ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Household Structure and Academic Performance of Junior High School Students in Manhyia Sub-Metro of Kumasi

This study describes the household structure of Junior High School pupils in Manhyia sub-metro of Kumasi and their academic performance. The objectives were to establish the relationships between household size, sex of household head, economic background of household head, the level of education of household head and academic performance of pupils.The study was a cross-sectional descriptive study of 100 J.H.S. students in Manhyia Submetro of Kumasi between the ages of 12 – 15 years who were sampled by using multistage sampling technique. The sample consisted of only level two J.H.S. students in order to maintain consistency. Chi-square test of independence was used in testing the research hypothesis to determine relationships between the independent variables (Household characteristics) and the dependent variable (academic performance). The results of the study indicated that, there was no significant relationship between sex of household head, economic background of pupils, household size and the level of education of household head as independent variables and academic performance of pupils (p = 0.06, 0.89, 0.75, 0.71 respectively). The findings of this study provided evidence that household size and the other household characteristics indicated no significant impacts on academic performance of pupils. The study recommends that further studies be carried out to include other household factors.

Source: KNUST
Households willingness to pay for improved solid waste disposal services in Kumasi Metropolis

The study seeks to assess households’ willingness to pay for improved solid waste management services within the Kumasi Metropolis and the amount they are willing to pay. The motive is to ascertain the feasibility and relevance of the polluter-pays-principle being implemented by the Assembly and recommend how it could effectively be done strategically to raise the needed funds to address the challenges of waste in the city. The research gathered data from two main sources namely: secondary and primary sources. The three main techniques employed in gathering the primary data were: preliminary field investigation, questionnaire survey and face-to-face interviews. The contingent valuation method was used to determine willingness to pay. The econometric tools used include the logit and tobit regression models. The determinants of factors influencing WTP for improved waste management services using the logit regression model were identified to be education, Length of stay in the area, House ownership, Distance to dumping sites and Gender. The factors influencing the amount respondents were willingness to pay using the tobit model include Age, Income, Education, Length of stay, House ownership, Bags of waste generated and Distance to dumping sites. It was realized that households are WTP average of GHc8.13 more in addition to the GHc11.00 they currently pay for improved services. It is therefore recommended that the Assembly takes advantage of the citizenry’s believe that waste management is a shared responsibility and not the sole responsibility of the government and get individuals to pay realistic amount in order to raise the needed funds for improved waste management. Again, the Assembly could surcharge the 1st and 2nd class residential areas to pay relatively more and use the excess amount to subsidize the 3rd class residential areas (because they cannot afford).

Source: KNUST
Households willingness to pay improved solid waste disposal services in Kumasi metropolis.

The study seeks to assess households’ willingness to pay for improved solid waste management services within the Kumasi Metropolis and the amount they are willing to pay. The motive is to ascertain the feasibility and relevance of the polluter-pays-principle being implemented by the Assembly and recommend how it could effectively be done strategically to raise the needed funds to address the challenges of waste in the city. The research gathered data from two main sources namely: secondary and primary sources. The three main techniques employed in gathering the primary data were: preliminary field investigation, questionnaire survey and face-to-face interviews. The contingent valuation method was used to determine willingness to pay. The econometric tools used include the logit and tobit regression models. The determinants of factors influencing WTP for improved waste management services using the logit regression model were identified to be education, Length of stay in the area, House ownership, Distance to dumping sites and Gender. The factors influencing the amount respondents were willingness to pay using the tobit model include Age, Income, Education, Length of stay, House ownership, Bags of waste generated and Distance to dumping sites. It was realized that households are WTP average of GHc8.13 more in addition to the GHc11.00 they currently pay for improved services. It is therefore recommended that the Assembly takes advantage of the citizenry’s believe that waste management is a shared responsibility and not the sole responsibility of the government and get individuals to pay realistic amount in order to raise the needed funds for improved waste management. Again, the Assembly could surcharge the 1st and 2nd class residential areas to pay relatively more and use the excess amount to subsidize the 3rd class residential areas (because they cannot afford).

Source: KNUST
Household wealth status and child nutritional outcomes in Nigeria.

