Accra Institute of Technology

This study investigates the relationship between financial literacy and household wealth creation among employees in Ghana, focusing on how demographic factors such as age, education level, and gender moderate this relationship. Using primary data collected through a cross-sectional survey and analyzed through partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), the study tests two hypotheses related to financial literacy and its impact on household wealth. The findings indicate that financial literacy has a significant positive effect on household wealth creation, suggesting that an increase in financial literacy corresponds to an increase in household wealth. The study also finds that demographic factors, particularly age and education level, significantly moderate the relationship between financial literacy and household wealth. Gender, however, does not show a significant moderating effect. These results align with previous studies in developed economies, but offer new insights into the relevance of financial literacy in the context of a developing economy like Ghana. The study is underpinned by social exchange theory and contributes to the growing body of literature on financial literacy and wealth creation, with policy and practical implications for improving financial education and wealth management practices among employees in Ghana.

Purpose This study investigates the impact of contemporary management and leadership styles on sustainable business performance. With sustainable business performance as the dependent variable, modern management approaches and leadership styles were designated as independent variables, and innovation was the mediating variable. This study employs economic, environmental and social sustainability as proxies for sustainable business performance. Systems thinking, total quality management, lean management, agile management and matrix management were used as proxies for contemporary management. Transformational, servant, authentic and situational leadership styles. Design/methodology/approach Among the 23 registered banks in Ghana, this study focuses on nine banks listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange. A survey questionnaire was designed, and a stratified purposive sampling technique was employed, resulting in a sample of 405 completed questionnaires. Data analysis was performed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to assess the seven hypotheses. Findings The findings suggest that leadership styles and modern management approaches positively and statistically significantly impact sustainable business performance. The findings also demonstrate that innovation has a positive and statistically significant influence on sustainable business performance. Additionally, the results indicate that innovation partially mediates the relationship between leadership style, modern management approaches and sustainable business performance. Practical implications These findings emphasise the importance of modern management practices and adaptive leadership for sustainability. Policymakers should endorse training that fosters flexible leadership and innovation, and managers should adopt practices aligned with these insights to enhance sustainable performance and gain a competitive advantage. Originality/value This study explores the relationship between contemporary management practices and leadership styles in fostering sustainable business performance, particularly the mediating role of innovation.

BackgroundPediatric spinal cord tumors (PSCTs) comprise an estimated 10% of all central nervous system tumors in children. Understanding their distribution, management and outcomes is crucial, especially in resource-limited settings. This study aims to evaluate the available data on PSCTs in Africa, contribute to evidence-based neurosurgical management and thus improve patients’ outcomes.MethodsA systematic review of the literature using PubMed/MEDLINE, SCOPUS, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to identify African articles on PSCTs.ResultsSixteen articles from twelve countries were included, totaling 282 patients. Males represented 53.8% (14/26) of cases. Urinary symptoms were reported in 16.7% (4/24) of patients. Diagnostic imaging techniques varied, with CT scans utilized in 70.8% (17/24) and MRI in 87.5% (21/24) of cases. Histopathological analysis revealed definitive diagnoses for 196 patients, with benign tumors representing 68.4% (134/196) of cases. Meningiomas were most common at 20.4% (40/196). Gliomas were the second most common representing 16.3% (32/196) of cases followed by mesenchymal, non-meningioma tumours in 11.2% (22/196). Metastases to the CNS were evident in 1% (2/196) of patients. Surgical treatment was the primary management in 72.1% (31/51) of cases with clinical improvement observed in 66.7% (34/51) whilst mortality was recorded in 14% (6/43) of patients.ConclusionThis study emphasises benign tumours, particularly meningiomas, as the prevalent PSCTs in Africa, with surgical intervention as the mainstay of treatment associated with favourable outcomes. To enhance understanding of pediatric spinal tumors in Africa, further research is warranted to elucidate the histological subtypes, management strategies and associated outcomes.

peer reviewed

Abstract This study aims to understand how ‘employability’ factors and ‘work climate’ affect the effective implementation of service charter protocols in the public sector context. The study employed a quantitative method anchored on the Understanding-Skillfulness-Efficacy belief-metacognition (USEM) model and self-determination theory, utilising the convenience sampling method in surveying 402 graduate employees of the civil service in Ghana. The findings confirm that skillfulness, efficacy belief, and metacognition employability elements derived from the USEM employability model significantly influence the service charter’s effectiveness. Meanwhile, ‘work climate’ significantly moderates the ‘efficacy-belief-service charters’ effectiveness (SCE)’ relationship. However, understanding the subject matter did not significantly impact SCE. This study makes a novel contribution to the services literature by addressing how ‘employability’ elements and ‘work climate’ interact to influence service charters’ effectiveness, an area of study needing more attention in services literature.

