ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
The integration of contemporary Ghanaian murals and sculpture in Ghanaian architecture within the urban environment

The urban environment has a powerful influence upon the mind. Within this urban setting, buildings are an unavoidable facet of it. One way to create an architectural setting that provokes aesthetic contemplation is to integrate it with murals and sculpture. The integration of murals and sculpture with architecture, paves a way for the individual within the community to identify with the architecture of his time by engaging in the active process of perceiving the environment and conferring aesthetic value on objects of interest. Work in this area of study has been done by some individuals, Bachelor of Arts (Degree) thesis reports from the College of Art, at the University of Science and Technology reveal that some amount of documentation has been engaged in, bordering around this phenomena of Integration. 1) Traditional Decoration in Tamale District, 1978/79 by M. Aihassan. 2) Building Styles and Interior Decoration of Northern and Upper Ghana, 1978/79 by B.A. Ackah. 3) Art in Contemporary Architecture in Ghana, 1987/88 by F. Oboubi. Notwithstanding the above named thesis, Hannah Schreckenbach’s book on ‘Construction Technology for a Tropical Developing country’ highlights a bit on techniques employed with decorating Northern traditional Ghanaian habitats. The operational framework within which facts on this study were gathered included the following methods; 1) The historical method was used for the documentation of secondary data on traditional architecture integrated with other works of art namely, murals and sculpture where possible as well as on contemporary evidence of the phenomenon of Integration. 2) The descriptive method in which primary data was derived from simple observational situations in existing architecture to establish the commonly used materials for murals and sculptures. The justification of this study lies in the following; 1) Architecture provides scope and security for other works of art. Larger sculptures, paintings and objects of decorative design are required as a part of a building itself. 2) Murals and Sculpture integrated with traditional architecture formerly in Ghana had a more completeness than prevails today when visual arts are (or seem to be) added as an afterthought to the buildings, is a school of thought requiring investigation. 3) Contemporary art expresses itself in every phase of our living and it gives opportunity to interior and exterior decorators, architects and students to gain an insight into the depth of Ghanaian aesthetic awareness. Types of buildings examined while discussing the integration phenomenon were public, offices and institutionalized buildings. The cardinal reason behind this selective approach is basically the question of the financial capability of the above listed to afford the purchase of large scale works of art Field work methods used to obtain primary data are; 1) Interviews with selected professionals. 2) Photographic data obtained on murals and sculpture integrated with selected architecture.

Source: KNUST
Integration of Geoscience data in groundwater exploration: a case study in the Manya Krobo and Asuogyaman Districts, Eastern Region, Ghana

Groundwater is most economic source of water supply for rural folks in view of the dispersed nature of these settlements. However, one major drawback is the low success rate of well drilling in some geological fonnations in the country. The research therefore integrated geoscience data for groundwater exploration on Manya Krobo and Asuogyaman districts in the Eastern Region, with the view of improving site selection in the area. The area is underlain by the Voltaian, Buem, Togo and Dahomeyan formations. The study considered delineating favourable grounds for groundwater exploration and determined if lineaments and drainage characteristics (net work) of the area have any relationship with aquifer. The data integrated included geological, aerial photograph, geophysical, topographic sheets and borehole data. These were then processed to generate various geographic themes which were integrated and studied at different stages in a Geographic Information System environment. Two main groups of lineaments were observed, a NE-SW/NNE-.SSW and a NWSE/NNW-SSE trending lineaments. Successful boreholes were associated with some lineaments in the area. Generally the occurrence and distribution of lineaments is fairly dense and the drainage system structurally controlled, except in the Dahomeyan where the occurrence of lineaments is very rare, and the drainage network is dendritic. Successful boreholes are related to the geology of the area. Generally the Togo-Buem produce good yields with the Voltaian producing fairly good yields. The Dahomeyan show few successful boreholes. The anomalous geophysical points determined from georesistivity surveys generally correlate with delineated lineaments from topographic and aerial photographs. The valleys of streams in the Voltaian, Togo and Buem show good correlation with sites associated with aquifer. It was thus concluded that the valleys could serve as favourable sites for groundwater exploration. As lineaments showed correlation with successful borehole sites the lineaments theme themselves indicate favourable sites for groundwater exploration.

