ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
An analysis of project management practices in Ghana (a case study of zoomlion ghana limited)

Projects are one of the highly risk-prone industry that most countries face in both developed and developing countries and also developmental projects have become a significant contributor to the national economy. There have been countless records of abandoned projects primarily due to the level of project failures associated with the industry. The increasing resources have resulted in organizations putting in place project management methods and practices in order to take full advantage of sections of profitable projects. The study aimed to investigate the practice of project management at Zoomlion Ghana Limited as a case study. The study was based on a descriptive survey design and adopted both quantitative and qualitative approach in addressing the issues. Fifty (50) employees from the companies’ head office Accra were sampled using a purposive (judgmental) sampling technique to select respondents. Data was collected using close ended questionnaire based on a five Likert scale point to ascertain answers from respondents. The results then was presented in tables, graphs and charts. The research demonstrates that each project's project management procedures must be conducted in all five stages or phases before execution. It was noted from the findings that the decrease in project income and the rise in project delivery costs have greatly affected the impact on efficiency in project implementation processes. The outcome confirms that the practice of rigid organizational structure within the organization and the inapplicable use of management software hinders the successes of project implementation at Zoomlion Ghana Limited. It was highly recommended that more training programmes on PM practices should be organized as well as employing more experienced and qualified personnel to handle project to avoid cost, time over run and project delays. Also, the project management processes should be documented and taught at all levels

Source: KNUST
Analysis of pumping tests data of crystalline rock aquifers (a case study of wells at Ashanti Goldfields, Bibiani)

The Ashanti Goldfields (Bibiani) Limited is a gold mining company in the BibianiAnhwiaso District of the Western Region of Ghana. Crystalline metamorphic and igneous rocks crop out in the area. As part of its environmental management plan, the company has drilled over twenty boreholes in this terrain. The purpose is to be used to monitor groundwater contamination and as domestic and plant water supply sources. To address the issue of sustainable yields (since it depends on only groundwater), nine of the wells were pump-tested to determine aquifer characteristics and hence the productivity of these wells. Step-drawdown test was conducted on two of the wells, (B1 and B3). Constant discharge and recovery tests were conducted on all the nine wells. Step-drawdown test was analysed by Jacob (1947) and Rorabaugh (1953) methods to determine well losses and aquifer losses, and hence the efficiency of the wells. Well losses were significant. Well loss determined with the use of the Jacob’s method was 8.70 in B1 and 5.78 in BI but aquifer loss was 7.71 in B] and 9.71 in B3. The efficiencies were 49.3% and 63% for B1 and B3 respectively. Constant discharge was analysed by Cooper-Jacob (1946) straight-line method. The transmissivity (pumping) for the three wells that were pump-tested for 24 hours ranges between 2.985 and 11 .69m2/day with a mean of 7 .649 m2/day. The transmissivity (recovery) ranges between 5.51 and 10.35 m2/day whereas specific capacity (Q/s) ranges between 7.06 and 16.90 m2/day with a mean value of 12 .12 m2/day. Similarly, the other six wells were pump-tested for duration of 4 hours (240mins). The transmissivity (pumping) ranges between 2.06 and 16.90m2/day with a mean value of 6.80 m2/day. The transrnissivity (recovery) ranges between 2.18 and 12.03 m2/day with a mean value of 6.80 m2/day, whereas specific capacity (Q/s) ranges between 4.22 and 26.35 m2/day with a mean value of 11.11 m2/day. Logarithmic transformations of specific capacities and transmissivities were correlated positively. Hence productivity which is related to specific capacity is also related to transmissivity. On the basis of the mean values of Q/s and T, well B3 is the most productive and B2 is the least productive, considering the three wells that were pumped for 24 hours. In the same vein, well B6 is the most productive and B7 is the least productive for the six wells that were pump-tested for 4 hours. Optimal yields were determined by using Jacob’s step-drawdown solution. The values for B1 and B3 were 350 m3/d and 372 m3fd respectively. Sustainable yields for 7-day specific capacities were determined for B 1, B2 and B3. Well BI, B2 and B3 had values of 333.4, 116.8 and 356 m3/day respectively.

