ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Integrated cultural weaves (fugu, kente and kete) woven with organic dyed yarns

This study seeks to investigate the extent to which there can be an integration of all the cultural weaves that have been used by various traditions for the production of „fugu‟, „Kente‟ and „kete‟, and which are all woven with organic dyed yarns, into a unique fabric. This concept provides an opportunity to help unite indigenous textile weaving industry, particularly, the indigenous weaving industries in the Northern, Ashanti and Volta regions in Ghana. The study reviews existing work on traditional weaving practices leading to the production of „fugu‟, „kente‟ and „kete‟ in the Northern, Ashanti and Volta regions respectively so as to be able to build a conceptual framework that is appropriate. For examining how the three aforementioned traditional weaving practices, woven with organic dyed yarns, can be blended to produce a unique cloth for the fashion industry. The approach of the study was qualitative research methods and the instrument used to collect data were mainly interviewed (one-to-one) and participant observation with players in the traditional weaving industry and then some secondary data. The scope of the study covered selected indigenous textile centres in the Ashanti, Volta and Northern regions of Ghana. The population of the study was limited to fifty weavers and five dyers, mostly weavers from Bonwire, Agotime Kpetoe, Tamale and Daboya and dyers from Daboya. The concepts under investigation included research into plants that have the potency of being used as a dye and using the dyes obtained to dye yarns for weaving. The findings of this study suggest that some plants found in Ghana have the potential for the production of natural dyes. It also emerged from this study that the traditional weaves produced in the three regions of Ghana under study, have the capability of uniting these three regions based on the concept the study adopted.

Source: KNUST
Integrated Furniture Industry, Fumesua

Ghana has a wide stretch of forest (about 30,000 sq miles) containing hardwood timber in large quantities. The timber industry is well established in the country but this is based on substantial quantity of timber logs and semi processed lumber being exported to the United Kingdom and other European countries. The existence of the timber industry serves as a good foundation for the further development of wood-based high value added product industries, joinery products such as doors, windows mouldings and other machined items, sliced veneer, plywood, particle board, rotary veneer, profile boards, balusters, sawn timber, carving, toys, wooden kitchenware, pallets and parquet flooring. Eight years ago, in an international atmosphere of fragile trade relation marked by falling commodity prices and threats of protectionism, the government set out to lay the foundation for a productive and growing economy in the first phase of an Economic Recovery Programme (ERP). As a strategy, the programme sought to address the problems of balance of payments, and the fiscal, monetary and trade policies. Purposeful attempts were then made to increase the flow of capital into the country and direct these to the priority areas of the economy with the basic objective of rehabilitating the infrastructure to improve conditions for production and provision of goods and social services. The key aspect of this ERP has been the emphasis on rehabilitation and expansion of the export oriented industries to ensure increasing foreign exchange revenue. Part of the strategy has been to optimise activities in industries using locally available raw materials by applying a substantial portion of the country’s resources to the rehabilitation and development of the timber industry in particular because of its distinct advantage of having a renewable resources base, that is, the forest. The government’s Economic Recovery Programme (ERP) which was initiated in 1984 is directed towards an increase of value added export using locally available raw materials. In this context, one of the priorities is concerned with the rehabilitation of the existing facilities and the creation of new wood processing facilities. Since then, new equipment and machinery are being imported with a view to manufacturing higher value added products such as furniture and, joinery components for export.

Source: KNUST
Integrated Geophysical Exploration for Groundwater in the Bawku West District of the Upper East Region of Ghana Using Electromagnetic and Electrical Resistivity Sounding Methods

An integrated approach involving the electromagnetic (EM) and Vertical electrical sounding (VES) survey methods, has been used to locate potential drilling sites to find groundwater for twenty (20) rural communities in the Bawku West District of the Upper East Region of Ghana...

Source: KNUST
An integrated grade controlled mining system for steeply dipping areas at Tarkwa Goldfields Limited.

