The Role of Technology in Financial Inclusion-A Case Study Mobile Money Penetration in Ghana

With the flagship success of M-Pesa, mobile devices have become an important tool to facilitate the financial inclusion of the previously unbanked population in developing countries. Following the success of M-Pesa in Kenya in 2007, mobile money technologies became widespread across Africa. Beginning in 2009, Ghana experienced exceptional adoption of Mobile Money technology. Many studies have examined the influence of mobile money on financial inclusion from a variety of perspectives, and many have concluded that mobile money is a game-changer in this regard. The Mobile Money concept has evolved based on introducing the other value-added services such as microloans, savings, and insurance portfolios. The researcher used a questionnaire and a face-to-face interview to obtain qualitative data for this study. Together with other research, the statistics revealed that Mobile Money transactions in Ghana had more than tripled since it became the most popular payment method. Over the last year, the platform as a service has created over 140,000 jobs and has shown to be the safest channel. It has several advantages, including lowering the cost of printing and keeping cash on hand, as well as decreasing fraud because the technology underlying it gives appropriate audit trails to prevent fraud and boost economic growth.

The State of Internally Displaced Persons Camps in Nigeria: A Case Study of Durumi Camp in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria

This Investigation was conducted among a small group of IDP population living at the heart of Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, which is the capital city of Nigeria. The study was conducted to determine the living conditions of Internally Displaced Persons in the Camp and their access to basic amenities as action research. It was conducted through an unstructured interview of the sampled population in the Camp to source relevant information. Data was collected by taking notes and recording of interview sessions. Results revealed that 2830 individuals live in the camp, mostly in family units. IDPs in the camp come from the Northeast geopolitical zone of Nigeria in the states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, with the majority of them from Borno state. They were all displaced as a result of insurgency. This IDP camp is organized with a leadership structure and defined system for the management of amenities such as the health clinic, water supply, allocation of shelter, and sharing of donated items received from philanthropists, the private sector, and other well-wishers. The camp has running water, a clinic for basic health care provision, a borehole, toilet facilities, a store for foodstuff and a security post within 500 metres to 1 kilometre of the Camp.

The Influence of Self-Esteem and Peer Pressure on Career Choice of Adolescents in Greater Accra, Ghana

The study examined the influence of self-esteem and Peer pressure on the career choice of adolescents. The purpose was to determine the relationship between Peer pressure and career choice, the relationship between self-esteem and career choice, and compare the influence of self-esteem and Peer pressure on adolescent boys and girls. Cross-sectional and descriptive was the research design. Cluster sampling was used to select four schools, and stratified proportional, and simple random sampling was used to select 200 respondents. Rosenberg self-esteem, Peer pressure, and career decision scales were used to collect data from 200 Senior High School students in selected schools in the Greater Accra region Ghana. Pearson’s correlation and regression analysis were the statistical tools for the analysis of data. The results indicate that self-esteem positively correlates with the career choice of adolescents. Peer pressure positively correlates career choices of adolescents. There is no gender differences in Peer pressure and career choice of adolescents. Challenges of career choice among adolescents include the lack of career guidance, the influence of family, general indecisiveness, the desire to pursue a career that earns much, and the opinion of their peer concerning career choice.

Article Review – Short Communication on Probiotic Claim Substantiation

This article review focused on the analysis of the journal article “More Information Needed on Probiotic Supplement Product Labels” by Merenstein et al., 2019, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. The aim of such a review was to communicate a short critique as well as highlighting the need for fieldwork in regulatory compliance. Here, the review started with a general summary of the article, but also in conjunction with the literature review that the authors established. This was necessary to understand the article in its field of expertise whilst giving a clearer purpose on the need for more fieldwork of this kind. Without such understanding, it would have been difficult to understand the regulatory compliance of dietary supplement label regulations in the US. Then, a thorough analysis and deconstruction of the articles structure, as well as article critique, were established. The authority of the paper and other topics such as authority, accuracy, relevance, etc., were examined for effectiveness in conveying the research question that the authors were concerned with; that more information may be needed for product labels in probiotic supplements in the US. Lastly, the graphs, tables, and figures were evaluated to make a conclusion about the study as well as a discussion on the recent advances related to the label compliance of probiotic supplements. The paper, albeit was on the shorter side, was effective and was also simple in establishing a need for more information on the label. Thus, more transparency on clinical substantiation is needed.

Field Survey of Dietary Supplements and Foods with Probiotics Added – Annotation of USA Label Compliance

As US regulatory framework lays the foundation of safety aspects and the efficacy of clinical effects of food products, specifically dietary supplement products, the reality of regulatory compliance is not well understood. Especially, live microorganisms as dietary supplements have many challenges in label compliance due to the unclear regulatory framework, but also due to the complexity of such living organisms. Field surveys were conducted in Southern California, USA (specifically in the Orange County and Los Angeles County regions) at local retailers or online from January 2019 to April 2021. Dietary supplements and food categories that included probiotics specifically into formula were assessed for label compliance and ingredient safety through manual annotations and curation of information. The data were observed and documented statistically. Eighty (80) unique products were collected where the number of probiotic strains ranged from 34 to 1 strain. Thirty-three (33) unique statement of identity were recorded, range of violations were maximum 9 to minimum 0. Violations were checked against the US label compliance per Chapter 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) in food and dietary supplement label compliance regulations. Eighty-one (81) unique probiotics were observed where 33 were not confirmed of GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status, and 6 had no NDI (new dietary ingredient) status. Most labels were not in compliance with all the regulatory nuances that were found. Although most probiotics were only listed on the species level, it is still a topic worthwhile the discussion of increasing regulatory awareness to the industry. Non-compliance with labels could be mitigated by such educational outreach.

