ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
The effects of poverty on environmental sustainability: the case study of the Kassena-Nankana West District, Upper East Region

Poverty and environment nexus has been dominated by two schools of thought. The orthodox view suggests that poor people are forced to degrade landscape in response to population growth and economic marginalization. Hence of the view that poverty and environmental damage occur in a downward spiral in which it is assumed that the only way to avoid environmental degradation is to alleviate poverty. However, recent views argue that many poor people are able to adopt protective mechanisms through collective action which reduce the impacts of environmental change. The Kassena-Nankana West District (KNWD is one of the worst degraded districts of the Upper East region with a high incidence of poverty. This study therefore examined the impact of poverty on the savannah forest in the KNWD of the Upper East Region of Ghana. FGDs and questionnaires were used to collect qualitative and quantitative data respectively. 370 households were selected at random from four communities in the District as respondents for the quantitative data. Both SPSS and Excel software were used to analyse the quantitative data while content analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. Results from the study indicate that a total of 95.4% of respondents are either extremely poor or poor. Moreover, results indicated that the very poor, that is those who earn less than GH₵100 a month and those without formal education depend on the environment as a source of livelihood. Their activities included the production of charcoal and fuel wood from the forest reserve in the district. These activities have direct impact on the environment causing deforestation, forest degradation and fragmentation. The study therefore recommends that the KNWD, government agencies and NGOs should design and implement projects and programmes geared towards the reduction of poverty and should also build the capacities of heads of households to engage in alternative livelihood activities to supplement household’s income from farming.

Source: KNUST
Effects of poor safety performance on Ghanaian construction projects

The Construction industry plays a major role in any economy and its activities are also vital to the achievement of the socio-economic development goals of providing shelter, infrastructure and employment. However, the construction industry is also known as an accident prone industry in Ghana. The interest in safety awareness among construction companies has greatly increased in the past decade. The everincreasing cost of medical treatment and the potential for lawsuits can lead to higher insurance premiums, which in turn tend to have a negative impact on a company's profit. Safety on construction sites is a major concern in Ghana, however little research has been conducted into the subject. The study was aimed at the effects of poor safety performance and putting measures in place to improve them. A questionnaire survey was conducted on various Ghanaian Construction firms within the Accra Metropolis and the collected data was analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to obtain the Relative Importance Index and thus rank the safety performance factors. A conclusion was drawn from the analysis indicates that the major contributive factor affecting safety performance was Administrative and management commitment towards safety, giving staff and site workers safety education and training, the role of Government and other Engineering societies and these have resulted in some chronic and acute effects on constriction workers. The recommendations made were that, safety should be the utmost concern for every individual or organization involved in construction therefore; a greater awareness as well as education and training structures should be put in place to arrest the alarming rate of construction accidents in Ghana

Source: KNUST
Effects Of Probability Sampling Techniques On Gaussian Naive Bayes Classification

We investigate the effect of probability sampling techniques on Gaussian Naive Bayes algorithm for predicting neonatal survival using three methods of error estimation. The study considered two hundred and sixty (260) data sets for both neonatal mortality and survival from January 1st to December 31st 2015 at Maternity and Babies Unity. Simple Random, Stratified and Repeated Systematic sampling techniques were applied to select three replicates with sample size of two hundred and eighty (204 neonatal survival and 76 neonatal mortality). The Age of a baby in days, Maternal age in years and number of Parity were the three predictors in the analysis. Gaussian Naive Bayes algorithm was used in the analysis and a confusion matrix based on a 5 fold cross validation , Leaveone-out cross-validation and Re-substitution procedures were used in the study to provide the basis for measuring the effect of probability sampling on Gaussian Naive Bayes algorithm. It was observed that in terms of accuracy, Stratified sampling technique had better performance under Leave-one-out cross-validation while simple random technique was better under 5-Fold cross-validation. In terms of precision or how close the predicted values are to each other, stratified sampling technique performed better under Leave-one-out cross-validation, simple random sampling was well performed under 5-fold-Cross-validation and systematic sampling under re-substitution. Moreover, in terms of sensitivity(proportion of correctly predicted positive neonatal survival given that the neonate come from neonatal survival class, stratified sampling techniques recorded maximum performance under 5-fold cross-Validation and leave-one-out cross-validation while Simple random sampling had better performance under Re-substitution. Moreover, in terms of specificity, stratified sampling technique had better performance under Leave-one-out cross-validation, simple random sampling was better under 5-fold-cross-validation and systematic sampling technique under re-substitution.