Child undernutrition has been extensively recognized by researchers and policy makers to be an important public health problem across developing countries. Undernutrition is principally due to insufficient food intake, deficiency in nutrients and poor health conditions. It poses as a threat to the future generation since it leads to decreased work capacity in future, thus affecting income earnings. Also, it contributes to about half a million deaths in children yearly in Nigeria. Child undernutrition has been attributed to poverty, which is believed to cause disparities in health and nutrition across various economic groups. To this effect, this study used cross-sectional data with a sample of 29160 under-five children from 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. Concentration curves and indices are used to examine the wealth-related inequality in childhood nutritional outcomes, and the probit and IV models are employed to estimate the effect of household wealth status on child nutritional outcomes. The concentration curves revealed that the three child nutritional outcomes (stunting, wasting and underweight) were concentrated among the poor. The concentration indices indicated that the size of inequality was practically large and statistically significant at 10% for all three measures. But inequality was more prevalent in stunting and underweight than in wasting. In addition, the probit and IV estimates showed that household wealth status had a strong significant effect on stunting and underweight when wealth status was assumed to be exogenous, and when endogeneity was accounted for, but no significant effect on wasting. The study therefore recommends that poverty alleviation programs such as unemployment benefits, job creations schemes particularly focused on the poorer population of the nation should be ensured.

Source: KNUST
Households’ Latrine Preference and Financing Mechanisms in Peri-urban Ghana

Using household-level survey data, this study investigates households’ latrine preference and financing mechanisms for improved latrines in the Ningo-Prampram district in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. Descriptive and inferential analyses are employed for data analysis and reporting. The results of the study show that a majority of the sampled households practice open defecation due to lack of funds and space for an improved latrine. Most of the households prefer the flush/pour-flush to the piped sewer system latrine or the ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrine. About half of the households prefer to use own funds via savings or ‘susu’ to build their latrines, and very few prefer funds from the financial institutions (FIs), albeit the FIs are interested in providing loans for household latrines. Empirical results from a binary logistic model show that there is some relationship between households’ latrine financing decisions and their socioeconomic and community characteristics, such as gender, education, household composition, income, tenancy, type of defecating practiced and type of community. The study recommends the need to educate households to consider ‘cheaper’ and more feasible latrine technologies, and also adopt joint-resource mobilization strategies for their latrines. There is also the need to educate the households on the possibility and conditions for alternative sources of funds for improved latrines. Policy efforts by the government and other stakeholders toward a sustainable uptake of improved sanitation should also consider the household and community factors that may influence a household’s latrine preference and financing decision.

Source: KNUST
Housing for urban middle and income earners - a proposal for Parakuo estates at Abladzei, Accra

Housing is a basic necessity for people all over the world. The socio—cultural, economic, and political life of people revolve around it, be it in a developed country or in an underdeveloped country. The provision of decent housing is one of the major concerns of governments, from Africa, to Asia to the Americas, and despite decades of involvement of governments in solving their housing needs, the solution seem to evade us. This could be attributed to an endless number of factors, but one clear school of thought which seems to be emerging in the fact that houses built through government programmes do not necessarily meet the aspirations of the people. John Turner and Robert Fichter state in their book Freedom to Build that where dwellers are in control, their homes are better and chapter than those built through government programmes or large Corporations. This new thinking supports the notion of “housing as a verb” and reinforces the belief that, government involvement in housing should not be the production of “houses” but rather the creation of a viable and conducive political, economic and physical environment which will stimulate more people to invest private resources in the development of houses which catisfy their lifestyles, values and aspirations. In Ghana, the government has recognised and accepted this new thinking, and is therefore drawing up policies and strategies which will facilitate housing delivery by both private individuals and private commercial organisations like Real Estate developer. This involves a thorough review of constraints to housing delivery as well as the introduction of new favourable financial arrangements, so that private developers and individuals can deliver houses more cost-effectively.

Source: KNUST
How powerful are Macroeconomic variables in the Stock market? The case of Ghana

Even though there have been studies on the effects economic variables have on the stock market, these studies have predominantly been in the developed world context. Thus, the present paper is important as it brings to the fore new evidence on the relationship between stock market behavior and selected macroeconomic indicators of the developing world setting. Overall, the study fills a gap in knowledge by investigating the relationship between macroeconomic variables (namely exchange rate, interest rate and inflation rate) and stock market returns using the GSE All Share Index as a proxy to stock returns during the fifteen year period spanning January 2000 to December 2014. Three models formed the foundation of the study namely the Impulse response model, the Markowitz Portfolio Theory and the Stock Market Efficiency (SME) hypothesis. Findings of the study revealed that macroeconomic variables were important predictors of stock market returns in Ghana during the period under study. One unit root increases in exchange rate, interest rate and inflation rate caused stock market returns to increase by 0.015, 0.006 and 1.677 units respectively. It was also found that exchange rate and inflation rate had a positive correlation whiles interest rate had a negative correlation with the GSE All Share Index. The multiple regression results obtained from the stationary first differenced data series established a positive effect of interest rate and inflation rate on stock market returns, and a negative effect of interest rate on stock market returns. Importantly, all of the relationships examined were found to be statistically significant.

