ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Time Series Models for the Decrease In Under-Five Mortality Rate in Ghana Case Study 1961 - 2012

A time series data, comprising of annual estimates of Under-five Mortality rates for Ghana from the year 1961 to 2012, obtained from the Worldbank website is used for the analysis. Three time series models; the Box-Jenkins (ARIMA), the Bayesian Dynamic Linear Model, and the Random walk with drift models are built for the decline of Ghana‟s under-five Mortality. Each model is built with data values from 1961 to year 2000, and an in-sample forecasting is made with each model from year 2001 to 2012. The Mean Squared Error (MSE) and the Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) as a measure of accuracy are used to determine the best fit model. The Random Walk with drift model produced the least values for both the MSE and the MAPE and is selected the best fit Model, and used for an out-of-sample forecasting for the years (2013 – 2016), producing respectively; 69.3, 66.6, 64.0 and 61.3 deaths per 1,000 live births. The forecast value of 64.0 deaths per 1000 live births for year 2015 shows that Ghana may not be able to realize her Millennium Development Goal four (MDG 4) target of reducing her Under-five Mortality rate to about 42.7 deaths per 1,000 live births by the year 2015.

Source: KNUST
To determine the rate of coastal erosion in a GIS environment (Accra Coast as a case study)

Coastal erosion is gradually assuming an alarming state globally. Governments of various nations and non-governmental organizations are all becoming alert to the devastating effects of this problem. Measures have been put in place to combat this problem but these remedial measures have not been successful in most cases. According to the web site Spencer Rogers (2002), the act of using engineering means to solve coastal erosion problems has failed and should be discouraged. The coast of Accra is also having its share of this global problem of coastal erosion. This problem, which is very eminent to the eye, has received very little attention in the study area. Human acts, which contribute to the propagation of sea erosion, are practiced with no fear. Settlers along the coast continue to live in a state of panic as they find it difficult to imagine when the sea will catch up with them. Their businesses are being threatened in addition to their very lives. The coastal vegetation cover is all being lost at a faster rate as a result of the sea erosion. The coast is also losing its rich deposit of sand and this is affecting the marine turtle breeding activity in the study area. The Ghana Government’s investment drive, in the area of tourism along the coast, is also suffering from this problem of sea erosion. It is against this background that the research seeks to bring to light that, in spite of the Engineering remedial measures, coastal erosion persists. This has been done by determining the rate of coastal erosion along the Accra coast spanning over a period of thirty- (30) years.

Source: KNUST
Tobacco consumption and non-communicable diseases in Ghana; Identifying accentuating factors and further evidence from 2014 Ghana demographic and health survey

Background: Non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, strokes, cancers and chronic kidney conditions have caused disabilities and negatively impacted on eco nomic development. While greater efforts of controlling these non-communicable diseases are clinically motivated, the non-clinical factors such as behavioural lifestyle and the as sociated accentuating factors have not been given due attention. It has been established elsewhere that, tobacco use which is a risk factor for non-communicable diseases occur rence is influenced by individual’s residential status, educational status, occupational sta tus, income level and access to media projections. This study therefore sought to identify associations between accentuating factors and tobacco use and its implications for the oc currence of non-communicable diseases prevalent in Ghana. Methods: This was a mixed method study involving in part, use of secondary data from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey 2014 with a sample of 4,122 respondents and primary qualitative interviews of 32 respondents respectively, from 4 Regions of Ghana. Descriptive statistics, probit regression and content thematic analysis were used for data analysis for both the quantitative and qualitative arms respectively. Results: The study found that, there was statistically significant association between ed ucational status and tobacco use [X2 (5, 4,123)=164.5619; p = 0.000], income levels and tobacco use [X2 (7, 4,123)=68.5615; p = 0.001), occupational status and tobacco use [X2 (8, 4,123)=195.6919; p = 0.000], residential status and tobacco [X2 (3, 4,134) = 82.7824; p = 0.000)] and finally, access to mass media and tobacco use [X2 (2, 4,134)= 1.2352, p = 0.009]. Again, the regression result shows that, the accentuating factors determine about 51% (50.579) of the tobacco use by individuals in the relation [R2 = 0.305, F(17, 4,077) = 50.579, p = 0.000]. Moreover, 62.4 percent of females were less likely to smoke

