ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
The Ghana Community-Based Health Planning and Services initiative: barriers to smooth implementation in the new Juaben Municipality

The study was aimed at identifying the barriers to the smooth implementation of CHPS. A Ghana Health Service (GHS) initiative meant to improve geographical access of health services in the rural communities in Ghana. The objective of the study includes examining the proximity of health facilities, the level of implementing the guidelines, sensitization of health staff on CHPS, outcome of established CHPS centres and the way forward to scaling up of CHPS in the New Juaben Municipality. A descriptive study with a cross sectional design, a total of two hundred (200) staff/management was interviewed with questionnaire. In addition, a checklist was designed to review two CHPS centres in Oyoko/Jumapo and Medical Village/Old Estate sub-districts. The findings showed that an average of 91% of the population and 72% of communities live within 3 km radius of a health facility. There was resemblance of some level of implementation of all the guidelines/milestones/procedures, however, the construction of staff accommodation, purchase of essential equipments and logistics are key milestones that hinder the smooth implementation of CHPS in the New Juaben Municipality. The average Sensitization of health staff on CHPS was 81% with the Hospital having 51% as against 97% from the Municipal Health Directorate (MHD). Outcome of CHPS on records review indicated that the CHPS centers provides public health services like EPI, ANCICWC etc and clinical services by giving ambulatory services to the communities with unimpressive documentation on referrals. Suggestions given by health workers and the communities on the way forward includes personnel training and motivation, provision of basic logistics, skills in community mobilization and the provision of standard referral form. Appropriate recommendations have been made for the MHMT, the Municipal Assembly and other stakeholders in the Municipality to help improve upon the establishment of CHPS compounds.

Source: KNUST
Ghana Hairdressers and Beauticians (GHABA) Training Centre, Spintex Road, Accra

Historical background of African Beautification: a. Africa is said to be the mother of cosmetology way back in 3000 BC. The spread of this skillful art climaxed during the early stages of Egyptian civilization. Spices, ointment, balms, dyes etc were sold to other parts of the world. Certain areas like France, England, Rome and Greece adopted the use of perfumes wigs and hair dyes as well as body massage with spiced ointments respectively. b. In Africa, beauty care has always been elaborate and dexterous as well as having a significant bearing on their life style. It depicted the social status, ceremony, religion, age set and clan of the community. The skills of cosmetology or beauty care were taught and maintained by skillful masters who had the ability to teach younger generation who would master it and hand it over to the next generation. By the 13th century a similar practice appeared in western Europe with the organization of craft Guilds which supervised the quality and method of production of employment of each occupational group in a town c. The coming of the industrial revolution altered attitudes toward training. Machines created in host of unskilled jobs for which formal training seems unnecessary. Somewhere along the line, this causes the emphasis on the training of skills in cosmetology to be compromised. Lack of thorough knowledge and common practical experience led to a lack of self confidence which undermined the potential of the profession. The skill of beauty care was then adopted by Africans from their colonial masters, which in actual fact was a replica of their own lost heritage. In order to retrieve this art back into our land, the

Source: KNUST
Ghana Stock Exchange, Accra

The recent oil discovery offshore on the west of Cape Three Points, Axim by Kosmos Energy Company on 25th February 2008 has increased the desire to invest in Ghana from all over the world. As a result of this, there is a projected boom in Ghana's economy within the next two to five years. A legal environment thus is required which will not only attract but encourage and sustain investors and traders. The estimated economic boom is expected to have an increasing effect on savings, stock trading and investment transactions. The Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE), the public company responsible for stock transactions in Ghana is currently constrained by limited office space to contain the administration of this expected surge in stock trading. Other institutions working hand in hand with the GSE in stock transactions are found in different distant locations within Accra which makes dealings very dysfunctional and time consuming. This thesis therefore studies the work, functions and spatial requirements of the GSE , other international stock exchanges and office spaces to propose a suitable office complex for the GSE which would project their image as well as quicken and facilitate investments, stock exchange and financial transactions to match up the anticipated economic development. The office will also house all the bodies and institutions relevant for stock transactions to quicken and facilitate the processes. Incorporated will be research facilities that encourage education and publicity in the area of savings and investment opportunities which is instrumental in enlightening the public to transform the economy positively.