Source: KNUST
Effects of pre-household treatment procedures and Dissipation of Chlorpyrifos Residue on Lactuca Sativa

This research was organized into two phases. Phase I dealt with the administration of questionnaires to farmers to examine the pesticide use pattern in the study area. Phase II dealt with evaluating the residue levels of chlorpyrifos on Lactuca sativa that are likely to have accumulated on Lactuca sativa during application and also examining the effect of various household pre-household treatment procedures on reducing the residue levels. Structured questionnaire which was used at the Phase I of this work was to find the knowledge, attitudes and pesticide use practices of farmers. Chlorpyrifos was chosen as the insecticide to be used for Phase II of this work. Chlorpyrifos was then applied at different stages of growth of lettuce. Samples of lettuce were collected at different days after pesticide application [0 (1 hour), 1 day and 7 days] and their residue levels detected using Gas Chromatography. Pre-household treatment procedures such as washing under running tap water, salt water treatment and mild detergent treatment were used to evaluate their effects on chlorpyrifos levels on lettuce. From the questionnaires, it was realised that, the farmers in the study area apply insecticides on their crops to improve the yield and enhance profitability. However, farmers could not state precise application doses to use at specific crop stage and that inappropriate application of pesticides leads to high levels of residues on crops. The results obtained confirm that pesticide residues were indeed present in the lettuce. The highest residue level of 0.059 mg kg-1 was observed on lettuce 0 day (1 hour) after pesticide application. The lowest residue level of 0.002 mg kg-1 was observed on lettuce 7 days after pesticide application.The results also showed that, all the pre-household treatment procedures caused significant reduction in residues levels of chlorpyrifos on the crop. Mild detergent treatment was however more effective compared with the other treatments.

Source: KNUST
Effects of processing methods and storage conditions on the microflora and chemical content of cattle skin (“wele”)

A study was conducted to determine the effects of processing and storage methods on the kinds and numbers of microflora and the chemical composition of cattle skin. Fresh cattle skin was obtained from “Mayanka”, a meat processing site at Ahinsan, a suburb of Kumasi, and dehaired using firewood, old rubber tyre scraps and liquified petroleum gas (LPG). The three treatments were designated as Ws (wood-smoked skin), Ts (tyre-smoked skin) and Gs (gas-smoked skin). The processed skins were kept under three different storage conditions (i.e. water, coldroorn and room temperature) for four different durations (24hrs, 72Krs, l2Ohrs and l68hrs). Microbiological analyses were carried out on the fresh unprocessed cattle skin (Fs) and on the treatments for day zero (0), as well as on the treatments (Ws, Ts and Gs) under the various storage conditions for four different durations. The mean total viable count (TVC) values (cfu/cm2) for the various storage conditions were significantly different (P<0.05) throughout the storage periods. The fresh cattle skin recorded a mean TVC value of 1,320,000 (cfu/cm2) which was significantly higher (P<0.05) than the TVC values (cfu/cm2) for treatments Ws (730,000), Ts (1750000) and Gs (15,000) for day zero. The TVC values were higher than the borderline limit of acceptability, which is less than 10,000 cfu/g or l000cfu/crn2 for meat and meat products. Pseudomonad’s and coliform spp. were isolated from the variously processed cattle skin samples. Processing and storage methods significantly (P<0.05) influenced the crude protein, ether extract (fat) and ash contents of the various types of cattle skin. Samples of the variously processed cattle skins were relatively high in their contents of iron, with moderate amounts of magnesium. The zinc, cadmium, nickel and chromium contents were, however, low.

Source: KNUST
Effects of Quality Control measures on Construction Project schedules

The construction industry is a major sector that provides key contribution in the development of a country‟s economy. Unfortunately, a lots of hold ups are encountered when projects are being carried resulting in exceeding the estimated time of completion and the cost of carrying out the project. Regardless of the much-gained knowledge in Project Management, delays and cost overrun are intrinsic part of most projects. Data was collected from various construction sites in four regions of Ghana to assess the effects of quality control measures on project duration by examining key indicators such as the types of quality control policies, workers‟ response to its implementation, involvement of management and project team members in implementing them and the awareness of basic quality measures in construction sites. This study has brought to light that most workers are not aware of quality control measures before the commence of construction project. This makes it difficult and tedious for project team members, management and stakeholders to implementation quality control measures in their various construction sites. This research has also revealed that quality control has a contributing effect factor of less than or at most 10% of the total delay in construction project schedule. In the cause of identifying an issue from the implementation of the quality control measures, team members on the other hand do not report to the quality control team who are expert in dealing with the quality control measures. Moreover, workers are not knowledgeable about the effect of environmental control on the success of construction project.