Source: KNUST
Analysis of Repeated Measures of Weight of Children under Five Years, a Comparative Analysis between Male and Female Children (Case Study: Tamale Metropolis)

Repeated measures data has grown increasingly within the past years because of its ability to monitor changes both in within and between subjects. Statisticians in many field of study have chosen method of collecting data because it is cost effective and also minimizes the number of subjects required to produce a meaningful outcome. This thesis seeks to describe the use of several methods to analyze repeated measure using data collected on weight of children under five years of age at the weighing centers in Tamale metropolis in the northern region. The question of interest is to find out if there is a change in mean weight gain by children under five year over time and if the factors (age, feeding type, feeding practice gender etc) influence those changes. The data was collected from 210 children put into three groups of ages 0-6 months, 7-12 months and 13-18 months on monthly bases for a total of 1260 observations. Three feeding types: exclusive breast feeding, breast feeding with introduction of plumpy nut food supplement and completely complementary feeding. Univariate ANOVA and multivariate MANOVA techniques were use to analyzed the data. Both random effect and fixed effect models shown to be better for the data. Age, feeding type and feeding practices were the factors that did not support the null hypothesis and therefore influencing the children weight gain with the p-values of <0.001 at 5% level in all the three cases. Gender of the children is not an influencing factor of weight gain by children. Other factors such as mother’s occupation, birth position of the children to their mothers and birth position were all tested negative to weight gain by the children.

Source: KNUST
Analysis of revenue collection target effectiveness of prepaid and post-paid metering system of electricity company of Ghana (ECG)

This is the analysis of revenue collection target effectiveness of prepaid and post-paid metering system of the seven districts in the Tema region of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG). The study used a descriptive method that involved questionnaires and documentary sources to implore data. 15 heads of the seven districts in the Tema region were contacted. The study attempts to analyze the effectiveness of revenue collection target of prepaid and post-paid metering system of Electricity Company of Ghana, with special focus On Development Strategies for Effective Revenue Collection Improvement. The findings showed that revenue collection using post-paid system is problematic since it is largely dependent on the effectiveness of the revenue collectors and as well as the prompt delivery of bills and also prompt payment of bills. Also, the findings show that ‘staff size’ followed by ‘Open more offices and collection centres ‘commitment of employees in revenue collection, Transparency and Revenue Administrative Capacity’ were deemed as inhibiting factors to effective revenue collection targets for postpaid metering system in the Tema region. ‘Open more offices and collection centres’ and ‘Transparency’ ranks the most important factors to consider for effective revenue collection targets for prepaid. Strategies have been suggested on how to mitigate the outcome of the study and recommendations given in the study, touched on provision of adequate logistics such as vehicles, office space, computers etc. prepaid metering system cannot be effective because as the name implies prepaid is technology driven and so there are no logistics particularly the pertinent hardware and software it will be impossible effectively collect revenue as well as the implementation of prepaid meters as their core and important concerned if they want or desired to ensure that there are effective revenue collection systems.

Source: KNUST
An analysis of Runge-Kutta method in non-Newtonian calculus

Non-Newtonian Calculus or Multiplicative calculus can be used as a tool wherever a problem is of exponential (relational) in nature. In this thesis the derivation of the Runge-Kutta Method in the framework of non-Newtonian (Multiplicative) Calculus is presented. The non-Newtonian (Multiplicative) Runge-Kutta Methods of orders 2, 3, and 4 are developed and discussed. The non-Newtonian (Multiplicative) Runge-Kutta Method is tested on some selected examples where the solutions of the ordinary differential equations are known using developed Matlab codes. The results show that for certain family of initial value problem the non-Newtonian (Multiplicative) Runge-Kutta method gives better results to the Ordinary Runge-Kutta method.

Source: KNUST
Analysis of rural-urban linkages for District Level Development: a case study of Ahanta West District

Spatial linkages are the channels through which the rural people obtain access to services, facilities, infrastructure and productive activities located in urban centres. Through these linkages the rural people receive the inputs required for improving agricultural productivity and markets for their surpluses. However, in most third world countries the rural-urban linkages are not well developed because of lack of accessibility and well articulated system of settlements. This study has examined the rural-urban linkages in Ahanta-West district located in the Western Region of Ghana. The study has been carried out based on the data that have been obtained from SPRING, 1993 DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP and through the interview schedule undertaken on household socio-economic survey for this study. The analytical procedure employed has helped to identify the central places in the district that provide the basic functions to the rural areas and the level of development of linkages between them. It is, however, found out that in Ahanta-West District, the central places are inadequate, and where they occur, they are no easily accessible to the majority of the rural population. This showed that the settlement system in the district is not well articulated and integrated and thus the degree of linkages between the urban centres and their rural hinterlands is weak. In accordance with this finding this study has proposed the strategy of rural-urban integrated system of service centres together with the appropriate investment packages to restructure the space economy of the district.