Source: KNUST
Integration of informal solid waste collectors into mainstream solid waste management in Adentan Municipality

This thesis focuses on the role of the Informal Solid Waste Collectors in the collection and disposal of solid waste in Adentan Municipality. Management of waste in the Municipality by solid waste contractors is faced with numerous challenges resulting in their inability to collect large tonnes of waste for disposal daily. Rapid increase in the volume and types of solid and hazardous wastes as a result of continuous economic growth, urbanization and industrialization, is becoming a burgeoning problem for national and local governments. The main objective of the research is to study how Informal Solid Waste Collectors can be integrated into the mainstream solid waste management in the Adentan Municipality. The study was conducted in the Adenta Municipality with Adenta as its capital. Adenta Municipal covers an area of 98.3 km² with a population density of 795.7/km² and population of 78,215 (2010 census). Adentan was chosen for the study because of its rapid urbanization and expansion. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from the Municipal Assembly, households and informal solid waste collectors. The research gathered data from primary and secondary sources using field investigation, face to face interview and questionnaire administration. Results obtained indicated that out of 55.38 metric tonnes of waste generated per day, 61.39% are collected for disposal by waste contractors, 9.93% by informal collectors and 29.07% are left uncollected. Solid waste management challenges include bad road network, lack of monitoring and supervision by the Assembly, lack of waste management by-laws and irregular service provision by formal waste contractors. The results also indicated that there are only 19 communal containers in the Municipality. Data gathered indicated that some Informal Waste Collectors had been in business for more than 10 years. Apart from the immense contribution to environment cleanliness and prevention of diseases outbreak through collection and disposal of waste, Informal Solid Waste Collection has provided employment to significant number of youth who have turned out to be the bread-winners of their families. More income is earned by collectors as a result of lower fees charged for services rendered to households and businesses.

Source: KNUST
Integration of traditional and alternative medicine into routine health care delivery system in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ashanti Region, Ghana

Introduction Traditional and alternative medicine development in Ghana has undergone a lot of transformation despite its challenges. Currently, the significance and integration of traditional and alternative medicine into routine healthcare delivery cannot be underestimated within the healthcare industry in Ghana. Therefore, the need to explore lessons learnt from the integration of TAM into routine health care delivery system in Kumasi Metropolis, Ashanti Region, Ghana. Methods The study was qualitative using exploratory cross-sectional study design to measure views and experience of TAM integration, challenges of TAM and suggestion to overcome challenges. The data were collected from 20 Providers and 30 Clients using a semi-structured interview guide. The data were analyzed thematically facilitated by manual analysis. Results The providers and clients were of the view that, the gap between allopathic and Herbal medicine practice should be bridged to enhance easy access to healthcare. They were of the view that herbal medicines should be listed onto the NHIS Scheme for healthcare delivery. Majority of providers and clients indicated that resource constraints, inadequate manpower development and sensitization were major challenges with the integration of TAM into routine healthcare delivery system. Most of the providers and clients suggested that adequate resources for the herbal units of the hospitals, sensitization of the public as well as healthy collaboration between herbal practitioners and orthodox medical practitioners as practical ways of addressing challenges confronting TAM integration. Conclusion The study unraveled several benefits with integration of TAM into routine healthcare delivery. However, resource constraints and inadequate collaboration between herbal and orthodox practitioners were identified as critical impediments to TAM integration into routine healthcare delivery system. The study therefore recommended that government and all other relevant stakeholders should provide adequate resources (human and material) for the herbal units, effective sensitization and education on the use of herbal medicine and efforts to bridge the gap between orthodox and herbal medicine.

