ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Contribution of information, communications and technology to health care delivery: the case of Ghana.

The emergence of Information and Communication Technology has contributed immensely to health care delivery in both developed and developing countriesover the past twenty years. In Ghana, Information and Communication Technology has contributed considerably to the efficiency of service delivery in various organizations since its introduction into the country in 1989. The Ministry of Health of Ghana is no exception and has benefitted from the use of Information and Communication Technology in various aspects of its operations over the past decade, including the establishment of a website for the purpose of prompt and effective communication amongst the personnel of the ministry, the general public and other stakeholders to facilitate health care delivery. It is presently unknown if this objective is being achieved. The present work assessed the role of the Ministry of Health website and its contribution to health care delivery in Ghana. Both purposive and random sampling methods were used to cover fifty participants that included various categories of workers and the general public. The data obtained indicated that majority (92%) know of the existence of the website but 8% did not know. Those who were aware of the website got to know about it through friends (40%), self-discovery (25%) and official (35%) means. There were irregular visits to the website by those who knew about it. Majority of the respondents (70%) indicated irregular internet connectivity and update of the content as some of the reasons for not frequenting the website. However, majority (96%) thought the website was still a reliable source of information including health alerts. Thirty (30%) of the respondents were not satisfied with the content, validity and accuracy of the website information. Generally, it can be concluded from the results of the present work that though the Ministry of Health website contributes significantly to operations of the ministry, the overall objective of establishment of the website to enhance service delivery has yet to be achieved. Consequently, it is recommended that the website should be updated frequently and made to be interactive and attractive. Both the general public and staff of the ministry should be encouraged to use the website. The various agencies of the ministry should have links to the website with detailed information. Staff should be encouraged to use the Ministry of Health website and the website should be frequently updated to improve content.

Source: KNUST
The contribution of internal auditing on internal controls in District Assemblies in Ghana:(A case study of Tamale Metropolitan Assembly)

The study sought to assess the contribution of internal auditing on internal controls of district assemblies in Ghana focusing on Tamale Metropolitan Assembly in Northern region. Internal Audit Agency serves as an oversight body that is charge with the mandate of ensuring that the internal audit units of the district assemblies in Ghana perform their function of monitoring and appraising of the activities and internal controls of district assemblies. The study sought to assess the efficiency of the internal audit unit in the monitoring and advice in the design, implementation and maintaining of internal controls in district assemblies in Ghana as well as suggesting ways of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the internal audit units. Therefore, the methodology adopted by the study was on secondary data using questionnaire administered on the management units of Tamale Metropolitan Assembly in the northern region. Furthermore, the data of the study indicates that there was lack of independence on the part of internal audit personnel in the Metropolis and lack of funds to discharge its function effectively. More so, the study recommended that the government needs to employ more internal audit staff who have the knowledge in auditing to increase the numerical strength of the unit and increase the budgetary allocation with the oversight body ensuring that the resources allocated are utilised judiciously.

Source: KNUST
The Contribution of Information and Communication Technology Based Products to Customer Satisfaction: Case Study of Barclays Bank Ghana Limited Retail Customers

The study sought to examine the contribution of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based products to customer satisfaction. The high competition in the Ghanaian banking industry has forced rapid changes as a result of technological innovation, increased awareness and demands from customers. However customers have expressed their disgust through customer feedback forums, about the frequent ATM breakdowns, breakdown in network, the inability to access funds at other branches, referrals to branches due to breakdowns, identity theft and high charges on visa transactions. The question therefore is how does ICT based products contribute to customer satisfaction? In order to answer this question, 400 questionnaires were administered to retail customers of Barclays Bank randomly selected from four branches. The ICT based products selected were ATM, Branch Network and SMS Alert. A Likert scale-typed questionnaire was used with responses ranging from strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree and strongly agree. Microsoft Excel was used to analyze the responses and results indicated that majority of the respondents agreed that ICT based products contributed to their satisfaction. In summary, customers are satisfied with the ATMs and SMS Alerts but still use the branch network atleast once a month because the ATM withdrawal limit per day is GHS500. Also the ATMs cannot perform inter-accounts transfers. Following from this study, it is recommended, Barclays Bank enhances the performance of their ATMs to increase customer satisfaction.

