ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
The Impact of ESG Performance on The Financial Performanceof Banks in Ghana: Moderated by Social And Cultural Ties

This study investigates the impact of credit constraints on the growth and sustainability of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana, emphasizing the gender disparities in credit access. Using a quantitative methodology, data were collected from SME owners across the Greater Accra and Eastern regions, spanning sectors such as beauty and cosmetics, groceries, and small-scale food selling. The research examines how access to credit differs by gender, the role of collateral and financial literacy, and the viability of digital financial services such as mobile money and fintech platforms accredited by the Bank of Ghana, such as Zeepay Ghana Limited and Yup Ghana Limited, as alternative financing options, especially for women entrepreneurs. The results indicate that female SME owners face higher loan rejection rates, mainly due to collateral constraints and institutional biases. However, digital financial solutions, especially mobile money and fintech platforms, show strong potential to reduce gendered credit barriers and promote financial inclusion. The study highlights the importance of gender-inclusive policy interventions and enhanced financial literacy programs to improve access to finance and support sustainable SME growth in Ghana

Source: Ashesi
The impact of investor sentiment on stock market performance: A panel study of Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa

This study investigates the impact of investor sentiment on stock market performance in our major African economies: Kenya, Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa. Anchored in behavioural finance theory, the research explores how sentiment, measured via the Consumer Confidence Index, affects three key market performance indicators: stock returns, market volatility, and liquidity. Using a longitudinal panel data regression approach covering the period 2003-2024, the analysis reveals that investor sentiment significantly influences all three dimensions of market performance. Specifically, heightened sentiment is associated with higher stock returns, reduced volatility, and increased liquidity, with fixed-effects models preferred based on Hausman test results. The findings hold under various robustness checks, confirming the reliability of the results. The study contributes to the growing literature on behavioral finance in emerging markets by providing cross-country evidence from under-researched African contexts. It reveals that market outcomes in Africa are shaped not only by macroeconomic fundamentals but also by psychological factors such as optimism and fear. The comparative analysis highlights structural differences between the countries, with South Africa exhibiting more stable and liquid markets, while Egypt and Nigeria show higher volatility. Practical recommendations include the integration of sentiment monitoring into policy frameworks, macroeconomic stability measures, market development strategies, and enhanced investor education. The study concludes that investor sentiment is a critical driver of market dynamics in Africa and offers a foundation for future research on behavioural finance in developing economies.

Source: Ashesi
The Impact of Multimodal Inputs on User Adoption in Study Planning Applications

With the evolution of applications, text inputs have become the most preferred form of collecting user data due to their structured form, as text input data can easily be mapped to the label keys. Technological advancements have improved the use of other input formats like images, where with the development of Optical Character Recognition tools, data can be recognised from images. Strides are underway to incorporate audio input in applications with speech recognition and synthesis tools. However, there is limited adoption of file input formats, especially Portable Document Format (PDF) files in mobile and web applications, primarily due to the highly unstructured data in PDF files. This research paper explores the role of Large Language Models in enhancing the accuracy of data collected from PDF files through structured prompting. Consequently, it explores the role of ease of data collection in influencing adoption using study applications as a case study and proposes an extension of the Technology Acceptance Model. Finally, it proposes ease of data collection as a factor influencing user's perceived ease of use of applications.

Source: Ashesi
The Impact of Perceived Corruption on Tax Compliance in Ghana: A Focus on SMEs in Accra.

This study examines therelationship between perceived corruption and tax compliance among Squall and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEAR) in Acta, Ghana. Despite shut; contributing approximately 65% of Ghana's GDP and 85% ofemployment, voluntary tax complianceremains low. The study exploros howperceptions ofcomlption particularly within the Ghana Revame Authority (GRA), influence conuphance behaviours and how these perceptions intersect with instlhltional reforms to improve 6sca1 accountability. Enuployming a qualitative. phenomenological approach the study draws on structured interviews with SME owners and managers across different sectors to understand their lived experiences ofcorruption and taxation. Guided by the Theory ofPlanned Bdiaviour, Social Contract Theory and the Deterrence theory, the study frames tax compliance as a beahavioural and relational issue shaped byindmdual attitudes. social norms. and institutional trust. The study findings reveal that perceived comxption weakens confidence in the tax systan through favomitisin. bribery and selective enforcanent. Many participants expressed disappoinmllent, viewing tax paymans as wasteful imper than a civic responsibility. Although Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA)s digital reforms aim to reduce discretionary abuse. respondents remain doubtful. indicating that informal networks and systemic loopholes pexsist. This study ccmributesto theliteratureontaxnnorakandinstitmionaltrustindeveloping economies. It argues for a holistic tax governance strategy beyond digrtalisation to include structural reforms targeting corruption. fairness, and institimonal legitimacy. The Endings over prmical insights forpolicymakers working insimilarly fragile inslimtional uwirlomnents.

