ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
An assessment of the implementation of energy efficiency and conservation methods in the industrial sector-a study of Ashanti Region

The energy crises in the 1 980s brought into focus the need for energy efficiency and conservation in the country. The government implemented the National Energy Conservation Programme through the erstwhile Ministry of Mines and Energy in 1987. But the Industrial Energy and Conservation Project, however, commenced in 1988 to deal with issues (like the industrial output decline) arising out of the high cost of energy and the development of the energy sector. Policy measures to promote energy efficiency and conservation ‘.ere instituted in 1995. Measures introduced included economic tariffs for energy, Special Load Tariff (SLT), Power factor surcharge and public education and training on energy efficiency strategies and practices. This study seeks to assess the implementation of these energy efficiency and conservation measures in the industrial sector. Semi-structured questionnaires and interviews were conducted in this research to collect data from 13 companies. Secondary data were also used in the research. The study revealed that companies classified in the medium voltage category were more serious than those in the low and high voltage categories about energy efficiency and conservation. Companies in the high voltage included Barekese Water Works and Bonte Gold Mines. The latter implemented the least measures on energy efficiency. Share of power for the former was 48 percent. On share of power in production for the low voltage category, Darko farms had the least, less than 1 percent. For the medium voltage class, GGL had on the average about 3 percent, while the timber industry recorded an average of 8.5 percent. The study further revealed that energy pricing was inconsistent especially with respect to taxes, (specific and excise duties). It was also realised that while power consumption was increasing especially in the later part of the year 2000, cost of power declined. On the basis of these findings, recommendations were made for policy consideration. The study concluded that effective implementation of energy efficiency measures led to savings in both energy and money and with the introduction of the current tariffs for power and petroleum, as well as stable local currency (cedi) more industries will be compelled to be serious with energy efficiency and conservation projects.

Source: KNUST
An Assessment of the Implementation of the Public Sector Home Ownership Scheme and Mortgage Lending in the Public Service in Ghana

Ghana’s housing industry is at a rudimentary stage. The Bank of Ghana (BoG) in 2007 suggested that the high property prices particularly in the urban centres such as Accra, Tema, Kumasi and Takoradi have been fuelled by a rapidly growing middle-class, as well as rapid and uncontrollable urbanization. This has turned the housing industry into one of the critical developmental issues facing policymakers. The government of Ghana in 2007 established the Public Sector Home Ownership Scheme which was aimed at addressing housing needs of public sector employees. Public Sector Home Ownership Scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning with explicit collaboration with HFC Bank (Ghana) serving as the disbursing bank. This research tried to juxtapose the continuous public sector housing challenges against the five years implementation of the government’s home owner scheme and sought answers for the question of whether public servants have taken advantage of the scheme, how accessible has the scheme been and the implementation challenges of the scheme. The study utilised 100 respondents from Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) and a respondent from HFC Bank. This research found that public servants in Ghana still find investing in home ownership as most important investment option however, low salaries, difficulty in land acquisition, high cost buildings and building materials as well as lack of confidence in the Ghanaian financial system have deprived a lot of public servants of owning a house in Ghana. The introduction of the government’s housing scheme has not improved the situation either. This is because most respondents did not know about the existence of such a scheme and also annual capital injection by the government has put limitation on how much HFC Bank can disburse as mortgage to willing and able public servants in Ghana. Following the limitations and outcome of this study, it was recommended that in order to enable public sector workers in general to acquire a home for themselves, there was the need for governments to improve on the general income levels of public sector workers in the country and to increase the capital dedicated to HFC Bank to disburse as mortgages.

Source: KNUST
Assessment of the Influence of Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) On Maternal Health in Jirapa District, Upper West Region of Ghana

Background: The Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) programme is an initiative to improve access to healthcare especially maternal health services in rural communities in Ghana. This is done through providing simple compounds in rural communities and providing key staff such as midwives, community health officers, with participation of community members and the use of local resources to provide healthcare services. With the challenges of staffing and logistics in Community-based Health Planning and Services facilities, this research seeks to investigate how Community-based Health Planning and Services facilities have influence access to quality maternal health care in the Jirapa District. Method: The study design was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out in the Jirapa District involving 420 respondents using both probability and non-probability sampling methods. Exit interviews were used for patients and staff responded to both open and close questionnaire while focus group discussion and key informant interviews were held with various community members and facility managers respectively. Results: The study discovered that financial access to maternal healthcare has improved tremendously but spatial factors such as poor roads, transportation to health facilities were still big barriers to maternal healthcare access. Quality of care was generally good but lack of midwives in some Community-based Health Planning and Services compound, sporadic shortage of some family planning devices negatively affected quality of care. Except needs assessment, community participation was very good with community members mobilizing resources for maternal healthcare and taking decisions through the community health committee. Conclusion: In conclusion the Community-based Health Planning and Services has chalked great success in improving access to quality maternal healthcare in the Jirapa District but more midwives and logistics are needed to improve maternal healthcare quality.

