Abstract

In sub-Sahara Africa, sustainable agricultural sector has been trumpeted as the surest way for livelihood transformation through poverty reduction and ensuring food and nutritional security. Using mango farming as a case study, the paper determines how sustainable agriculture can be achieved by examining the environmental, social and economic impacts of mango farms in a rural setting. Qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to collect primary data from 400 respondents from the Shai Osu-Doku and Yilo-Krobo Districts of the Greater Accra and Eastern Regions respectively of Ghana.

This article discusses the extent to which central bank independence (CBI) can be used to mitigate the regressive nature of inflation. Using 44 Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries from the period 1970–2012, the article first examines whether CBI has any influence on inflation by distinguishing between legal independence and governor turnover rates. The evidence shows that CBI helps control inflation, and that inflation generally reduces poverty, and this effect is even stronger, in an environment of low CBI.JEL Codes: E02, E58, E31, I32

Ghana’s economic growth and poverty reduction have been remarkable in the past few decades. However, the pace of poverty reduction has decreased since 2013. In addition, there are large differences in poverty levels across regions and socio-economic groups. People living in rural areas,those in traditional farming, and low-productivity informal sectors are vulnerable to various shocks including climate shocks, job losses, etc. The COVID-19 pandemic has further worsened the situation.

The promotion of cocoa farm productivity has necessitated the intensification of input use with ensuing loss of natural pollinators. Ghana Cocoa Board’s (COCOBOD) remedy to declining pollinator population is addressed in the rolling out of hand pollination in the 2016/17 crop year. Applying contingent valuation on field data covering 608 farmers in five cocoa growing regions, we estimate the value of pollinator services to the cocoa industry in Ghana and farmers willingness to pay for the service.

• The COVID-19 pandemic has re-emphasised the critical role of accessible, affordable and quality childcare to reduce and redistribute the gender unequal distribution of unpaid care work as an investment towards the well-being of children, women, families and society.

• Smart investment in childcare and care systems in Africa requires context-specific and culturally appropriate local solutions driven by national stakeholders—including commitment by national governments to resource and build systems of public provision.

One essential condition of economic progress in any society is an ample supply of savings, which depends on the growth of real capital. Economists agree that higher investment rates will lead to higher growth. Thus, domestic savings is considered an important determinant of growth in developing countries. However, Ghana has one of the poorest savings performances in the world. There are many reasons for the low savings rates in Ghana.

Structural transformation in rural spaces in developing economies remains elusive. Although the agricultural sector in Africa has often been viewed as a critical sector with the potential to provide productive employment to spur sustained growth, the sector is yet to experience the much-needed boost required to propel the transformation of rural areas. Ghana’s extensive historical data makes it ideal for understanding transformation within developing country contexts.