Source: KNUST
Contribution of motivational practices to performance in construction project delivery

Motivation has been identified as a useful performance enhancement tool. The construction industry is labour intensive requiring quality human resources coupled with essential human resource approaches. However, construction firms are unable to find appropriate and optimum balance of motivation practices that can stimulate the needed performance of workmen leading to maximum organizational performance. In view of this, the study explored key motivational practices in the construction industry, the effectiveness of such practices and the impact of motivational practices on performance in the construction industry. In this quantitative survey research, purposive sampling technique was used to select one hundred and sixty eight respondents from Greater Accra. Data was collected using questionnaire while descriptive and regression was used to analyze the result. The result showed that in the construction industry, good supervision, positive working environment, participation in decision making and job security are the common motivational practices. On average, most of the respondents indicate that the motivational practices in the construction industry are effective. The result also showed that financial rewards, opportunity for career development, job characteristics and recognition are the significant drivers of employee performance. Opportunity for career development and job characteristics are the strongest drivers of performance. The study suggest that management of construction companies should encourage their employees to take courses such as distance learning, correspondence courses and study leave with pay. This will help improve their job, higher performance and will also translate into their rewards.

Source: KNUST
Contribution of locally designed and fabricated vehicle-seats to accident injuries

Buses and minibuses account for a large number of reported Road Traffic Accidents in Ghana. Most of these vehicles are used goods transport vans, modified for passenger transportation purposes. One of such modifications is the provision of seats. These seats are designed and fabricated locally by artisans, but not according to any known accepted safety standards. This among other reasons has resulted in a hypothesis among medical personnel that, the design of these seats are also responsible for some of the injuries sustained in accidents. This research sought to support this hypothesis with the results of a computer simulation. The simulation results were compared with data obtained from a Mini Survey, which was conducted between November 2011 and January 2012, at the Accident and Emergency Centre of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana. Findings include injuries that are mostly sustained by occupants of accident vehicles fitted with the seats in question, as well as design features of the seats, which are most likely to cause these injuries. Based on these findings, recommendations on safer design features for the seats and future researches were made. Some information on the seats in question, which was unavailable in literature as at the time of conducting the research, was also reported.

Source: KNUST
The Contribution of Pension Funds to Housing Provision in Developing Countries: Case Study of SSNIT in Ghana

Residential property finance in Ghana is still at its rudimentary stage of institutional financial accessibility with the preponderance of the informal ways of financing and the periodic government makeshift programmes and policies aimed at rescuing the situation. Housing is recognized as a basic necessity of life which ideally must be available and affordable to the citizenry without discrimination based on economic situation or any other circumstances. These have, however, remained illusions since currently those who need funds for housing cannot freely and adequately access them. SSNIT, in recognition of the fact that contributions are the collective savings of the people and in line with its social contract with the contributors has tried to address these problems over the years in many forms. Some of these include direct involvement in construction of housing units, direct mortgage arrangement with its contributors and indirect financing of housing through the establishment of financial institutions and intermediaries to mobilize resources for housing finance, among others. The study assesses the contribution of the pension funds to housing provision in the country through the various forms the Trust had attempted to meet the housing needs of its contributors. The opinions of the contributing public was solicited and analyzed to arrive at findings and conclusion thereon. Appropriate recommendations were proffered to some of the shortfalls of the system, which the study considers as the panacea to housing finance problems in the country.

