ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Groundwater exploration in the Fanteakwa District of the Eastern Region of Ghana using the dipole-dipole method

Electrical Resistivity of the ground was measured in 100 communities in the Fanteakwa district of Eastern Region of Ghana. in research to explore for groundwater for the community. The lateral and vertical variations of the subsurface were determined. ABEM Terrameter SAS 300 C metre was used to execute the lateral (profiling) and vertical (sounding) variation in Dipole-Dipole configuration. The maximum profile line was between 155 m and 275 m. The maximum electrode spacing for the vertical sounding was between 60 m and 90 m. Profiles were carried out, probing the depth of 30 m, 40 m and 50 m and the results were used to locate the lateral variations of the subsurface, which were then further investigated by vertical electrical sounding (VES). The apparent resistivity measured in the communities underlying the Birimian formation were low of less than 500 ohm -m. Extremely high formation resistivities of less than 2000 ohm -m are found in communities underlying the Voltaian formation. The aquifer boundaries appear to be well defined and delineated to locate zones that have groundwater potential. The geoelectrical model seems to be a satisfactory representation of the aquifer system. Hydrogeologically, however the sites selected for drilling was of more interest, because it could confirm the presence of considerable freshwater. In all, 98 boreholes were drilled in the communities and the success ratio was 65%. The upper layer extends to a depth of 1.2 m to 13.0 m and its resistivities vary between 100 ohm -m and 2500 ohm-m. Correlation with the drilling result of the borehole shows that this part is composed of predominantly coarse-grained sediment, and pebbles to sand. Groundwater was struck in the boreholes at depths between 20 m and 50 m that coincided with the depth to the bottom of the weathered zone of the VES model curves where suitable groundwater is normally located. The lowest yield of 11 litres per minute was obtain from borehole number FA-26 VSP4 and the highest of 300 litres per minute from borehole numbers FA- 54 VSP1, FA-61 VSP6 and FA-62 VSP2. The groundwater contour map and flow nets indicated that Longitude between 0o 281 V and P 211 W and Latitude between N 6° 251 and N 6o 341 locations are recommended for favourable sites for new wells, as it is in an area of high permeability values and where flow lines converge.

Source: KNUST
Groundwater pollution from on-site sanitation

There is growing concern that widespread use of on-site sanitation system will cause subsurface migration of contamination ultimately resulting in disease transmission and environmental degradation. This study assessed the pollution levels of contaminants associated with on-site sanitation in forty-five groundwater supplies, in the Sekyere East District of Ashanti Region of Ghana. These groundwater supplies, comprising 26 hands dug wells and 19 boreholes, were constructed under the National Community Water and Sanitation Programme to improve the water supply situation in rural areas. Out of the 45-groundwater supplies sampled, 7 hand-dug wells were polluted with faecal coliforni wioso and Oyoko Mission hand dug wells recorded faecal coliform counts of 190 cfu/100ml and 150 cuf/100ml respectively. Analysis of information from the field and records showed that two of these facilities were being polluted by pit latrines, which can he described as wet pits. The third hand dug well, which recorded a faecal coliform of 57 cfu/100ml was suspected of’ being polluted through a hydraulic connection with a stream 14m away from the well. Odurokrom. Bimma No. 2. Adagva No.1 and Abotanso recorded faecal coliform counts of 5 cfu/ 100ml: 6 cfu/100ml: 8 cfu/ 100ml: and 10 cfu/ 100ml respectively These were suspected of being polluted from the surface through water draining under the loose hand pump stand into the well All the values exceeded the WHO guidelines value for faecal coliform, which is 0 cfu/ml. Wioso and Oyoko Mission recorded the highest value of other key faecal contamination indicator such as nitrate and chloride. The nitrate values recorded were 39.9mg/l and 32.4mgl respectively. Chloride values were 20.5mg/l and 18.5mg/I for wioso and Oyoko Mission respectively. These values were within WHO Guideline values for nitrate and chloride, which are 45 mg/l and 250 mg/l respectively. The soil analysis showed that samples from the district were well graded with varying amounts of clay. The percolation rates in the various soil profiles were of the order 10-5ms. These rates can be described as medium rates, and with proper siting of groundwater supplies should be able to protect groundwater 1mm pollution from on—site sanitation s stems. Siting of groundwater supplies should not be based on a rule of thumb hut rather on—site specific hydrogeological conditions. On-site sanitation technology choice should also be based on hvdrogeological conditions and modifications made where necessary. The community Water and Sanitation Agency and other providers of groundwater supplies should collaborate with the District Assemblies to carry out groundwater quality monitoring programmes. This would ensure an extensive evaluation of’ the relationship between groundwater supplies and on—site sanitation systems. so that remedial action can be taken as appropriate.

