E-LEEP in the Press

UG, Duquesne, Support Tongu c'inities
Ghanaian Times, July 28 2011 page 7

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Emerging Leaders Extraction and Environment Training Program Formally Ends

Ghanaian Reactor Online

by Michael F. Amedor
August 2, 2011

A training program organized by the Department of Oceanography and Fisheries of the University of Ghana in collaboration with students from Duquesne University in the United States of America on environmental and social issues of extractive industries in Ghana which started from 3rd -30th July 2011 has formally ended in Accra.

The E-LEEP program enabled the students to undertake various research works on the Ghanaian economy in areas such as Mining, forestry, Oil and Gas and Energy. The student at the end of the program presented their research findings to members of various Government Department Agencies who work in related fields of their findings, academicians and media.

Comparing Extractive Industry Sectors in Ghana and the US

By Deanna Bitetti and Samantha Malone
Original blogs located at commonblog.com and fracktracker.org

In the quiet of the morning the group we have travelled to Ghana with using a grant from the US Department of State to study extractive industries find ourselves swapping stories – wistfully thinking of American life back home. We find ourselves constantly comparing and contrasting the political environment in which public policy around extractive industries are crafted in both nations.

Scratch beneath the surface and you will find that Ghana and the US are not that different after all.

Accra's Traffic and Trash Issues

By Samantha Malone, MPH, CPH

While I have found many beautiful and wondrous things during the first week of my visit to Accra, Ghana, I am also troubled by a few of the city's public health issues.

Traffic and Air Quality

There are only a few major roads to serve all of the people who use vehicles in the city of Accra. This results in massive delays and air pollution. We were told by one of our hosts from Accra that there are times when the traffic is so horrendous that he simply shuts off his car and goes shopping in a nearby market.

Festivals and Funeral in Ghana

Lecture given by Dr. Kofi Agyekum, head of the Linguistics Department at the University of Ghana, Legon.




This is an audio recording of a lecture by Dr. Kofi Agyekum, University of Ghana. Dr. Agyekum is an expert in the Akan language. Some of the interesting portions of this lecture include a description of the afterlife within Ghana: Ghanaians from all ethnicities view the afterlife as a reflection of this world. This kind of afterlife is held by most West Africans as well as continental Africans.

Such trans-continental beliefs suggest to me the possibility that there was much inter-ethnic dialogue throughout the continent of Africa long before recent times, and most likely long before colonial trading influences as Susan McIntosh also asserts in her essay on the Prehistory of West Africa, contained within the excellent book Themes in West African History. She states that such a suggestion is in contrast to many of the historical narratives which claim that there was no trading or movement of people from West Africa to Central and Eastern Africa until the Arab trades came in the begining of the Second Millenium C.E.

Overview of Biodiversity in Ghana: Fuana

This is an audio recording of a lecture by Dr. Ofori Danson of the University of Ghana. Dr. Danson covers the biodiversity of Ghana, focusing on endemic species and species of concern. It is approximately an hour long.


Download here:
http://www.archive.org/download/OverviewOfBiodiversityInGhanaFuana/Overview-Biodiversity-lecture-Part-1-Ofori-Danson-080104-000.mp2

Professor P.K. Ofori-Danson is a professor of the Dept. of Oceanography and Fisheries at the University of Ghana; part of UNDP-FAO Fisheries; current advisor to the Bui Power Authority (A Hydroelectric Dam project); U.N. University network on water and health; National Biodiversity Committee

Dr. Ofori-Danson began his lecture by defining biodiversity; the U.N. Council on Biodiversity defines biodiversity as the “library of life” and that the knowledge contained within this operating library is essential for our survival since ultimately we depend on the functions and relations of the species in our ecosystems, not the factory that fries our potato chips. Biodiversity is the insurance policy we have for food, for medicine, for the ecological benefits such as pest control, and of course the aesthetic and cultural benefits are often an overlooked as a necessity, but although Dr. Ofori-Danson did not mention this, I feel it needs to be reminded that the latter should not be reserved as a luxury for rich ecotourists.

Akwaaba!!

By Jhon Arbelaez

I didn’t know what to expect when I landed in Ghana. I came with no preconceptions of what the country is and it’s people would be like, and did not google or look up anything on Ghana on purpose, so I may learn as I go. So far, I have to say I am impressed by everything so far. The people are extremely friendly and will help you out whenever they can, the accommodations are similar if not better to my apartment in Monterey, and I often find more vegetarian options in restaurants than I do in restaurants in the United States.

The Illusive Windfall: the Natural Gas “Bubble”

By Deanna Bitetti

In Ghana as farmland is taken over to pave the way for the natural gas sector to move in, food productivity is decreasing while prices are increasing. At the same time as food prices are increasing a shortage in housing stock is causing housing prices to rise as well, make it harder for local inhabitants to live and work. Transportation and maintenance prices are rising and large income inequalities are creating massive wealth distribution effects within local areas. Other externalities are also creating problems in the Ghanian coastal areas- closest to the Jubilee Oil Field- that are often not monetarily accounted for when discussing the development possibilities associated with developing the natural gas sector. As we seek out this illusive windfall- so to speak- we must be cognizant about the many high risk factors in continuing quickly forward with natural gas extraction.