Source: KNUST
An assessment of the influence of service marketing mix on customer choice of restaurant in Kumasi.

The study focuses on influence of service marketing mix on customers’ choice of registered restaurants in the Kumasi Metropolis. Nine service marketing mix attributes have been identified by many scholars but the study focused on 7ps, including product, price, place, process, promotion, people and physical evidence. The study used both qualitative and quantitative research approaches and primary data were collected through administration of questionnaire to 293 customers of five registered restaurants in the Kumasi Metropolis. The restaurants were stratified into grade 1, grade 2 and grade 3 restaurants and 1 restaurant was selected from grade 1, 2 restaurants were from grade 2 and 3 each. The data collected were analyzed with the use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Chi-square and Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient were used to test independency and relationship of service marketing mix and customer choice. The study found that majority (25.7%, 56.7%, 52.9%) of respondents from grade 1,2,3 respectively attended restaurants daily, once a month and 1-2 times per month respectively. It was also found that greater percentage (23.1%, 50%, 43.2%) of the respondents from grade 1,2,3 respectively preferred eating from restaurants on week days, weekends and Any day respectively. Process (χ2=96.465; p<0.01) had the greatest influence on customer’s decision to repeat purchase. All other attributes, except place significantly influence decision to repeat purchase. The study recommended that restaurant operators should limit investment on opening of many branches but they should think of making the existing ones more accessible using signage to direct customers. Restaurants operators should increase their investment on the extended 3p’s (process, people and physical evidence), especially process by ensuring speedy delivery of service, home delivery and having opening and closing time consistent with customers’ life style.

Source: KNUST
Assessment of the internal controls at Anyinam Lodge, Obuasi

Changing business environments have made it imperative for businesses to develop in-house strategies aimed at minimising losses and mitigating potential risks. The problem is that although many businesses have identified the need for establishment of strong and credible internal controls, there is no apparent decrease in the cases of misappropriation of resources, especially in Ghana. With regards to the hospitality industry in Ghana, it is to be recognised that increasing trends of leisure and tourist activity over the years have necessitated the institution of internal controls to mitigate the otherwise inevitable mismanagement of resources in an increasingly diversifying market. Generally the present study sought to identify the current internal control mechanisms at Anyinam Lodge and assess the effectiveness of the internal control systems at Anyinam Lodge, between February 2015 and March 2015. Firstly, all current controls at the lodge were identified and a risk-based approach to evaluating internal control was employed. In summary a risk assessment matrix based on an accounting perspective was presented to all staff of the lodge and risk priorities were assigned to them. High and medium priority risks were identified after comparing their current controls to an industry checklist. Risks that were identified were categorised under the general headings of Revenue and Sales Management, and Completeness of sales, management of Debtors and Creditors, and Management of Procurements, Contract and Inventories. The identification of high risks in these key specific and broad areas suggested that management could be lacking the effective and/or efficient monitoring of existing controls, less effective dissemination of information related to enforcing proper and efficient internal control and possible weak or lax control activities and control environment in these areas where they exist, if they do.

Source: KNUST
An Assessment of the Inventory Management Practices of a Humanitarian Relief Agency in Ghana: a Case Study of United Nations Humanitarian Relief Depot

