Intra-Sectarian Tensions in the Muslim Community in Nandom in the Upper West Region of Ghana: Dynamics and Actors

This paper explored the dynamics and actors in the Imamship conflict in Nandom Zongo community. The study was approached qualitatively using a case study design. The researchers interacted with ten (10) participants. Data was drawn through in-depth interviews and observation and analyzed using thematic template analysis. The study unearthed that the ill-health of the Imam and his vice which created a vacancy of the office of Imam is the remote cause of the conflict. The conflict degenerated into fierce struggle over the Imamship and disagreement over a choice of replacement. A ‘minority’ and ‘majority’ rhetoric was introduced into the Imamship contest among the orthodox Muslims in the Nandom Zongo community. The study revealed that the conflict has strong socio-political, economic, security and religious implications on the Zongo community. Apart from the primary conflict parties, there were state actors, traditional actors, group actors and independent actors in the conflict. The dynamics of the conflict were informed by the grievances of the conflict parties, actor interaction and conflict parties’ commitment to the conflict. The study contributes to the understanding of conflict dynamics and actor interaction in conflict processes. Keywords: Conflict Dynamics, Actors, Nandom Zongo, Imamship, Upper West Region, Ghana DOI: 10.7176/JPCR/55-06 Publication date:November 31st 202

Why the Resolution of the Nandom Imamship Conflict Has Not Been Successful

In our earlier work (2022), we analyzed the dynamics of the Nandom Imamship conflict in the Upper West Region of Ghana. This current paper discusses the threats to the resolution of the Nandom Imamship conflict. The study that informed this paper was undertaken to understand the Nandom Imamship conflict using a qualitative approach and a case study design. The purpose was to explore the factors that have been stalling the resolution of the conflict since its eruption to enable conflict resolution and peacebuilding practitioners or institutions to devise appropriate mechanisms towards resolving the conflict. The findings show that the threats to the resolution of the conflict exist at system, actor, and community levels. The local dynamics of the conflict and the conflict environment were not well understood by intervening parties. As such, we argue that conflict analysis should be prime to conflict resolution. The paper observed that trust and confidence building are critical issues in conflict resolution. The paper concludes by arguing that consciousness and understanding of conflict resolution threats is significant to approaching conflicts and constructing effective conflict resolution processes. Key words: Conflict Resolution, Threats, Nandom, Zongo, Imamship DOI: 10.7176/JPCR/59-03 Publication date: March 30th 202

Security Implications of Refugees on Host Communities: Perspectives from Buduburam in the Central Region of Ghana

The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives and lived experiences of the people of Buduburam in the Central region of Ghana about the security implications of refugees in their community and the meaning they make of those experiences. The study adopted a qualitative research approach through a case study design. Data was collected through interviews and focus group discussions. The analysis of the data was thematic. The findings show that there are mixed perceptions of the prolonged refugee stay in the Buduburam community. While participants expressed some positive views (attraction of development, source of market, cordial interactions) about the refugees’ presence in Buduburam, they equally shared some concerns (increase in criminal activities, social vices, and influx of other foreigners) about their stay. The study also reveals serious security challenges about the refugees’ presence in the community. The Buduburam community has been turned into a hiding ground for criminals from other parts of the country and beyond. To cope with the situation, community members resort to faith for protection and safety. The overarching recommendation of the study is that the government of Ghana should take immediate steps to address the security concerns in the Buduburam community. Keywords: Security Implications, Refugees, Buduburam, Perspectives, lived experinces DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/13-8-04 Publication date: April 30th 202

Education and Human Rights in the Context of the New Pre-Tertiary Education Curriculum Framework of Ghana