Source: KNUST
Analysis of socio-economic factors influencing household food security among small holder vegetable farmers. a case study of Tano-South district, Brong-Ahafo region of Ghana

This study set out to investigate the socio-economic factors influencing smallholder vegetable farmers’ household food security and food insecurity coping mechanisms in the Tano South district of the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. The data was obtained through personal interviews by the use of structured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics was used to identify the spread of the observations and the outlying values and distinctive patterns whiles the logistic regression model was used to determine the factors influencing household food security with twenty independent variables. Households applied short-term consumption and income coping strategies to cope with food shortages and income shocks. Using the Item Response Indicator (Bickel et al., 2000), the vegetable farmers could generally be considered food insecure without hunger. From the logistic regression, eight variables were found to be significant at the 1, 5, and 10 percent significance levels. And all the variables had their expected signs. Vegetable production represent a viable instrument for coping with food security because of the relatively short cycle of the crops in question, and thus help improve household resilience in the event of food shortage. Hence, direct measures for improving food security, such as access to credit to boost production and cultivating more than one type of vegetable crop, are likely to become priorities.

Source: KNUST
Analysis of surface interpolation algorithms for different surface types

Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) has become a very significant tool in extracting geomorphological information from various land areas. Their use is in the fields of mapping, landscape planning, urban design and many more. Automatic stereocorrelation has been used to generate a DTM from ASTER stereo image pair (3N and 3B) using ENVI software. Elevation values were extracted and used with four different interpolation algorithms. The resulting surfaces when compared with those from the topographic map showed that the Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) can achieve a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of ±10.773m and Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of ±8.714m for flat terrain as compared to RMSE of ±11.035m, MAE of ±8.999m for spline; RMSE of ±11.121m, MAE of ±9.102m for Natural Neighbour (NN) and RMSE of ±12.108m, MAE of ±9.979m for kriging interpolation method using a point density of 61.49 points per km 2 . Hence, IDW is best for this surface type. For undulating terrain, IDW again gave the least RMSE of ±13.549m and MAE of ±10.789m in comparison to RMSE of ±13.711m, MAE of ±10.963m for NN; RMSE of ±13.717m, MAE of ±11.028m for spline and RMSE of ±14.835m, MAE of ±11.658m for kriging interpolation method for point density 62.30 points per km 2 and hence, IDW is again best for this surface type. For mountainous terrain, NN interpolation method with RMSE of ±19.044m and MAE of ±13.909m gave best results than the other interpolation types. RMSE of ±21.167m, MAE of ±15.241m was obtained for kriging; RMSE of ±21.632, MAE of ±14.687m for IDW and RMSE of ±21.721m, MAE of ±14.544m for spline for point density 141.64 points per km 2 and so NN works best for mountainous terrains. It is therefore recommended that IDW interpolation algorithm should be used for both flat and undulating terrains whereas NN should also be used for mountainous terrains.

Source: KNUST
Analysis of students’ accommodation quality in higher education: evidence from hostels around knust

The research study sought to examine the analysis of student accommodation quality in higher education; evidenced by hostels around KNUST. The literature was reviewed theoretically. Data collected were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS). The survey was conducted on 450 responses received, representing a 100% response rate for KNUST students in Kumasi. A self-administered structured questionnaire was administered to the respondents in a survey, resulting in an 88% response rate for analysis. The findings indicated the student accommodation quality items that received unfavorable ratings concerning constituencies in KNUST off-campus include: Accommodation fees per academic year, Transportation such that, Bomso (Ahinsan, Gaza Kentikrono-Ayigya) and Kotei and Gyinase constituencies are far from the lecture halls, entertainment, bathroom, and security system. It was found that most of the accommodation quality issues are similar in all the constituencies, but students at the Ayeduase (North, South, New-site) constituencies are better off in terms of proximity to lecture halls and other facilities on campus. The findings also show that on-campus accommodation is better than off-campus in terms of proximity to lecture halls, access to some facilities, entertainment, and security. Discussions on recommendations and their implications for higher education administration and student housing developers have also occurred. The study added to the body of knowledge regarding the administration of dorms and housing for tertiary students

Source: KNUST
Analysis of Technical and Cost Efficiency of Co-Operative Financial Institutions in Ghana: An Application of Stochastic Frontier Approach