Source: KNUST
Tobacco consumption and non-communicable diseases in Ghana; Identifying accentuating factors and further evidence from 2014 Ghana demographic and health survey

lthough the prevalence of smoking is low in Ghana, little is known about the effect of migra tion on smoking. Comparing Ghanaians living in their country of origin to those living in Europe offers an opportunity to investigate smoking by location of residence and the associ ations between smoking behaviours and migration-related factors. Methods Data on a relatively homogenous group of Ghanaians living in London (n = 949), Amsterdam (n = 1400), Berlin (n = 543), rural Ghana (n = 973) and urban Ghana (n = 1400) from the cross-sectional RODAM (Research on Obesity & Diabetes in African Migrants) study were used. Age-standardized prevalence rates of smoking by location of residence and factors associated with smoking among Ghanaian men were estimated using prevalence ratios (PR: 95% CIs). Results Current smoking was non-existent among women in rural and urban Ghana and London but was 3.2% and 3.3% in women in Amsterdam and Berlin, respectively. Smoking prevalence was higher in men in Europe (7.8%) than in both rural and urban Ghana (4.8%): PR 1.91: 95% CI 1.27, 2.88, adjusted for age, marital status, education and employment

Source: KNUST
Tomato paste production at the rural/small scale level

Tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum Mill is grown on a large scale in Ghana. Tomatoes like other fruits and vegetables play a very important role in the diet of many Ghanaians, offering the most rapid and lowest cost of vitamins, minerals and energy supplies. However, a large volume of the tomatoes go to waste due to lack of effective storage or processing at the site of production during the bumper season. This study was carried out to develop a simple process for the production of tomato paste and to assess the most suitable variety for production and the quality of the paste produced. The results of the study showed that process A was the most efficient and easily adaptable method for tomato paste production at the rural and small scale level and of the three varieties (Power, Rasta and Reno) assessed, the Rasta variety gave the highest yield of paste. The quality of the paste produced was very good due to its appreciable high mineral content, high total sugar levels, appreciable total soluble solids and high vitamin C content. The moisture, ash, total soluble solids and the total sugar contents were not significantly affected by storage time, pretreatment and type of packaging material. However, pH, titratable acidity, red colour, vitamin C and mold count were significantly affected (P<0.05) by storage time, pretreatment and type of packaging material. Of the two packing materials used (glass bottles and polyethylene pouches), the glass was better for the packaging of the tomato paste. The sensory analysis conducted on the tomato paste revealed that the colour, the flavour and the taste of paste were very good.

Source: KNUST
Tissue culture regeneration potential of African rosewood in Ghana: institutional variables and implications for sustainability

By examining the effect of trade and its concomitant effects of exploitation on the conservation and management of African Rosewood in Ghana, the cost of the shift to indigenous savannah species timber species such as African Rosewood is demonstrated in this thesis. Institutional determinants such as the "Chinese factor", a lopsided export market for Air dried lumber, abuses of the legal process, regulatory and administrative lapses amongst other factors continue to fuel the unbridled exploitation of the species. Using results from this study conducted in the natural distribution range of the species in 6 regions of Ghana, the results indicate that there are significant disturbances within the population structure of African rosewood, at both the regional and national levels. The plot of the mean stem number per diameter class nationally does not present an inverse J-shaped curve as evidence of a balanced diameter structure of African Rosewood in Ghana. It further highlights the effect of the arbitrary interim 20cm dbh interim felling limit using the observed disturbances in the 20cm, 30cm, 40cm, 50cm and 60cm+ diameter classes. Utilising this data, questions on the sustainability of dynamic stock and the stock above the felling limit are raised. The study demonstrates the amenability of tissue culture to be successfully applied to Pterocarpus erinaceus, showing that the optimum combination of cytokinin treatment for the experimental set up is observed from the results to be 2.0mg/L BAP and 1.0mg/L Kinetin. In conclusion, the study recommends a tissue culture oriented conservation or management programme for African Rosewood.

Source: KNUST
A tool selection framework for cross platform mobile app development

The mobile application development landscape is continuously getting more fragmented with the emergence of an array of platforms with disparate operating systems and development workflows. Mobile Application developers are compelled by virtue of this platform fragmentation to design applications that targets more than one platform to ameliorate the market reachability of their products. To help developers in the pursuit of this cross platform agenda, diverse tools have been introduced by different vendors to provide support for cross platform development. However, there is no acceptable metric to serve as a basis for evaluating these cross platform tools. This thesis introduces a framework aimed at assisting application developers in the selection of the requisite Cross Platform development tool which guarantees the achievement of project requirement and specifications. . The framework design was guided by the Design Science research methodology. Quantitative methods including descriptive statistics, experiments and tests were used to provide data for the development and evaluation of the framework. The framework was implemented on three (3) Cross Platform Tools; PhoneGap, Titanium and Xamrin. Pairwise comparisons were made among these tools with capabilities, Performance, Development Speed, Learning Curve, Native UI look, and Device Access as the considered criteria. The Capability criteria emerged as the most important Criteria. PhoneGap developed by Adobe also emerged as the preferred tool for Mobile Cross Platform Development. Based on the framework, PhoneGap appears to be the Platform of choice in terms of Mobile Cross Platform development. Keywords: Cross Platform Development, Tool selection Framework, Mobile Application Development, Fragmentation, Mobile Application Development Tools.