Assessing the Influence of Parenting Styles and Gender on Career Choice among Undergraduate Students of Methodist University College Ghana

The study assessed the parenting style and gender influence on the career choice of undergraduate students of a private tertiary institution in Accra Ghana. A Cluster sampling technique was employed to collect data. A sample size of 160 respondents, made up of 62 males and 98 females of the Methodist University College, participated in this study. Standardised questionnaires were used to collect data from respondents. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression techniques in SPSS were applied to test the hypotheses of the study. The findings indicated that parenting styles reliably predict career choices among both male and female undergraduates. Democratic and strict parenting styles had a positive and significant influence on career choice. Gender difference had a negative influence on career choice. Permissive parenting style, uninvolved-neglectful parenting style, educational level of students, and age of students were statistically insignificant on career choice of students.

Research Structure, and Quality of Academic Research in the Public Universities of the Republic of South Sudan

The purpose of the research is to evaluate the quality of academic research in public universities in the Republic of South Sudan with the objectives of establishing the relationship between research structure and quality of academic research. Descriptive and cross-sectional designs using both qualitative and quantitative techniques. The study was carried out in the five Universities. Both random and purposive sampling methods were used to identify 23 heads of departments, 65 teaching staff, and 205 dissertations reviewed with an average response rate of 91%. Three tools were deployed to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. These include interview guide, observation checklist, and questionnaire. Participants consented before they participated in the study, and approvals were sought at the different levels. Utilized computation of research aggregates using the SPSS V 2. Descriptive statistical analysis was used for demographic information, and correlation analysis was used to determine relationships between variables and factors that may predict the quality of academic research. There is a positive correlation between independents variables (research procedure r = 0.672, structure r = 0.698, format r = 0.8311 with p < 0.01). This implies that academic research structure contributes to good academic research. In conclusion, the structure of the academic research is not consistent between the five public universities in South Sudan, between the faculties and departments of the same public university. Academic research structure is positively correlated with the quality of the academic research in public universities of the Republic of South Sudan. There is consistency in the general structure of the academic research.

Prevalence Of Cybersex in India

Internet has become a part of our lives. Two-thirds of adult men and one third of females use internet in India. In that, 12% of websites are pornographic, 30% of net traffic is sex-related, 35% of downloads are of pornographic material. In India, 72% of adult males and 28% of adult women viewed pornography. One-third of people accessed the net for porn while in office or in school/college. In a study done on college students in a small town in South India, 84.2% view porn on a daily basis, one-half felt that they use porn more than they intended to see and were awake late at night; two-thirds felt that their academic grades dropped. On a multicity sex survey in South India on college students—69% watch, sex videos 6 hours a week; 24% of girls feel porn is harmless; 30% of students had sex relations with lovers, and 12% of girls became pregnant. In an objective assessment of porn consumption in medical students in Central India, 14 % of boys and 8% of girls were found to have the potential to become internet sex addicts. Cybersex addiction is six times more in men than in women. In the self-claimed hypersexual people, porn consumption was 6 times higher, total sexual outlets per week was three times higher, total sexual partners was double when compared with non-hypersexual people.

Training and Supervision as Predictors of Business Teachers’ Job Performance for Policy and Practice in Nigerian Secondary Schools

This study investigated training and supervision as predictors of Business Teachers' Job Performance in Nigerian Public Secondary Schools. A Descriptive research design of correlation types was adopted for the study. The population consisted of the entire 1,500 Business related subject teachers from four states in the North Central Geo-Political Zone of Nigeria. 550 samples were purposely selected as the respondents from 20 schools using proportional sampling techniques. A Structured questionnaire was purposely used to collect relevant data from the respondents. However, the checklist was used to collect WAEC/SSCE results of the sampled schools. The validity of the instrument was done by three experts from the Department of Business Education, Kwara State University. The reliability coefficient of 0.71 was obtained through a split-half method. The two research questions stated were answered using percentages and cumulative frequency statistical method, while the three hypotheses generated were tested using multiple regression analysis. The finding of the study revealed the poor performance of a student in Business-related subjects. However, there was a moderate level of Business Teacher job performance. Also, both training and supervision were discovered to be the predictors of Business Teacher Job Performance in Nigeria Public Secondary Schools. Regular capacity building such as workshops and conferences were recommended for the Teachers in addition to the regular external and internal supervision. The Government should also supply the necessary teaching facilities to help the teachers improve on teaching and learning.

Management Information Systems – The Impact Of 5G Technologies: A Case of Africa

The study embarked on the management of information systems, what it is all about as well as the impact of fifth generation (5G) technologies, the advantages and disadvantages, and the countries that roll out 5G technologies in Africa. The study was done in some African countries, specifically South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia, and Nigeria. The study employed a survey research design and used a case study approach. Primary data were collected from the mentioned countries. Respondents were companies and few randomly identified individuals. The study identifies the advantages as well as disadvantages of 5G technologies. The study results show that most African countries are still invest in 5G technologies and those that are using it are yet to bear heavy costs.