At Tarkwa Goldfields Limited (TGL) it is observed that a persistent difference exists between the estimated, mining and mill head grades. the causes of these disparities could be that the “weighted average” method used in the ore reserve estimation does not give the true estimates of the grade and tonnage of the ore body, and that the mining methods currently in use give much room for dilution and ore losses. This thesis reviews the current ore reserve estimation method and investigates the applicability of geostatistictics an alternative estimation method that would provide the true grades and tonnages of the stoping blocks well ahead of mining to assist in mine planning. A modification in the current mining methods to minimise ore losses and dilution is also presented. In order that the mill is fed with a consistent ore grade, a blending programme has been developed in the course of this thesis that enables the determination of the tonnages of ore from various blocks or draw points at different grades to be mixed so as to obtain the mill head grade of 3.2 dwt/ton (5.43 gramme/tonne) considered to be appropriate for optimal plant performance. It is suggested that the use of geostatistics in ore reserve estimation, application of the proposed modified

Source: KNUST
Integrated reclamation planning of disconfigured landscape after surface mining operations at Ghana Consolidation Diamonds (GCD) Limited, Akwatia

Mining land has hithero passed through a cycle of land – use which in general can be summarized as: the exploitation of virgin land for the particular mineral; abandonment of the land and subsequent dereliction; and, after an interval of decades, the treatment of that derelict land for some productive use. It is the intermediate derelict stage which has frequently been responsible for mining’s unfavourable public image. The Ghana Consolidation Diamonds (GCD) Limited which is located in Akwatia in the Eastern Region of Ghana has been in operation for a considerable period of time. The method of mining employed here is strip mining where the overburden is removed to expose the payable gravel horizon. Surprisingly, no conscientious effort has been made towards the rehabilitation of the mined lands. The object of this work is to design a reclamation plan for the area. To make the analysis easier, 1993 has been chosen as the base year and the total land areas mined at the Abosrchua terrace ground and at the deep alluvial flats of the Birim river of GCD have been used. The emphasis on this work is on reclamation in active mining although distinction is not made here between the reclamation of active and abandoned mined land. An acceptable mining, reclamation, and land – use scheme that is the most suitable under the technical, social, and economic conditions of the area, has been developed, Reclamation costs vary as a function of the desired end use of the reclaimed land. It is reasonable to expect that most reclaimed land will be returned to agricultural production – forest or cropland. It has been assumed that isolated instances, such as the terrace grounds, where affected lands may be particularly suited for recreation or residential development would not significantly alter the result of the analysis.

Source: KNUST
The Integrated Rural Art and Industry Programme in Knust and its Impact on the Art/Craft Industry in Ghana

In any form of education, there is the need to effect change to enhance and improve the human life. For the B.A. Integrated Rural Art programme to achieve its aims and objectives and also to affect the modern society, there should be an assessment of its impact so as to know the extent of change and improvement the department has made on the art/ craft industry. The main aim of this thesis was to asses the impact of the programme on the local craft industry in terms of transfer of knowledge and technology from the department to the craft industry and to make recommendations where necessary. The population was made up of graduates and diploma holders of the IRAI programme, local Artists who are non-products of the IRAI programme, clients and customers who receive products and services from the graduates. The study also included the Head and Staff of the IRAI Department, continuing students presently at the department, other lecturers and students from the College of ART and Social Science, KNUST. Qualitative method of research, employing descriptive survey method was used. The study showed that the Department has made much impact in terms of providing manpower for the education sector as more than half of the population indicated they were in the teaching field. The study further revealed that although there is some impact from the IRAI Department to the local art/craft industry the impact is not strongly felt in terms of innovation, invention and improvement of tools, material, and techniques. It was recommended that the link between the department and the art/craft industry should be strengthened by organizing seminars, workshop, and exhibitions to share experiences, innovations and technology.

Source: KNUST
Integrated use of fertilizer micro-dosing and Acacia tumida mulching increases millet yield and water use efficiency in Sahelian semi-arid environment