The objective of this study is to assess inventory management practices in a warehouse supporting a complex emergency relief operation. Terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and regional power outages from the past several years have all highlighted the low levels of disaster preparedness that exist at many firms. Supply chain disruptions caused by external events can have a significant financial and operational impact on organizations not properly prepared. Therefore, improving disaster preparedness in humanitarian relief operations is critical. One critical component of disaster management planning in relief operations is the storage of emergency supplies, equipment, and vital documents that will be needed in times of crisis. The goal of this paper is establishing an efficient network of secure storage facilities that can effectively support operations in disaster relief and also aim to further the understanding of planning and carrying out logistics operations in disaster relief. Quick response to the urgent relief needs right after natural disasters through efficient emergency logistics distribution is vital to the alleviation of disaster impact in the affected areas, which remains challenging in the field of humanitarian logistics. The paper builds on the idea that private sector logistics can and should be applied to improve the performance of disaster logistics but that before embarking on this the private sector needs to understand the core capabilities of humanitarian logistics. With this in mind, the paper walks us through the complexities of managing supply chains in humanitarian settings. It pinpoints the cross learning potential for both the humanitarian and private sectors in emergency relief operations as well as possibilities of getting involved through corporate social responsibility. It also outlines strategies for better preparedness and the need for supply chains to be agile, adaptable and aligned—a core competency of many humanitarian organizations involved in disaster relief and an area which the private sector could draw on to improve their own competitive edge. This study can not only make the proposed emergency logistics system available with more benefits to the development of emergency logistics systems for the urgent needs of disaster areas around the world but also stimulate more excellent research concerning emergency logistics management. Finally, the paper states the case for closer collaboration between humanitarian relief agencies to achieve better and more effective supply chains to respond to the complexities of today's logistics for relieving the lives of those blighted by disaster.

Source: KNUST
An Assessment of the Inventory Management System - Case Study of C. Woermann (Ghana) Limited.

Inventory generally represents a large portion of assets of majority of organizations, if not the largest (Brian Jennings 2007). If your business handles any inventory or is largely made up of purchasing and selling items (as in the case of C. Woermann Ghana Limited), then the abilities within your Inventory Management System can effectively make or break your business. To achieve the purpose of this study, objectives were set capture three-folds: (i) to assess the current inventory management and control systems as practiced by C. Woermann (Ghana) Limited [CWGL] as well as some selected retail and wholesale organizations in the Kumasi Metropolis, (ii) to identify problems faced by CWGL and these selected retailers irj utilizing modem technology in inventory management and control systems, and (iii) to generate any recommendation(s) for achieving improved and efficient inventory management system for CWGL and such selected retail/wholesale organizations, as well as for any further research. The methodology for this thesis involved in-depth interviews and administration of questionnaires with the staff and management of CWGL. The study strongly suggests that there is a need for staff training on inventory management issues. Further research needs to be conducted to understand and document the practices, problems, and needs of different segments of the retail and wholesale sector .Training material needs to be developed which, through case studies/histories of successful (and failed) implementations of inventory management and control systems, illustrates the options available to retailers for improving their operations.

Source: KNUST
Assessment of the Implementation of Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) in the Kintampo North Municipality

This study was done to assess the implementation of the Expanded program on immunization in the Municipality. The study concentrated on all the antigens given to children under the EPI program as well as the tetanus immunization coverage of women with children between the ages of 0-11 months old. The study carried out was a descriptive cross sectional study which made use of 30 clusters. A total of 417 respondents were interviewed. These included 208 mothers with children 12-23 months old and 209 mothers with children 0-11 months old. The objective of the study was to evaluate the expanded program on immunization through; the assessment of caretaker’s knowledge, determination of antigen coverage among children and tetanus immunization coverage among women with children 0 - 11 months. The study also looked at the reasons for non- adherence to immunization. The respondents were selected using the cluster survey method employed by WHO in its cluster surveys. The main findings of the study include: only 26.4% of caretakers knew when the child receives the first immunization, about 91% of caretaker knew the correct immunization schedule, 42.3% could not mention the name of any vaccine preventable disease, 98% of children immunized with BCG had a scar, out of the total immunized with immunization cards, and 7.3% received invalid doses. Also, only 2.9% had five doses of tetanus, mothers with some form of formal education recorded 40.2% of the TT2+ coverage as compared to their uneducated counterparts who recorded 31.1% of the coverage. The major reasons for immunization failure included: 33% did not see the need for tetanus immunization, 43.3% did not also see the need to return for subsequent doses of tetanus. Child immunization failure were also due to caretakers unaware of need for immunization, place of immunization being too far and mother being too busy, as these recorded 26.1%, 13.0% and 13.0% respectively. The study also discovered that 59.4% of mothers interviewed for tetanus toxoid could not trace their immunization records. Based on the findings, of the study, it is recommended that; a data base management should be developed to manage immunization data of clients by determining the validity of immunizations given, tract immunization defaulters, prevent over dosing of clients with antigens and generate reports for immunization activities. It was also recommended that a mobile phone application should also be developed to prompt mothers when their children are due for immunizations.

