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Papers by Bismark Sosu

Oxford University Press eBooks, May 22, 2024

Sorghum As A Substitute For Barley Malt: Guinness Ghana Brewery, 2020

Sorghum is fast rising as one of the most important cereal crops in the world. Its distinct toler... more Sorghum is fast rising as one of the most important cereal crops in the world. Its distinct tolerance to drought and other adverse agro-climatic conditions makes sorghum a favored substitute on marginal land, where maize and wheat do not perform or carry high production risk. With its neutral flavor and high contents of energy, protein, vitamins and minerals, sorghum is well suited for a variety of dishes and beverages. This business proposal essentially sought to measure the level of success associated with breweries like Guinness Ghana Limited venturing into the sorghum production trade.

Conclusions drawn from various tenets of consideration; PESTLE analysis, SWOT analysis, Porter’s Forces, Production cost and projections, Critical risk factors and Elasticity analysis all point to the fact that the trade to a large extent is a viable business. However, on the option of farming it or buying from suppliers, the former seems like a commercially intelligent decision. The success of this business model, nonetheless, depends on critical factors such as access to good quality agricultural produce to ensure end-product quality; stable supply contracts for key sorghum varieties to mitigate price volatility; building trusting relationships with farming communities; strong forward contracts with buyers for our produce, and sufficient stability in demand to be able to charge prices that result in rewarding margins.

In a nutshell, this business proposal's objective is to engage in the option of farming the cereal instead of buying from 3rd party suppliers. Key emphasis should however be placed on warehousing and distribution channels considering they affect product quality the most between production and consumption. Considering the highly volatile nature of farming and its unforeseen barriers, the proposed financial projections can change greatly in the midst of factors ranging from changing climatic conditions natural disasters which are not alien to the farming trade. The option of buying from suppliers however, needs not be discarded as this provides the surest way to safeguard against all these risks. Beyond this, engaging in this venture will potentially yield substantive profit margins.

Understanding and subsequently defining Ghanaian popular culture should require the familiarizati... more Understanding and subsequently defining Ghanaian popular culture should require the familiarization of oneself to the term 'popular'. Barber (1997) chronicles the varying phases of the term from its pejorative use of connoting low-class activities to symbolizing something good emanating from 'the people'. Barber further asserts that, what constitutes popular culture in the West may not necessarily transfer to Africa because the former constitutes lifestyles and productions consumed by the affluent and educated. In Africa however, popular cultural productions are primarily produced and consumed by 'the people' through methods of the modern informal sector (Barber, 1997). This background shapes a definition of Ghanaian popular culture as: cultural productions produced on the backs of ordinary Ghanaians and outside the domains of formal structures. With this understanding, I will argue in this paper that the emergence of the musical genres of Highlife and Hiplife and also the rise of Ghanaian video films have in fact been hugely influenced by Ghana's colonial and post-colonial political environment. The works of Professor John Collins will form a strong basis for the discussion of the two Ghanaian popular musical genres.

In the absence of a standardized definition for Ghanaian popular culture, it becomes necessary to... more In the absence of a standardized definition for Ghanaian popular culture, it becomes necessary to coin a definition with the knowledge of African popular culture. The concept of popular culture in Africa, as Barber (1997) asserts, are cultural productions primarily produced and consumed by the masses through methods of the modern informal sector. In addition to this, White (2008), further identifies popular culture as encompassing cultural activities that are replicated on a large-scale and accessible to a large number of consumers irrespective of their ethnic origins. Against this backdrop, this paper defines Ghanaian popular culture as cultural productions not specific to any ethnic group, and are produced on the backs of ordinary Ghanaians outside the domains of formal structures. This definition leads us to identify the Azonto dance as an example of Ghanaian popular culture whose origin is not specific to any ethnic group in Ghana. In this paper I will argue with examples, how some popular Ghanaian media genres like the hand-painted movie posters, video film, political campaign songs and funeral posters, reflect the complex dynamics of contemporary Ghanaian experiences.

