public (Monney et al. 2014). This is because a safe working environment does not only promote the physical, mental and social well-being of workers, but also saves cost associated with medical bills, compensation, work interruption, loss of experienced personnel, and others resulting from accidents at the workplace (Hughes & Phil, 2007). Safety at sea is a serious issue for the commercial fishing industry and artisanal fishing because fishing has always been, and continues to be a dangerous occupation; it ranks highly in all assessments of occupational dangers including risk-taking, injuries, and fatalities (Abraham, 2001; Mohd et al. 2014). The Ghanaian waters, which form part of the Gulf of Guinea, are endowed with abundant fishery resources (Mensah & Quartey, 2002; Mehl et al, 2005). The fishing sector in Ghana plays an important role contributing significantly to national economic development objectives related to employment, livelihood support, poverty reduction, food security, foreign exchange earnings and resource sustainability. Fish is a preferred source of animal protein in Ghana, and about 75 percent of the total domestic production of fish is consumed locally (Mensah, 2012). Fish is expected to contribute 60 percent of animal protein intake. The per capita consumption is estimated to be about 25 kg per annum. Over 2 million fishermen, processors and traders participate