Source: KNUST
Topological social choice model

This thesis extensively discusses the results of Chichinisky[2] and Eckmann[4] in a self-contained way through the use of spaces of n - mean, groups with means and H-space The main goal of this thesis is to show that 1. If a space P which is a finite polyhedral or C W-complex has an n-mean (choice function) for some n £ 2 then P is contractible. 2. If a non-contractible space P has an n-mean (choice function) for all n £ 2, then P is homotopy equivalent to an infinite product of rational Eilernberg- MacLane space P^Y\K(0,kr) ril ♦ These results which are found in a paper by Weinberger [8] extend earlier well-known results of Chichilnisky and Heal [3].

Source: KNUST
Topic: assessing the public procurement act in the management of drugs at Suhum government hospital

The goal of this study is to improve the efficiency of procurement and management of logistics (drugs) in a District Hospital in Ghana. The study adopted a case study approach in which Suhum Government Hospital; a district health facility in the Suhum Municipality was used as the research location. The study employs both qualitative and quantitative research approaches through the use of questionnaires administered to sixty- three (63) employees. Interviews were also conducted for 4 managers involved in procurement activities. Microsoft excel spread- sheet was used to analyze the quantitative data. Also, respondents’ opinions were grouped under sub- headings reflecting the research objectives. In this research, the respondents were of the opinion that, they were aware of the existence of the Public Procurement Act which reference could be made to serve as a guide. However, they could not express how they heard about it. The study indicates that respondents knew about the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663) to be an Act of parliament and also reveals that the Act seeks to achieve right procurement procedures, judicious use of government funds, equity and fairness and value for money. The study also indicates that Suhum Government hospital does not have spacious storage facility though all items in the store are listed in stores receipt vouchers. Furthermore, the study reveals that, internal auditor does store quantity checks before items are received into stores. The study shows that value for money, accountability, cost reduction and transparency with reference to health delivery have been achieved since the inception of the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663). The Ministry of Health or Ghana Health Service should ensure that there is avoidance of bureaucratic corruptions, availability of funds, institution of proper internal controls and training sessions for procurement staffs to ensure that there is strict adherence to the Public Procurement Act.

Source: KNUST
Total Phenol Content and Antioxidant Activity of Okra Seeds from Different Genotypes

Okra (Abelmoschus spp.) is a staple vegetable in Ghana and several countries world-wide. It has potential for several uses but is mostly under-utilized in Ghana. In this study, the total phenol content and antioxidant activity of five different okra seed genotypes (Asha, Asontem, Agbagoma, Sengevi and Penkruma), subjected to different treatments, were determined. A sensory test was performed to determine the acceptability of tea made with the okra seeds. The total phenol content and free radical scavenging activity of the samples were determined by means of Folin-Ciocalteu method and DPPH assay, respectively. An affective test was used for the sensory analysis. The results indicated that undefatted samples had the highest total phenol content (34.89-39.39 mg GAE/100 g) whereas defatted samples recorded the least (27.83-30.39 mg GAE/100 g). Defatted samples had % DPPH inhibition in the range of 46.38 to 64.00%) whereas that of undefatted samples ranged 34.39-53.00%. However, for the tea infusion of the defatted samples, “Penkruma” had the highest % DPPH Inhibition 60.42±3.90%) whereas “Agbagoma”, the least (36.94±2.81%). “Agbagoma” and “Sengevi” okra seeds tea infusions had the highest total phenol content (31.56±2.28 and 31.72±3.06 mg GAE/100 g, respectively) while “Penkruma” had the least (28.17±0.31 mg GAE/100 g). About 40% of the sensory panellists liked the tea infusion and were willing to purchase if made available on the market. The remaining 60% however, disliked the infusion because of its taste and stated that they would prefer it with additives such as sweeteners and milk. However, the findings suggest that the okra seed genotypes have considerable amounts of phenols and antioxidant activity and their utilization as tea or in other diets could provide antioxidant benefits.

