The economic impact of Hiv/Aids on labour and capital on the Ghanaian economy

Type Thesis or Dissertation - Masters
Title The economic impact of Hiv/Aids on labour and capital on the Ghanaian economy
Author(s)
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2011
Page numbers 0-0
URL http://dspace.knust.edu.gh:8080/jspui/bitstream/123456789/841/1/EBENEZER BIRCH TWUMASI.pdf
Abstract
There is no doubt that the greatest public health problem threatening the human race in these times is HIV/AIDS pandemic. The greatest burden of this scourge is in sub – Saharan Africa. This thesis reveals the impact of HIV/AIDS on labour and capital on Ghanaian economy. The model constructed used data spanning from 2006 to 2008. The findings revealed that, the epidemic impacts directly on labour supply and indirectly on the provision of capital. Descriptive research design was used, a mathematical model was constructed, which appropriately relied on the principles of predator – prey model, for studying the dynamics of the impact of the epidemic on an economy. The economic impact of HIV/AIDS is identified by tracing through the effects on households, firms and the government and thus on measures of overall economic activity. Numerous studies that were reviewed during the study had shown that, high prevalence of malaria is correlated with low rates of economic growth, with particular reference to HIV/AIDS, it is fair to say that, it has a trenchant, or impoverishing effect on economies. The costs of HIV/AIDS come in the form of reduced growth, declines in savings and investment rates, and huge health care costs. Those studies that were sampled had been extremely valuable in improving or sharpening our understanding of the threat posed by the epidemic. The young people in their most productive years are more at risk of HIV infection than other demographic group. This has had the effect of sharply reducing life expectancies across the continent. Ghana is considered as one of the countries with low HIV/AIDS prevalence rates, yet the annual AIDS deaths was 17,058 and prevalence is high among the 40 – 44, and 45 – 49 year groups. The first – order system of differential equations which models the impact of HIV and AIDS on labour supply and capital is as shown here; u(x, y)= [ kx , -hy ]. The equation, u(x, y) = 0 was solved, Two equilibrium points (0, 0) and (X, Y) were obtained from the solution. The stability of the first equilibrium point is unstable saddle point. The stability of the second equilibrium point is stable centre, because its eigenvalues were purely imaginary. The results, discussions, and recommendations of the thesis were based on the behaviour or stability in the neighborhood of the equilibrium point (X, Y).

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