Source: KNUST
Integration of traditional and alternative medicine into routine health care delivery system in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ashanti Region, Ghana

Introduction Traditional and alternative medicine development in Ghana has undergone a lot of transformation despite its challenges. Currently, the significance and integration of traditional and alternative medicine into routine healthcare delivery cannot be underestimated within the healthcare industry in Ghana. Therefore, the need to explore lessons learnt from the integration of TAM into routine health care delivery system in Kumasi Metropolis, Ashanti Region, Ghana. Methods The study was qualitative using exploratory cross-sectional study design to measure views and experience of TAM integration, challenges of TAM and suggestion to overcome challenges. The data were collected from 20 Providers and 30 Clients using a semi-structured interview guide. The data were analyzed thematically facilitated by manual analysis. Results The providers and clients were of the view that, the gap between allopathic and Herbal medicine practice should be bridged to enhance easy access to healthcare. They were of the view that herbal medicines should be listed onto the NHIS Scheme for healthcare delivery. Majority of providers and clients indicated that resource constraints, inadequate manpower development and sensitization were major challenges with the integration of TAM into routine healthcare delivery system. Most of the providers and clients suggested that adequate resources for the herbal units of the hospitals, sensitization of the public as well as healthy collaboration between herbal practitioners and orthodox medical practitioners as practical ways of addressing challenges confronting TAM integration.ix Conclusion The study unraveled several benefits with integration of TAM into routine healthcare delivery. However, resource constraints and inadequate collaboration between herbal and orthodox practitioners were identified as critical impediments to TAM integration into routine healthcare delivery system. The study therefore recommended that government and all other relevant stakeholders should provide adequate resources (human and material) for the herbal units, effective sensitization and education on the use of herbal medicine and efforts to bridge the gap between orthodox and herbal medicine.

Source: KNUST
Intelligent traffic management for the Kumasi Metropolis

The problem of vehicular traffic congestion is universal yet there has not been a long-term permanent solution to this problem, and it is increasingly worsening by the day all around the world with severe vehicular traffic taking its toll on all road users. With the upsurge in urban traffic jams, innovative control strategies are therefore essential to allow efficient flow of vehicular movement. It is thus not surprising that a myriad of novel control strategies has been developed over the past years in an attempt to manage the ever-growing urban gridlock. Many of the currently used traffic control strategies are based on the relatively inefficient fixed-time traffic systems, like in the case of Ghana, or on a central traffic-responsive control system, which is challenging to implement and even much more difficult to maintain. As a consequence of inefficiencies in traffic control, road users are saddled with regular and inconveniently long waiting times in queues. To mitigate this problem, a distributed artificial intelligence and multi-agent system is proposed as a viable approach to manage the traffic menace. The proposed system uses historical data for traffic management and was designed and implemented using Simulation of Urban Mobility (SUMO) software. Iterative learning control which is a technique for refining the momentary response performance of a system that functions repetitively over a fixed period of time is used to tune the phase splits of the traffic controller to obtain the optimal controller duty cycles with the least delay, resulting in frequent traffic flows, minimum waiting times and shorter queued vehicles. The result obtained in the comparison of the current fixed time-controlled system and designed system clearly indicated that the proposed system outperformed the fixed-time cycle controllers in every key performance index selected for evaluation.

Source: KNUST
Intensification strategy: determination of the income optimum time to under-plant oil palm with cocoa

Cocoa was inter-cropped with oil palm of three different palm ages to determine the best time to under plant cocoa in oil palm. The experiment was conducted from 1994 to 2004 at the Oil Palm Research Institute, Kusi. Oil palm at three different ages;2, 4 ami 6 years after planting were un­ -der-planted wit" mixed cocoa hybrids. These were compared with sole oitpalmand sole cocoa. The treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design. and. replicated three times. ". Growth and yield of oi! palm under-cropped with cocoa after 4 years comparedfavorably with sole oil palm. The income equivalent ratio defined as the land area under sole oil palm that TS required to produce the incomes achieved in lnter-cropping, were 1.08,1.25, 1.02, I, 0.31 for 2 years oil palm with cocoa, 4 years oil palm with cocoa, 6 years oil palm witli cocoa, sole oil palni a!Jll sole cocoa respectively. Results of this study suggest that maximum returns from the land is achieved when 4years old oil palm is under-planted with COCOa followed by 2 years and 6 years old oil palm respectively. Such lllte~cropping gave higher returns from the. land than either sole oil palm or cocoa plots.