Source: KNUST
The contribution of non-farm income to Agriculture: the Case of Pineapple Production in Akuapem South Municipality

This study investigates the contribution of non-farm income to agricultural activities; specifically examining the use of non-farm income in financing the purchase of farm inputs for pineapple production in the Akuapem South Municipality. The study focuses on exploring the determinants of non-farm income, the share of non-farm income within farming households, the factors determining its use in farming activities and recommends the measures to be undertaken to improve the access to investment capital for farming activities, including the use of non-farm income. The study utilizes survey data collected from a sample of 92 farmers from three settlements within the municipality, namely Fotobi, Amanfro and Pokromu. A stepwise multiple regression model is used to estimate input use in the pineapple production and fertilizer is employed as a proxy. The results of the study indicate that farmers* own cash is the most important source of capital financing. Furthermore, the findings of the study show that non-farm income is associated with an increase of fertilizer use and thus suggesting the use of non-farm income in the purchase of farm inputs within households engaged in non-farm activities, fligh levels of education and formal employment have also been found to determine the level of non-farm income. On the other hand, distance from the town centers influences the cost of production in the pineapple farming. Following the findings of the study, ways to improve liquidity of small scale farmers and the entire farming sector are proposed. These include improving access of farmers to affordable credit financial schemes and increase market access and competitiveness of the non-farm activities. On the other hand, as non-agricultural income has become more substantial among farming households, a new perspective on the linkages between farm and non-farm economy need to be created. This study proposes inclusion of non-farm activities in the current agricultural extension services. In order to sustain these measures, keeping of updated statistics on non-farm and farm sectors; and increased research on the linkages between non- farm and farm sectors are also recommended. The study concludes that non-farm income relaxes liquidity constraints in farming households; however, well functioning credit facilities for small scale farmers are required for improving investment capacities, thus ensuring better and sustained income of the farmers and the development of the nation as a whole.

Source: KNUST
The contribution of Ramseyer to the development of Presbyterian Church of Ghana in Asante

This thesis examines the contributions made by the Rev. Augustus Fritz Louis Ramseyer to the development of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana in Asante. The work explores the factors that brought Ramseyer into contact with the people of Asante and the how he used that means of contact to the advantage of his missionary work. The study was conducted to find out why among the various Basel Missionaries who came to the then Gold Coast to establish the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Ramseyer seems to have been more immortalized then any of them in terms of naming Presbyterian edifices. The findings of this thesis were made available by means of primary and secondary sources such as interviews and written texts. The researcher also visited some historical places where the missionary lived in his life time. The research revealed that Ramseyer contributed immensely to the development of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana in Asante in the areas of education, artisan training, and introduction of new architectural designs for building and his close links with traditional authorities. This thesis recommends that a Ramseyer memorial lectures be instituted by the Presbyterian Church of Ghana to enable the present generation of the Church members learn more about the missionaries whose toil and sacrifice established the church in Ghana.

Source: KNUST
The contribution of rural banking in terms of loans assessment to the improvement of the living conditions of the people of Ejisu-Juaben District-A case study of Juaben Rural Bank Ltd

The thesis investigates the contribution of Rural Banking in terms of loans assessment to the improvement of the living conditions of the people of Ejisu-Juaben district and Juaben Rural Bank ltd was selected as a case study. Using a random sampling technique a sample size of one hundred and twenty (120) staff and customers from Juaben Rural Bank ltd was drawn from the population. Questionnaires were administered. The study looked into the significance, the purposes for which loans are granted to customers and whether these loans are utilized for its intended purposes and also the benefits customers derive from accessing loans from the bank. The questionnaire was used as the main source of data and SPSS (18th edition) was used for the data analysis. The study identified purposes such as the customers used loans to purchase vehicle, customers apply loan for building projects, customers access loans to support their business and loans are granted to pay school fees as the key purpose / variables for granting loans to customers. The finding indicates that, salary workers are able to repay their loan principal and interest back within the agreed period. The study further recommended that, rural banks in the country should beat down interest rate to encourage more customers to access the loan.