The aim of this study is to examine the technical and cost efficiency of cooperative financial institutions in Ghana using a Cobb-Douglas Stochastic frontier model. An unbalanced panel data from 2009 to 2012 for sixty six financial cooperatives was used in the study. To capture the dual roles of financial cooperatives production and intermediation approaches are used in the selection of inputs and outputs. The distribution of technical efficiency scores show an average of 53.40% and 57.96% across the sampled units for production and intermediation approaches respectively. On the other hand, the distribution of cost efficiency scores show an average of 92.44% and 70.67% across the sampled units for production and intermediation approaches respectively. The study reveals increasing returns is experienced in cost efficiency whiles approximately constant return is enjoyed in technical efficiency. The main conclusion is that the CFIs reduce cost to the detriment of technical efficiency. Management should continue to explore opportunities of economies of scale in production and by adopting efficient technology that improves productivity of staff . The primary societies focus more on reducing poverty of members rather than investments that yield low returns. At the firm level, management must also heighten the scope of social commitment to both staff and clients whilst improving on marketing strategies.

Source: KNUST
Analysis of technical and financial benefits of energy efficient practices in selected Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) buildings in Accra

Energy is a critical resource for human development. However, for many people, the option to conserve energy by using energy efficient appliances and machines and proper maintenance culture is not practiced. Research has shown that the total energy use of a building can be reduced by implementing energy efficient design strategies at the design stage of a building. Passive energy efficient design techniques like proper building orientation, use of sun shading, selection of materials more suitable to prevailing climatic conditions can considerably reduce a building’s energy use and reflect in economic gains to all stakeholders. The present study set out to analyse and outline the technical and financial benefits of energy efficient practices in Electricity Company of Ghana buildings in Accra. A case study of the two regional buildings (Accra East and Accra West) was conducted in order to compare their energy efficiency profiles. Data collected from comprehensive energy audits formed the basis of the projections. A reliable and previously validated, standardized Energy Audit Tool complete with an operating manual was used to make study findings readily comparable and verifiable. The mean total energy consumption for Accra West was 414,077kWh while that for Accra East was 659,477 kWh. Accra East consumed approximately 150% of energy compared to Accra West. Over the period, the mean occupancy-adjusted energy consumption for Accra West and Accra East was 1,648 and 2688 kWh/person respectively. The present data shows that the energy efficient practices in place at the Accra West building is able to save on the average 1040 kWh/person every year. At the current rate of GHȻ0.4712 , this translates to a cost benefit ofGHȻ 490.048 (0.4712 X 1040) per person per year for the Accra West building. For a total staff roster of 245 workers, therefore the point can indeed be made that the Accra West facility accrues a financial gain of GHȻ 120,061.76 (490.05 X 245) per year. We conclude that the Accra West regional office of the Electricity Company of Ghana iii performs better as a model energy efficient building than the Accra East regional office building and could be emulated.

Source: KNUST
Analysis of the demand for locally produced rice in Kumasi, Ghana

In a country where rice has become the second most important cereal and staple food consumed by almost everyone, then issues pertaining to rice demand should become a matter of great concern especially when import, production and consumption statistics reveals the dominance of foreign rice demand over local rice. Surprisingly, this phenomenon has received less research attention in the Ghanaian context. The purpose of the study was to analyse the demand for locally produced rice in Ghana. Specifically, it sought to identify factors that affect the demand for local rice, determine the price and income elasticities of local rice and identify ways to improve on the demand for local rice. The design was a cross-sectional non-experimental study of 370 rice consumers (of which 120 were only local rice consumers, 100 local and foreign rice consumers and 150 non-local rice consumers) between the ages of 18 and 60 years who were sampled using the multistage cluster sampling technique according to sub metros and communities in the Kumasi Metropolis. A semi logarithm model was used to determine the factors (that is sex, age, household size, prices, income, taste, availability, foreign materials, cooking time, aroma and color) that influence the demand for local rice. The results of the study showed that household size, taste, presence of foreign materials, price and income significantly influenced the demand for local rice. The demand for local rice was fairly price inelastic as well as a normal good. Prominent among the factors cited by consumers and non-consumers to improve on the demand for locally produced rice included polishing, improved packaging, increased advertisement, availability and affordability. It is recommended that the findings of this study be utilized by governmental and non-governmental institutions such as the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to improve on the local rice industry in Ghana.

Source: KNUST