ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Down-regulation of Id1 and Id3 genes affects growth and survival of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (huvecs)

Inhibitors of DNA (Id) proteins have been implicated in cell growth, cell cycle control, apoptosis and angiogenesis. Studies reveal that Id1 and Id3 may be required for angiogenesis in adult tissues. This work aimed at investigating the consequences of loss-of-function of Id protein on growth and apoptosis in an in vitro model using Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs). Using automated image analysis software (CellProfiler Analyst), cell cycle profiles of cell populations following siRNA down-regulation of Id proteins were investigated. Also, cell viability analysis with 3-(4, 5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was evaluated. The study also employed flow cytometry using mitochondrial membrane potential marker (3, 3’-Dihexyloxacarbocyanine Iodide) (DiOC6) and Propidium Iodide (PI) as a marker of nonviable necrotic cells. Down-regulation of Id1 and Id3 reduced viable HUVECs populations. In addition, knock down of Id1 and Id3 showed cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, cell death analysis following the silencing of Id1 and Id3 induced apoptosis. These findings suggest that the inhibition of Id1 and Id3 may impair endothelial cell activation and angiogenesis and may also provide an attractive target for the development of new therapies for angiogenic disorders

Source: UCC
Downside Risk Estimations of Banks Listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange

In the financial system, banks are exposed to market risk which has to be assessed in line with regulatory risk measurement standards of Value-at-Risk and Expected Shortfall. The study adopts a quantitative approach and a descriptive design using weekly stock returns of banks listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange from January 2017 to December 2021. Using GARCH-based Value-at-Risk and Expected Shortfall, this study assessed the downside risks of the listed banks. Also, the study examined the tails of the returns distributions and nominally ranked the banks based on the level of risk. The mean returns showed that investors get little compensation for investing in the listed banks as against the high volatility associated with these investments. The findings of the study showed that the distributions of the returns of the listed banks are leptokurtic and positively skewed, reflecting fat, asymmetric tails; an indication of high-risk tendencies in the banks. Also, the study showed that the Value-at- Risk and Expected Shortfall can predict the downside risks in listed banks in Ghana, and help investors understand the potential losses and tail events associated with their investments. The nominal ranking of the banks based on the downside risk measures showed that Agricultural Development Bank Plc. is least risky in the market and Societe General Ghana limited has the highest risk. With the risk levels in the respective banks, it is recommended that investors should be careful in the market in an attempt to diversify against downside risk by spreading across the banks. The Governor, Bank of Ghana should enforce that financial institutions measure their downside risk using the Basel regulatory risk framework for a stable and confident financial system. The banks should also take strategic measures that protect them against extreme risk.

Source: UCC
Downstream Petroleum Prices and Stock Market Returns in Ghana: Pre and Post Deregulation Analysis

The thesis analysed the impact of downstream petroleum prices on stock returns in Ghana with respect to downstream petroleum sector deregulation. After a Chow test, the monthly data employed was split into the pre-(09/2009 to 05/2015) and post-deregulation (06/2015 to 02/2021). The Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag estimator was used in establishing the long- and short-run relationship between the variables while controlling for exchange rate, lending rate, treasury bill rate, economic activity, and inflation. The findings indicated a cointegrating relationship among the variables. Further, for the pre-deregulation period, at the 5 percent significance level, it was found that downstream petroleum prices had a negative effect on stock returns in the long run, while there was insignificant relationship in the short run. However, in the post-deregulation era, at the 5 percent significance level, petroleum prices had an insignificant relationship with stock returns in both the long- and short-run dynamics. It was concluded that the deregulation did not have any adverse effect on investors' returns. Listed firms, perhaps, may have ignored the shocks from downstream petroleum prices in the pre-deregulated era but diverted the shocks from influencing returns on investment in the post-deregulated period. In light of the findings, it is recommended that the government develops policies that stabilise the macroeconomic environment to stimulate stock performance on the Ghana Stock Exchange. Furthermore, it is recommended that policymakers review policies affecting fuel prices, exchange rates, treasury bill rates, lending rates, economic activity, and inflation that promoted stock market returns which were implemented before the deregulation. Finally, investors, firms, and financial experts are recommended to take into cognisance the downstream petroleum pricing policies of the economy to accurately analyse and price assets.

