This study assesses the performances of forest personnel in Akwa Ibom State in meeting their target revenue for the state using qualitative and quantitative approaches. The primary data were obtained using a structured questionnaire, oral interviews, and direct observation, while the secondary data were obtained from all the 31 Divisions and the Directorate of Forestry in Akwa Ibom State. Data collected were analyzed using the descriptive and stochastic frontier analysis to assess efficiency The results obtained showed that the majority of the respondents were male (59.50%), in their economically active and productive age bracket (50.41), attended tertiary education (79.33%), were married (69.42%), had a family size of fewer than 5 members (71.90%), and received a monthly income of ₦41,000 - ₦50,000 (42.15%). Also, the majority of the respondents had been in service for 11 – 15 years (30.23%), resided in their stations (72.09%), and received various forms of in-training (65.12%) to enhance their effectiveness or performance. Most of the Uniformed Field staff patrolled their divisions daily with their superior visiting their divisions more than once a month. The majority (53.84%) of the Forest Officers had less than 10 years' experience and their technical efficiency ranged from 0.35 to 0.97. The study, therefore, recommends that a more conducive working environment should be provided for the forest personnel to be able to optimize their performances which would translate to increased revenue generation for the state.

https://sriopenjournals.com/index.php/forestry_agricultural_review/article/download/63/60

Assessment of Forest Personnel Performance in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

There is limited empirical evidence regarding mental health in workplace settings in Africa. Gold mining is a major industry in Ghana, and this study investigated mental health-related symptoms and the factors contributing to such symptoms among employees in the Ghanaian. A cross-sectional survey design study was used to collect data from employees working in the mining industry across five gold mines in Ghana. All mining employees were invited to participate in the survey. Sociodemographic and work characteristic data (including job content) was collected alongside measures of recent mental health-related symptoms (Kessler-10). Questionnaires were administered in English. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression models. Of 1165 participants (response rate: 78%), 87% were male and 13% were female. The majority of the participants were in the 25–34 age category. Psychological distress was categorized as low (62.6%), moderate (24.3%), high (10.0%) and very high (3.2%). Shift type (working 12 h or more), physical working conditions and financial factors were significantly associated with psychological distress. Job resources and job demands was not significantly associated with levels of psychological distress. This is the first study to explore mental health in the Ghanaian gold mining industry. The findings identify workplace factors associated with psychological distress in the mining industry in Ghana and support the importance of promoting mental health as part of workplace health and safety strategy to improve mental health across the mining population.

Mental health and mining: the Ghanaian gold mining story.

This study sought to find out the relationship between education and wages differentials and other factors that may account for the differences in wages among the various categories of workers as well as to determine factors that lead to investments in higher forms of education. The instrument employed for the investigation is mainly questionnaires. The research targeted a sample size of 100. The population considered was the labor force in Accra. However, considering the target group and how busy they are, resources and not having the luxury of time, we settled for a sample size of 100. The sampling technique employed was convenience sampling. The respondents were public and private sector workers. Pie charts, bar graphs, scatter diagrams and tables were employed to explain the pattern of some variables. Our findings showed that aside education, there were other factors that attributed to the existing wage differentials. Some of these factors include the sex of the worker, sector in which the worker works in, company policy, skills and working conditions. All these are significant causes of wage differentials.

https://hrmars.com/papers_submitted/528/Relationship_between_Education_and_Wage_differentials_in_Ghana.pdf

Eunice Ahouandjinou

Papers

Relationship between Education and Wage differentials in Ghana: A Case Study of Accra - a Suburb of greater Accra Region