Source: KNUST
Effects of Procurement Methods on Project Execution

Public procurement is a key for ensuring a desired process for acquiring goods, works and services at the right cost, quality and appropriate time. Public procurement in Ghana has evolved overtime with the Government of Ghana coming up with the procurement Act 663 to guard the public procurement process and minimize the challenges of the system. A country assessment report by the World Bank in 2003 revealed wrong use of the procurement methods as some conditions and requirements put in place for using the methods were not adhered to and thus disrupting the process. Indeed single sourcing was identified to be the most often used method ahead of Competitive tendering which was considered as an ideal method. The study was thus required to further investigate into the methods of public procurement in Ghana to elucidate the most often used procurement method in Sekyere Central District in the Ashanti Region, the compliance of rules and regulations regarding the use of the methods and the effects the procurement methods had on project execution in the District. Five (5) main procurement methods are identified by the Procurement Act 663 for use at the District Assembly level. These include; National Competitive Bidding, Request for Quotations, Single Sourcing, Restricted Tendering and Two-Staged Tendering. These methods are all eligible for use at the District Assembly level and are managed by the Procurement Entity, Tender Review Board and Tender Evaluation Panel. These methods are to ensure the principles of value for money, competition amongst others. Data for the study were obtained from primary and secondary sources. Purposive sampling procedure was used to select the major people involved in using a particular method in the District. Data collected from the survey were collated, synthesized and analyzed to provide the reference point for analysis. The study adopted qualitative and quantitative analysis. The study came up with numerous findings. Key amongst them includes: 1.National Competitive Tendering was the most used method in the District. 2.Request for quotations was the second used method in the District contradicting World Bank’s study. 3.Corruption was identified as a major impediment to the entire procurement process and thus causing side stepping of some process hence the use of wrong methods. Based on the findings, recommendations were given which included: 4.Provision of resources for procurement entities to go through the right procurement processes. 5.Continuous monitoring and evaluation of procurement methods and procedures in the procurement process. 6. Enforcement of punishment on defaulters who side step the processes and procedure for their selfish gains. 7.The study recommends further research into the relationship between procurement methods and the quality of projects executed. A further study into this will help deepen knowledge on procurement methods and project execution.

Source: KNUST
Effects of quality of irrigation water on the quality of selected vegetables in the Kumasi Metropolis

The research was carried out in five vegetable growing locations in the Kumasi metropolis to assess the effects of the quality of irrigation water on the quality of three different vegetables which were cabbage, carrots and green pepper. The objectives of the study were to identify the quality of the sources of irrigation water used in vegetable cultivation and determine the effect the water has on the vegetables in terms of microbial and pesticide contamination, and also determine microbial load content of vegetables in some markets where vegetables from the study area are sold. A field survey was first carried out where one hundred and twenty respondents were interviewed. They comprised of vegetable farmers, vegetable sellers, vegetable consumers, food sellers, agrochemical sellers and agricultural extension officers. The results obtained showed that the sources of water for irrigating vegetables in the Kumasi metropolis are dugouts and rivers/streams. Some farmers treated the water before use (filter or add some pesticides). Vegetables are mostly harvested by vegetable sellers and carried to the market. From the results, most consumers wash their vegetables with salt solution while majority of food vendors wash vegetables with only water. Laboratory test was carried out on the irrigation water and the vegetables from the growing sites and markets to determine the pesticide residue and microbial load content. The results showed that, only DDT and chlorpyrifos were detected in the irrigation water in very low values while thirteen pesticide residues were detected in the vegetables from the field. Total coliform, faecal coliform and E-coli counts were also detected in the irrigation water, vegetables from the field and from the market. Irrigation water from KNUST had the highest total coliform count, while water from Ramseyer had the lowest. Also, carrot recorded the highest levels of total coliform, faecal coliform and E.coli, followed by green pepper and the lowest being cabbage. On the average, vegetables from Ramseyer had the highest total coliform, faecal coliform and E.coli levels while Kwadaso had the lowest total coliform and faecal coliform counts and KNUST recording the lowest E.coli count. The results also showed that microbial contamination is higher in vegetables from the markets than from the field which is also higher than that of the irrigation water. Dry matter and moisture content were also determined and it revealed that carrot contains 11.34% dry matter, green pepper contains 5.55 and cabbage contains 6.38%, this shows that really, vegetables contain more moisture than dry matter content. The study revealed that microbial and pesticide contamination of vegetables does not depend on only irrigation water.