The African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) is a nonreciprocal trade agreement between selected Sub... more The African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) is a nonreciprocal trade agreement between selected Sub-Saharan African countries and the United States of America, allowing duty-free and quota-free access to the U.S market. The Act, following its inception in 2000 is reported to have dramatically increased exports to the U.S market. This paper centers on apparel exports to the U.S from Ghana—an AGOA beneficiary. The apparel sector aside the oil sector has received detailed attention from AGOA considering the fact that it contributes significantly to the socio-economic welfare of Sub-Saharan African nations.
Descriptive data analysis based on data sourced from the AGOA website and the United States International Trade Commission website are relied upon for conclusive purposes. Analysis pivoted around the Harmonized System (HS) codes Chapters 61 (articles of apparel & clothing accessories-knitted or crocheted) and 62 (articles of apparel & clothing accessories-not knitted or crocheted). Findings proved that apparel entering the United States from Ghana has increased substantially since the institution of AGOA. This has consequently led to efforts by the Ghanaian government to revamp the sector in order to take advantage of this opportunity.

David Ricardo developed the classical theory of comparative advantage as an explanation to why na... more David Ricardo developed the classical theory of comparative advantage as an explanation to why nations engage in international trade. In his assertion, a country should export the good in which it has comparative advantage and import the good in which it has comparative disadvantage. The Heckscher-Ohlin (HO) model on the other hand resonated a key message; with two goods, two factors and two countries, a country will export the good that uses its abundant factor intensively and import the other good.

A degrading saying once prevailed, “If you want to hide something from the black person, put it i... more A degrading saying once prevailed, “If you want to hide something from the black person, put it in a book”. Though several generations have rubbished this maxim, the recent poor performances at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (B.E.C.E) only seems to confirm the former. Student performance at the BECE, based on an article publication by The Statesman on September 2012, has dropped from 50.21% in 2009 to 46.93% in 2011. A lot of factors have been attributed to the constant decline of basic school students at this level.

ABSTRACT Music has undoubtedly been the oldest yarn in the Ghanaian fabric—springing into existen... more ABSTRACT
Music has undoubtedly been the oldest yarn in the Ghanaian fabric—springing into existence even long before the ‘invasion’ of the Western world. In our folklores, our joyful festivities and even in times of war, music always found a place among our ancestors. Several generations down the line, in a time set around the 1880s, brass band music emerged.
Credited with this successful take-over of British regimental music were the Ghanaians in Cape Coast and Elmina. In Ghanaians’ own version, ‘adaha’ music was born—the earliest form of highlife. This paper seeks to analyze the journey of one of Ghana’s finest bands—the Local Dimension Highlife band, prodigies in a variety of music styles but primarily tagged with ‘Palmwine’ music.

Thesis Chapters by Bismark Sosu

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between financial inclusion and mobil... more The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between financial inclusion and
mobile money in Ghana. It sought to quantitatively test the wide-spread notion that mobile
money in most cases leads to financial inclusion. The study nonetheless approached this study
from a macro-level approach by considering other macroeconomic and industry-specific
variables such as inflation, deposit interest rate and mobile money respectively. Financial
inclusion was however measured by private credit to GDP.
The study used secondary data mainly sourced from the Bank of Ghana and the World Bank
spanning a 21-year period (1995 to 2015). By combining regression and correlation analysis, the
study determined how macroeconomic variables aside mobile money also affected financial
inclusion. An unpaired sample t-test statistic was also used to determine whether the increase in
financial inclusion before and after mobile money was significant.
Findings of the study from the correlation analysis showed that mobile money had a positive
relationship with financial inclusion with a value of 0.63. From the multiple regression analysis,
mobile money was also found to be a significant determinant of financial inclusion, evident by
its positive coefficient of 3.05 and p-value of 0.019. One of the suggestions for further studies
recommended was the need to identify the barriers to the use of mobile money as its contribution
to financial inclusion has been statistically significant in this short period of operation8888. A
major limitation however, was data unavailability for mobile money which hindered the use of a
rigorous time series approach, considering the fact that the service has been in operation in
Ghana for barely seven years.

Book Reviews by Bismark Sosu

Political Parody and Satire, 2017

The paper, Political parody and satire as subversive speech in global digital sphere, as authored... more The paper, Political parody and satire as subversive speech in global digital sphere, as authored by Kumar (2015), tries to situate parody and satire within the political and social national context. It borrows from the discussions of a number of essays that in essence, examine the amplification of satire with networked media technology. In Kumar's assertion, satire and parody often blend into culture and so, are distinct in each and every society. Their prevalence and use as a form of political and social critique is attributed to restrictions existing in the mainstream media. For this reason, they have seemed to thrive on alternative media platforms-the internet. This outlet relatively filters less and has helped forge satire into functioning as a counter-hegemonic discourse to dominant narratives that have been formulated by power. Aside that, it has often leveraged on exaggerations to increase its audience base (Kumar, 2015).