Source: KNUST
Groundwater Exploration in Adansi North District of Ghana Using Resistivity Method

Resistivity Profiling and Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) using McOhm Resistivity meter was carried out in seventeen communities in Adansi North District of Ashanti Region of Ghana. Dipole- Dipole array with 20 m chainage interval was employed for the profiling; stations which had low resistivities were noted and probed further to a depth of about 70 or sometimes 80 m using VES. Points with low resistivities along profiles were interpreted to be due to groundwater, clays, weathered zones or fractures whereas high resistivities may be dike-like structures or boulders. The interpretations of the VES results revealed that most of the communities were underlain by an overburden of thickness between 12 and 16 m. Moderately weathered material ranging from less than one meter to several meters in thickness separate the overburden from the underlying weathered and fractured bedrock and subsequently hard bedrock. The bedrock may be associated with fractures in some of the communities. Recommendations for test drilling at each site was based on ascending order with low resistive points selected first. Borehole yields ranged between 17 and 150 lpm with an average of 38 lpm. Average borehole depth and static water level were 48 and 8 m respectively. Out of the 36 holes drilled 23 were successful whiles 13 were dry wells giving a success rate of 64 %.

Source: KNUST
Groundwater prospecting in Northern Sekyere West District using the electromagnetic method

The lack of potable water in the Northern Sekyere West District, like many other rural communities in Ghana, has made it imperative for the inhabitants to walk several kilornetres from their villages daily in search of water. To overcome this perennial problem, this project was carried out in conjunction with World Vision International Ghana, to use geophysical techniques to map out potential sites for boreholes to be drilled to provide water for these communities. Electromagnetic profiling using the Geonics EM34-3 conductivity meter was carried out in twelve communities. The intercoil spacing used for the EM profiles is the 20 m coil and a station separation of 10 m, with both coils align first in the horizontal dipole HD mode, which probe to a depth of 15 m, and then in the vertical dipole VD mode, which probe to a depth of3O m. Interpretation of the results revealed that potential aquifers within the area could be located with respect to two distinct features namely, weathering and fracturing zones. The method and criteria for selecting a site for a borehole as well as the scientific basis are preserved. Three lithologic logs obtained for points recommended for drilling have been presented and compared with profiling results in order to provide a scientific basis for the sitting of similar boreholes in virgin areas. The results also show a response, which is significantly different from that of the weathering and fracturing zones, it indicates a nearly symmetrical negative response, with values as low as 1 m S/m in some communities. This was interpreted to be due to dike-like structures or a highly conductive material that has been masked, which could contain water. The logs revealed that the topmost part of the area consists of lateritic and clayey soils while below about 7 m; fractured or weathered arkosic sandstones predominate. The yield (volume of water) of the boreholes drilled was between 18 and 290 litres/mm and the aquifer horizon averagely between 18 -45 m. The geophysical technique has demonstrated its capability to identi1,’ suitable sites for sitting of borehole to provide groundwater to needy communities. Some areas with conductivity highs had little or no water when drilled so using the 40 m coil before selecting points for VES is recommended.