Source: UCC
Dr. Hilla Limann 1934 – 1998: His life and times

The work takes a critical look at the life and times of Dr. Hilla Limann, President of the Third Republic of Ghana. The thesis offers readers an insight into the life, struggle, works, successes and the failures of Hilla Limann. The work endeavours to examine the life of Hilla Limann and his meteoric rise to power in 1979. Through his own persuasion, determination and hard work, Limann pursued the educational ladder outside Ghana and became a well-educated man. The study discovered that Limann was not a novice in politics and social leadership. In theory he had undergone rigorous academic discipline. Between 1965 and 1978, he worked with Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he played various high profile roles at the Foreign Missions. The studies also try to establish whether Limann had any CPP credentials before he was elected as the PNP Presidential candidate in 1979. It discovered that he was not a member of the Nkrumahist tradition and that it was the maneuverings of Alhaji Imoru Egala that brought Limann to the PNP. This research has relied mostly on primary information obtained mainly through extensive interviews with Limann’s family, former classmates and political associates and opponents of his time. Published works, articles in magazines and journals, party and government documents, newspaper report and secondary accounts relating to his life and political activities were used to corroborate the information obtained.

Source: UCC
Dressmakers Knowledge on Dart Principles in Pattern Making and Garment Designing

The study assessed the knowledge of dressmakers on darts in pattern making and garment designing. Specifically, the purpose of this research was to evaluate the knowledge of dressmakers’ on darts and the application of dart principles (dart manipulation, adding fullness and contouring) in garment designing. Descriptive research design was employed for the study using 50 dress makers selected from three districts in the central region of Ghana. A semi-structured interview guide and an observation check list were the instruments used for data collection. The data collected were analysed with the help of descriptive statistics using the Predictive Analytical Software for windows version 22. The results indicated that the dressmakers studied knew what darts are and their purpose in garment design and construction, but lacked knowledge as to how to apply the principles of darts to achieve desired effects. It is recommended that the importance of darts with special reference to marking it out accurately is emphasized to dressmakers during workshops, seminars and general meetings that are organized by their association. Stakeholders in the garment industry especially those in academia could also organise workshops for garment makers to educate them on the appropriate use of darts in garment design and construction.

Source: UCC
Driver behaviour and city traffic: empirical observations from Accra, Ghana

Deviant driving behaviour and the effect on traffic in Accra is examined. The evidence is inconclusive but seems to suggest that the person behind the wheel is responsible for a substantial number of the traffic problems reported on roads in the city. There is also reason to believe that traffic management and control in the city needs to be stepped up and that this should be approached from the perspective of the road user. However, all these have to be preceded by the collection of data on driver behavior covering both the individual and a broad spectrum of the wider environment so that the extent of the problem of deviant driving behavior in the city can be put into proper perspective

Source: UCC
Drivers and Outcomes of Supplier Development among Manufacturing Firms in Ghana

The manufacturing sector has been identified as one of the sectors in Ghana that provides employment opportunities for thousands of people, and also makes significant contribution to the country’s gross domestic product. Their operations and performance however, largely depend on suppliers who supply them with required inputs. Guided by the positivism philosophy, and underpinned by the network theory and resource-based theory, this study investigated the drivers of supplier development and its outcomes among manufacturing firms in Ghana, and how supplier development mediates the relationship. The study employed the quantitative approach and explanatory research design, and the stratified sampling technique was used to determine a sample size of 382 procurement managers of manufacturing firms in Ghana. Self-administered questionnaires were used for data collection and the response rate was 320, constituting 83.7% of the sample size. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 26, and the SmartPLS 3 software were used for data processing, and the data analytical technique employed was the partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The study found Top Management Support and Trust largely influence Buyer-Supplier Relationship and Sustainable Performance. Also, Supplier Development significantly affected Buyer-Supplier Relationship and Sustainable Performance, while Supplier Development significantly mediated the relationship between Supplier Development drivers and outcomes. The study concluded that drivers of supplier development, and supplier development are significant predictors of supplier development outcome, hence it recommended that managers and policy makers will make them a priority.

Source: UCC
Drivers and outcomes of sustainable procurement in the downstream oil and gas supply chain in ghana

The study examined the drivers and outcomes of sustainable procurement in Ghana's downstream oil and gas supply chain. The study adopted a postivisim research paradigm, an explanatory research design and a quantitative approach using the stratified random sampling technique. Structured questionnaires were used for data collection and two hundred and forty- eight (248) valid responses, representing a 100% response rate, from procurement managers operating in the downstream oil and gas supply chain were used for data analysis with SMART PLS for the configuration of the structural models. The study revealed that the internal drivers (top management support and organisational values) do not significantly influence the implementation of sustainable procurement, whereas the external drivers (regulatory environment and support and stakeholders’ pressure) significantly and positively influence the implementation of sustainable procurement. The study concludes that the downstream oil and gas firms should focus on the external drivers and the implementation of sustainable procurement since they are essential for improving the sustainable and operational performance of firms that operate in Ghana’s downstream oil and gas supply chain.

