WILLINGNESS TO PAY OR CONTRIBUTE LABOUR TO MANAGE MARINE INVASIVE SPECIES (SARGASSUM): A CASE STUDY IN GHANA

Abstract

The current study examines the willingness to pay or contribute labour hours in the control Sargassum invasion in Ghana. The main objective of the study was to estimate how much money or labour hours respondents were willing to offer for the Sargassum invasion in Ghana. We also estimate the determinants for willingness to pay decisions and the amount to pay. Using the contingent valuation method, we conducted interviews with 528 respondents in the western and central coastal regions of Ghana. The studies estimate an amount of Gh¢52 and 5 working days (7.5 hrs daily) as the average annual amount of money and time people are willing to pay for the control of Sargassum. We also found that both willingness to pay (money) and willingness to pay(time) decisions are influenced by either the employment status or educational level of the respondent. We also estimated that males and households with minors are willing to contribute labour hours’ time) in the control of Sargassum while highly educated respondents are willing to contribute fewer hours. Full-time and part-time employed respondents have a high willingness to pay (money) decisions and similar results were found for households with lower educational attainment. The current study adds to the stock of knowledge on marine invasive species with specific emphasis on the Sargassum invasion in Ghana. We recommend that given the dynamics of socioeconomic factors in influencing willingness to pay decisions, policymakers must understand the dynamics and make policies more targeted to achieve meaningful results.