Source: KNUST
Groundwater prospecting in Southern Sekyere West District using electromagnetic method

The Electromagnet (EM) method has been employed in the investigation of the groundwater potential in some communities within the Southern Sekyere West District. The field technique involved the use of electromagnetic profiling in mapping the subsurface conductivities at two different depths, based on the principle of Electromagnetism. The equipment used is the Geonics EM34-3 equipment and was operated in the horizontal dipole (H.D) and vertical dipole (V.D) modes at a 20 m intercoil spacing and probing depths of 15 and 30 m respectively. The nature of the conductivities at these two depths for each profile in the communities was determined and potential zones of groundwater accumulation identified after a preliminary interpretation. In general, a target conductivity range of 12 to 24 mS/m for sandstone areas and 28 to 65 mS/m for shally areas was expected for groundwater occurrence, based on previous results. In addition to the qualitative interpretation of the profiling results, vertical cross sections, which effectively show potential zones of groundwater accumulation, have been prepared for some selected drill sites and the results compared with those from drilling. The following results were obtained for some of the selected communities. At Asubuaso, the expected depth of striking groundwater, as deduced from the vertical cross-section was 17 m, while drilling yielded water at 18. m; at Kwabena Akura the expected depth was 20 m while the actual drilling records indicated water at 21 m; at Konab Akura the expected depth of striking water was 22 m while from the results of drilling, water was obtained at 44 m depth. However, between the depth of 22 and 44 m, the ground was very moist; at Denkyirakrom, groundwater was expected at 15 m, while the drilling indicated water at 16 m. At other places, the groundwater was deduced to be present but the drilling yielded dry holes. Other points which were not considered to be within the target conductivity range also yielded water during test drilling. These results indicate that the electromagnetic (EM) technique can be used to effectively locate and map water bearing zones in subsurface rocks. However, due to ambiguities in the interpretation of the field results, it is necessary to backup this technique with geoelectrical sounding or other EM methods in order to optimise the conductivity profiling results for a cost effective borehole sitting programme.

Source: KNUST
Groundwater quality and potential analysis using geospatial techniques: The case of Ashanti Region in Ghana

The ecosystem and economy’s reliance on clean water is influenced by various factors such as geology, topography, soil types, activities, and the presence of plants and animals. The Ghana Water Company is encountering difficulties in delivering water to consumers in the Ashanti Region due to the shortage of surface water resources, leading to water rationing in the area. Furthermore, poor waste disposal practices, illegal mining, use of fertilizers, and industrial activities have resulted in surface and groundwater source damage. Therefore, there is a need to implement a reliable, simple, and timely method to assess groundwater quality. This study aims to employ GIS and RS techniques to evaluate groundwater quality and potential in the Ashanti Region, Ghana. The Water Quality Index (WQI) was estimated using pH, Total Dissolve Solid (TDS), Chloride, Total Hardness (TH), Nitrate, Temperature, Turbidity, Iron, and Electrical Conductivity (EC). The study then used the WQI distribution to conduct a groundwater potential analysis to identify suitable areas for borehole placement. Digital thematic layers and maps were developed to expose the spatial distribution of water quality parameters, enabling the identification of groundwater pollution control and remedial measures. The study estimated the region’s groundwater potential using an integrated GIS and Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) technique, grouping under excellent, good, fair, and poor potential. The WQI in the Ashanti Region ranged from 5.208 to 134.232, with 32.252% of the study area having an excellent WQI and 60.168% of the study area having a good WQI. Poor water quality covered 7.550% of the study area. The results showed that the GIS-based AHP approach accurately mapped the spatial distribution of WQI and Groundwater Potential Zones (GWPZ). This information is helpful to planners in water resource management in groundwater exploration and future planning. Policymakers and stakeholders must ensure that groundwater sources are protected from pollution.