Source: UCC
Drivers Of Export Performance In Africa: Evidence From Machine Learning Approach

There has been discussion on what factors contribute to Africa's export performance for many years. The factors that are most important for Africa’s export performance are still unclear, nonetheless, given that prior research has focused on the preferential selection of covariates within the framework of many potential drivers of export performance. The fundamental issue with these contributions is that, depending on certain model assumptions and specifications, even shaky variables can be considered significant. To deal with this and properly inform policy, the study conducted a systematic review on drivers of export performance from 1980 to 2021. The study then employed four machine learning regularization algorithms approaches, namely standard lasso, minimum BIC lasso, square root lasso and the elasticnet, to analyze trends in a dataset with 87 covariates and determine the main factors influencing Africa's export. The findings indicated that, 7 factors (public private partnership investment, net trade, service traded, stock traded, domestic credit, inflation, gasoline price) were the actual drivers of export performance in Africa. The inferential estimates were obtained by applying double-selection Lasso, partialing-out lasso instrumental variable regression, and partialing-out lasso linear regression. Policy recommendations are also provided to inform policy appropriately.

Source: UCC
Drivers of north-south migration in the Wa West District: Economic returns or migrants’ sub-culture.

In Ghana, three regions (Upper West, Upper East and Northern) have the highest proportion of voluntary out-migrants but the percentage share of the population of these regions together has been less than 20.0% since 1970. This phenomenon is due to north-south migration which has been widely attributed to low socio-economic development and unfavourable physical characteristics in these regions. The study examines the main drivers of out-migration from the Wa West District (WWD). Using mixed method approach, 120 respondents were surveyed while 12 key informants were interviewed in six selected communities. The results showed that both economic returns and migrants’ sub-culture were the factors that determine out-migration of young people from the WWD. In particular, sub-cultural values/attributes such as quest for modern lifestyles, improved physical appearances, adoption of day/popular southern names and enhanced family/self status were the key factors shaping outmigration in the study area. The study further revealed that job availability and modern lifestyles were the main factors that influenced migrants’ choice of destinations in southern Ghana. The government, through the Wa West District Assembly, the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) and other development partners should rigorously promote socio-economic development in the north to reduce out-migration in the WWD.

Source: UCC
Drivers of physical accessibility among hotels

Using the concept of Universal Design, this study examines the state of physical accessibility and its drivers among hotels in the Accra Metropolis of Ghana through physical accessibility audit and in-depth interviews. The findings reveal that there is poor compliance with physical accessibility though four and five-star hotels have better compliance than lower rated hotels. Also, non-compliance among lower rated, local hotel brands is driven by commercial interest and lack of clarity and enforcement of disability legislation while compliance among higher rated, multinational brands is driven by the desire to comply with disability legislation, remain competitive, and adhere to the standards of parent companies. The implications of these findings in the context of hotel design and management are discussed

Source: UCC
DRIVERS OF TAX COMPLIANCE AMONG SELF-EMPLOYED IN GHANA

Tax revenues are important to government, thus tax authorities ensure tax compliance to provide sufficient revenue for government. This paper therefore investigated the extent to which institutional factors, economic factors, individual factors and social factors drives tax compliance among self-employed in Northern Ghana. The paper used a quantitative survey design, convenience sampling technique & questionnaire as primary data collection instrument. A total of 361 self-employed were engaged from three Northern regions (Upper East, Upper West and Northern region) in Ghana for the study. Structural Equation Modeling was used to analyze four main hypotheses of the study. The study result therefore showed a positive significant influence of economic drivers, individual drivers & social drivers on tax compliance behaviour. While the paper found no significant influence of institutional drivers on tax compliance, social drivers were found to strongly influence tax compliance behaviour. The paper concludes that, social drivers strongly influence tax compliance behaviour among selfemployed. The paper contributes to practice & policy by revealing that tax compliance behaviour in Northern Ghana particularly rural communities has assumed a social dimension. Government must therefore include and encourage religious heads, opinion leaders and social groups to use social events to educate members by shaping their attitudes, perceptions and orientation towards tax compliance. Future study may extent these compliance drivers in Southern Ghana, and comparative study to expand understanding and make informed tax decisions.

