• From the Director
• ISSER’s land research at final phase
• Land reform will lead to socio-economic development
• Ghana can become financial services centre in Africa
• Why is land tenure reform necessary?

• Land banks in Ghana
• Increase tertiary enrolment but uphold quality education
• Make use of opportunities in global market
• Book reviews:

•  -The Profits of Power
• – Land Rights and Agricultural Investments in Ghana

• Agricultural Market Access in Ghana
• Recent Publications by ISSER
• Additions to Population and Social Science Library
• Dr. Felix Asante selected first member of African Network on Good Governance
• Best worker award
• Appointments
• Retirements
• ISSER’s mission and vision

Welcome to this edition of The Researcher, the newsletter of the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research, ISSER. The Researcher aims to provide information on work and developments at ISSER. It also aspires crucially to provide an open line of communication between the Institute and its stakeholders.

ISSER’s mandate is to carry out research that is geared towards socio-economic development in Ghana and Africa. Research by ISSER is expected to have immediate bearing on the development problems and needs of Ghana and the rest of Africa. It is often in response to the direct demands of government and other stakeholders for information and strategies for improving the well-being of people.  At the same time, ISSER research seeks to maintain a focus on the academic purpose of the institution and a commitment to add to existing knowledge about society and development in Ghana and Africa.

The Institute has faithfully kept to its mandate since its establishment. Over the years, it has built a strong capacity base and solid reputation. The Institute’s performance over the years, continue to show remarkable improvements over time. ISSER continues to expand on the number of its publications, workshops, international conferences and seminars.

The first half of the 2005/2006 academic year saw the rolling out of the 2nd Annual Development Seminar Series at the British Council Hall in Accra. The Series came out of an agreement between ISSER and Merchant Bank Ghana Limited in 2005 to step up their contribution to the development discourse of this country. The two institutions have long maintained a fruitful relationship, based on their strong belief in the usefulness of policy debates enriched by on-going research.

Last year’s Development Seminar Series was under the overall theme, “Does Globalisation Hurt or Enhance National Development? Ghana’s Experience in the Last Two Decades.” Twelve lectures were held during the series, which run from March to July and attracted participants from government circles, the financial, arts, science, development sectors and the general public.

This year’s Development Seminar Series under the theme, The Informal Economy and Ghana's Future Development: Policy Dilemmas and Prospects started on January 8 with a lecture on the African Revolution: Urban Commerce and the Informal Economy by Prof. Keith Hart, professor of anthology at Goldsmiths University of London and would be concluded on June 27 with a lecture by Mr. Kingsley Ofei-Nkansah, the deputy General Secretary of General Agricultural Workers Union, (GAWU) of  Ghana Trades Union Congress, TUC, on the experience of organising informal sector workers in Ghana.

Also as part of their strong collaborative relations, ISSER and Merchant Bank organised a very exciting mid-year budget review at the La Royal Hotel which was attended among others by the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr. Baah-Wiredu, The deputy Minister of Trade, Mr. Affram Asiedu and representatives from the Labour, Business and Civil Society Organisations.
 
ISSER is also continuing with its productive relations with international and foreign institutions including the Cornell University, the World Bank, DFID and USAID.

In the area of human resource development, ISSER instituted a Staff Development Initiative in the 2004/2005 academic year. The Initiative which encourages promising graduates to become Principal Research Assistants (PRAs) has been yielding positive results as a number of the PRAs have gotten the opportunity to further their education.

Currently, the Institute is working on a number of research projects in the areas including land, energy, business, migration and health in response to specific requests from government agencies, development partners and other research institutions. The Land Project, a three year research project is now in its last year. The major research projects have been completed and preparations are underway to publish and disseminate the research findings (see lead story).