ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Challenges to contract administration practices in tertiary institution in Ghana: A case study of university of Education Winneba-Kumasi campus.

In today’s increasingly competitive and fast-paced business environment, contract management plays a vital role in every organization. Changes or variations are inevitable during the period of a contract, particularly in the case of large or complex construction. This study sought to examine contract administration practices and its challenges of tertiary institutions using University of Education- Winneba, Kumasi as the study area. Census approach was employed in dealing with the population (48- contractors, development officers, consultants, procurement officers, quantity surveyors and accounts officers). Questionnaire served as the main data collection instrument for this study. Most contract administration practices adopted by stakeholders at the university involves contract monitoring, communication management and managing relations. Though majority of stakeholders on construction project have adequate knowledge on contract admistration practices, it emerged that activities such as imposition of contracts on Development Office of the university, kickbacks and awarding contracts to cronies and self created firms by management has created setbacks in ensuring value for money projects. Fear of victimisation from superiors has curtailed willingness of development officers to conduct and probe actions of contractors when they go astray. This has affected quality of work done on monitoring and supervision of awarded projects which they are not involved in the process. It is expected that the university create a technical unit that will be empowered to deal with budgets issues on contracts. The office should be given authority to vet all budgets proposed by contracts before approval can be given by management.

Source: KNUST
The challenges of youth unemployment to the Church in Ghana: response of the Methodist Church Kumasi Circuit and Church of God Patasi District

Youth employment as a concept holds that young people are an important resource and key to the growth and development of any nation. Youthful years are with great strength and ability; therefore it is incumbent on the government and other stakeholders including the Church to harness this tremendous potential in a co-ordinated approach to enhance its growth and development. It is against this background that this research sought to review the main causes and effects of youth unemployment in Ghana as well as the responses that have been generated from the government, the Church and other stakeholders. The research looked specifically at what Methodist Church Kumasi Circuit and Church of God Patasi District perceive as causes and effects of youth unemployment and assessed their efforts at addressing the youth unemployment challenge. Effort by government and suggestions by private sector to address the youth unemployment challenge were also discussed. The research revealed these as the main causes of youth unemployment; lack of skills by the youth, low investment and low economic growth, slow growth of SME and a lack of comprehensive strategy to deal with the problem. Some of the major effects were that, the youth may be prone to deviant behaviours as a result of frustration, hopelessness and desperation borne out of continuous unemployment. Unemployment could result in tension and conflicts in the family and as such breakdown of social network and family cohesion. In the Church, it could hamper the spiritual and physical growth, as a result of low attendances and reduction of church finances. Unemployment could affect the national economy and pose a threat to peace, stability and development of the nation as the youth fail to contribute to the growth of the GDP and resort to deviant behaviours. The research further revealed that although the churches have a lot of programmes designed and planned for the youth, few of such programmes were targeted to address the unemployment challenges. The research recommended among others that christian attitude and for that matter the church attitude towards the unemployed youth should be that of sympathy leading to assisting them out of the situation and not seeing them as worthless and downtrodden. Pastoral care therefore becomes paramount as leaders of the church have the greatest responsibility in finding solution to the youth unemployment challenge. It is the firm conviction of the researcher that the findings as outlined in this study will be of benefit to all stakeholders whose duties and responsibilities are to ensure the empowerment and development of the youth in Ghana.

Source: KNUST
Challenges to maize fertilization in the forest and transition zones of Ghana

Maize (Zea mays) is Ghana’s most important cereal crop grown in all agro-ecological zones by smallholder farmers. The average yield of maize (1.7 tha-1) is far below attainable yield of 5.5 tha-1. This is due to reliance on rain fed farming, local seed varieties and low inputs use. Farmers face many challenges in their attempt to adopt the use of fertilizer to improve their maize production. To unearth these challenges, data on the potential and limitations to maize fertilization in the maize belt of Ghana were collected through a farm level survey in October 2011. A four stage randomized sampling procedure was used to select 168 maize farmers who were interviewed using formal questionnaire. Some of the farmers especially, settlers do not have land of their own and have to rely on tenancy arrangements to access land for farming. Farmers were of the view that their crop lands are gradually declining in fertility. Almost 55% of the farmers practise continuous maize cropping. The lack or low accessibility to credit and high cost of fertilizer are the key constraints to farmers’ ability to expand their maize farming. Additionally, the mode and distance needed to transport fertilizer to the farm is a disincentive.