Source: KNUST
Total product recovery of sawmills and assessment of downstream processing (a case study)

Sawn timber recoveries from logs were studied in six sawmills in Kumasi. The method used involved scaling and running one day’s log input through the mill and tallying the volume processed and yield of sawn timber, yield of lumber which underwent downstream processing was also assessed. The mean total product recoveries of the mills which processed the Triplochiton scieroxylon were 33.98%, 34.64% and 42.31%. On the other hand the mean total product recovery of Milicia excelsa was 41.62%. The mean recoveries of Triplochiton scleroxylon lumber of the mills ranged between 30.18% and 50.93%. The mean recoveries of Miicia excelsa and Ceiba pentandra lumber were 50.33% and 73.23% respectively. The Triplochiton scleroxylon downstream products yielded mean profit of 10.32% (¢46,316.43), 1l.47 %( ¢51,088.83), 10.63 %( ¢21, 91 1.82) and 1l.60%(¢23,000.33) per cubic metre for mouldings, finger-jointed lumber, shorts and squares respectively. Milicia excelsa downstream products yielded a mean profit of 9.09% (¢49,307.51) per cubic metre furniture parts

Source: KNUST
Total quality management as a basis for achieving comparative advantage in this contemporary business concern: a case study of Coca-Cola Bottling Company Ghana Ltd.

As the world around us change fast, new technologies and strategies must be adopted to face the ever-changing marketing environment. With the evolution of marketing concept comes where consumers were seen as kings if businesses and organizations are to survive and grow in a never before competitive environment. The way forward was a marketing strategy that seeks to satisfy customers by providing them with quality products. By responding to needs of this contemporary marketing environment it is believed that it will give that company a comparative advantage over its competitors. A marketing strategy that is seen by contemporary businessmen I women as the best option for survival or to enjoy comparative advantage is Total Quality Management (TQM), since it addresses most of the concerns of this contemporary marketing environment. In view of this Coca-Cola Bottling Company Gh. Ltd. in 1998 embarked on Coca-Cola Quality System (CCQS) seriously. The performance of the company was perfect and that they even won the Presidential Award for Excellent (Africa Group) from Coca-Cola International. This excellent performance of the company strengthen its market share and also gave them more comparative advantage over its competitors despite the fact that trend of cost management was not as expected. In the nutshell, the good performance of the company suggest that the CCQS has given the company a position advantage over it competitors in spite of the fact that Control Chart showed a lot of values or points outside the control zones. This is because other indicators like production volumes, sales volumes etc. showed a favourable trend. The secret to their success is their ability to satisfy customers more than any of its competitors and also the ever-increasing desire to continuously be in the position to serve their customers to their wishes. The main analytical tool for this work was Correlation Analysis, Time Series and Control Chart.

Source: KNUST
Total Quality Management (TQM) as a Strategy to Improve the Performance of Sachet/Bottle Water Industry in Ghana

Ghana’s sachet/bottle water industry has over the years been confronted with several quality challenges that have undermined the success and market performance of companies within the industry. This study therefore sought to assess Total Quality Management (TQM) as an effective and appropriate quality management strategy to address these quality challenges and thereby improve the performance of the industry. In achieving this general objective therefore, a case study approach was adopted where the quality management systems and strategies of four (4) leading brands/companies were assessed and reviewed. The companies were selected on the basis of their sizable market share in the industry and are namely, Voltic Ghana Limited, SBC Beverages Limited, Everpure Ghana Limited and The Coca- Cola Bottling Company Ghana Limited. The study area involved the cities of Accra and Kumasi. Three (3) different sets of questionnaires as well as structured open-ended interviews were employed as the main data collection tools. In all two hundred and seventy (270) respondents were sampled in the study. A stratified random approach was utilized in the data collection process. SPSS, Excel, tables and graphs were utilized in the data analysis. Among others, the findings of the study established that quality mishaps in the industry were mostly caused by the small-scale sachet water producing companies, bottle water products are relatively better in quality than sachet water and finally, that there is a positive relationship between quality management and company performance. In view of these findings, the recommendations made included providing support for the sachet water producing companies, training of retailers/distributors, strengthening the industry regulatory agencies as well as the adoption of TQM by companies in the sachet/bottle water industry. The study concluded that TQM strategy was the most appropriate quality management strategy to be adopted to turn around the quality fortunes of Ghana’s sachet/bottle water industry.

Source: KNUST