Source: Ashesi
The Impact of Philanthropic CSR Initiatives on Consumer Behaviour And Attitudes in Ghana: A Study of The Bottled Water Industry

In an era where nearly one billion people in low- and middle-income countries receive healthcare in facilities without reliable electricity, internet, or specialized staff, the transformative potential of advanced medical AI remains largely inaccessible to those who need it most. This research introduces LiteGuard, an innovative offline medical assistant designed to bridge this critical healthcare technology gap. Leveraging the 71% global smartphone penetration rate, with 60% adoption even in Sub-Saharan Africa, LiteGuard transforms sophisticated medical AI into an accessible tool for resource-constrained environments. Our novel multi-stage fine-tuning approach converts the Phi-2 language model into a specialized medical assistant through domain adaptation using higher-rank quantized low-rank adaptation (QLoRA), targeted instruction tuning for clinical interactions, and direct preference optimization (DPO) for ethical alignment. The deployment architecture, employing MediaPipe and AI Edge Torch frameworks, enables a previously unattainable combination: sophisticated medical AI running entirely offline on standard Android smartphones with modest 4GB RAM requirements. Comprehensive evaluation demonstrates remarkable improvement in medical capabilities, with up to 71% enhancement in ROUGE metrics and strong performance in clinical reasoning tasks. At under 2GB, LiteGuard represents a breakthrough in delivering specialized medical knowledge to underserved regions, supporting frontline healthcare workers in diagnostics, treatment planning, and medical education

Source: Ashesi
The Impact of Technology on Supply Chain and Inventory Management in Ghana's Traditional Hardware and Building Materials Sector

The impact of technology on supply chain and inventory management in traditional Ghanaian hardware and building materials companies will be explored in this study. Many local industries continue to rely on outdated manual processes, which limit efficiency, reduce competitiveness, and raise operating costs, as the global corporate landscape progressively embraces digital technologies. This study explores the ways in which integrating technological solutions such as automated supply chain systems, and inventory management software can enhance inventory management, minimize waste, and optimize operations. Through a mix of qualitative and quantitative techniques, such as surveys and case studies of certain hardware companies in Ghana, this study assesses how much technology is being used, the difficulties in implementing it, and the observable advantages. The results of the study show that although supply chain and inventory management technology is still in its early stages, companies who have adopted these technologies have seen increases in order fulfillment speed, stock accuracy, and total cost savings. The study also identifies barriers that prevent wider implementation, such as poor infrastructure, high initial expenses, and a lack of digital skills among the workforce. This study makes recommendations for ways to increase the sector's use of technology based on these observations, such as government assistance, training, and focused investments in digital infrastructure.

Source: Ashesi
The impact of video-based learning on the academic performance of business students in Ghana: A focus on Ashesi University

Research into video-based learning has been a growing space over the [last] few years. In the Ghanaian context, the use of video-based learning in self-study by students is prevalent despite limited research into its impacts, advantages and disadvantages of such a practice for Ghanaian students either at the primary, secondary or tertiary level. With the declining number of international student enrollments in Business schools around the world, as well as the supposed poor quality of education in Ghana, video-based learning may offer a solution. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of video-based learning on the academic performance of business students and assess whether students' perceived understanding of course material was affected by their use of videos or not. This study was carried out using the quantitative approach where 112 business students from Ashesi answered an online questionnaire. The results showed that although videos did not have a significant impact on student cumulative GPA (CGPA), they did have a significant impact on one's understanding of course materials. In line with the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education), this research supports the argument that video-based learning improves student understanding and as such should be considered in improving Ghanaian Education outcomes. This research is also relevant to Business Schools wanting to impact the lives of Africans and supports the need for more video-based learning in their education.