Source: KNUST
How supplier relationship management practices affect the performance of organizations. A case of Ghana cocoa board within Brong-Ahafo region

Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) is a critical component of organizational success, particularly in the context of supply chain management. Cocoa Board Ghana Limited, as a key player in the cocoa industry, relies on effective SRM practices to ensure a consistent supply of cocoa beans. Understanding how these practices influence the organization's performance is vital for sustainable growth and competitiveness. This study investigated the impact of SRM practices on the performance of Cocoa Board Ghana Limited, with a focus on key constructs within SRM.. Data was collected through survey from a sample of 41 respondents made up of senior, middle, and support staff; and analysed using various statistical techniques, including Factor Analysis, Correlation Analysis, and Multiple Regression. Strong positive relationship was observed between certain SRM constructs, such as Information Sharing, and Organizational Performance. The regression analysis reveals that " Information Sharing" has a highly significant and strong positive relationship with Organizational Performance. " On the other hand, "Supplier Collaboration" also appear to have a significant impact on Organizational Performance in this analysis. To enhance performance, Cocoa Board Ghana Limited should focus on improving Information Sharing, address SRM Challenges, and implement a culture of continuous improvement within its SRM practices. Cross-functional collaboration, supplier training, and robust performance metrics are also recommended to strengthen supplier relationships and drive organizational success.

Source: KNUST
HPLC method development for simultaneous estimation of combined Amoxicillin Trihydrate/Flucloxacillin Sodium Capsules

A combined formulation of amoxicillin, a broad-spectrum penicillin and flucloxacillin, a narrow-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotic provides a wider spectrum of bactericidal activity against a wide range of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. An HPLC method was developed for the quantitative analysis of this combined formulation using methanol and acetate buffer of pH 5.0, in a ratio of 60:40; flow rate of 1.1ml/min and UV detection at 254nm, a Phenomenex C-18 column; 300 × 3.9; 10micron. The linearity of the method was assessed with a calibration graph with a correlation coefficient, r2 values of 0.9986 and 0.9967 for Flucloxacillin and Amoxicillin respectively. The LOD computed for Amoxicillin and Flucloxacillin were 0.0938 and 0.140 respectively. The LOQ obtained were 0.2843 and 0.3156 for Amoxicillin and Flucloxacillin respectively. The %RSD was estimated for three concentrations 0.64mg/ml, 0.8mg/ml and 0.96mg/ml by determining the %recovery for both Amoxicillin and Flucloxacillin. The %recovery for Amoxicillin for the concentrations stated were 100.67%, 99.88%, and 99.95%. That of Flucloxacillin were 99.78%, 99.96%, and 100.44%. The %RSD was also used to analyze the intra-day and inter-day precision. The intra-day for three different concentrations, 2mg/ml, 0.8mg/ml and 0.1mg/ml for Amoxicillin were 0.55, 1.38, and 0.93. That of Flucloxacillin were 0.19, 0.27, and 0.79. The %RSD for inter-day precision showed 0.92, 1.04, and 0.78 for Amoxicillin while that of Flucloxacillin were 0.40, 1.02, and 0.92. The method can be used to assay any Amoxicillin/Flucloxacillin combined dosage forms.

Source: KNUST
HPLC method development for the quantification and stability studies of Amoxcillin and Clavulanic Acid in liquid oral formulations

Amoxicillin-Clavulanic acid combinations have become first line medicines on the essential medicines list of the National Health Insurance Scheme for the treatment of infections caused by beta-lactamase producing micro-organisms. These organisms have become resistant to amoxicillin. As a result, clavulanic acid which is a beta-lactamase inhibitor is combined with amoxicillin to extend the antibacterial properties of amoxicillin and thus the synergy produced by the two drugs are exploited to treat infections caused by beta-lactamase resistant bacteria. It is essential that the two compounds maintain their stability throughout the period of use to obtain the expected synergy. However, no studies have been conducted on the liquid oral suspension of these drugs under the local Ghanaian temperature storage conditions to ascertain their stability in liquid oral suspension throughout the period of use. Also, few methods that are stability indicative are available for the assay of these liquid oral formulations. To assist in assessing the stability and the quality of these formulations, a simple and cost effective High Performance Liquid Chromatographic (HPLC) method for assay and assessment of stability of the two compounds in liquid oral formulations fixed-dose was developed and validated. The HPLC method employed a C18 reverse phase column Phenomenex, Ultracarb ODS 20micron with an isocratic mixture of methanol, water and sodium acetate buffer pH 4.37 in the ratio of 5:90:5 as the mobile phase. The flow rate was 1ml/min and detection was by means of a UV detector at a wavelength of 220nm. The LOD of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid were 0.00202%w/v and 0.000264%w/v respectively. The LOQ of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid were also 0.00674%w/v and 0.000879%w/v. The method was accurate when compared to a standard method in the British Pharmacopoeia. Five brands of the Amoxicillin-Clavulanic acid combinations in liquid suspensions were analysed. Four out of the five brands passed the assay. Both amoxicillin and Clavulanic acid in reconstituted liquid oral suspensions were not stable under temperatures of 30˚C and 40˚C but were however stable at a temperature of 10˚C in a refrigerator over a period of seven days. However, Clavulanic acid was less stable than V amoxicillin at both temperatures of 30˚C and 40˚C. It was also established that the innovator brand was more stable than the most commonest and highly stocked generic brand on the Ghanaian market.