Source: UCC
Drivers’ and passengers’ perspectives on factors influencing intercity bus travel time on the Accra-Takoradi route, Ghana: an exploratory approach

The purpose of the study is to qualitatively ascertain the factors influencing intercity bus transport travel time on the Accra-Takoradi route in Ghana. The cross sectional study involved the use of in-depth interviews conducted on fourteen drivers and forty two passengers of GPRTU, VIP, VVIP, ISTC, MMT, DIPLOMAT and FORD on the route. This was supported with participants and non-participants observations. The identified determinants were time of departure, purpose of travel, day/night journey, volume of traffic on the route, place of refueling, number of stoppages for passengers, the nature of the road, the type of bus, approved rest stops, speed limit, the presence of MTTD officials, presence of toll booths, volume of passengers’ luggage and so on. Recommendations were proffered to reduce tension that might be generated by lack of understanding between the driver and the passengers on the travel time

Source: UCC
Droplet characterization and water distribution of fixed spray plate sprinkler used in linearly moved irrigation system

The irrigation uniformity of sprinkler irrigation system depends on many design factors such as nozzle diameter, operating pressure and riser height. An experimental study was conducted to investigate the effect of combination factors of operating pressure and riser height on water distribution and droplet diameter. To study the droplet characteristics of the fixed spray plate sprinkler (FSPS), droplet diameter and velocity was measured using a Thies Clima laser precipitation monitor. Statistical analysis was conducted on the drop size distribution using volume-weighted method. The volumetric cumulative frequency of drop diameters permitted to reconstruct water application along the sprinkler radius in term of the frequency of drops of different diameters with respect to elevation and working pressure. Wetted diameters and average application rates increased with the increase in pressure and nozzle elevation within a distance of less than 2m from the sprinkler. The results showed that various combinations of the sprinkler could greatly change droplet and water distribution characteristics. Empirical equations for the water distribution from FSPS were also developed with coefficients of determination ranging from 95.0% to 99.6%. The study concluded that the uniformity of a sprinkler irrigation system is more affected by the combination of distance from sprinkler, riser height and operating pressure

Source: UCC
Drought index insurance policy subscription among cereal farmers in the northern region of Ghana

The study analyses the subscription to the drought index insurance policy among cereal farmers in the Northern Region of Ghana. The survey design and a choice experiment were used to elicit the hypothetical drought insurance policy preference for cereal farmers. A multi-stage sampling approach was used to randomly select 424 cereal farmers. Kendall's coefficient of concordance, Heckman's two-stage selection and Conditional logit model was used to analyse the data. The age of farmers.. Farm size, income, level of education and contact with an insurance extension agent statistically explained the determinants of insurance subscription whiles farming experience, farm size and off-farm income explained the intensity. Cereal farmers preferred a hypothetical drought index insurance policy with a premium of Gh<J:35 per acre, rainfall data from the Ghana Meteorological Agency weather stations, non-bank payment method for indemnity payout, credit interlinked with insurance, reduction of next season's premium when farmers do not experience loss and subsidy on the insurance premium. Farmers are willing to pay extra on the premium for an index insurance policy that is interlinked with credit, the next season's premium is reduced when loss does not occur and subsidized premium. In ranking constraints faced in subscribing to the insurance policy, the level of agreement between subscribers (11.1%) was however slightly higher than non-subscribers (10.7%). This suggests that the criteria used by subscribers for their ranking were relatively more homogenous as compared to the non-subscribers. The study suggests, among others the need for government to subsidize the premium on agricultural insurance.

Source: UCC
Drought Index Insurance Policy Subscription among Cereal Farmers in the Northern Region of Ghana

The study analyses the subscription to the drought index insurance policy among cereal farmers in the Northern Region of Ghana. The survey design used to elicit the hypothetical drought insurance used to randomly select 424 cereal farmers. Kendall’s coefficient of concordance, Heckman’s two-stage selection and Conditional logit model was used to analyse the data. The age of farmers, farm size, income, level of education and contact with an insurance extension agent statistically explained the determinants of insurance subscription whiles farming experience, farm hypothetical drought index insurance policy with a premium of GhC35 per acre, rainfall data from the Ghana Meteorological Agency weather stations, non-bank payment method for indemnity payout, credit interlinked with experience loss and subsidy on the insurance premium. Farmers are willing to pay extra on the premium for an index insurance policy that is interlinked with credit, the next season’s premium is reduced when loss does not occur and subsidized premium. In ranking constraints faced in subscribing to the insurance policy, the level of agreement between subscribers (11.1%) was however slightly higher than non-subscribers (10.7%). This suggests that the criteria used by subscribers for their ranking were relatively more homogenous need for government to subsidize the premium on agricultural insurance.

Source: UCC