Source: Ashesi
The Influence of Institutional Brand Perception on Student Participation in Extracurricular Activities: A Case Study of Ashesi University

This study examines the influence of students' perception of Ashesi University's brand on their participation in extracurricular activities. Ashesi University, known for its mission to educate ethical, entrepreneurial leaders in Africa, aims to foster critical thinking, concern for others, and the courage to transform the continent in their students (Ashesi University, 2024). However, student engagement in extracurricular activities has seen a slight decline over the years (Student Life Engagement Office, 2024). Limited research exists on how students’ perceptions of their university’s brand can influence their behavior beyond academics, particularly in terms of engagement with extracurricular activities. Using a qualitative research approach, this study collects data through interviews to explore how students’ views of the university’s brand shape their involvement in activities. The 3 main objectives of this paper are: to investigate how Ashesi University’s brand perception affects students’ decision to participate in ethical and leadership extracurricular programs, to assess Ashesi students’ motives for extracurricular engagement and to analyze whether there are differences in brand perception across different student year groups. The study is supported by various theories and concepts including the Social Identity Theory, Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory, and the Customer-based or Student-based brand equity model. The key findings are that students who participate in leadership and entrepreneurship-related extracurricular activities not only demonstrate a clear understanding of Ashesi University’s mission, but also reveal a strong alignment between the university’s brand values and their personal values. The results of this study could inform Ashesi's strategies for improving student engagement, fostering a stronger sense of community, and supporting its mission of developing future leaders for Africa.

Source: Ashesi
The maritime industry of Ghana: Role of our ports, challenges and key lessons from successful maritime nations

Ghana as a nation largely enjoys natural resources endowment. Resources include gold, cocoa, bauxite, diamond and (in more recent times) oil. However, one resource that is largely understated and underplayed in terms of importance and role is Maritime Resource Endowment (MRE). Maritime Resource Endowment is the proximity of a country to a coastline which allows for the presence of a maritime industry. This study aims to identify the role of our ports in the growth and development of the Ghanaian economy. The main aim of this research was to identify major challenges being faced by the maritime sector. A comparative study was also employed using successful maritime examples that faced similar challenges and were able to overcome them. This study gathered information through the use of archival and literature analysis. Certain major stakeholders were not left out as their views were culled through semi structured interviews. Data collected through interviews and literature analysis was merged to come out with the findings of this research. From the research done, countries like Singapore and The Netherlands have taken certain steps such as huge investment in human resource and infrastructural developments. This study in conclusion highly recommends the methods employed by the developed maritime nations i.e. Singapore and the Netherlands to the relevant Ghanaian authorities as a source of framework in drawing up effective maritime policies for the country.

Source: Ashesi
The MOLAM Project: The design of a context specific navigation framework for a mobile robot

Ashesi University College recently acquired a TurtleBot1 robotic platform to experiment with service robotics on campus. This platform runs the Robotics Operating System (ROS)2 for developing robotics applications. This MOLAM project (Motion, Localization And Mapping) sought to build a fundamental framework that extends ROS functionalities on a TurtleBot to navigate autonomously around the Ashesi campus in Berekuso. The focus of this project was to extend the ROS enabled functionalities on the TurtleBot for mapping, localization and motion planning to create a customized navigation framework suited for the Ashesi University campus. Having such a foundation, other service applications, such as a waiter robotic system, a courier robotic system, a tour guide robotic system etc., can be built on this framework. This paper outlines the various tools and processes used in assembling and configuring this robotic system. It also delineates the challenges encountered in assembling and configuring this robotics system, as well as the “work-arounds” devised to solve these challenges. Finally, this paper proposes design concepts for future work in using the TurtleBot system as a Tour Guide Robotic System for Ashesi University College.

Source: Ashesi
The perception of poaching in telecommunication firms and its effect on employee morale: The case of MTN Ghana

This study sought to find out perceptions of employee poaching by employees in telecommunication firms and how these perceptions affected their morale. A survey was conducted in which 30 questionnaires were administered and 27 filled. Results showed that 92% of the population had a positive perception of poaching with 8% having negative perceptions. When a regression analysis was done on the data received, in order to test the significance of the relationship between the variables, p-value for significance did not meet the standard which implies that there is not significant relationship between the variables. According to these results, employee perceptions of poaching do not have any effect on morale.

Source: Ashesi
The performance of genetic algorithms in medium access control protocols for wireless sensor networks

This paper evaluates the performance of the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) scheme, a genetic algorithm, as used in Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). In doing so, the protocol is implemented and compared to round-robin, a contention-free protocol that makes sensor nodes take turns in sending their data packet to the sink, and a p-persistent CSMA protocol with a p-value of 0.01. The concept of p-persistence as used in the CSMA protocol is employed to tweak the PSO scheme to form a fourth protocol that is used in the evaluation process. All four protocols are simulated in OMNET++, a network simulator, and performance analysis is done based on the throughput and transmission delays of the various protocols. It was discovered that the PSO scheme performed poorly in terms of throughput in highly populated networks with high traffic. The modified PSO scheme with p-persistence performed better than the original PSO scheme in terms of throughput for densely populated networks with high traffic. On low populated networks with low traffic, the original PSO scheme showed the best throughput performance. Round-robin displayed higher throughput performance than the other three protocols for both low and high traffic networks with a high node population.