Source: KNUST
Groundwater quality in three peri-urban communities in Kumasi and the effectiveness of some anti-diarrhoeal agents against isolated organisms

The aim of the research was to assess the physical and bacteriological quality of water used in three peri-urban communities in Kumasi, Ghana, and to determine the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration of ten antibiotics sold on the Ghanaian market against diarrhoea causing organisms isolated from the water samples. The Pour Plate, Membrane Filtration and inoculation into various liquid media were employed in examining nine (9) sources of drinking water used by the three communities for the presence of indicators of faecal contaminants (total coliforms and faecal coliforms) over a period of six (6) months. The samples were also analysed for pH, turbidity, conductivity, total dissolved solids and colour. The samples showed different levels of contamination with enterococci, other gram positive and gram negative bacteria and fungi. Twenty randomly selected isolates from the membrane filtration method were identified using the API 20E system of identification and consisted of Escherichia coli 30%, Enterobacter sakazakii 20%, Enterobacter cloacae 15%, Citrobacter diverus 15%, Salmonella spp 10% and Serratia marcescens 10%. From the MIC determination, Escherichia coli exhibited the highest susceptibility whilst ) Streptococci faecalis exhibited the least susceptibility. There was no significant * difference between the MIC values produced by combination drugs and the values from I. single-component drugs. The samples that were analysed were of variable physical and bacteriological safety and quality. Most of the drugs used in this research had high MIC values against E. coli.

Source: KNUST
Group B Streptococci serotype distribution in pregnant women in Ghana: assessment of potential coverage through future vaccines

objectives To investigate and determine the factors that enhanced or constituted barriers to the acceptance of an mHealth system which was piloted in Asante-Akim North District of Ghana to support healthcare of children. methods Four semi-structured focus group discussions were conducted with a total of 37 mothers. Participants were selected from a study population of mothers who subscribed to a pilot mHealth system which used an interactive voice response (IVR) for its operations. Data were evaluated using qualitative content analysis methods. In addition, a short quantitative questionnaire assessed system’s usability (SUS). results Results revealed 10 categories of factors that facilitated user acceptance of the IVR system including quality-of-care experience, health education and empowerment of women. The eight categories of factors identified as barriers to user acceptance included the lack of human interaction, lack of update and training on the electronic advices provided and lack of social integration of the system into the community. The usability (SUS median: 79.3; range: 65–97.5) of the system was rated acceptable. conclusions The principles of the tested mHealth system could be of interest during infectious disease outbreaks, such as Ebola or Lassa fever, when there might be a special need for disease specific health information within populations.

Source: KNUST
Group B Streptococci serotype distribution in pregnant women in Ghana: assessment of potential coverage through future vaccines

objective Group B streptococcal (GBS) colonization of pregnant women can lead to subsequent infection of the new-born and potentially fatal invasive disease. Data on GBS colonization prevalence and serotype distribution from Africa are scarce, although GBS-related infections are estimated to contribute substantially to infant mortality. In recent years, GBS vaccine candidates provided promising results in phase I and II clinical trials. We aimed to assess the prevalence and serotype distribution of GBS in Ghana since this knowledge is a prerequisite for future evaluation of vaccine trials. methods This double-centre study was conducted in one rural and one urban hospital in central Ghana, West Africa. Women in late pregnancy (≥35 weeks of gestation) attending the antenatal care clinic (ANC) provided recto-vaginal swabs for GBS testing. GBS isolates were analysed for serotype and antibiotic susceptibility. GBS-positive women were treated with intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) according to current guidelines of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). results In total, 519 women were recruited at both study sites, recto-vaginal swabs were taken from 509. The overall prevalence of GBS was 19.1% (18.1% in rural Pramso and 23.1% in urban Kumasi, restrospectively). Capsular polysaccharide serotype (CPS) Ia accounted for the most frequent serotype beyond all isolates (28.1%), followed by serotype V (27.1%) and III (21.9%). No resistance to Penicillin was found, resistances to second line antibiotics clindamycin and erythromycin were 3.1% and 1%, respectively. discussion Group B Streptococcus serotype distribution in Ghana is similar to that worldwide, but variations in prevalence of certain serotypes between the urban and rural study site were high. Antibiotic resistance of GBS strains was surprisingly low in this study.

