a)

Trans-Saharan Trade was the barter trade between the people of Western Sudan and North Africa across the Sahara Desert. The trade was conducted among three continents, Africa, Europe and Asia

b)

Positive effects of the Trans-Saharan Trade on Western Sudan

1. Travelling possibilities: The trade paved way for many people such as traders, scholars, religious groups to cross the Saharan Desert for the first time
2. Spread of culture: It led to the spread of the culture of the North Africans and the Arabs in Western Sudan
3. Wealth creation: It made the people of Western Sudan very rich
4. Spread of religion: It also led to the spread of the Islamic Religion in the Western Sudan

Negative effects of the Trans-Saharan Trade on Western Sudan

1. Insecurity in the desert: It made the trade routes to become very dangerous. Attacks by armed robbers were common
2. Lack of water: Water was a problem to those who lost their way in the desert from or to Western Sudan

c)

Items of the Trans-Saharan Trade

1. Salt
2. Gold
3. Ostrich feathers
4. Spices
5. Cloth
6. Beads
7. Ivory
8. Guns
9. Gun powder
10. Camels

(a)

Negative effects of rural-urban migration on the villages of Ghana

1. Low Production of food and other agricultural products
2. Increased number of broken homes as a result of breakdown of marriages
3. Lack of supervision of children which often creates a high incidence of child delinquency, early sex, teenage pregnancies and drug addiction
4. Poverty of women is high when their husbands desert them for greener pastures
5. Decline in local industries or rural crafts since there is mass exodus of the youth to the urban areas leaving the family crafts behind
6. Loss of traditional cultural values
7. Loss of agricultural labour force
8. Decrease in population in the rural areas
9. Rural development slows down

(b)

Ways of reducing rural-urban migration in Ghana

1. Provision of job opportunities in the rural areas
2. Making the acquisition of land for farming easier in the rural areas
3. Provision of social amenities and infrastructure in the form of electricity, good roads, educational institutions and health facilities
4. Modernization or abolition of traditional practices such as Trokosi, female genital mutilation, force marriage, puberty rites and widowhood rites
5. Persuasion of the youth through education to know of the negative experiences of people in the urban centres
6. Improvement in agricultural services in the rural areas/Agriculture should be made attractive for rural dwellers
7. Provision of recreational facilities to make life interesting for the youth in the rural areas

(a)

Characteristics of a good law

1. It must serve the interest of the people
2. It must be reasonable
3. It must apply equally to everyone
4. It should be publicized
5. It should be capable of being enforced
6. It should be flexible
7. It should not infringe on the fundamental human rights of the individual
8. The law must be certain/specific/unambiguous
9. The law must not be backdated

(b)

Benefits of law in a society

1. It allows people to conform to social order
2. Promotes peace and stability in society
3. Brings crime under controll
4. Leads to social and economic progress
5. Protects public or private property
6. Protects human rights
7. Leads to discipline and moral uprightness
8. Promotes good governance

a)

b)

Effects of this age distribution on development in Ghana

1. The country will have a large labour force in the future
2. A youthful population promotes specialization
3. A youthful population increases demand for goods and services required for young people (large market)
4. Government expenses on social services will be high
5. The dependency ratio is high therefore there is too much burden on the working population
6. There will be low savings and low investment
7. The government will spend a lot of money on the youth and aged in the field of education and health respectively
8. There will be high government expenditure on pensioners
9. Development will be slow
10. Low tax revenue

a)

Causes of desertification in West Africa

1. Deforestation: Felling of trees without replanting their seedlings
2. Over-grazing: Allowing animals to feed on a particular piece of land continuously
3. Bush Burning: Indiscriminate burning of the grassland
4. Soil erosion/the wearing away of the top soil by wind and water
5. Natural dry climate conditions which do not support the growth of some plants and trees
6. Poor farming methods such as continuous farming on a particular piece of land

b)

Measures that can be taken to control desertification in West Africa

1. Afforestation: Planting of seedlings to replace trees that have been felled
2. Education: People should be educated on the damages of bush fires and the need to create fire-belts before burning
3. Crop rotation should be practiced to check erosion
4. Good farming methods such as contour ploughing and terracing should be practiced to check erosion
5. Incorporate cover crops into the main crops
6. Preventing overgrazing by ensuring that farm animals do not feed on plants in one area continuously
7. Creating forest reserves by reserving forests that will be kept from human exploitation
8. Legislation: Making and enforcing laws that seek to preserve the forests