Source: KNUST
Challenges to market orientation adoption - the case of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Mortuary

Although there has been much academic research on market orientation, comparatively none has been done on market orientation in the mortuary service. No single study has been undertaken on market orientation in the mortuary or the funeral sector on its challenges and prospects of market orientation. The aim of this research is to discover or determine the degree of market orientation and challenges for its adoption in the public mortuary business. It is also intended to suggest strategic options for its adoption in the mortuary service. The paper begins by clarification of the nature of market orientation followed by research reviews on market orientation and challenges of market orientation adoption. The paper then introduces the findings from both clients to KATH mortuary and the mortuary attendants using questionnaires and interviews respectively as the method of data collection. The paper culminates with a series of strategic recommendations and conclusions.

Source: KNUST
Challenges to Procurement Plan Management at the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (a case study – Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly)

Procurement is the processes of obtaining goods and services. It is based on comparatively simple principle as quality, cost and time paradigm. Where as Procurement planning is a set of plan activities as they relate to packaging, cost, applicable methods of procurement, lead time and stock holding factors. An efficient procurement system among other things will reduce Government expenditure. This can only be achieved when procurement staffs have knowledge in procurement plan management. The aim of this research is to identify and document the extent Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assembly’s procurement operations are in line with Public Procurement Authorities requirements using STMA as a case study. The objectives therefore will be to i. Identity personnel responsible for procurement planning ii. Document principle adapted in delivery of procurement plans. iii. Establish problems being faced in the utilizations of procurement plans. The data sources applied for the research methodology were both primary and secondary. Whereas data analysis tool used was “Content Analysis”. The findings of this project are, STMA prepares and keep an approved Budget, Procurement plan was available, STMA has no procurement unit, STMA has a procurement officer, Procurement plan is prepared, approved and sent to PPA website and finally Some projects were delayed for completion due to their funding sources. Two main determinants were identified and summarized in the conclusion as non-availability of qualified procurement officer and the procurement unit yet to be establish The recommendations are that; STMA should establish a procurement unit, a qualified procurement officer be employed and STMA must look for other sources of income to support The District Assembly Common Fund (DACF).

Source: KNUST
Challenges to the Public Procurement Act implementation within the Municipal and District Assemblies in the Upper East Region of Ghana

The Public Procurement Act was passed to regulate public procurement in Ghana; it is however faced with several challenges. The aim of the study is to identify the challenges and its effects of implementing the public procurement Act within the Municipal and District Assemblies in the Upper East Region of Ghana. Utilizing convenience and purposive sampling techniques, cast in the quantitative approach, a survey questionnaire was designed to gather data from respondents within the municipal and district assemblies in the region. The response data was analyzed using Relative Importance Index and descriptive statistics. The result revealed that market environment; Lack of qualified procurement personnel; Lack of training avenues for procurement practitioners; Inefficient and ineffective procurement policies, structures and procedures were the critical challenges to the implementation of the public procurement Act within the municipal and district assemblies in the region. The most significant effects of the identified challenges were also found to be deficit on government budget, public sector wastage and time overruns of government projects. The research findings will be useful to stakeholders and policy makers who are exploring strategic approaches to improve their procurement practices. Further research is recommended to consider measures to improve the effectiveness of public procurement in project delivery in Ghana.

Source: KNUST
Challenges to the public procurement practices within National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI)

The Public Procurement Act of 2003, Act 663 was enacted into Law in 2003 to harmonize public procurement process, secure judicious, economic and efficient use of state resources and ensure that public procurement functions undertaken within the public sector are fair, transparent and non-discriminatory manner. The purpose of this study was to identify various challenges to the Public Procurement practices at the National Vocational Training Institute(NVTI). The specific objectives of the study were to identify the challenges encountered with public procurement practices at the NVTI and to find out how these challenges could be ameliorated. Quantitative research approach was employed. A census method was used to select the respondents who were directly involved in procurement activities at the NVTI to take part in the survey. Structured questionnaires were used to collect the relevant information from participants. Data collected from the survey were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as percentages, frequencies and mean score ranking. The results of the study identified low capacity of procurement professionals, low interaction between procurement entities and Public Procurement Authority (PPA), inadequate training of procurement staff, bureaucratic nature of government business, and conflict of interest as the major challenges militating against the public procurement practices at the NVTI. The study also revealed that most respondents kept reliable and credible records of procurement activities. Procurement Act stipulates that all procurement entities are to keep tangible records of procurement. It was therefore recommended that NVTI should comply with the Procurement Act at its branches level to ensure value for money and judicious use of money. In addition, government should endeavour to review the Procurement Act to limit the procurement processes to reduce delays.