The main objective of this study was to examine the sustainability of budget deficits and public debt in the Ghanaian economy. This study utilised the GDP growth rate as an indicator of economic growth, functioning as the dependent variable. Public debt levels and budget deficits were identified as the principal independent variables, but government expenditure and revenue were included as control variables to mitigate their potential impact on the analysis. This study used annual time-series data from 1990 to 2021 for thirty-two years. This study employed dynamic OLS and ECM Models to examine the effects of budget deficits and public debt economic growth on long- and short-run relationships. The results indicate that budget deficits and public debt negatively impact economic growth in the long run, but budget deficits are insignificant. This finding suggests that budget deficits and public debt are not sustainable over the long term. The results further reveal that budget deficits are sustainable in the short run relationship with economic growth, whereas public debt is not. Additionally, the results indicate that government expenditure and revenue negatively impact economic growth in the short-term. This study is the first to use intertemporal budget constraints to assess the Ghanaian economy's budget deficits and public debts. These results confirm Ghana's current economic status. The results will enable policymakers to review their debt management strategies to better distribute debt to profitable industries and activities while preventing inefficient use of resources.

Retention of medical doctors within the public healthcare sector has remained a pressing challenge in Ghana. This study is guided by the Equity theory (1965). The study employed the use of a cross-sectional hospital-based study conducted in three public-based hospitals in Accra, Ghana namely: Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, and University of Ghana Medical Center, Accra. Using a random sampling method, a tagret study population of 370 medical doctors was obtained and a sample size of 192 was obtained using the Yamane formula. The instrument of data collection was a structured questionnaire. A total of 200 questionnaires were distributed with 193 returned representing a 96.5% response rate. The study evaluated the collected using descriptive statistics using: tables, mean, frequencies, and percentages and also established the research objectives employing inferential statistics where a linear regression model was employed. The dependent variable was retention (RETM), while the independent variable was salary remuneration (SRM), financial bonuses (FBM), and the prompt payment of financial entitlements (PPM). The result of the regression analysis shows that the R-square is 0.445, the relationship between RETM and SRM was statistically significant at P-value<0.05, while the coefficient is positively related at 0.242. The relationship between RETM and FBM was also positive and statistically significant at a p-value<0.05 and a coefficient of 0.589. There was a p-value>0.05 between RETM and PPM showing a non-significant relationship. The study concludes that salary remuneration and financial bonuses are the most influential financial factors in retaining medical doctors in public hospitals. The study recommends increasing the salaries of medical doctors and introducing performance-based financial bonuses to retain medical doctors.

Social isolation and loneliness seriously impact the physical and mental quality of health and longevity. Social isolation and loneliness are important yet neglected social determinants for people of all ages. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are among the leading causes of death globally, and loneliness has been linked to worsening outcomes of CVD. This review aims to evaluate the impact of loneliness/social/self-isolation among adults living with any cardiovascular disease. A systematic search was done from inception to 23rd January 2025 on PubMed and Google Scholar, and 4,198 articles were synthesized; these articles were screened for duplication, and the duplicate articles were removed. A total of 3,606 articles underwent title and abstract screening, and 3,505 articles were removed following the predefined eligibility criteria. One hundred and one articles underwent full-text screening, and only 13 articles were included for qualitative analysis. We includedadults aged 18 and above living alone/socially isolated with any cardiovascular disease. This systematic review analyzed 13 studies across eight countries, encompassing 63,978 participants, of whom 12,110 were identified as living alone or socially isolated, 7,264 male and 3,745 female participants; one study included only male participants, while two studies didn't mention the number of male and female participants. The findings provide compelling evidence that loneliness is associated with adverse cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes, including increased mortality, recurrent cardiovascular events, and higher hospitalization rates. Addressingloneliness and social isolation should be a priority in cardiovascular disease prevention and management. Integrating social interventions could significantly improve the prognosis of individuals living with CVD, ultimately reducing morbidity and mortality rates in this vulnerable population.

Purpose The Sub-Saharan Africa region is characterized by volatile and uncertain macroeconomic conditions, which can significantly impact business operations and overall economic stability. It is, thus, essential to understand how fiscal and monetary policies interact and influence the governance structures and performance of firms in the region. This paper aims to examine the interaction effect of these policies on the nexus between corporate governance and firm performance. Design/methodology/approach This study used a panel research design with a sample size of 309 firms observed over seven years, from 2016 to 2022. The study used the Huber M-estimation Robust Least Squares (HMRLS) regression technique to analyze the results. Findings The authors’ results show that corporate governance in the SSA region exerts a positive and significant effect on firm performance. Further analysis indicates that the impact of corporate governance on improving firm performance is not independent, but rather, it is also affected by the existing macroeconomic policy environment where firms operate. Research limitations/implications The findings of this research are specific to selected Anglophone SSA countries and cannot be extended to Francophone and other developing countries. Also, the current study relies on the corporate governance information disclosed in publicly available annual reports to construct its corporate governance index. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is unique as it appears to be the first of its kind in SSA. It addresses a research gap by investigating the moderating effect of fiscal and monetary policies on corporate governance and firm performance nexus.