Oxford University Press eBooks, May 22, 2024

Sorghum As A Substitute For Barley Malt: Guinness Ghana Brewery, 2020

Sorghum is fast rising as one of the most important cereal crops in the world. Its distinct toler... more Sorghum is fast rising as one of the most important cereal crops in the world. Its distinct tolerance to drought and other adverse agro-climatic conditions makes sorghum a favored substitute on marginal land, where maize and wheat do not perform or carry high production risk. With its neutral flavor and high contents of energy, protein, vitamins and minerals, sorghum is well suited for a variety of dishes and beverages. This business proposal essentially sought to measure the level of success associated with breweries like Guinness Ghana Limited venturing into the sorghum production trade.

Conclusions drawn from various tenets of consideration; PESTLE analysis, SWOT analysis, Porter’s Forces, Production cost and projections, Critical risk factors and Elasticity analysis all point to the fact that the trade to a large extent is a viable business. However, on the option of farming it or buying from suppliers, the former seems like a commercially intelligent decision. The success of this business model, nonetheless, depends on critical factors such as access to good quality agricultural produce to ensure end-product quality; stable supply contracts for key sorghum varieties to mitigate price volatility; building trusting relationships with farming communities; strong forward contracts with buyers for our produce, and sufficient stability in demand to be able to charge prices that result in rewarding margins.

In a nutshell, this business proposal's objective is to engage in the option of farming the cereal instead of buying from 3rd party suppliers. Key emphasis should however be placed on warehousing and distribution channels considering they affect product quality the most between production and consumption. Considering the highly volatile nature of farming and its unforeseen barriers, the proposed financial projections can change greatly in the midst of factors ranging from changing climatic conditions natural disasters which are not alien to the farming trade. The option of buying from suppliers however, needs not be discarded as this provides the surest way to safeguard against all these risks. Beyond this, engaging in this venture will potentially yield substantive profit margins.

Understanding and subsequently defining Ghanaian popular culture should require the familiarizati... more Understanding and subsequently defining Ghanaian popular culture should require the familiarization of oneself to the term 'popular'. Barber (1997) chronicles the varying phases of the term from its pejorative use of connoting low-class activities to symbolizing something good emanating from 'the people'. Barber further asserts that, what constitutes popular culture in the West may not necessarily transfer to Africa because the former constitutes lifestyles and productions consumed by the affluent and educated. In Africa however, popular cultural productions are primarily produced and consumed by 'the people' through methods of the modern informal sector (Barber, 1997). This background shapes a definition of Ghanaian popular culture as: cultural productions produced on the backs of ordinary Ghanaians and outside the domains of formal structures. With this understanding, I will argue in this paper that the emergence of the musical genres of Highlife and Hiplife and also the rise of Ghanaian video films have in fact been hugely influenced by Ghana's colonial and post-colonial political environment. The works of Professor John Collins will form a strong basis for the discussion of the two Ghanaian popular musical genres.

In the absence of a standardized definition for Ghanaian popular culture, it becomes necessary to... more In the absence of a standardized definition for Ghanaian popular culture, it becomes necessary to coin a definition with the knowledge of African popular culture. The concept of popular culture in Africa, as Barber (1997) asserts, are cultural productions primarily produced and consumed by the masses through methods of the modern informal sector. In addition to this, White (2008), further identifies popular culture as encompassing cultural activities that are replicated on a large-scale and accessible to a large number of consumers irrespective of their ethnic origins. Against this backdrop, this paper defines Ghanaian popular culture as cultural productions not specific to any ethnic group, and are produced on the backs of ordinary Ghanaians outside the domains of formal structures. This definition leads us to identify the Azonto dance as an example of Ghanaian popular culture whose origin is not specific to any ethnic group in Ghana. In this paper I will argue with examples, how some popular Ghanaian media genres like the hand-painted movie posters, video film, political campaign songs and funeral posters, reflect the complex dynamics of contemporary Ghanaian experiences.

