ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
An approach to selectively block mobile Phone communication within a mobile phone restricted area

The use of mobile phone jammers to discourage mobile phone usage in mobile phone restricted areas has some limitations. One major limitation is that, once the jammer is activated no mobile phone can be able to function within the restricted area. For that reason, in the case of emergencies, no mobile phone can either make or receive phone calls or perform emergency calls (police, fire and ambulance services). Works done in literature can detect and block phone calls in a certain way but depends on the mobile switching centre in order to block communication in the restricted area. Therefore, in this thesis, a selective mobile phone communication blocking system is proposed which does not depend on the mobile switching centre in order to perform blocking of communication. The proposed system seeks to allow privilege users access to communication and block non-privilege users with respect to a specific user location. Some mobile phone user locations were considered in this thesis (Hospitals, Banks and Schools). A user from a particular user location cannot enjoy the same privileges at a different location provided that user is privileged. The selective blocking nature of the system was simulated using Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) toolbox (mamdani). The inference method is based on a set of IF-THEN rules and membership functions of the input variable and output variables of the system. Users for the different locations were converted into input triangular membership functions. The output is the decision (“allow” and “not allow”) for each of the inputs. S-shape and Z-shape membership functions were used as the output decision variables. The set of IF-THEN rules were used to link the input variables to the output variables. The fuzzy inference system was able to perform selective blocking of communication services for privileged and non-privileged users. The results in this work shows that when the proposed system is implemented mobile phone communication service can be prioritised to suit privilege users in specific mobile phone restricted areas.

Source: KNUST
An assessment of demand and supply of corporate social investments in the mining industry: A case of AngloGold Ashanti

ABSTRACT The notion of corporate social Investment (CSI) has gained momentum as it is currently of strategic importance for many companies. The aim of this study was therefore to enquire into the demand and supply of corporate social investment in the mining industry, with special reference to Anglogold Ashanti. The research design adopted was descriptive. The population for the study comprised staff, management and communities affected by AGA operations. Using convenience sampling technique, 77 staff of AngloGold Ashanti was selected. Also, by purposive sampling technique, 120 community leaders were also selected for the study. The study found that more often the regulator as stakeholder was more concerned about adherence of the mining firms (AngloGold) to legal parameters. Employees on the other hand were more concerned about fair procedures for employee assessment and reward, informational justice, appropriate staff benefits and motivational packages, commitment to employee training and development programs, improving fire safety measures and priority for employee security. For the larger community especially those close to mining sites, their expectation about CSR include contributing to local community infrastructure projects, support for poverty reduction initiatives, assisting in the provision of safe water supply for communities, creating employment opportunities and scholarship programmes for needy students. When it comes to AngloGold’s investment in social infrastructural projects, the study found a consistent rise in budget allocations to developing social infrastructure in mining communities. It is therefore recommended that mining firms improve on their CSR practices and further pay more attention to sustainable business operations

Source: KNUST
An assessement of the marketing strategies of tomato farmers in Ghana: a case of Upper East Region

Lately, Ghana has become the hub of foreign tomato pastes market when tomato farmers in the Upper East Region are in the depths of despair because their abandoned tomatoes rot and the fruits of their labour wasted. Some commit suicide while many others are threatening to abandon their source of livelihood. Free trade policies are not conducive for infant and growing industries like the tomato industry. In the mist of this, this study sought to investigate into the marketing/pricing techniques of tomato farmers, viability and limitations of the tomato farming in the Upper East Region of Ghana. It also examined the effects of the importation of tomato paste on the industry. Both primary and secondary sets of data from tomato farmers, traders and the tomato factory were accessed through questionnaires and an in-depth interview. The quantitative and qualitative data together yielded rich information for the study. A detailed analysis of the data revealed that though the farmers are challenged by insufficient funding, perishability, competition and importation of tomato paste, supportive policies will make tomato business viable in the Upper East Region. Tomato farmers do not pursue marketing formal marketing strategies. They rely on the NSTC and traders (market queens) to purchase their produce at their own determined prices. Government can reduce the inter-boarder competition through a joint venture with Burkina Faso. She could have fixed minimum base price per crate for tomatoes implemented as has been done for cocoa. More irrigation facilities will increase tomato production. Tomato farmers should adopt formal marketing strategies and form functional cooperatives. Trade ties and contracts with buyers notably NSTC will assure them of guaranteed patronage of their produce. They can also consider innovating into spiced powdered tomatoes to overcome perishability. Other researchers could research into Ghanaians’ consumption attitude towards local tomatoes and imported tomato paste.