Limited availability of soil organic amendments and unpredictable rainfall, decrease crop yields drastically in the Sahel. There is, therefore, a need to develop an improved technology for conserv ing soil moisture and enhancing crop yields in the Sahelian semi-arid environment. A 2-year field exper iment was conducted to investigate the mulching effects of Acacia tumida pruning relative to commonly applied organic materials in Niger on millet growth, yields and water use efficiency (WUE) under fertilizer micro-dosing technology. We hypothesized that (1) A. tumida pruning is a suitable mulching alternative for crop residues in the biomass-scarce areas of Niger and (2) combined application of A. tumida mulch and fertilizer micro-dosing increases millet yield and water use efficiency. Two fertilizer micro-dosing options (20 kg DAP ha-1, 60 kg NPK ha-1) and three types of organic mulches (millet straw, A. tumida mulch, and manure) and the relevant control treatments were arranged in factorial experiment organized in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Fertilizer micro-dosing increased millet grain yield on average by 28 %. This millet grain yield increased further by 37 % with combined application of fertilizer micro-dosing and organic mulch. Grain yield increases relative to the un mulched control were 51 % for manure, 46 % for A. tumida mulch and 36 % for millet mulch. Leaf area index and root length density were also greater under mulched plots. Fertilizer micro-dosing increased WUE of millet on average by 24 %, while the addition of A. tumida pruning, manure and millet increased WUE on average 55, 49 and 25 %, respectively. We conclude that combined application of micro-dosing and organic mulch is an effective fertilization strategy to enhance millet yield and water use efficiency in low-input cropping systems and that A. tumida prun ing could serve as an appropriate mulching alternative for further increasing crop yields and water use efficiency in the biomass-scarce and drought prone environment such as the Sahel. However, the eco nomic and social implications and the long-term agronomic effects of this agroforestry tree in Sahelian millet based system have to be explored further. Keywords Organic mulch Fertilizer micro-dosing Acacia tumida Millet yield Water use efficie

Source: KNUST
Integrated Waste Management-Source Separation and Composting Of Household Waste in the Ayuom Farming Community in the Bosomtwe District of the Ashanti Region

Waste generation cannot cease due to the existence and activities of man. In most rural communities, organic waste represents the highest fraction of the waste generated. With the adverse effect of improper handling and disposal of waste, it has become important to produce compost out of the organic fraction to reduce the waste that would have otherwise be deposited in the landfill. The aim if this study was to produce compost from source separated waste in the Ayuom farming community in the Bosomtwe district. Forty household were identified and given two dust bins each, one for the collection of organics and the other for the collection of inorganic waste. Waste was collected weekly, weighed, further separated and then the organic fraction was formed into piles. During composting, the piles were monitored for temperature, C:N ratio, pH and moisture. Data collected for eight weeks were subjected to graphical interpretations, percentage, mean and t-test The results showed that waste separation efficiency in the organic waste was 97% but that of the inorganic bin was 26.9%. The solid waste generated per capita per day was 0.22kg/day. The C:N ratio of the organic waste ranged between 14 - 16 but it was adjusted in some of the piles to determine the effect on the compost produced. Compost produced had a mean NPK content of 0.06, 0.12 and 0.35 respectively. From the study, the mean heavy metal content recorded for Nickel: 13.1, Chromium: 14.5, Mercury; 0.2, Lead 12.4, Zinc: 42.2 and Cadmium recording less than 1 for all the piles and they all fell within range as described in literature. Compost mixed with biochar and allowed to undergo incubation for 6weeks produced increase in nitrogen and phosphorus contents as well as potassium content but it was reduced with ratios of 50% compost 50% biochar and 25% compost 75% biochar III Waste sent to the landfill can be composted in order to complete the carbon cycle in the communities thus improving nutrient content by the application of compost. However it will be appropriate that during further studies the ratio is adjusted in order to create an optimal environment for the compost microorganisms which may affect the final qualities of the compost.

Source: KNUST
Integrating conflict management into local development projects in Ghana: a case of selected projects in Ejisu-Juaben District, Ashanti Region

There is growing concern in the development industry about the interrelationship between development assistance and conflicts in the developing world. While inherent conflicts have prevented development work in certain regions, experience has shown that project activities themselves have inadvertently contributed to the ignition and escalation of a number of conflicts in other work places. This awareness has engendered mounting efforts among development donors towards rethinking their assistance packages to ensure conflict sensitive response to humanitarian and development situation in the poor nations. In some quarters, advocacy is already strongly underway to ensure that donor assistance is received only when project proposals are made conflict sensitive. Some projects have failed not because of shortage of funds or insufficient staff as often attributed to traditionally, but because of disagreement among key stakeholders to the projects. This is true for projects at all levels whether it is national, regional, district or community projects. Coupled with the widely accepted viewpoint that conflict is always and everywhere a natural phenomenon, it has thus been seen very much decisive for all projects to be conflict sensitive in their working environments. The objective of this study was therefore to analyze the sensitivity of local development projects to- conflicts, taking the case of two projects in Ejisu-Juaben District of Ghana. Data were collected from a wide range of respondents to triangulate responses to reduce biasedness in the analysis using different methods including structured questionnaires, interview guides, group discussions and personal observation. The analytical method used was a system of indicators constructed to enhance the analysis. The responses revealed that, the two analyzed projects were sensitive to conflicts but while one was extremely moderately sensitive the other was highly sensitive. The low sensitivity project had suspended operations due to conflict that intensified during its implementation process before this research began while the high sensitivity project was ongoing and discovered to have integrated conflict management (CM) principles right before activities were begun. The study outlined a lot of CM methodologies for project planning and management, and it was highly recommended that all projects use at least the basic methods and tools. Among the numerous other recommendations was a proposed framework for institutionalizing CM principles into development projects in Ghana for which the National Commission for Development Planning was the earmarked institution for coordinating the management of such framework since it has to do with formulation of national policies and planning guidelines among other things.

