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Papers by Appiah Samson

Ghana Social Science Journal, Jun 1, 2018

CHILD LABOUR OR CHILD WORK? CHILDREN AND TOBACCO PRODUCTION IN GBEFI, VOLTA REGION Samson Obed Ap... more CHILD LABOUR OR CHILD WORK? CHILDREN AND TOBACCO PRODUCTION IN GBEFI, VOLTA REGION Samson Obed Appiah Abstract Child labour has attracted global attention in recent times but remains an important but controversial issue. This is because conceptually, where to draw the distinction between child labour and child work is still debated within the academic community based on apparent differences among International conventions, developmental strategies, policies, social norms and backgrounds. For a developing nation like Ghana, the participation of children in agricultural production is culturally accepted but their involvement affects their educational attainment, and also constitutes child labour according to ILO conventions. The paper assesses the involvement of children in tobacco production in the Gbefi community of the Kpando Municipal Assembly through a qualitative in-depth interview with forty (40) children and ten (10) household heads. Six key informants (an official of the Social Welfare Department, the assembly member of the town, the secretary to the Community Child Protection Committee, two headmasters and a teacher) were also interviewed. The paper argues that, increased involvement of children in tobacco production was a means by which smallholder farmers have generally relied on family labour to perform some of their activities. In this way, engaging in tobacco production helps children, especially, orphans and those whose parents are incapable of taking care of them to acquire money, farming skills and enable them cater for themselves despite its negative effects on their educational attainment and moral lives. The study recommends policies and programmes that would provide job opportunities and viable income generating activities for the local people to ensure a gradual shift from tobacco production to other economically viable activities provided by the state. Keywords: Child Labour, Child Work, Tobacco Production, Gbefi, Children Involvement.

Ghana Social Science Journal, 2018

CHILD LABOUR OR CHILD WORK? CHILDREN AND TOBACCO PRODUCTION IN GBEFI, VOLTA REGION Samson Obed A... more CHILD LABOUR OR CHILD WORK?
CHILDREN AND TOBACCO PRODUCTION IN GBEFI, VOLTA REGION

Samson Obed Appiah

Abstract
Child labour has attracted global attention in recent times but remains an important but controversial issue. This is because conceptually, where to draw the distinction between child labour and child work is still debated within the academic community based on apparent differences among International conventions, developmental strategies, policies, social norms and backgrounds. For a developing nation like Ghana, the participation of children in agricultural production is culturally accepted but their involvement affects their educational attainment, and also constitutes child labour according to ILO conventions. The paper assesses the involvement of children in tobacco production in the Gbefi community of the Kpando Municipal Assembly through a qualitative in-depth interview with forty (40) children and ten (10) household heads. Six key informants (an official of the Social Welfare Department, the assembly member of the town, the secretary to the Community Child Protection Committee, two headmasters and a teacher) were also interviewed. The paper argues that, increased involvement of children in tobacco production was a means by which smallholder farmers have generally relied on family labour to perform some of their activities. In this way, engaging in tobacco production helps children, especially, orphans and those whose parents are incapable of taking care of them to acquire money, farming skills and enable them cater for themselves despite its negative effects on their educational attainment and moral lives. The study recommends policies and programmes that would provide job opportunities and viable income generating activities for the local people to ensure a gradual shift from tobacco production to other economically viable activities provided by the state.

Keywords: Child Labour, Child Work, Tobacco Production, Gbefi, Children Involvement.

Ghana Journal of Geography, 2019

The occupational environment in which artisans work may expose them to work-related injuries, chr... more The occupational environment in which artisans work may expose them to work-related injuries, chronic illness, stress and, disability. In order to understand the issue of workplace safety among artisans in the informal small-scale enterprises, there is the need to explore their general level of safety. Consequently, it will be possible to suggest possible ways of improving their health conditions and safety in the work place. This paper examined the general level of safety of automobile artisans at the Kokompe Artisanal Centre in Accra as well as assessing their level of awareness about occupational accidents and injuries they are exposed to and the preventive measures in place. The qualitative in-depth interview and observational methods were used to examine incidences of work-related injuries and accidents among the artisans. In all 58 artisans including auto-mechanics, auto-electricians, auto-welders, auto sprayers and auto-spare parts dealers were selected through convenience and snowballing sampling techniques. The working conditions of the artisans were poor due to haphazard siting of temporary workshops by squatter artisans resulting in multiple exposures to different hazards: physical, psychosocial and ergonomic hazards leading various forms of work-related physical injuries well as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and work-related illnesses. The contributing factors of accidents and injuries were: human, environmental and mechanical factors. The physical environment and the nature of work are both hazardous since the work entails improper sitting posture, lifting of heavy objects and generally working without any safety measures. The artisans were mostly aware of the many dangers associated their work which is largely unregulated. For policy implication, city authorities must consider a re-engineering of the entire workplace of the artisans by planning and demarcating the structure in accordance with standard practice to enable work to be done in a safe and healthy environment.

UNILAG Sociological Review, 2018

Communication Strategy is a key component of the development process since it serves as the guide... more Communication Strategy is a key component of the development process since it serves as the guideline for relating with stakeholders in executing projects. It is through this component that stakeholders are mapped, specifically targeted; appropriate channels of communication selected and messages developed together with stakeholders to meet their communication needs. However, over the years, many projects have been implemented with less than average impact being made due to the absence of underlying gender issues. This paper assessed the level of gender incorporation into communication strategy design and implementation by purposively selecting two NGOs namely Action Aid Ghana (AAG) and Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). The paper combined the in-depth and key informant interview approaches in the data collection process. In all, five respondents made up of four communication team members from the two NGOs and a gender advocate were interviewed. Data were thematically analyzed based on the main objective of the paper. The study revealed that gender was highly considered in both organizations and was a key aspect of activity implementation. However, its incorporation into communication strategy design was poor and based on organizational factors and the capacity of the Communication officer to facilitate it. The paper recommended the need for proper stakeholder involvement in the design process as well training of communication personnel on gender issues.

Books by Appiah Samson

In S.M. Alidu. A.I. Braimah & C.K. Mbowura (Eds.), Contemporary Issues in Ghana: Politics, Security, Conflicts and Identity (pp. 123-143). Woeli Publishing Services., 2020

Abstract Increased female participation in policing is important in bridging the gender gap and ... more Abstract

Increased female participation in policing is important in bridging the gender gap and reducing the traditional stereotypes of the police service as male dominated. This can only be achieved when the experiences and challenges of those in the service are known and documented. This paper
examines the lived experiences, challenges and coping strategies of female police officers in the East Legon Command of the Ghana Police Service in Accra-Ghana. The qualitative in-depth interview method was used to select 20 female police officers who are also active members of the Police Ladies Association (POLAS) of the Ghana Police Service and have been in the profession for more than five years. Purpose and Convenience sampling method was then used to select the respondents. An interview guide was used to collect data from the respondents through in-depth interviews. The paper concluded that, the respondents had cherished experiences as policewomen as such as the respect, recognition and assistance they get from the public as female police officers. However, they experienced police operational challenges such lack of respect and intimidation by senior officers, peace keeping duties challenges, challenge of combining work with family responsibilities, gender stereotypes and discriminations as well as occupational stress. The paper recommended among others the need for a quota for female recruitment and periodic seminars on stress management and coping strategies.

Keywords: Policing, women, experiences and challenges