Source: KNUST
Group lending and its social effect in Ghana: A case study of Women’s World Banking Ghana

Women’s World Banking Ghana primarily seeks to demonstrate among others that the poor are bankable and that micro finance is a commercially viable venture, promote small and micro enterprises in the poor urban and rural areas, act as a catalyst for building an institutional framework that enables poor people to better manage their financial lives; and explore new horizons in the banking industry that support poor rural and urban entrepreneurs to develop their enterprises. This study sought to determine the group lending and its effect on the social life with particular focus on their credit availability to SMEs to enable them reduce poverty and improve their social life. It is expected to examine the operation of Women’s World Banking Ghana and determine the effect of group lending on Women’s World Banking Ghana. Purposive sampling techniques were used for the study through questionnaires administration. Analyses were made on the questionnaires and conclusions were drawn from the data collected. The study also offers findings that most of the clients prefer short term loan to long term loans; clients prefer loans to be disbursed in full payment and not on instalment, group lending has improve social life of clients, the active population are eager to be self- employable, higher female clientele base than male, difficulty in providing cash security as a prerequisite to access loans. In the event the following recommendations were made , that Women’s world Banking Ghana should focus more on women in their group lending, should design an incentive for its clients who have good repayment character, to strategically review group loan product to meet the needs of borrowers.

Source: KNUST
Growing customer base of banks with inward remittances: a case study of Energy Bank Ghana Limited

This study investigated remittances and how it could help increase the customer base of banks. It adopted the case study design with purposive sampling of the Head of Operations of Energy Bank and systematic sampling of 100 remittees who had received remittance in the last two years. Questionnaires and unstructured interview were the main instruments of data collection. This study revealed that the active population between the ages of 18 years and 45 years received the most remittances. These were mostly the unemployed and the self-employed. The study also found that the bank did not have any special products and services in place to transform these remittees into account holding customers. Among the recommendations of the study was that Energy bank should introduce special products and services that are tailored to the needs of the remittees. Also, remittees were advised to save part of their remittances with the banks to meet unforeseen contingencies and also to be able to meet the loan requirements of the bank.

Source: KNUST
Growth and bioconversion ability of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) on different agro-wastes

The livestock industry in Ghana is challenged with high cost of quality feed ingredients. However, rice straw and groundnut shells are freely available in large quantities as agro wastes after rice and groundnuts have been harvested and processed. Though their use as animal feed is challenged with digestibility problems, through biotechnological means, these “wastes” could be turned into valuable animal feeds. This study pretreated and incubated rice straw (RS), groundnut shell (GS) and in equal proportions of rice straw and groundnut shell (RSGS) with Pleurotus ostreatus in a solid-state fermentation (SSF) for a period of five weeks. Proximate analysis, mineral composition, fibre fractions, anti-nutrients and in vitro dry matter digestibility were determined and compared. The fungus was able to improve the protein content significantly (P < 0.05) above the control samples, and protein enhancement was highest in RS (132.98%), whereas GS and RSGS recorded 65.41% and 61.43% respectively. The crude fibre component of the fermented samples also significantly reduced (P < 0.05) with GS recording a highest of 42.25%, followed closely by RSGS (39.69%) and RS (39.07%). The fungus also delignified the “wastes” with significant (P < 0.05) reduction in the lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose contents. Lignin for instance declined by 48.12% in RS, 36.39% in GS and 39.78% in RSGS. The mineral content (P, K and Ca) also significantly (P < 0.05) improved in the fermented samples as compared to the control. In vitro dry matter digestibility studies indicated that the samples were over 100% more digestible than the control at the end of the optimum fermentation period of the various substrates. The tannin levels in RS reduced by 76.9%, 75% in GS and 73.8% in RSGS. The study demonstrated that SSF of these agro wastes with P. ostreatus increased the level of limiting nutrients e.g. proteins and minerals while at the same time decreasing the fibre levels to enhance their digestibility for monogastrics and ruminants.

Source: KNUST