Ghana Journal of Geography

The Untold Effects of Tobacco Farming on Biodiversity in Miombo Woodlands in Tabora and Kigoma Regions in Tanzania.

Emmanuel Patroba Mhache — Sat, 31 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article focuses on the untold effects of tobacco farming on biodiversity in miombo woodlands in the Tabora and Kigoma Regions in Tanzania. Commercial tobacco farming has both positive and negative effects on the biodiversity in the selected regions. The study is exploratory designed to uncover the effects of tobacco farming on the miombo woodlands in the regions under investigation. The paper responds to three specific objectives including the identification of the tree species used for tobacco curing, an exploration of the effects of tobacco farming on miombo woodlands, and an investigation into the strategies established to conserve biodiversity in the miombo woodlands. The study was conducted in Kaliua District in the Tabora Region and Kasulu District in Kigoma Region. Data were collected using open-ended questionnaires, interviews, Focus Group Discussions and observations. The FGD recording was transcribed to produce verbatim text while notes from the observation sessions were compiled in an organized manner. A total of 336 questionnaires were administered to tobacco farmers, while 8 and 7 interviews were conducted with agronomists and field technicians, respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics where SPSS and MS Excel handled quantitative data, while content analysis handled qualitative data. Results were presented in narratives, frequencies and percentages. The findings showed that species preferred for tobacco curing, include Brachystegia, Pterocarpus-angolensis and Combretum-silicides. Effects of tobacco farming on biodiversity included deforestation, emerging of exotic species and the disappearance of indigenous species/ trees. However, strategies established to conserve biodiversity in the study districts include tree planting, afforestation and using efficient tobacco barns. In conclusion, tobacco farming contributed to biodiversity loss as farmers cleared forests to make land available for growing tobacco and used wood for curing the tobacco leaves.

Assessment of Public Awareness, Knowledge, Attitude and Perception on Microplastics Pollution in Kaduna Metropolis, Kaduna.

Samuel Ako Ojonuba — Sat, 31 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study aims to assess public awareness, knowledge, attitude, and perception of microplastic pollution in the Kaduna Metropolis, Kaduna. Three hundred and eighty-four (384) copies of structured questionnaires were distributed to respondents using random sampling. Descriptive and inferential statistics, and Relative Importance Index were applied using Microsoft Excel and Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS v28). The results revealed that 37.1% of the respondents are students, 28.25% of the respondents are traders, 17.51% are civil servants, and 17.23% are from academia. The study revealed that 68.4% of the respondents are aware of microplastic pollution. For the knowledge of plastic pollution, 48% believe plastic aquatic debris eventually becomes microplastics. The majority of the respondents 45.87% got information about plastic pollution from seminars and workshops. For the relationship between education and awareness of microplastic pollution, the correlation coefficient revealed a moderate positive relationship (r = 0.467), while linear regression revealed low influence of education of awareness of microplastic pollution (R² = 0.218). Regarding the attitudes of the respondents about microplastic pollution, the majority of the residents were willing to take part in community efforts to clean up microplastics (RII=0.80), and they are mostly curious to find out more about microplastics. The study concluded that most of the respondents are aware of microplastic pollution, even though the awareness varies with level of education and occupation. The study therefore recommends that there is a need for more public education about the dangers of microplastic pollution and illegal dumping of plastics should be discouraged.

How fatal is fatal? How serious is serious? A content analysis of newspaper reportage on road crashes in Ghana.

Enoch F. Sam — Sat, 31 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The media play a significant role in road safety education and situational awareness, yet, can also create biased perceptions through inconsistent road crash reporting. This quantitative content analysis study set out to explore (1) the accuracy of road crash reportage by two major Ghanaian newspapers and (2) the extent to which the newspapers' crash reports are factual based on the official police report on the reported crashes. This aims to provide further opportunities to strengthen the media's role in road safety education and promotion. The study sampled the Daily Graphic and The Ghanaian Times articles on road crashes in Ghana from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2016. For comparison, articles published on the same crash were purposively sampled for analysis. Twenty-five common crash reports from both newspapers were flagged for analysis in a two-stage process. The study observed inconsistencies in the newspapers’ reported crash details. Further, the reported crash details were also inaccurate when compared to the official police road crash reports. However, traffic fatalities were more accurately reported than injuries. The findings implicate the media’s road crash reporting standard and suggest an urgent need for collaboration between road safety stakeholders and media houses on improving the media road crash reporting regarding what is reported and how it is reported.

Mercury management in the Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) Sector: Whither Ghana?

Lydia Osei — Sat, 31 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) continues to make significant contributions to economies in sub-Saharan Africa by creating employment avenues and reducing poverty among rural populations. However, a major problem associated with the sector is its role in mercury emissions into the environment. Ghana, a burgeoning ASM country, has participated in several donor supported projects with the aim to reduce and where possible, eliminate mercury emissions but still the country ranks high on the mercury emission list. With an in-depth review of policy documents, complemented by key informant interviews, this paper interrogates why this is so by chronicling the Government of Ghana’s involvement in key donor funding projects and pinpoints what is lacking in its approach to minimising mercury emission through ASM operations. The paper reveals that the government’s steps to reducing mercury emissions at ASM sites can best be described as ‘snail-paced’ and cyclical in nature. It proposes a sharp focus on providing affordable mercury-free technologies and paying attention to geological characteristics of sites and other social factors that can boost the use of mercury at ASM sites.

Geography and National Development: Historically and in the Contemporary Period.

Jacob Songsore — Sat, 31 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

From its formative years in ancient Greece, the discipline of geography has always been relevant to human endeavours to some extent. It had been a handmaid of history and imperialist colonialist expansions out of Europe to the rest of the known world. However, beyond this colonial project and the partitioning of Africa during the Berlin Conference, spatial analysis and spatial science in its applied form have been at the heart of development imperatives. As the saying goes, ‘geographers are not planners, but they are the stuff out of which planners are made’. Social relations and structures ultimately play out in space, while resources are unevenly distributed. The relevance of geography can be exemplified in almost every human endeavour in Ghana. This ranges from the academe to the role of the topical specializations in advancing the course of national development in Ghana. This paper seeks to elaborate on these themes as we strive to advance the course of geography as a science for its own sake and in its applied aspects, given the enormity of Africa's development challenges.

Opinion Piece on Land Reforms in Ghana

Raymond Bagulo Bening — Sat, 31 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In this piece, Professor Raymond Bagulo Bening reflects on the role of a Study Group in promoting land reforms in Ghana. Critically, this reflective piece highlights the vital role of academic advocacy for national reforms. Land is critical to Ghana’s development and has played an essential role in the nature and trajectory of the country’s development. Beyond the economic value of land and its role in agriculture, many Ghanaian societies view land as an extension of who they are. Land is deeply embedded in the cultural values of societies. Historically, land is owned by stools/skins, clans and families. However, colonialism, in many ways, transformed land access and tenure in Ghana and altered the overall structure of the land ownership and use in the Ghanaian society. Thus, this reflective piece brings to light a critical event in land reforms in Ghana that is often not the focus of research.