Source: KNUST
An Aproach to Selectively Block Mobile Phone Communication within a Mobile Phone Restricted Area

The use of mobile phone jammers to discourage mobile phone usage in mobile phone restricted areas has some limitations. One major limitation is that, once the jammer is activated no mobile phone can be able to function within the restricted area. For that reason, in the case of emergencies, no mobile phone can either make or receive phone calls or perform emergency calls (police, fire and ambulance services). Works done in literature can detect and block phone calls in a certain way but depends on the mobile switching centre in order to block communication in the restricted area. Therefore, in this thesis, a selective mobile phone communication blocking system is proposed which does not depend on the mobile switching centre in order to perform blocking of communication. The proposed system seeks to allow privilege users access to communication and block non-privilege users with respect to a specific user location. Some mobile phone user locations were considered in this thesis (Hospitals, Banks and Schools). A user from a particular user location cannot enjoy the same privileges at a different location provided that user is privileged. The selective blocking nature of the system was simulated using Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) toolbox (mamdani). The inference method is based on a set of IF-THEN rules and membership functions of the input variable and output variables of the system. Users for the different locations were converted into input triangular membership functions. The output is the decision (“allow” and “not allow”) for each of the inputs. S-shape and Z-shape membership functions were used as the output decision variables. The set of IF-THEN rules were used to link the input variables to the output variables. The fuzzy inference system was able to perform selective blocking of communication services for privileged and non-privileged users. The results in this work shows that when the proposed system is implemented mobile phone communication service can be prioritised to suit privilege users in specific mobile phone restricted areas

Source: KNUST
An assessment of challenges facing Christians in the chieftaincy institution: a case study of the church of Pentecost

ABSTRACT Chieftaincy has been an integral part of the Akan Community even before the advent of Christianity. The Akan have developed their own leadership hierarchy which exists alongside the democratic structure of Ghana. Arguments raised by religious scholars suggest that there are areas of interest that the Church and the Chieftaincy Institution disagree with each other. Some Churches in Ghana for example forbid its members to be Chiefs, more so skin or stool functionaries leading to alienation of Christians from Chieftaincy issues to the extent that some Christian Royals do not accept the responsibility of leading their communities as Chiefs. In spite of the seeming contention between the Church and the Chieftaincy Institution, some Christians are Chiefs. This research therefore sought to find out whether Christians who are Chiefs have any challenges discharging their duties as chiefs and Christians at the same time or not. The study has shown that Christian Chiefs have some challenges in functioning as Chiefs and as Christians. It was discovered that Christian chiefs and royals are constantly in a dilemma as their obligations include pouring of libation, veneration of the black stool, animal sacrifices, observance of taboos and sacred days, appeasement of the smaller deities, polygamous marriages etc. which run counter to the doctrines, injunctions, and standard of conduct set by Christian faith. The results of the study obtained through interviews with the selected participants who were chiefs, royals and the clergy, show that in reality, the situation of chiefs and royals who are Christians in general and in particular worshiping as Christians in The Church of Pentecost in Ghana confirm the observations of Role Conflict theorists who identified a conflict between role and personality. As observed by Role Conflict theorists, the effect of role conflict is that the actor who is in the middle of conflicting demands fails in reality to fully be in conformity with the expectations from the various roles or statuses they hold. The situation that emerges is that, the individual may be compelled either to ignore or abandon one of the conflicting roles while accepting the other or he or she may be under the compulsion to compromise between the roles or actually do a physical or psychological withdrawal from the roles in contention. The methodological approach to the study was qualitative case study. The study used secondary and primary data. The secondary data includes analyses of both published and unpublished books. The primary data were acquired from fieldwork through the use of interviews. The research is relevant because the findings of the research would serve as a reference point or academic material for those who would want to research into the Chieftaincy Institution.