Source: KNUST
Inter-Sectoral Collaboration for Health - a Case Study of Sekyere West District

This study was carried out in the Sekyere West District of Ashanti Region of Ghana to assess the nature of inter-sectoral collaboration for health in the district using questionnaire interviews, in-depth interviews, review of existing records and case studies. The study revealed that the level of inter-sectoral collaboration for health in the district was 52%, which is low. Out of the eleven sectors sampled .for the study, five had high levels of collaboration for health whilst six had low levels of collaboration for health. Also, of the five variables on which these were assessed, three achieved high levels of collaboration by the sectors as against two which achieved low levels by the sectors. The strength of inter-sectoral collaboration for health in the District were found in the planning, implementation and information, education and communication (IEC) of health related programmes. The weaknesses in inter-sectoral collaboration for health in the district were also found in research and monitoring and evaluation of health related programmes. Almost all the sectors in the study were represented on the District Management Health Team (DMHT) and the District National Immunisation Programme Committee (DNIPC) with the exception of one sector. Information on health issues were considerably shared among the sectors and resources were also shared for the implementation of health related programmes. Joint planning for health related programmes were carried out by some of the sectors. However, most of the sectors did not have policies on inter-sectoral collaboration and did not understand the concept of inter-sectoral collaboration. Many sectors always looked on to the District Health Administration (DHA) to initiate activities on inter-sectoral collaboration for health. Bureaucratic tendencies within most of the decentralised departments prevented them from taking decisions at the district level including those for promoting inter-sectoral collaboration for health and lack of horizontal relationships among the sectors, impeded effective inter-sectoral collaboration for health in the district. Since most of the sectors planned their health related programmes in isolation of the other sectors, collaboration in other programmes that followed these plans were weak. Also most of the sectors did not make the effort to request for assistance from the other sectors nor offer them to other sectors for health related programmes. It is therefore recommended that policies on inter-sectoral collaboration for health should be made available to all the sectors at the district level. This however demands an absolute decentralization whereby the top hierarchy of the various sectors would have to devolve some decision making powers to the district level, It is envisaged that these measures would pave the way for improvement in inter-sectoral collaboration for health so that the sectors can play their respective roles in promoting inter-sectoral collaboration among themselves.

Source: KNUST
The Interaction between Public Sector Wage, Inflation and Exchange Rate Volatility in Ghana

Continuous depreciation of the cedi has been in the orbit of concern of policy makers for time immemorial. This is because, in spite of many policy actions to restore the continuous depreciation of the cedi amidst wage hikes and inflation, the efforts of policy makers seem to thwart in vain. The ARDL method was empirically used to determine whether the rising public sector wage bill and inflation have any impact on the value of the cedi over the period 1986 to 2014. The study discovered that inflation, money supply, interest rate and public wage bill have significant impact on exchange rate in the Ghanaian economy. The outcome of this study postulated that exchange rate determination in Ghana is also a fiscal phenomenon in spite of the significant and domineering role played by monetary expansion. Based on this information, the paper proposed that equal attention must be accorded both fiscal and monetary policy in exchange rate stabilization. It, therefore, suggested that there must be a purely independent central bank; devoid of political appointments and interference to carry out its mandate with free hands. An independent non-political fiscal body like the monetary policy committee under Bank of Ghana must also be established under the same body independent of the Ministry of Finance to ensure wage sustainability through the negotiation of public sector wage adjustment subject to budgetary constraints.

Source: KNUST
Interactive electronic books as an educational tool for children

Electronic Publication is an area of publishing yet to be tapped into by the Ghanaian publishing industry. One of the growing and very vibrant areas of electronic publishing is scholarly publication. In all areas of human activity including teaching, the amount of information increases rapidly. The use of new computer technologies will allow education automation. So called “interactive books” are the modern information technologies ensuring the process of education. Interactive books are one of many Electronic Publishing materials that can be used to enhance the learning process. However, the publishing industry of Ghana since its inception in the early 1900s has seen very little in these innovations. The research examined the various types of electronic publications and the best ways of producing and making them effective in educating children. This work also documented the importance of producing interactive books and identified the factors that contribute to unsatisfactory finish of some electronic publications. The researcher used qualitative instruments like observations, interviews and check-lists to acquire data and evaluate result of findings made during the research period. The researcher completes the project by implementing a prototype and makes very vital recommendations like how imperative the incorporation of eBooks are to the education sector. The research therefore recommends that the Publishing Department should embrace new and innovative methods in the introduction and development of eBooks into the Ghanaian Publishing Industry

Source: KNUST