This paper contributes to the ongoing academic debate on human rights education, particularly focusing on Ghana as an ardent advocate of education and human rights. Highlighting the constitutional and international acknowledgment of education as a fundamental human right, as well as the importance of human rights education for social transformation, the study explored Ghana's dedication to human rights education. This study was basically a meta-analysis of which the current curriculum framework for the pre-tertiary education in Ghana was the focus. The findings reveal that while the new pre-tertiary curriculum framework contains elements of human rights within its core values and specific primary school modules, there's a notable absence of explicit articulation of human rights education. The study among others things, recommends that acknowledging and addressing human rights goes beyond incorporating them as cross-cutting issues. Thus, human rights ought to be deliberately incorporated throughout the curriculum for the purpose of providing a more comprehensive approach for their teaching and learning, ensuring their significance is not overlooked. Key Words: Education, Human Rights, Curriculum, Framework, Pre-Tertiary DOI: 10.7176/JEP/15-11-14 Publication date: October 30th 202

No Longer Welcome: Life of Former Liberian Refugees in the Buduburam Camp of Ghana After the End of their Refugee Status and Humanitarian Assistance.

This study examined the nature of relationship between former Liberian Refugees in Buduburam camp and the host community and the challenges and resilient strategies of the refugees after the end of humanitarian aid. The study adopted a qualitative research approach through a case study design. A total of 12 former refugees were purposively selected to participate in the study. Data was collected through interviews and observation and analysed through thematic analysis. The findings revealed that the former Liberian refugees’ relationship with the host community during the aid era was cordial but turned sour after the humanitarian assistance to the refugees ceased. The study discovered that the former Liberian refugees are faced with financial difficulties, discrimination, insecurity, unemployment and malnutrition. In order to cope with these challenges, the former Liberian refugees engaged in adaptive and maladaptive activities and behaviours. It is recommended that the government of Ghana and UNHCR should reconsider the policy of integration of the former Liberian refugees who are unwilling to repatriate as well as create a platform to promote refugee-host community interaction in order to build cordiality, mutuality and bonding. This would hopefully minimise the existing tensions, prejudices, stereotypes and discrimination as well as increase socioeconomic opportunities for former Liberian refugees to live meaningful and dignified lives in Ghana. Key words: Former Refugees, Host Community, Relationship, Challenges and Resilience DOI: 10.7176/JESD/16-3-08 Publication date: May 30th 202

Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and mortality of HIV, 1980–2017, and forecasts to 2030, for 195 countries and territories: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017

Background Understanding the patterns of HIV/AIDS epidemics is crucial to tracking and monitoring the progress of prevention and control efforts in countries. We provide a comprehensive assessment of the levels and trends of HIV/AIDS incidence, prevalence, mortality, and coverage of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for 1980–2017 and forecast these estimates to 2030 for 195 countries and territories. Methods We determined a modelling strategy for each country on the basis of the availability and quality of data. For countries and territories with data from population-based seroprevalence surveys or antenatal care clinics, we estimated prevalence and incidence using an open-source version of the Estimation and Projection Package—a natural history model originally developed by the UNAIDS Reference Group on Estimates, Modelling, and Projections. For countries with cause-specific vital registration data, we corrected data for garbage coding (ie, deaths coded to an intermediate, immediate, or poorly defined cause) and HIV misclassification. We developed a process of cohort incidence bias adjustment to use information on survival and deaths recorded in vital registration to back-calculate HIV incidence. For countries without any representative data on HIV, we produced incidence estimates by pulling information from observed bias in the geographical region. We used a re-coded version of the Spectrum model (a cohort component model that uses rates of disease progression and HIV mortality on and off ART) to produce age-sex-specific incidence, prevalence, and mortality, and treatment coverage results for all countries, and forecast these measures to 2030 using Spectrum with inputs that were extended on the basis of past trends in treatment scale-up and new infections. Findings Global HIV mortality peaked in 2006 with 1·95 million deaths (95% uncertainty interval 1·87–2·04) and has since decreased to 0·95 million deaths (0·91–1·01) in 2017. New cases of HIV globally peaked in 1999 (3·16 million, 2·79–3·67) and since then have gradually decreased to 1·94 million (1·63–2·29) in 2017. These trends, along with ART scale-up, have globally resulted in increased prevalence, with 36·8 million (34·8–39·2) people living with HIV in 2017. Prevalence of HIV was highest in southern sub-Saharan Africa in 2017, and countries in the region had ART coverage ranging from 65·7% in Lesotho to 85·7% in eSwatini. Our forecasts showed that 54 countries will meet the UNAIDS target of 81% ART coverage by 2020 and 12 countries are on track to meet 90% ART coverage by 2030. Forecasted results estimate that few countries will meet the UNAIDS 2020 and 2030 mortality and incidence targets. Interpretation Despite progress in reducing HIV-related mortality over the past decade, slow decreases in incidence, combined with the current context of stagnated funding for related interventions, mean that many countries are not on track to reach the 2020 and 2030 global targets for reduction in incidence and mortality. With a growing population of people living with HIV, it will continue to be a major threat to public health for years to come. The pace of progress needs to be hastened by continuing to expand access to ART and increasing investments in proven HIV prevention initiatives that can be scaled up to have population-level impact