Source: KNUST
Integrated water-health programme as basis for socioeconomic development of the Mpohor Wassa East District

Provision of basic needs has been the concern of most governments in the developing world. In Ghana, the Local Government Law, PNDC Law 207, gives district assemblies more deliberative, legislative and executive powers to ensure development. The need for sectors to complement each other towards the realization of district development goals led to the various departments being decentralised. Integrated plans to ensure the fulfilment of basic needs is therefore envisaged. But in the Mpohor Wassa East District, as in many districts in Ghana, integrated programmes are far from being realised. There is, therefore, the need to find an entry point towards integration. Water, Sanitation and Health given their’ importance as basic needs and the strong relationship between them are seen as sectors that can be easily integrated in the district. In the study therefore, attempts are made to come out with these linkages and propose a strategy towards their effective integration. The study relied on wide range of data sources, both secondary through documents and primary sources through field surveys. The study came out with the fact that though provision of safe water can lead to a reduction of water-related diseases, the main problems are related to water handling. Therefore, water and Sanitation programmes which focus on personal arid environmental hygiene is proposed. The increasingly high cost of boreholes gives support for emphasis on hand-dug wells. The proposed programme - Community Water and Health Integrated Programme - has a three-tier structure embracing the district, Area Council and community level, involving sectors like Water, Health and Community development. This, it is hoped, would ensure a more practical integrated approach which could be broadened to embrace other departments to enhance the socio-economic development of Hpohor Wassa East District.

Source: KNUST
Integrated Wood Processing Factory, Kumasi

For the past few years the government through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources in collaboration with the Ghana Export Promotion Caunci1 and Timber Export Development Board(TED), organised a series of wood-related trade fairs locally, and exhibitions abroad primarily to expose to the outside world the potential uses of the local lesser—known or secondary species. The effect of these fairs resulted in increased foreign demand for the local wood species especially in the processed form. Mills output thus sored high, a marked difference from low output years back. Associated with this high output is the high level of wood residue, generated in the bush during extraction and in the mills. In 1986 about 1.5 million cube metres of timber that went to the ports and mills, 407, 00 cube metres came out as mill residue. The abundant residue is presently not effectively utilised. It is commonly used tar energy purposes at the domestic level and in the mills for process heat. Further processing for value-added products is considerably low within local wood industries. Whilst log cost is presently high especially for the primary or desirable species due to long distances of transportation, value for secondary products is higher for which secondary species which ii abundant and accessible thus cheaper can be used. There the need therefore for a facility that can minimize whatever timber raw material is brought to the mill as well as catering for the “lesser known” species which S presently abundant in the forest.

Source: KNUST
Integrating expert system in managing basic education: A survey in Ghana

Management of basic education in developing countries like Ghana is a major challenge as resources are not ad equately available for effective teaching and learning in schools. Careful planning and prediction using available data is also a major challenge as there are inaccuracies and inconsistencies in the available data. An investigation into the use of an Expert System for easy management of the resources is carried out in this research to know the level of readiness to accept an ES to assist in management. Stakeholders of education are contacted to solicit their views. With 216 districts for managing education in the country, a minimum of 3 participants were selected from each district to constitute a sample for the survey. In all 648 participants data were analyzed. The unstructured interview was also conducted using 9 members of an executive position in management. A thematic analysis was done on the responses and presented in diagrammatic form. The Acceptance Model for Educational Expert System (AMEES) is also presented. The results showed the majority of respondents agree with the use of an Expert System (ES) to assist in managing basic education. The use of data mining techniques to filter the data in an ES and help in easy prediction for decision-making accuracy is a necessity.

Source: KNUST