Source: KNUST
An assessment of bank borrowing constraints on SME Profitability: a case study of First Capital Plus Bank Limited.

This research sought to assess bank borrowing constraints on SME profitability using a study of First Capital Plus Limited. The target population for the research comprised 3 staff members and 60 customers of the First Capital Plus Limited. The study was conducted with a quantitative method, executed through questionnaires, which are handed out to sixty (63) respondents. Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel were used to analyze data obtained from field research. Tables, pie charts and histographs are used to present the data for the study. Findings showed that inability of SMEs to satisfy banks loan reguirements, Lack of adequate business documentation, lack of sufficient collateral, bank policy on loan ceilings and high deposit requirements were the most encountered challenge by SMEs. The findings show that SME inability to access loans negatively affects its ability to expand into new markets, increase production and take advantage of market conditions and opportunity. These effects also affect SME profitability negatively. The study therefore recommends that management of FCP, The National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) as well as the government of Ghana should work to reduce interest rates and reduce threshold limitation requirements. They must co-ordinate and educate financial institutions and other SME funding agencies on the importance of reducing stringent loan requirements to enable more SMEs to access finance.

Source: KNUST
An Assessment Of Corporate Governance And Financial Performance Of Savings And Loans Companies In Ghana

In an increasingly competitive financial service environment and challenging economic times the initiation of an effective corporate governance policy can be a prolific factor. The study assesses corporate governance and financial performance of Savings and Loans Companies in Ghana with particular focus on ten selected savings and loans companies within the Kumasi Metropolis. The study employs quantitative approach. The research population comprises all the 31 Savings and loans Companies in Ghana as of June 2016, out of which a sample of 10 is chosen for the analysis. Secondary data in the form of annual reports are used for the analysis. The researcher adopts convenient and expert sampling techniques in soliciting information for the study. A multivariate regression analysis is used in examining the relationship between selected corporate governance variables and firm performance. The study finds that, board size exhibits a negative and significant influence on the financial performance of Savings and Loans Companies, while board diversity and board meeting frequency also exert a positive and significant relationship on firm performance. Further, the study documents that the challenges confronting the success of good corporate governance include transparency, accountability, independence and fairness. Given the negative relationship between board size and firm performance, the study recommends that, companies should moderate the size of corporate boards in order to maximize performance. Further, it is recommended that corporate boards should include people with different expertise and that boards should meet more frequently.

Source: KNUST
An assessment of credit delivery practices of microfinance institutions in Ghana, a case of Sinapi Aba Savings And Loans Ltd.

The concept of credit delivery has conventionally been considered an essential part of the microfinance institutions operation management, which is most vital to the success of these financial institutions. In spite of the various credit delivery procedure laid down by the central bank which must be followed by financial players, many of these rural microfinance institutions do not deliver credit prudently which has made many microfinance institutions unable to recover credit advance to clients resulting in the declaration of many credit as bad debts. This study assessed the credit delivery of microfinance institutions in Ghana, A Case of Sinapi Aba Savings and Loans ltd. This study employed both qualitative and quantitative research in which both descriptive and regression analyses were employed to assess the credit delivery in Microfinance Institutions in Ghana. The researcher collected data from all the departments of the organization for the purpose of eliciting information on the bank‘s credit delivery management and performance. This consisted of 1 head and 4 other senior staff from each of the 9 departments. In effect, a total of 45 respondents were selected. Regression analysis was employed to analyse secondary source of data on bank capital, profit, loan and amount of non-performing loans from 2006 to 2014.After assessing the level of credit delivery system in Sinapi Aba Savings and Loans ltd, the study found that there is high level of competition in the microfinance sector and so players in the sector are implementing measures to ensure that strategic credit delivery policies are carried out. In analyzing credit delivery management techniques using microfinance credit delivery processes and operations technique developed by Teresa (2002), the study found out that loan application is very important, Loan Appraisal and Recommendation are important in credit delivery system in Sinapi Aba Savings and Loans ltd. More than half of the respondents indicated that they are not sure whether Approval/Deferment or Rejection is important in credit delivery system in Sinapi Aba Savings and Loans ltd or not. Again loan agreement, loan disbursement, loan repayment process are very important in credit delivery system in Sinapi Aba Savings and Loans ltd. Among the barriers hindering credit policies of the bank include inadequate credit assessment personnel, inadequate regular training on current trend in strategic credit delivery polices in microfinance institutions in Ghana, a lot of bureaucracies, accusations of bribery, corruption and conflict of interest in some credit delivery practices.The study recommends that Sinapi Aba Savings and Loans ltd should be able to employ qualified personnel who are well vexed in credit delivery policies of the bank, organize adequate and regular training on current trend in strategic credit delivery polices and that credit delivery polices should be simplified in order to dwell more on results oriented rather than strict procedure.

