PurposeThe excellence in design and greater efficiencies (EDGE) certification system has seen a gradual adoption worldwide, with Ghana having six out of its eight certified green buildings bearing an EDGE certification. However, little is known about occupants’ satisfaction with the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) of EDGE-certified buildings. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the satisfaction of occupants with the IEQ of an EDGE-certified building in Ghana by identifying their perceived performance of the indoor environment relative to their perceived importance.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted to evaluate the performance of 12 IEQ parameters with the occupants of an EDGE-certified office building. The survey results were evaluated using a gap analysis and both traditional and alternative Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) matrices.FindingsThe findings revealed that noise level, temperature, cleanliness, sound privacy, air quality and humidity were IEQs that required the highest priority for improvement. Daylight and artificial lighting showed no appreciable performance gap. Space layout was adequately satisfied, whereas space size was overly satisfied. Visual privacy and outdoor view were found to require low priority of improvement.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the state-of-the-art of the IEQ of green buildings. It pioneers the research that seeks to examine the IEQ of EDGE-certified buildings. The gap analysis and the IPA were effective in prioritizing the IEQs for improvement action and provided a practical research framework that helped researchers examine the performance of green buildings, thereby giving valuable feedback to policymakers and building owners.

Background Unmet need for contraception is highest in low-and middle-income countries. In Papua New Guinea, about 26% of married women and 65% of unmarried sexually active women have an unmet need for contraception. This study investigated the prevalence and correlates of unmet need for contraception among women in Papua New Guinea. Methods Data for the study were extracted from the most recent 2016–18 Papua New Guinea Demographic and Health Survey. We included 7950 women with complete data on all variables of interest. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the factors associated with unmet needs for contraception using four models. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to present the  results of the regression analysis. Results We found that the overall unmet need for contraception was 32.2%. The odds of unmet needs for contraception was higher among cohabiting women [AOR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.01, 1.56], women with 1–3 births [AOR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.18, 2.08], and women with 4 or more births [AOR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.13, 2.27]. Likewise, a higher probability of unmet need was found among women whose partners decided on their healthcare as compared to those who decided on their own healthcare [AOR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.066, 1.71]. With regards to wealth, the likelihood of unmet contraceptive need decreased with an increase in wealth status. With region, it was found that women in the Mamose region had greater likelihood of unmet contraceptive need compared to those in Southern region [AOR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.09, 1.63]. Conclusion Our study contributes to the discussion on unmet need for contraception in the context of Papua New Guinea. We found the overall prevalence of unmet need for contraception to be relatively high among women in Papua New Guinea. Public health interventions aimed at addressing women's contraception needs should be encouraged so that women can make informed decisions about contraceptive use. These interventions should be implemented taking into consideration significant socio-demographic characteristics of women as identified in this study.

Background Justification of intimate partner violence (IPV) has several implications, including reduced likelihood of help-seeking, increased experiences episodes of partner abuses, and poor health status and outcomes. However, in Papua New Guinea (PNG), where IPV is among the highest globally, little is known about factors influencing IPV justification among women in union. This study aimed at examining the prevalence of IPV justification and associated factors among women in union in PNG. Methods Data from the nationally representative cross-sectional demographic and health survey conducted among women aged 15–49 years during 2016–2018 in PNG were used. In all 9,943 women aged 15–49 years who were married or cohabiting during the survey were included. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed and the results reported as crude odds ratios (cOR) and adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results Overall, almost 7 in 10 women (68.9%, 95%CI:68.0–69.9) justified IPV. Multiple regression analysis revealed that co-habitation (aOR: 1.33, 95%CI: 1.17–1.50, p < 0.001), polygyny (aOR: 1.36, 95%CI: 1.20–1.53, p < 0.001), exposure to television (aOR: 1.24, 95%CI: 1.08–1.42, p = 0.002) and richer wealth status (aOR: 1.19, 95%CI: 1.01–1.40, p = 0.035), significantly increased the odds of justifying IPV. We found significantly lower odds of IPV justification among women aged 45–49 years (aOR: 0.53, 95%CI: 0.37–0.77, p = 0.001) and those with higher level of education (aOR: 0.56, 95%CI: 0.42–0.74, p < 0.001). Conclusion The prevalence of IPV justification was high among women in union in PNG. Women’s justification of IPV was associated with socio-demographic and economic factors. Our findings call for appropriate strategies including public education and empowerment programmes that target IPV in PNG. Moreover, strategies and interventions to address IPV justification should target the women’s socio-economic and demographic contexts that influence IPV justification.

PurposeThe absence of effective stakeholder engagement at the early planning and implementation stages impact projects negatively. However, the role of stakeholders in Sustainable Procurement (SP) is not well recognized and as such there is limited involvement of stakeholders in sustainable procurement of public (SPP) works. This research aims to examine the barriers to stakeholder engagement in SPP works.Design/methodology/approachA survey of 104 respondents from eight procurement entities of tertiary institutions in Ghana was undertaken and validated with seven procurement experts. After satisfying all the necessary tests of reliability of the survey instrument and sample size, the data was subjected to the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to determine the critical barriers.FindingsThe study's results indicate that there are three cluster of barriers to stakeholder engagement in SPP works. They are organisational structures and knowledge driven factors, attitudinal and stakeholder fatigue and relational and information sharing processes.Practical implicationsThis study offers relevant data for policy makers, organisations and local communities in establishing controls against barriers to stakeholder engagement. Furthermore, this research presents policy makers with recommendations to improve communication and organisational policies in enhancing stakeholder participation in SPP works in Ghana and other developing countries.Originality/valueAlthough studies on SP has increased with time, issues such as obstacles to stakeholder engagement in SP remain unexplored. Empirical data presented in this study bridges the gap that exists on the barriers of stakeholder engagement in SPP works in the Ghana Construction Industry.

Extreme climate change is an existential threat to humanity and infrastructure development. At the same time, the construction and operation of carbon-intense public-private partnership (PPP) infrastructure such as road transport, water, public houses, energy supply and saniation unleash most of the greenhouse gas emissions that impacts negatively on the climate. Increasingly, there is a heightened interests in the development and financing of climate-smart PPP solutions to save our planet from climate disaster. Therefore, in this present study, a critical review to identify the key driving factors and challenges for climate-smart PPP solutions was undertaken together with recommendations. The paper utilised a systematic literature review (SLR) method where data was sourced from prominent academic databases of Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and PubMed. The outcomes of the review demonstrate key drivers such as the urgent need to attain net-zero carbon emission targets and climate activisim to transition to low-carbon public infrastructures. The barriers identified include poor responses to resolving climate crisis in the PPP infrastructures, and lapses in project policies and practices to achieve climate-resilient PPPs. The results of this article highlight relevant gaps and recommendations for further research and management of PPP projects.