This study observed hand hygiene and safety behaviours of shoppers and shop keepers with respect to COVID-19 safety protocols in shopping centres in Wa, a business centre in North-western Ghana. Based on the theory of planned behaviour, the behaviours of 751 customers of 50 shops with handwashing facilities were observed from April to June 2020. It was observed that adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols at shopping centres was very poor. Although the shops observed provided handwashing facilities, 91.3% of the customers did not practise handwashing before entering the shops. Also, 84.2% of them did not wear mouth-and-nose masks during shopping. Similarly, for 78% of the shops observed, no shop attendant wore a mask. Despite the provision of handwashing facilities and widespread advocacy to minimise the infection of COVID-19, the citizenry, especially the youth, demonstrate a poor attitude towards safety measures. Non-adherence to COVID-19 protocols was higher in shops where there was no pressure to conform to the protocols. The findings, amidst the increasing number of infections, suggest that attitude and perceived behavioural control are critical to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and, as such, could be good entry points for behavioural interventions.

Poverty reduction has been a challenge in developing countries, pushing many development partners to devise strategies to tackle it. One of such strategies is the provision of water services. Although there has been much focus on water provision, the practice and benefits of integrating multiple-use water services in the design and implementation have been underexplored. This paper argues for the role of multiple-use water services in reducing rural poverty, especially among women. This is based on a case study that was conducted in two communities in the Upper West Region where multipleuse water services have been provided. Data was collected using focus groups discussion mainly with water user associations who are made up of women only, survey of 26 households, and physical observations of the water infrastructure and activities around the infrastructure. We found that access to water services saved time in water collection and contributed to increase household productive hours. Consequently, this resulted in increased output in their economic activities with positive ripple effects on other sectors of the rural economy, leading to poverty reduction as indicated by the participants. It is argued that investing in multiple-use water services is a major way of empowering women to actively engage in multiple streams of income and thus a great potential for achieving the sustainable development goals.

Climate change has attracted the attention of all stakeholders, ranging from individuals in the household through to global organisations in the international community. As an inevitable phenomenon at the moment, adaptation is the key response to minimising the unfavourable effects of climate change. While there are several adaptation strategies, rural areas mostly use migration as an ultimate and most reliable option. Rural migration in Ghana is mostly from the north to the south. This paper examines the factors that influence individuals and households' decision to use migration as an adaptation strategy to climate change effects in North-western Ghana. Data was collected using household questionnaire in four communities and analysed using statistical package for social science, version 20.0. The study established that although there are other reasons for migration, it is used essentially as an adaptation strategy to the effects of climate change on livelihood. The study concludes that the debate on climate change and migration should no longer be whether climate change causes human migration but how the effects of climate change influence migrants' resolve to migrate as an adaptation strategy. Such an analysis allows policy makers to find practical adaptive capacity measures that can offset the challenges at the original homes of migrants.

Globally, poverty reduction has remained prominent in the development agenda of donors, governments and civil society organisations. Various strategies have been employed by these stakeholders to reduce poverty especially in rural areas of the developing world. Historically, although water provision has received much attention, integrating multiple-use water systems in the design and implementation was less emphasised. This paper presents findings on a case study that was conducted in three communities in north-western Ghana where multiple water use systems have been provided with the aim of alleviating poverty, especially among women. The main methods used in gathering data include focus group discussion, household survey and interviews. The study established that the provision of water facilities has had several social benefits. In terms of economic activities, the women have been empowered to actively engage in multiple income streams. Despite the benefits from the water facilities, marginalisation of women as regard the facility in one of the communities poses a threat to the sustainability and poverty reduction efforts. This can be overcome with the intervention of the District Assembly who has oversight responsibility over development interventions in the area.

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