The African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) is a nonreciprocal trade agreement between selected Sub... more The African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) is a nonreciprocal trade agreement between selected Sub-Saharan African countries and the United States of America, allowing duty-free and quota-free access to the U.S market. The Act, following its inception in 2000 is reported to have dramatically increased exports to the U.S market. This paper centers on apparel exports to the U.S from Ghana—an AGOA beneficiary. The apparel sector aside the oil sector has received detailed attention from AGOA considering the fact that it contributes significantly to the socio-economic welfare of Sub-Saharan African nations.
Descriptive data analysis based on data sourced from the AGOA website and the United States International Trade Commission website are relied upon for conclusive purposes. Analysis pivoted around the Harmonized System (HS) codes Chapters 61 (articles of apparel & clothing accessories-knitted or crocheted) and 62 (articles of apparel & clothing accessories-not knitted or crocheted). Findings proved that apparel entering the United States from Ghana has increased substantially since the institution of AGOA. This has consequently led to efforts by the Ghanaian government to revamp the sector in order to take advantage of this opportunity.

David Ricardo developed the classical theory of comparative advantage as an explanation to why na... more David Ricardo developed the classical theory of comparative advantage as an explanation to why nations engage in international trade. In his assertion, a country should export the good in which it has comparative advantage and import the good in which it has comparative disadvantage. The Heckscher-Ohlin (HO) model on the other hand resonated a key message; with two goods, two factors and two countries, a country will export the good that uses its abundant factor intensively and import the other good.

A degrading saying once prevailed, “If you want to hide something from the black person, put it i... more A degrading saying once prevailed, “If you want to hide something from the black person, put it in a book”. Though several generations have rubbished this maxim, the recent poor performances at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (B.E.C.E) only seems to confirm the former. Student performance at the BECE, based on an article publication by The Statesman on September 2012, has dropped from 50.21% in 2009 to 46.93% in 2011. A lot of factors have been attributed to the constant decline of basic school students at this level.

ABSTRACT Music has undoubtedly been the oldest yarn in the Ghanaian fabric—springing into existen... more ABSTRACT
Music has undoubtedly been the oldest yarn in the Ghanaian fabric—springing into existence even long before the ‘invasion’ of the Western world. In our folklores, our joyful festivities and even in times of war, music always found a place among our ancestors. Several generations down the line, in a time set around the 1880s, brass band music emerged.
Credited with this successful take-over of British regimental music were the Ghanaians in Cape Coast and Elmina. In Ghanaians’ own version, ‘adaha’ music was born—the earliest form of highlife. This paper seeks to analyze the journey of one of Ghana’s finest bands—the Local Dimension Highlife band, prodigies in a variety of music styles but primarily tagged with ‘Palmwine’ music.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between financial inclusion and mobil... more The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between financial inclusion and
mobile money in Ghana. It sought to quantitatively test the wide-spread notion that mobile
money in most cases leads to financial inclusion. The study nonetheless approached this study
from a macro-level approach by considering other macroeconomic and industry-specific
variables such as inflation, deposit interest rate and mobile money respectively. Financial
inclusion was however measured by private credit to GDP.
The study used secondary data mainly sourced from the Bank of Ghana and the World Bank
spanning a 21-year period (1995 to 2015). By combining regression and correlation analysis, the
study determined how macroeconomic variables aside mobile money also affected financial
inclusion. An unpaired sample t-test statistic was also used to determine whether the increase in
financial inclusion before and after mobile money was significant.
Findings of the study from the correlation analysis showed that mobile money had a positive
relationship with financial inclusion with a value of 0.63. From the multiple regression analysis,
mobile money was also found to be a significant determinant of financial inclusion, evident by
its positive coefficient of 3.05 and p-value of 0.019. One of the suggestions for further studies
recommended was the need to identify the barriers to the use of mobile money as its contribution
to financial inclusion has been statistically significant in this short period of operation8888. A
major limitation however, was data unavailability for mobile money which hindered the use of a
rigorous time series approach, considering the fact that the service has been in operation in
Ghana for barely seven years.

Political Parody and Satire, 2017

The paper, Political parody and satire as subversive speech in global digital sphere, as authored... more The paper, Political parody and satire as subversive speech in global digital sphere, as authored by Kumar (2015), tries to situate parody and satire within the political and social national context. It borrows from the discussions of a number of essays that in essence, examine the amplification of satire with networked media technology. In Kumar's assertion, satire and parody often blend into culture and so, are distinct in each and every society. Their prevalence and use as a form of political and social critique is attributed to restrictions existing in the mainstream media. For this reason, they have seemed to thrive on alternative media platforms-the internet. This outlet relatively filters less and has helped forge satire into functioning as a counter-hegemonic discourse to dominant narratives that have been formulated by power. Aside that, it has often leveraged on exaggerations to increase its audience base (Kumar, 2015).