Source: KNUST
CHALLENGES WITH REFERENCE CITATIONS AMONG POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS AT THE KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, KUMASI, GHANA

Referencing or citing sources a writer uses is an important part of academic writing. It allows the writer to acknowledge the ideas or words of others used in his/her work and avoid plagia rism. Referencing also demonstrates that the writer has read relevant background literature and can provide authority for statements made. Proper citation allows others to locate the materials used. The researchers’ experience while working on the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Institutional Repository brought to the fore challenges postgraduate students encounter in citing references in their academic work. These include poor citing of ref erence works, inconsistencies in reference citation, use of different citation styles in theses sub mitted to the repository from the same department among others. Questionnaires and interview methods were employed. Five hundred and six questionnaires were distributed representing ten percent of the total population of postgraduate students of KNUST. Information sought in the questionnaire included students’ biographical data, mode of assessment, departmental referenc ing format, knowledge of reference style formats, students’ confidence in citing references and faculty’s perception about the way students cited references. This paper seeks to identify and discuss some of the challenges KNUST postgraduate students face in their academic writing. The study found out that KNUST postgraduate students have problems in mastering reference style formats because of the variations in citation. Students tend to rely on books, lecturers or librarians for assistance in ensuring the accuracy of citations they use in their work. Students were not able to identify the citation format they used; they could not cite references for books and journal articles with confidence. Among the recommendations made were that, librarians should play a wider role in the arena of academic integrity, faculty and librarians should col laborate in teaching students about reference citation formats used in academia. College librari ans should advocate for the standardization on reference styles in their various colleges. Library orientation given by librarians should be replaced with Information Literacy skills to be offered to students in the first and final years.

Source: KNUST
The challenges with resettlement in mining communities: A case Study of AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem resettlement projects

The challenges of resettlement in mining communities in Ghana have been underexplored in recent scholarly works. Therefore the main aim of this research is to find out the challenges with resettlement in mining communities such as Iduapriem. This study ought to be conducted due to the limited attention given to the subject by Ghanaian scholars. The research objectives included finding out the resettlement challenges of inhabitants of Iduapriem; finding out the quality of resettlement plan and finding out the level of implementation of resettlement plan. The study sampled respondents (that is, both inhabitants of Iduapriem and stuff of AngloGold Ashanti). One hundred (100) inhabitants and 20 staff were sampled using purposive and convenient sampling techniques to elicit information from respondents. Mainly closed ended questionnaire was used as the data instrument for the study. Analysis of data is conducted using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviations). There was an estimated 97% response rate. Results of the study showed that there are various challenges that the inhabitants are grappling with. The study also concludes that the quality of resettlement plan was found to be good enough. The study further concludes that the resettlement plan can be implemented though not easy to implement.

Source: KNUST
“Challenges with the Implementation of the Disability Act in the Ghanaian Built Environment Sector

The Persons with Disabilities Act 2006 (715) of Ghana was passed to address the needs of PWDs which include ensuring a barrier free environment and social inclusion for all manner of people irrespective of their disability. Years after the passage of the Act very little has been done in ensuring the accessibility of Persons with Disability (PWDs) to public facilities. Some new buildings are constructed without considering the needs of disabled thus making the accessibility of PWDs to the built environment difficult. The current study was carried out to address the gap by soliciting the views of designers, the local authorities, Disability Groups and PWDs on the reason or challenges associated with the implementation of the disability Act to ensure a barrier free built environment for the disabled. It also sought to find out the extent of awareness and utilization of the Act. Using the Kumasi Metropolis as a case study, a total of 76 respondent were purposively selected from professionals of the built environment such as architects, engineers, planners etc., Disability Groups (i.e. the Department of Social Welfare and KNUST Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation Studies) and PWDs who are residents in Kumasi. The data collected was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Scientist Software (SPSS) version 16. The results revealed that even though majority of the designers are aware about the disability Act, the level of utilization of the Act in the design of facilities in the country is low. The built environment still pose various degrees of restrictions to accessibility by PWDs. The challenges militating against the implementation of the disability Act include the following; Lack of enforcement of the Act, Weakness in the provisions of the Act, Lack of public awareness about the Act, Complexity and High Cost of designs which incorporate the needs of the Disabled, Inadequate policies and standards, Lack of consultation and involvement of PWDs in decision making and Ineffectiveness of Disability Groups. Public Education, review of the Disability Act and active involvement of disability Groups in decision making were some of the recommendations made.