Source: KNUST
Ghanaian Exports: Meeting EU Customer Expectations Through Effective Packaging Design

Packaging design has been identified as one major challenge in the Ghanaian Export Sector especially Non-Traditional Exports. This thesis discusses Ghanaian exports and how to meet the European Union customer expectation through the application of effective packaging design. Based on a sampled population of 25 exporters and 18 consumers who are not Ghanaians, the research revealed that Ghanaian exports do not meet EU customer expectation mainly because the packaging designs and labelling do not exhibit strong visual appearance. For that matter they cannot communicate clearly the products’ values and benefits in the minds of the consumer. Environmental accountability or sustainability issues are not considered at all. The researcher used qualitative research method to gather data through questionnaires, interviews and observations. The researcher made several recommendations. Among them are: Government agencies, institutions, SME’S (Small Scale Enterprises) and other stakeholders in the export industry should be educated as regards the requirements, needs and expectations of the importing country especially in relation to packaging. Also, research and development centres for packaging should be created in schools and colleges. Students in tertiary institutions and colleges should be encouraged to do their thesis or dissertations in packaging. Finally, this thesis attests to the fact that packaging plays a critical role in nation building. It serves as a means of identification and communication. Packaging helps to develop human culture. It is therefore prudent for Ghanaian exporters to invest more into effective packaging design in order to meet customer expectations.

Source: KNUST
Ghanaian festivals as a resource for art education

The organisation of social life in indigenous societies gives special place to a festival, for there is a general consciousness of its potential as a vehicle for communicating or affirming the values of a society and strengthening the bonds that bind its members. Festivals are very important occasions, ceremonies and rituals which perineate the rhythm of the earthly life of a people in question. Festivals are of historical (commemorative), harvesting (harvest and post harvest) and for the gods. Art is actively and inseparably interwoven with the life of man. The arts therefore play a predominant role in the celebration of our festivals. The visual arts, performing arts, body arts and verbal arts which contain records of achievements of a people come into play. For example, the rich stool regalia of the various ethnic chiefs and the sculptures, such as the spokesmen’s staffs do provide us with much knowledge about our traditional culture. The festival celebration is a process of passing on the cultural values from one generation to another but unfortunately the youth do not fully participate in these activities or have little understanding of the values and symbolic functions of much of the imagery of the past. This has resulted in an upward degeneration of artform usage among the youth. The need to go back and pick up the gems of the past as the ‘Sankofa’ symbol depicts, calls for the strengthening of institutions that promote the authentic cultures of Ghana such as festivals.

Source: KNUST
Ghanaian indigenous vegetable tanned leather, a potential material for marquetry

The purpose of the study was to use Ghanaian indigenous vegetable tanned leather as a potential material for marquetry. The term marquetry is derived from a French word “Marqueterie” meaning inlaid work. It is a technique in furniture making where the grain patterns and the colours of wood veneer are used to create pictures. Wood veneers are well known in the world as common material used for marquetry, other materials such as metals, straw, horn, shells and mother of pearls are also used, and hence these materials have common characteristics for marquetry work. The need to embark on developing strategies to boost the national economy, and at the same time to add value to the Ghanaian Indigenous Vegetable Tanned Leather; a local material very versatile and easily obtainable can serve as a potential material for marquetry since its properties and characteristics are enormous. This material is manipulated for diverse uses such as body items, upholstery, household items, containers, sports items and entertainment items. Ghanaian furniture manufactured can tap into this technique in their field of endeavour to bring innovation and creativity. The researcher employed qualitative research using the descriptive and experimental methods; the descriptive method was used to describe the procedures and processes of constructing marquetry with Ghanaian indigenous vegetable tanned leather. The purposive sampling was used to select the sample size. The researcher used interview guide and observation as data collection instruments for the study. In the light of this, the researcher observed that the Ghanaian wood workers and sellers are acquainted with the technical use of wood veneer, besides most customers have also been exposed to the use of wood veneer products. This project will enable leather technologist and furniture producers acquire the skills and techniques in producing leather marquetry.