Source: Ashesi
The role of business models in achieving financial sustainability for nonprofit organisations in Uganda: A case study of Musana Community Development Organisation

This study addresses the critical challenge of financial sustainability faced by non-profit organizations in Uganda, where traditional funding models create dependency on external donors, resulting in organizational vulnerability and limited long-term impact. Using Musana as a case study, the research investigates how business model innovation can enable non-profits to achieve financial sustainability while enhancing their social mission. Through qualitative analysis, the study reveals that Musana achieved 100% financial self-sufficiency for the first time in 2018 by strategically repositioning donor contributions as capital investments rather than operational funding, developing a diverse portfolio of integrated social enterprises across multiple sectors, and implementing sophisticated financial mechanisms including tiered pricing and cross-subsidization. This transformed business model generated $3.5 million in annual local revenue in 2024 while dramatically increasing impact from 200-300 potential beneficiaries to over 5,000 current students. The findings demonstrate that financial sustainability and enhanced social impact are not inherently opposing objectives for non-profits when business models are intentionally designed to transfer capacity and assets to communities over time. This research contributes to business model innovation theory through business model canvas by providing empirical evidence for effective hybrid organizational forms in resource-constrained environments and offers practical guidance for non-profits seeking to transition from donor dependency to self-sufficiency without compromising their social mission.

Source: Ashesi
The role of digital banking platforms in enhancing financial inclusion in rural Ghana: The case of Berekuso

This study explores the role of digital banking platforms in enhancing financial inclusion in rural Ghana, using Berekuso as a case study. In recent years, financial institutions have introduced digital banking platforms to enhance access to formal financial services in rural communities. However, limited research has examined how these platforms are received, used, and experienced by rural populations. This research addresses this gap by investigating the level of awareness, the extent of usage, and the challenges Berekuso residents face in adopting digital banking platforms. The study employed a cross-sectional qualitative case study design, involving semi-structured interviews with 20 participants and two focus groups from diverse demographic and occupational backgrounds. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data. The findings revealed that while awareness of digital banking platforms is growing, the most predominantly used digital banking platforms were mobile banking platforms, such as Ecobank and GCB apps. Additionally, usage remains concentrated on basic financial functions such as savings, bill payments and transfers. Some users preferred simpler alternatives like Mobile Money and USSD systems due to ease of use and limited digital literacy. Significant barriers, such as poor internet connectivity, limited awareness and negative past experiences with digital platforms, hinder broader adoption. This study contributes to the growing literature on financial inclusion by highlighting the contextual experiences of rural users and providing feedback on the accessibility and effectiveness of digital banking platforms. It highlights the need for banks and policymakers to collaborate to improve digital literacy, expand digital infrastructure, and simplify user interfaces, reflecting rural communities' realities. Recommendations for future research include expanding the geographic scope and exploring platform-specific user experiences to inform tailored financial innovations.

Source: Ashesi
The Role of Mechanical Stimuli on Bacteria Growth

Synthetic biology is the engineering of biology; it is the evaluation and design of biological systems in a rational and systematic manner. It blurs the lines between various science and engineering disciplines due its numerous applications, with one of the most significant being the use of biosensors in environmental remediation. Biosensors substitute engineered micro-organisms as traditional sensors and transducers. In recent years, the use of E. coli as the primary micro-organism in biosensors has gained popularity simply because of the ease of use, stability, etc. However, the effect of the environment on the biosensor has largely been ignored, especially the effect of mechanical stimuli, such as viscosity of the fluid medium, direction and speed of motion, etc. The main output of this project was an incubator containing a robotic platform that varied the direction of motion. The temperature in the incubator is controlled by proportional controller using the measured temperature as feedback to tune the system’s response.A simple mathematical model (based on the traditional logistic curve) was formulated with an added term that incorporated the effect of the movement of the robotic platform in the form of shear stress. The model proved that mechanical stimuli can affect generation time of E. coliby varying one of the model’s parameters. The next step therefore is to fit data to the model to determine the value of the parameter varied.

Source: Ashesi