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Response, coordination and collaboration of among humanitarian organisations became more challenging in the use of local logistics and human resources in humanitarian relief operations. This proposal provides a plan for examining humanitarian logistics with specific emphasis on the challenges to rapid response in disaster relief operations in Ghana. The proposal identified the research problem and out of the research problem, it developed research objectives and research questions. The research framework is also outlined to provide a structural outlook of the thesis. The framework for the literature review was presented and this dwelt on four main parts namely theoretical review, empirical review, conceptual review and deduction from the literature. The method to be employed and the procedure and tools for data collection were also provided and this also include the method of data analysis. The time frame, resources required and budget for the conduct of the research were presented in this proposal. The expected output of the thesis was stated and the societal and scientific relevance of the study were also given. The ethical issues associated with the conduct of this study were stated and the procedure for observing and addressing the ethical considerations were also presented. Introduction This thesis deals with humanitarian logistics with specific emphasis on the challenges to rapid response in disaster relief operations in Ghana. Over the last two decades, humanitarian logistics has received tremendous attention in both field of human endeavor and scholarly research. The evolving trend of humanitarian logistics was triggered by series of disasters that erupted in the world and their attendant problems. For instance, the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami disaster generated unprecedented global outcries regarding poor logistics management. This disaster and the criticisms of its management provided a turning point for humanitarian logistics (Kovacs and Spens, 2011). In 2006, came actual breakthrough for humanitarian logistics management with far improved performance and responsiveness to disaster situations. In effect, coordination and collaboration of among humanitarian organizations became more challenging in the use of local logistics and human resources in humanitarian relief operations (Overstreet at al., 2011). Unfortunately, disasters upon disasters keep striking and disaster reliefs have also become increasingly demanding making humanitarian logistics globally more challenging, given the complexities and uncertainties involved (OCHA, 2010). Ghana is no exception in this regard, as in the past two decades the country has experienced series of disasters. Natural disasters in Ghana can be categorized into floods, epidemics, wildfires, earthquakes and droughts. However, in recent times, the major disasters that occurred in Ghana were industrial and wildfires, floods and epidemics (Aboahye, Dari and Koomson, 2013; Amposah, 2004). For example, devastating flood disasters that affected Ghana in the last decade occurred in 2003, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2015. The 2010 and 2015 were the most devastating in recent memory in terms of morbidity, mortality, destructions of physical infrastructures, economic and social adverse effects that came with those disasters. With respect to epidemics, cholera is found to be entrenched disaster posing great concern in Ghana. For example, from 1970 to 2003, four major cholera outbreaks occurred and thus, 1970 and 1972 recorded 16,406 cases of cholera, between 1980 and 1985, 27,489 cases were recorded, and between 1989 and 1992, 5,973 cholera cases were recorded while in 2003, 25,494 cases were recorded (Osei, 2010).The most recent cholera DOI: 10.21522/TIJMG.2015.03.02.Art024 ISSN: 2520-310X outbreak was in 2014 which occurred in 130 districts out of the 216 districts in Ghana recording 28,975 cases with a death toll of 243. This outbreak protracted and had a spill over to 2015 recording 591 cases with 5 deaths as at May, 2015.The cholera epidemic is found to be fostered and triggered by heavy rains and floods across Ghana (WHO, 2015). These examples of disasters cannot go without the mention of fire disaster which is found to be an annual catastrophic occurrence and its prevalence is very high. Fire disasters in Ghana is said to cost the nation in terms of value of properties destroyed to the tune of US$16million annually (Norman et al., 2015). All the above examples of disasters in Ghana are indication of the fact the need for effective response to disasters in Ghana cannot be over-emphasized. This has call has been echoed by Van Wassenhove (2006) that “a successful response to a disaster is not improvised. The better one is prepared the more effective the response” (Van Wassenhove, 2006:480). However, in most cases, the response of the humanitarian organizations in Ghana to disasters is fraught with challenging constraints making rapid response ineffective (Buatsi, 2007). It is against the above backdrop that this thesis is being conducted to provide an in-depth exposition of the challenges to rapid response in disaster relief operations in Ghana. Identification of research problem Natural disasters are catastrophes that are beyond the control of humans. However, the effects of natural disasters can be reduced through rapid response and effective post-disaster management strategies. Despite this, humanitarian organizations are faced with bottlenecks and disruptions in terms of receipt, warehousing, transportation, tracking, delivering of relief items and post-disaster strategies making relief efforts inefficient and ineffective (Christopher and Tatham, 2011). In recent times, the most alarming and devastating disasters in Ghana are floods, fires and epidemic. These disasters have claimed many lives and cost the nation hundred million dollars annually. Seriously, response to disasters and managing of disasters augmented by disaster relief organizations in Ghana present operational constraints to regional and national disaster response and management capacity. For example, on several occasions, the response to floods and fire disasters by the disaster relief organizations such as the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), the Ghana National Fire Service among other organization was ineffectively executed. In most disasters there were experiences of delays and flaws in disaster response execution leading to increased casualties and worsened conditions of disaster victims. Furthermore, coordination of logistics in humanitarian operations in Ghana especially during emergencies is very daunting due to the distinct nature of the disaster and emergencies as well as the high involvement of stakeholder organizations (Aboagye, Dari and Koomson, 2013; Allotey, Arku and Amponsah, 2010). From the studies one is unclear as to why the delays, effective coordination of logistics, flaws in disaster response execution among other pertinent and mind-boggling issues affecting disaster relief operations in Ghana. There is therefore the need examine the challenges to rapid response in disaster relief operations in Ghana. Moreover, an area that prompts investigations into the challenges to rapid response in disaster relief operations in Ghana is the gaps that exists in the literature. It has been found that there is scanty knowledge of humanitarian logistics among logistics practitioners and academics necessitating the development of adequate competencies and empirical studies on humanitarian logistics (Kovacs and Spends, 2007; Van Wassenhove, 2006). Careful search of current literature indicates that there have been several empirical studies in other part of the world on post-disaster response as well as reconstruction (Vale and Companella, 2005; Burby and Deyle, 2000; Berke et al, 1993). However, in the Ghanaian context very few studies have been conducted on disasters management (Aboagye, Dari and Koomson, 2013), earthquake disaster (Allotey, Arku and Amponsah, 2010) and flood disaster (Osei, 2010). In effect, humanitarian logistics and challenges in disaster response in Ghana have received little scholarly attention despite the growing occurrence of disasters in Ghana and the magnitude of the effects that the disasters have on Ghana as a whole. There is indeed timely attempt to provide an in-depth and relevant knowledge on how to improve Texila International Journal of Management Volume 3, Issue 2, Nov 2017 coordination and speed in responding to disasters in Ghana. The key to improved ability, capability and speed in humanitarian relief efforts is to examine the challenges confronting humanitarian logisticians or disaster relief organizations and provide appropriate antidotes in addressing them. Research objectives General objective The main aim of this thesis is to examine humanitarian logistics and the challenges to rapid response in disaster relief operations in Ghana.

Humanitarian Logistics - An Exposition of the Challenges to Rapid Response in Disaster Relief Operations in Ghana