Source: KNUST
Ghanaian jewellery industry: its problems and solutions

Many developing countries including Ghana possess significant deposits of precious and non-precious metals, materials, and stones, but many of these natural treasures are merely exported as raw materials. Although the countries including Ghana have an ancient tradition of jewellery production and a large handicraft capacity for manufacturing, jewellery is only exported in very modest quantities, if any at all. This potential can be exploited if the problems in the industry are identified and solved. Ghanaian goldsmiths and other jewellers are all known for their important jewellery manufacturing and have raised their work to the Master craft level, taking on apprentices who help them to produce their works including jewellery. Jewellery is widespread in all cultures in Ghana. The gems and jewellery often say something about general identity, ethnic identity or the wearer’s status. It also reveals the culture in which they originate. Every imaginable resource and item can be used in jewellery production. Be it artificial or synthetic material like plastic, broken bottle etc, or natural materials like leather, animal bone, seeds, coconut shells egg shells, metals like gold, silver, brass, iron, and even clay and tree backs, and also bamboo. In the course of carrying out this work, surveys were carried out on both producers and consumers of jewellery products. The researcher at the end of the work, has unearthed as many problems and solutions as possible. The following methods of research were used to come out with this thesis: Questionnaires to producers and consumers, personal interviews, documents including books, journals, magazines, newspapers, and periodicals were also be used as regards to the review of related literature and Internet. This research project covered Accra, Ho, Kumasi, Koforidua and Cape Coast, and it is hoped that with the recommendations implemented, and the government playing its role, the jewellery industry in Ghana would live up to its desired expectation. Jewellers must also know that they have a role to play in the success of the industry.

Source: KNUST
The Ghanaian jewellery industry: it’s problems and solutions

It is probably unusual for anyone to write mainly on problems and solutions to the Ghanaian Jewellery Industry. Other writers have however, mentioned problems and solutions in the Jewellery industry in their writing, but not in much details s the present author. In writing therefore o “The Ghanaian Jewellery Industry: Its Problem and Solutions”, the author was motivated by the fact that others who have written about the in industry, have done so from artistic point of view. T ere is therefore the need to look at the thesis as a document that when published, would serve as a better reference book for researchers, craftsmen, and hobbyists. It can also be used as a t aching aid, and also by policy makers. This is because this thesis is more informative than those of previous writers. Because many of the practising goldsmiths, another Jewellery manufacturer are illiterate, they do not keep written records on their productions and operations. It was therefore very difficult getting information from them. The goldsmiths therefore, relied mainly on their memory to give any information to the researcher. Also, near y all goldsmiths and Jewellers, because of suspicion, were not ready to give out information or data. The writer also relied mainly on other written materials from libraries, newspapers, interviews and personal observations to come out with the thesis. Institutions contacted for the research are from libraries like the British Council Library, College of Art Library (KNUST), KNUST main Library, the Ghana Library Board, and USAID Library. The following institutions were also contacted for data: CEPS, NBSSI, PMMC, GEPC, IRS, GIPC, and Federation of Ghanaian Jewellers, Local Radio Stations, Insurance Companies, and G.T.B.

Source: KNUST
Ghanaian Mythography: Ethical and Contextual Relevance to Contemporary Culture

Many of the publications on Ghanaian art history tend to place more emphasis on the formal aesthetics of art that is, works are analyzed largely in terms of styles and materials used. There is hardly any account which delves into the origins of the rather ubiquitous verbal attributes of this symbolic art. There is no doubt that there are occasional references to proverbs, aphorisms, etc. as the main source of inspiration for many art works. And even though some sociological works may have been done in isolation on either the origins of the verbal and visual forms, a comprehensive art historical work, using myth as a reference point is a rare combination. Myths in themselves have been said to be good historical indicators especially in places where written records were absent. In this regard, they have been acknowledged to fill in the time gaps with folk stories which could have been facts, but because they were orally transmitted, they assumed exaggerated dimensions. As far as artifacts go, their role in the recording of history is also very well acknowledged. Archaeologists will testify to the immeasurable role artifacts have played in the dating of events as well as the revelation of sociological, psychological, cosmological and even cultural information of humankind in the by gone years. Therefore, using two important historical indices - myth and visual art, for the ethical and contextual evaluation of Ghanaian art is unique. In this thesis, an investigation is done into the mythical equivalents of indigenous and contemporary Ghanaian art after an overview of mythical representations in art in general, which happens to preoccupy the study in the literature review.

Source: KNUST
The Ghanaian Open Market as Resource for Textile Designs

Presently, the designs created by the local textile printing companies in the country are of themes including proverbs, natural vegetation, traditional/national symbols, and geometrical shapes. Fashion has evolved significantly and so the design preferences of most customers have changed. Designing therefore must be adaptive and dynamic in order to cater for the new trends. Exploring various cultural and local themes for textile designs has the potential to meet peculiar fashion demands of our contemporary era. This can also inject vibrancy and thus, help to revive the local textile industry. The study explores textile design concepts based on the Kumasi Central Market by examining market products/product arrangements and scenes. Design principles were applied to originate assorted textile designs, using Photoshop. Consequently, over twenty textile designs based purely on scenes from the Kumasi Central Market including elements, textures and some colour ways have been made. A textile design catalogue of the results has been produced and some of the outcome has been successfully printed onto appropriate textile materials.