Source: KNUST
Human Excreta Management in Poor Peri-Urban Communities – Case Study of Prampram Township

Human excreta management has long been a problem in developing countries with most people resorting to unimproved sanitation practices. The sanitation situation over the past decade has improved slightly but has been more difficult with the rapid increase in population especially in urban centers where about half of the population lives as against little improvement in infrastructure. As at 2008, the country’s population stood at 23.4 million, out of which an alarming 5.4 million Ghanaians were still practicing open field defecation. This study seeks to assess and improve human excreta management in poor peri-urban areas, with Prampram as the case study. The main objective of this research was to identify the challenges with the management of human excreta, investigate barriers with both the technologies in use and existing management practices and propose sustainable solutions for improvement, in the Lower West, Lower East, Olowe and Kley communities of Prampram. In gathering information for this research, questionnaires were administered to households, key informants within the study area were interviewed and focus group discussions were also held. The study revealed that generally 43.13% of the correspondents within the study area had access to household toilet, whereas 56.88% depended on available public toilet facilities or resorted to other available sanitation options such as the open field or tying in polythenes and mixing them with the household waste. The predominant technology identified in the household was the ventilated improved pit, followed by the water closet facility. For the predominant technology employed for the public toilet facility is the Kumasi Ventilated Improved Pit. The Assembly members for the various electoral areas were currently those responsible for the management of the public toilet facilities although the District Health and Sanitation department were making efforts to take over. The VIP’s generally performed better than the KVIP, as they barely had odour and fly problems. The research showed that technical regulations regarding the use of the KVIP were not being adhered to and that resulted in the odour, heat and flies problem experienced by users. Management of the public facilities was below standard. One could easily see the faecal matter at the brim of the squat hole on visit to the facility. These problems made users prefer the open field and other unimproved modes of human excreta management. It is recommended that the public toilets attendant be given some education on the use of the KVIP and the general populace also educated on the need for good sanitation practices. Efforts will also have to be made to make the public facilities user friendly for the aged and disabled. The District must embark on regular monitoring and inspection of the toilet facility and give priority to the development of sanitation. The Environmental Health and Sanitation Department must be equipped to work independently in enforcing the sanitation by laws without any political interference.

Source: KNUST
HPLC method development for the quantitative analysis of Lamivudine, Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate and Nevirapine

An accurate and precise reverse phase HPLC method has been developed for the simultaneous quantification of Lamivudine, Nevirapine and Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate. Phenomenex Synergi C18 (250mm×4.6, 4μm) with methanol: ammonium acetate buffer (adjusted to pH 2.80): acetonitrile in a ratio 50:40:10 v/v was found to achieve suitable separation of the antiretroviral drugs. A flow rate of 1.0ml/min, temperature at 25°C and UV detection at 270nm were used. The run time was 10minutes with retention times of 3.26, 5.42 and 7.55 minutes for lamivudine, nevirapine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate respectively. The HPLC method developed showed good linearity within the ranges of 10-59µg/ml, 7-42µg/ml and 15-90µg/ml with correlation coefficient of 0.9973, 0.9951 and 0.9968 for tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, nevirapine and lamivudine respectively. The limits of detection were 5.50µg/ml, 3.15µg/ml and 3.93µg/ml for lamivudine, nevirapine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate respectively. The limits of quantification were 16.68µg/ml, 9.54µg/ml and 10.04µg/ml for lamivudine, nevirapine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate respectively. The method is accurate in the range 90%- 110% recovery and precise (all %RSD values for inter-day and intraday studies within acceptable criteria). This method detected the antiretroviral drugs in the various formulations within the same retention times as the pure powder samples which informed the specificity of the method. Quantitative analysis of formulations containing the antiretroviral drugs under study were carried out. The percentage content of Tenofovir, lamivudine and Nevirapine in Tenofovir/ Lamivudine fixed-dose combination co-blistered with Nevirapine were 98.55%± 0.17, 105.33%± 0.85 and 99.20%± 1.17 respectively.

Source: KNUST