Adolescent girls’ and young mothers’ knowledge and use of antenatal care in the Ahafo Region, Ghana: A cross-sectional study

Background: Antenatal care (ANC) is crucial to reducing maternal and neonatal deaths, but few studies examined adolescent girls’ and young women’s ANC utilisation and knowledge in Ghana. Aim: To assess adolescents’ and young mothers’ knowledge of ANC, utilisation and factors influencing its use in Ghana. Setting: Tano North Municipality, Ahafo Region. Methods: This community-based, cross-sectional study involved 440 adolescent and young mothers (between 10 and 24 years). A structured questionnaire was employed to collect data face-to-face. Descriptive and statistical analyses were performed, and p  0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Of the 440 respondents, most were aged 20–24 years (61.2%), married (30.0%), Christians (78.2%), completed junior high school (JHS) (47.8%) and traders (38.9%). Postnatal mothers were 71.6% (315), and all had utilised ANC services. Antenatal care knowledge was good among 75% (330) respondents, with no significant variation by age. Religion influenced knowledge, with Muslims having lower knowledge. Antenatal care utilisation was high ( 50%) among those aged 15–19 years, married, Christians, JHS graduates and traders. Age, marital status and employment type significantly influenced ANC utilisation. Individuals in the age group 15–19 years and married women demonstrated higher odds of utilising ANC services. Casual workers and unemployed respondents were found to have lower odds of utilising ANC services compared to traders. Conclusion: Age, marital status, and employment type influenced ANC utilisation in the Ahafo Region. Adolescent mothers under 15 years had lower rates, requiring targeted interventions to improve pregnancy outcomes. Contribution: This study highlights the knowledge and factors influencing ANC use in Ahafo Region and adds to the existing research evidence on ANC

Mapping 123 million neonatal, infant and child deaths between 2000 and 2017

Since 2000, many countries have achieved considerable success in improving child survival, but localized progress remains unclear. To inform efforts towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.2—to end preventable child deaths by 2030—we need consistently estimated data at the subnational level regarding child mortality rates and trends. Here we quantified, for the period 2000–2017, the subnational variation in mortality rates and number of deaths of neonates, infants and children under 5 years of age within 99 low- and middle-income countries using a geostatistical survival model. We estimated that 32% of children under 5 in these countries lived in districts that had attained rates of 25 or fewer child deaths per 1,000 live births by 2017, and that 58% of child deaths between 2000 and 2017 in these countries could have been averted in the absence of geographical inequality. This study enables the identification of high-mortality clusters, patterns of progress and geographical inequalities to inform appropriate investments and implementations that will help to improve the health of all populations

Health trends, inequalities and opportunities in South Africa's provinces, 1990-2019: findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 Study