Source: KNUST
Ghanaian Student Nurses and their Intention to Migrate; Means of Managing the Migration of Nursing Professionals from the Country

Ghana faces huge health challenges including malaria, maternal and child mortality. There are not enough nurses however to help meet these demands due to migration. Migration of nurses is of global concern necessitated by the poor remuneration and the desire for self development. This study sought to establish student nurses intentions to migrate and their location preferences. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, some 358 student nurses from the nursing training colleges in the Western and Ashanti Regions of Ghana voluntarily participated in the study. Anonymous self administered questionnaires were employed in the study. Contributions from four key informants were included. These were nurse tutors and practicing nurses. The majority of respondents was females (81.8%) and aged between 21 to 25 years (50.6%). The study showed that 98.3% of students had heard of migration and did so through the media, family and friends. Although 78.2% of participants considered migration a problem, 70.1% still had intentions to migrate, preferred countries outside Africa (77.7%) and believed that if conditions of service were improved it would help manage the problem (75.4%). Stakeholders in the health sector may consider bridging salary gaps. Provision of right quantities and quality of equipment would be essential. Scholarship may be tied to written commitment to stay at areas of posting especially rural areas. There should unbiased opportunity for self development.

Source: KNUST
Ghanaian painting as an expression of Ghanaian culture (1970-90)

The research sought to find out the extent to which painting reveals the character of Ghanaian culture. It was carried over a period of three years during which the author collected data, studied and analysed Ghanaian paintings and wrote the report. It was conducted against the background of notable developments in Ghanaian painting over two decades and. the desire of educated individuals to grasp the character of painting as practised in Ghana by Ghanaians. The research methodologies used in the study are the Descriptive Survey and. Analytical Methods. These involve the description of the works of selected Ghanaian painters. The results were analysed interpreted and conclusions drawn. Research tools employed include interviews, questionnaire and personal observations. The scope of the research was limited to contemporary and indigenous painting as practised in Ghana between 1910 and 1990. The choice of a sample population was, however, limited to 22 painters selected from literate and pre-literate or indigenous communities in Ghana. The report is presented in five chapters. It includes Figures illustrating samples of Ghanaian painting, Charts, Tables showing the distribution of Charts, Tables showing the distribution of population studied, the stratification and sample procedure, the distribution and retu.ms of the questionnaire and the result. Appendices include a postscript on Ghanaian painting. The main findings of the research indicate the visual elements of pre-literate culture as depicted in Ghanaian paintings as well as the relationships between indigenous and contemporary painting in Ghana in terms of styles, subjects and media. These relaxation ships point out the danger of contemporary Ghanaian painting getting out of touch with autodithonous traditions. Recommendations in favour of propagating ideas associated with ‘grass—roots culture and made to ensure the exposure of Ghanaian youth to them. Painting then becomes not only an avenue for promoting cultural and. national unity but an important means of making a people’s conscious of the roots of culture.

Source: KNUST
The Ghanaian Woman- a portrait of life

Are cultural practices and myths still having strong grips on the woman? The study of the general life of how the woman was portrayed from the aerly days of civilization, the contextual and conceptual approach in both painting and sculpture can give a fair clue to how one can combine these disciplines in this postmodern era in portraying the advancements and pending challenges of the woman. In this research,...................

Source: KNUST
The Ghanaian woman and foreign fashion since 1960

This research investigates the effects of foreign fashion on the indigenous fashion of the contemporary Ghanaian woman since 1960. It also examines the quality of the indigenous Ghanaian fashion; the effects of foreign fashion on the psyche, the health, the fashion culture and the fashion industry of contemporary Ghana since 1960. It identifies the different foreign fashions since 1960 through personal interviews and questionnaire and finds out the Characteristics of respondents to the questionnaire. Research findings show varied degrees of influence on the contemporary Ghanaian woman as regards clothing, accessories and grooming. These include methods employed to enhance the beauty and health conditions with foreign fashion products and designs. The stratified sampling method of analysis was adopted with the assumption that the findings would be representative of the Ghanaian woman. The findings indicate that foreign fashion has both positive and negative effects on the contemporary Ghanaian woman since 1960 but then, given the right education and guidance, the contemporary Ghanaian woman would not completely discard her indigenous mode of dressing.

Source: KNUST