Source: KNUST
Championing the Cause of African Women: An Analysis of Buchi Emecheta’s The Joys of Motherhood, Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions and Ama Ata Aidoo’s Changes.

This dissertation is about female emancipation as seen in three novels by African women—The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta, Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions and Changes by Ama Ata Aidoo. In the first part of the project, motherhood is shown as the main thing that would make women happy and free. But getting to the end of Emecheta’s novel, a mother dies a miserable death, giving us the impression that motherhood may not be the major thing which emancipates women. In the second part of the project, education is shown as the main force of emancipation for women. This theme is reinforced in the third part. And there is this new addition that women should have the power of free choice.

Source: KNUST
Challenges with the implementation of sustainable procurement practices in the Mining Industry. (A case study of some selected mining firms in Western Region of Ghana)

Sustainable Procurement (SP) as a new phenomenon seeks to divert the practice of traditional procurement to modern day procurement practice that inculcates sustainability issues that foster the need for organizations to improve upon achieving efficiency. The study sought to focus on the challenges in implementation of Sustainable Procurement and to do that structured questionnaires were administered to some selected mining firms in the Western Region of Ghana to analyze the extent to which these firms mitigate challenges. Questionnaires were deployed to departments such as Procurement, Finance, Human Resources, Maintenance and Marketing using the purposive sampling approach. Most questions were designed using a likert scale of 1 to 5 for responses. 50 questionnaires that were circulated were retrieved and analyzed. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software in descriptive statistical tools in the form of percentages. The study made some key findings that competitive bidding was rather practiced as compared to sole sourcing and that also there was not enough awareness and knowledge in the area of Sustainable Procurement. Challenges such as ICT difficulties, innovation, remuneration and increased cost, regulation and governance, inadequate funding, consumer perception, among others were very critical challenges inhibiting SP implementation. Also, social incentives, understanding and managing risks, regular monitoring and control reviews, among others were all critical practices of SP. In addition, interdepartmental coordination, continuous improvement, measuring supplier performance, among others were also critical success factors enabling the drive of SP. The study concluded that SP implementation and practice should be done in conformance with the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663).

Source: KNUST
Challenges Women with Disability Face in Accessing and Using Maternal Healthcare Services in Ghana: A Qualitative Study

While a number of studies have examined the factors affecting accessibility to and utilisa tion of healthcare services by persons with disability in general, there is little evidence about disabled women's access to maternal health services in low-income countries and few stud ies consult disabled women themselves to understand their experience of care and the challenges they face in accessing skilled maternal health services. The objective of this paper is to explore the challenges women with disabilities encounter in accessing and using institutional maternal healthcare services in Ghana. Methods and Findings A qualitative study was conducted in 27 rural and urban communities in the Bosomtwe and Central Gonja districts of Ghana with a total of 72 purposively sampled women with different physical, visual, and hearing impairments who were either lactating or pregnant at the time of this research. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were used to gather data. Attride-Stirling’s thematic network framework was used to analyse the data. Findings suggest that although women with disability do want to receive institutional maternal healthcare, their dis ability often made it difficult for such women to travel to access skilled care, as well as gain access to unfriendly physical health infrastructure. Other related access challenges include:healthcare providers’ insensitivity and lack of knowledge about the maternity care needs of women with disability, negative attitudes of service providers, the perception from able-bodied persons that women with disability should be asexual, and health information that lacks specificity in terms of addressing the special maternity care needs of women with disability. Conclusions Maternal healthcare services that are designed to address the needs of able-bodied women might lack the flexibility and responsiveness to meet the special maternity care needs of women with disability. More disability-related cultural competence and patient-centred training for healthcare providers as well as the provision of disability-friendly transport and healthcare facilities and services are needed.

Source: KNUST