Source: KNUST
The contribution of the Asante Kings to the growth of Methodism in Asante: 1839-2002

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the perception that the Asante kings placed impediments on the Wesleyan missionaries and to discover the contributions, if any, of the Asante kings to the growth and development of Methodism in Asante between the period 1839 and 2002. The research is based on both primary and secondary sources and on fieldwork interviews. Data collection was achieved through interviews, visits to the archives, museums and libraries. The research revealed that from the inception of Methodism in Asante, the Asante kings have contributed immensely to the growth and development of Methodism. It has been observed that none of the Asante kings from Otumfoɔ Kwaku Dua I to Otumfoɔ Osei Tutu II maltreated any Methodist Missionary. There is no record of missionaries who suffered personal hostility from any of the Asante kings. The research revealed that, there has never been any conflict between any Asante king and any Methodist missionary or minister. Asante kings were always, very good friends of the missionaries, ministers and most of the local agents. They have always been very condescending. The Asante kings have played very significant roles in the spread of Methodism in Asante. They have been the providers of hospitality for the Methodist missionaries and ministers, lands for the church’s development and allowed their family members and their subjects to join the Methodist societies in Asante kingdom. The researcher therefore recommends that the Methodist Church Ghana should endeavour to honour the Asante Kings for their great contribution towards the growth of Methodism in Asante. Chapels, church halls, offices and schools could be named after them. Again, the church should establish scholarship schemes in their names.

Source: KNUST
The Contribution of Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to the Economy of Ghana

The aims and objectives of this work is to examine possible means of coverage so as to increase the number of contributors to the Social Security Pension Scheme. It is interesting to note that out of the possible work force of about Eight Million people, the social security and National Insurance Trust (hereafter referred to as the Trust”) has been able to cover just about six hundred and seventy thousand workers due to the fact that the earlier laws of 1965 and 1972 establishing the Social Security Scheme (here after referred to as “the Scheme”) limited compulsory coverage to establishments employing five or more workers unlike the recent PNDC Law 247 of 1991 which established the Social Security Pension Scheme (hereafter referred to as the Pension Scheme) whose coverage embodied establishments employing one worker or more to provide social protection for the working population for the following contingencies. 1. Old Age 2. Invalidity, 3.Death. With the performance of the Trust in terms of investments in the students loan scheme, Housing delivery, Health care and a reasonable collection of contributions from employers. £t is a matter of course that the Trust would grow to become a financial giant if coverage in terms of contributors are increased and in this area, the corporate plan of the Trust is aimed at covering about 33% of the uncovered contributions by the year 1999. It is the aim of the researcher to suggest other possible means to achieve this object for the benefit of the socio-economic development of Ghana as a whole to reduce casualties like street begging, armed robbery, competition, social vices like child delinquency, teenage pregnancy, drug abuse etc., arising from irresponsible parenthood due to inadequate social protection in old age, invalidity and death.

Source: KNUST
Contribution of three leguminous species (Mucunapruriens var. utilis, Vigna unguiculata Walp. L and Arachis hypogaea L) to soil productivity

The contribution of three leguminous crop species Muciinaprtiriens var. utilis, VIgnci unguicu/ala Waip. L and Arachis hypogaea. L ) to soil productivity was investigated from 1995 to 1997 on two Ghanaian soils: Ejura (Lixisol) and Asuansi (Acrisol) series. The legumes were planted in the minor cropping season. Two stubble management practices were imposed (incorporation and surface applied ) on the legume stubble during the major season and two fertilizer levels (0 and 45 kg N, 9 kg P and 19 kg K ha-1 were applied to the test crop (maize). The control treatment consisted of maize following maize with the recommended rate of 90 kg N, 37 kg P and 37 kg K ha-1. Application of half the recommended rate of fertilizer to maize planted after the legumes increased leaf area index, total shoot dry weight, nutrient concentration of ear leaf at silking and grain yield. The legumes did not statistically influence the bulk density of the soils. However, the percent soil moisture content increased as a result of legume/maize rotation. Incorporation of the legume stubble increased the nutrient concentration of the ear leaf and total bacteria population in the soil but did not increase grain yield. There was an interaction between legumes and fertilizer. Application of half the recommended rate of fertilizer to maize following each of the above legumes resulted in a higher grain yield than the control. Maize grain yield was consistently higher when grown after the Mucuna spp. than cowpea or groundnut. The results suggest that for efficient utilization of resources, legumes could be rotated with maize with half the recommended rate of fertilizer rather than continuous maize with higher rates of fertilizer application. Such a system will cut down cost on fertilizer and improve grain yield of farmers.

Source: KNUST