Background Over the last 30 years, South Africa has experienced four ‘colliding epidemics’ of HIV and tuberculosis, chronic illness and mental health, injury and violence, and maternal, neonatal, and child mortality, which have had substantial effects on health and well-being. Using data from the 2019 Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study (GBD 2019), we evaluated national and provincial health trends and progress towards important Sustainable Development Goal targets from 1990 to 2019. Methods We analysed GBD 2019 estimates of mortality, non-fatal health loss, summary health measures and risk factor burden, comparing trends over 1990–2007 and 2007–2019. Additionally, we decomposed changes in life expectancy by cause of death and assessed healthcare system performance. Results Across the nine provinces, inequalities in mortality and life expectancy increased over 1990–2007, largely due to differences in HIV/AIDS, then decreased over 2007–2019. Demographic change and increases in non-communicable diseases nearly doubled the number of years lived with disability between 1990 and 2019. From 1990 to 2019, risk factor burdens generally shifted from communicable and nutritional disease risks to non-communicable disease and injury risks; unsafe sex remained the top risk factor. Despite widespread improvements in healthcare system performance, the greatest gains were generally in economically advantaged provinces. Conclusions Reductions in HIV/AIDS and related conditions have led to improved health since 2007, though most provinces still lag in key areas. To achieve health targets, provincial governments should enhance health investments and exchange of knowledge, resources and best practices alongside populations that have been left behind, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic

Subnational mapping of HIV incidence and mortality among individuals aged 15–49 years in sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–18 : a modelling study

Background: High-resolution estimates of HIV burden across space and time provide an important tool for tracking and monitoring the progress of prevention and control efforts and assist with improving the precision and efficiency of targeting efforts. We aimed to assess HIV incidence and HIV mortality for all second-level administrative units across sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: In this modelling study, we developed a framework that used the geographically specific HIV prevalence data collected in seroprevalence surveys and antenatal care clinics to train a model that estimates HIV incidence and mortality among individuals aged 15–49 years. We used a model-based geostatistical framework to estimate HIV prevalence at the second administrative level in 44 countries in sub-Saharan Africa for 2000–18 and sought data on the number of individuals on antiretroviral therapy (ART) by second-level administrative unit. We then modified the Estimation and Projection Package (EPP) to use these HIV prevalence and treatment estimates to estimate HIV incidence and mortality by second-level administrative unit. Findings: The estimates suggest substantial variation in HIV incidence and mortality rates both between and within countries in sub-Saharan Africa, with 15 countries having a ten-times or greater difference in estimated HIV incidence between the second-level administrative units with the lowest and highest estimated incidence levels. Across all 44 countries in 2018, HIV incidence ranged from 2 ·8 (95% uncertainty interval 2·1–3·8) in Mauritania to 1585·9 (1369·4–1824·8) cases per 100 000 people in Lesotho and HIV mortality ranged from 0·8 (0·7–0·9) in Mauritania to 676· 5 (513· 6–888·0) deaths per 100 000 people in Lesotho. Variation in both incidence and mortality was substantially greater at the subnational level than at the national level and the highest estimated rates were accordingly higher. Among second-level administrative units, Guijá District, Gaza Province, Mozambique, had the highest estimated HIV incidence (4661·7 [2544·8–8120·3]) cases per 100000 people in 2018 and Inhassunge District, Zambezia Province, Mozambique, had the highest estimated HIV mortality rate (1163·0 [679·0–1866·8]) deaths per 100 000 people. Further, the rate of reduction in HIV incidence and mortality from 2000 to 2018, as well as the ratio of new infections to the number of people living with HIV was highly variable. Although most second-level administrative units had declines in the number of new cases (3316 [81· 1%] of 4087 units) and number of deaths (3325 [81·4%]), nearly all appeared well short of the targeted 75% reduction in new cases and deaths between 2010 and 2020. Interpretation: Our estimates suggest that most second-level administrative units in sub-Saharan Africa are falling short of the targeted 75% reduction in new cases and deaths by 2020, which is further compounded by substantial within-country variability. These estimates will help decision makers and programme implementers expand access to ART and better target health resources to higher burden subnational areas