Source: KNUST
Effects of religiosity on tax compliance among small and micro-businesses in makola shopping mall, accra

The aim of this study is to examine the level and effect of religiosity on tax compliance among small and micro-business owners in the Makola Shopping Mall, Accra, Ghana. The cross-sectional approach was adopted in the study. Data were administered and obtained from 106 small and micro-business owners using questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. Generally, the research showed that religiosity has a positive and significant effect on tax compliance. The key findings were that majority of the respondents are religious; actively committed and affiliated to their religion. The study’s finding also showed that the more respondents were religiously committed and affiliated, the more they were likely to be tax compliant. Additionally, the results showed that individuals with high level of religious commitment are more tax compliant than those with low level of religious commitment. Given the positive relationship between religiosity and tax compliance, it is recommended that the Domestic Tax Revenue Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority should encourage religious institutions to continue to highlight their importance of tax compliance from the religious perspective. The policies and actions of the tax authorities should build continuous interest in tax compliance culture. The Ghana Revenue Authority should also put in place simple and conducive systems which will increase tax compliance amongst business owners.

Source: KNUST
Effects of project quality management on cocoa production: stakeholders’ perspective

The aim of this study was to examine stakeholder’s perception on quality management systems in COCOBOD as a means of improving the level of quality of cocoa produced in Ghana. With this aim, three (3) objectives were set which were to determine the factors which affects the production of quality cocoa beans in Ghana, to identify the challenges of existing quality management practices in COCOBOD and to analyze the critical success factors for effective quality management in COCOOD. The study employed the quantitative research method as questionnaires were also used as instruments of data collection. Eighty (85) questionnaires were retrieved for the analysis after distributing ninety-five (95) questionnaires. The questionnaires were analysed using the mean score ranking technique. The findings revealed that, in order to ensure an increase in production of cocoa, the problems which affect cocoa farming in Ghana must be identified and addressed. These problems are ecological such as poor rainfall pattern; social issues such as poor working condition and financial issues such lack of access to loan. Quality management in COCOBOD is affected by poor employee attitude, inadequate provision of resources and poor organizational culture which was identified as the most severe challenge followed by inadequate resources and then poor employee attitude in order of decreasing severity. In other to enhance quality COCOBOD ensures that there is commitment of top management towards quality management, customer focus, education and training of employees in relation to quality management and process control. The study recommended that there should be an improvement in employee participation when it comes to decisions on quality management in COCOBOD.

Source: KNUST
Effects of remuneration on financial performance: The case of Ghana water company limited in the ho municipality

This study investigates the effect of staff remuneration on financial performance using the Ho Municipal Directorate of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) as the case study. The research uses the staff perception of the capacity of the Municipal Directorate to generate revenue more than its expenditures as a proxy for financial performance. The study has specifically sought to examine the components of staff remuneration and identify some relevant factors that influence remuneration and financial performance of the company. It finally, estimates the effects of staff remuneration on its financial performance using the probit model. The study has found that one of the most important factors that affect remuneration of the employees are the failure to meet revenue generating targets, increased cost expenditure and lack of funds. Further, the results have shown that the longer the years an individual staff works with the company the greater it costs the company and so it has a negative effect on the financial performance. Moreover, the company’s assets and capacity to increase revenue collection has a positive effect on its financial performance. This means that if the company increases its assets and capacity of revenue collection, this could increase its financial performance. In the same way, challenges with revenue generation could lead to a significant negative effect on its financial performance. Nonetheless, when revenue targets are met, the financial performance of the company increases significantly. Finally, the study recommends that the management should focus on resolving the issues of giving more training to the staff on revenue generation as well as educating the public on prompt payment of bills. The company is also urged to motivate its staff and provide them with all required logistics for revenue collection in order to enhance the value of revenue generated, which can lead to improving staff remuneration and financial performance of the company.

Source: KNUST