Browsing by Author "Agyepong, Lawrencia"

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A Comparative Analysis of Students’ Technology Uses During Covid-19 Lockdown in Ghana
(Covenant Journal of Communication (CJOC), 2021-06) Aboagye Da-Costa, Caroline; Opoku, Mensah Eric; Agyepong, Lawrencia
The study tests an author-derived quantitative version of the Student Technology Use Framework by assessing the effectiveness of distance learning technologies deployed by universities in Ghana during the Covid-19 lockdown period. It focuses on the knowledge acquisition needs of students who were initially admitted into the traditional learning mode but had to adapt to distance learning following the lockdown. The population comprises undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Christian Service University College (CSUC), a private university in Kumasi, and the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), a public university in Accra. The sample size was 351 - 187 from CSUC and 164 from GIJ. Copies of a questionnaire were distributed to CSUC students by personal contact, and a Google Forms link to GIJ students via e-mail. Results show that students in public universities had lower technological learning capabilities than their compatriots in private universities, resulting in a better learning experience throughout the lockdown.
Challenges Associated with the Delivery of Development Projects within the Decentralised Government System: Views of Selected Stakeholders in the Shama District, Ghana
(Journal of Development and Communication Studies, 2021-12) Odoom, Daniel; Agyepong, Lawrencia; Mensah, Francis Kojo; Opoku, Ernest; Owusu Amoabeng, Yaw
Decentralisation policy is important in ensuring effective delivery of development services at the local level. Governments across the globe utilize decentralised government system as a way of promoting people-centered development. Notwithstanding the value of decentralisation policy, governments struggle with the provision of development services at the local level. This suggests that more efforts need to be made to ensure the realisation of the dividends of decentralisation. However, this cannot be made without an awareness of the challenges local actors face in the delivery of development services. This paper examines the views of stakeholders on the challenges associated with the delivery of development projects within the Ghanaian decentralised government system using the Shama District as a case in order to proffer some measures to improve the situation in the country using the sequential-explanatory mixed method design. Data were collected using interview guide and interview schedule. The study revealed that stakeholder management, involvement of project managers, defining project goals, assigning roles and responsibilities to key officers, and monitoring and evaluation of projects were some of the measures the Assembly had put in place for the delivery of development projects in the district. However, communication was a serious challenge throughout the delivery of development projects in the district. The implications of the key findings for development communication have been highlighted in the study. As part of the recommendations of the study, the Assembly should put in place adequate measures to improve communication throughout the various stages of development service delivery in the district.
e-Government Readiness in Ghana: a SWOT and PEST Analyses
(Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. (Electronic Government, An International Journal), 2012-10) Andoh-Baidoo, Francis Kofi; Babb, Jeffry Stephen; Agyepong, Lawrencia
E-Government has transformed how governments provide effi cient and effective services to citizens, businesses and other government agencies in both developed and developing nations. For developing nations, a context-oriented approach should be considered for a successful implementation of e-government. The paper examines the e-government readiness of Ghana, a developing nation in Africa. We employ a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) and PEST (Political, Economic, Social and Technological) analysis of Ghana’s readiness to successfully implement e-government. We provide implications for practice and research. The analysis framework used in this study can be applied for other South-Saharan Nations.
Examining the Preparedness of an Emerging Economy Towards e-Government Implementations: SWOT Analysis
(Southwest Decision Sciences Institute Conference, 2011) Andoh-Baidoo, Francis Kofi; Agyepong, Lawrencia
The last decade has witnessed a number of governments around the world working to capture the vast potential of the Internet to improve government processes. Egovernment development very often aims to improve public service delivery capability, as well as public administration governance, transparency, and accountability through the development of e-government service delivery capability. E-government has established itself as the transforming element in the way government services are offered to citizens in developed countries. Although this phenomenon is beginning to show promising results in many developing countries, countries like Ghana are still grappling with the challenge to embrace the opportunities that e-governance presents in order to meet the public needs and expectations while being cost-effective. The purpose of this paper therefore is to present a SWOT analysis of e-government implementation in Ghana.
National Disaster Management Organisation’s Risk Communication in Ghana: A Case Study of Flood Areas in Accra
(International Journal of Research in Education Humanities and Commerce, 2022-12) Adu, Charles Hanson; Agyepong, Lawrencia
Risk communication is an integral part of any Risk Management process. This study reports on its importance, the medium, the approach used as well as the factors that influence risk communication in Accra, Ghana. Data obtained from residents through the administration of questionnaires in the flood-prone areas, as well as interviews with the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the institution mandated to manage the risk of flooding and other emergencies, brought out various issues on the risk communication process in Accra. This study finds that despite the perceived importance of risk communication in the risk management process, risk communication in Accra is hampered by ineffective regulations and a lack of trust by affected residents among other impediments. This research recommends that NADMO must increasingly use the radio as the main medium for conveying risk messages and that the organization must change its “top-down” risk communication approach into a more interactive one.
Non-Governmental Organizations and Development Service Provision: A Conceptual and Empirical Review
(PanAfrican Journal of Governance and Development (PJGD), 2022-02) Odoom, Daniel; Obeng-Baah, Joseph; Agyepong, Lawrencia
Globally, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are seen as a significant driving force behind delivering development services. There is universal consensus within the development community that development service delivery will be incomplete without the involvement of NGOs. Thus, many NGOs across the globe complement governments' efforts in development service delivery, a situation that has occasioned a rapid rise in both the volume and scale of operations of NGOs. Nonetheless, there is a growing debate regarding the conceptual intentions of NGOs. While some scholars believe that NGOs effectively provide development services, others have suggested that development service delivery does not constitute a critical component of NGOs' agenda. There is also the issue of whether or not the approaches NGOs employ in development services are participatory enough. While some scholars opine that participatory development communication approaches characterize NGOs' development services, others maintain that participation is merely rhetoric value within the NGO sector. These contending views risk an obliteration of the continuing relevance of NGOs in development discourse. This paper seeks to contribute to the debate on the place of NGOs in development services and the approaches NGOs employ in contemporary development practice. The authors posit that NGOs occupy a central place in development service provision but concede that NGO operations in development services are not without challenges. The authors argue further tha development services can better be appreciated based on a thorough understanding of the role of participatory development communication in development service provisions. The paper presents a review of the relevant conceptual and empirical literature on NGOs' activities in development services and concludes by identifying lessons that should engage the attention of key stakeholders.
The Challenge of Participation in Community Development Activities in Rural Ghana: Implications for Effective Development Communication
(Tanzania Journal of Development Studies, 2021) Odoom, Daniel; Annor-Frempong, Festus; Akaba, Selorm; Agyepong, Lawrencia; Obeng-Mensah, Albert; Obeng-Baah, Joseph
Despite increasing calls for adequate measures to promote participatory development, stakeholder satisfaction with participation in development projects remains a challenge. This study explored the views of beneficiaries of Cocoa Life Project interventions and local authorities of Wassa East District of Ghana regarding their satisfaction with participation during the planning, implementation and evaluation stages of a development project. The study used sequential-dependence mixed methods design. A total of 410 respondents including farmers, members of Village Savings and Loans Groups, Head of District Agriculture Department, Head of Business Advisory Centre, District Education Planner and Extension Agents were selected for the study. Interview schedule, focus group discussion and interview guides were used for data collection. The study found that, apart from awareness creation on development problems and problem identification, project beneficiaries and local authorities were lowly satisfied with participation in planning activities. Again, satisfaction with participation in evaluation activities of the project was low among beneficiaries and local authorities. Also, no significant difference manifested in the overall satisfaction with participation among project beneficiaries irrespective of differences in sex and marital status.