Source: KNUST
An assessment of financial control practices in ankaful psychiatric nursing training college

This study investigates the financial control practices in ankaful psychiatric nursing training college. Essentially, the study focuses on establishing the specific financial controls existing in the apntc, the challenges to their effective operation, and the strategies or ways to enhance its effective operation. In achieving a robust result, the study employed the use of descriptive research design with a quantitative approach and a case study strategy. The study solicited for information through the use of questionnaire by using the purposive sampling technique from 32 respondents. The study found that there exist financial controls in the institution with 5 key financial controls in the institution including budget control, debt management, expenditure/resource control, financial audit and accounting information systems. The study also found that the dominant challenges affecting the effective operation of financial controls include: inadequate training on financial control system, inadequate supervision, and irregular monitoring of activities. The study also found that the key strategies relevant to enhancing the effective operation of the financial controls comprise regular training of staff on financial control mechanism, strict enforcement of existing control policies by management, and regular monitoring to improve compliance. The study therefore concludes that apntc has put in place effective financial control practices to take care of their financial activities and transactions in apntc but there are some significant challenges confronting them which require adequate stringent measure to improve on the level of effectiveness.

Source: KNUST
An Assessment of Financial Literacy in the Informal Sector of Ghana: A Case Study of Market Women in the Kasoa Market

This study examined the financial literacy in the informal sector of Ghana focusing on Market Women in the Kasoa Market. Particularly, the study examined the knowledge of the market women on financial matters, the extent of application of financial literacy, and the factors that influence the level of financial literacy of the market women. The study used the survey design of research on a population of market women in the Kasoa Market. The simple random sampling was used to obtain a sample of 96 respondents. Primary data were obtained using the research questionnaire. The obtained data were analysed statistically using the mean and standard deviation, together with the relative importance index with the aid of Excel Software. The study found that the market women are knowledgeable on insurance issues but possessed low knowledge on investment, savings and other key areas of financial issues. The study further indicates that the market women significantly apply their knowledge on financial matters on financial records keeping and budgeting related issue more than investment and insurance issues. It is also found that the key factors that influence the market women level of financial literacy are their experience and exposure to financial matters, level of education, and the financial knowledge of family members. In the light of the findings of the study, the study concludes that indeed, knowledge on financial matters among the market women is low in spite the substantial support which adequate knowledge on financial matters can lend to improving their trading activities, personal welfare, and the overall economy. The study further concludes that strategies are adopted by relevant stakeholders to help the market women obtain reasonable level of financial knowledge in all aspects so as to improve their trading activities which would translate into contributing to the general economy.

Source: KNUST
An assessment of financial literacy among sme owners/managers in the osu klottey municipal area

This study explored the level of financial literacy among SME Owners/Managers in the Osu Klottey municipal area by investigating five key financial literacy indicators namely, book-keeping, budgeting, savings and borrowing, investment, and debt. With the adoption of the quantitative approach and a survey design, a sample of 188 respondents were selected using the simple random sampling technique. Data were obtained from primary data source using the structure research questionnaire, after which the data were analyzed by means of descriptive analytical technique. The study established that SME owners/managers possess low literacy in all the financial literacy indicators employed for the study except savings and borrowing which they possess medium literacy. In recognition of these outcomes, recommendation is made that SME managers strive to enhance their financial literacy to be able to optimize their financial decision to enhance the growth and sustainability of their businesses. In addition, recommendation is made for policy makers and relevant stakeholders put in place mechanisms to enhance the financial literacy of SSME owners to improve SME growth since they contribute significant to the country’s GDP.

Source: KNUST