Source: KNUST
Assessment of the Influence of Country of Origin on Consumer Choice of Pharmaceutical Products in Ghana

The pharmaceutical sector in Ghana has undergone tremendous change over the years as a result of competition among the players. Pharmaceutical shops are constantly influencing perception of customers based on the country of origin in order to influence consumer choice. The study focused on the influence of country of origin on consumer choice of pharmaceutical products in Ghana. The objectives of the study are to assess customer perception of pharmaceutical products based on country of origin, consumer knowledge of country of origin of pharmaceutical products, examine consumer choice of pharmaceutical products and to determine the effect of country of origin on consumer choice of pharmaceutical products. The survey was conducted on a total of 250 respondents out of which 205 responses were received representing 82% response rate. The study collected data using questionnaires. The study adopted convenience and purposive sampling technique in selecting respondents. The results generally show that country-of-origin of pharmaceutical products play a significant role in assisting consumers of pharmaceutical products, make and select the best and effective drug from countries perceived to have quality drugs for consumers choice. Consumers believe that they are socially recognized anytime foreign products are purchased. They believe that consultation before purchasing leads them to purchasing quality and effective products. The results show an inverse relationship between political climate of products and consumer choice and it’s significant. There is a positive relationship between cultural factor of product and consumer choice and statistically significant. Cultural factor of the product meaning that, this variable makes the strongest contribution to explaining consumer choice behaviour and far as purchase of pharmaceutical products is concerned. It has been observed from the research that country of origin has a significant and positive influence on consumer choice of pharmaceutical products and should be considered seriously when making purchase decisions.

Source: KNUST
Assessment of the knowledge, patronage and challenges of E-banking system in Ghana: Case studies of Gcb Bank Limited and Ecobank Ghana Limited in the Kumasi Metropolis

The study investigated the level of patronage and challenges of e-banking systems in Ghana using descriptive statistics and two selected branches of GCB and Ecobank in the Kumasi Metropolis as case studies and a sample of 376 clients. The study found ATM to be the most popular e-banking service to customers of both banks. Only 20% of the respondents from Ecobank and 15% from GCB reported having used the credit card before. None of the other products recorded patronage level above 20%. It was however found that there is slightly higher acceptability of e-banking products by customers of Ecobank than customers of GCB. It was revealed that about 10% of respondents use the ATM at least once every day whilst 30% use it at least once every week. The study established that respondents find e-banking services to be more efficient and convenient than traditional banking. In addition, majority of the respondents also identified e-banking services to be more reliable and accessible, and faster. The study identified the following as significant challenges that come with e-banking products: security threat posed by hackers, technological failures and frequent breakdowns, and ineffective servicing of delivery channels. It is recommended that there is the need for regular maintenance of e-banking infrastructure and enhanced education of e-banking services for customers.

Source: KNUST
Assessment of the knowledge of external auditor’s responsibilities: evidence from selected municipal and district assemblies in the ashanti region

The focus of this study is to examine the level of Knowledge of officers about the responsibility of the external auditors in the MMDAs in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. This research was conducted using a descriptive research design. The study also employed a quantitative approach. The study employed simple random sampling for selecting 62 auditors in 43 MMDAs in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. A structured questionnaire guide was used as the primary data-gathering tool. SPSS was used to analyse the data. The result reveals that the respondents exhibit high ratings in areas such as cost reduction, enhancing organisational performance, engaging stakeholders, ensuring quality assurance, identifying management shortcomings, promoting staff effectiveness, maintaining a favourable public image, and proposing improved management strategies. The statistical analysis reveals that, on average, external auditors exhibit a moderate to high level of expertise in terms of their understanding of the duties associated with validating data reliability, validating data credibility, comparing financial and non-financial information, comparing budgets, and relying on auditing guides and international accounting standards. Based on the survey results, it can be observed that a significant proportion of the respondents possess dedicated personnel who are responsible for determining and calculating navigation age indicators. Furthermore, there are directors overseeing the process of data collection and analysis. It is also noteworthy that there are well-defined roles and responsibilities within the organisation, facilitating efficient operations. Additionally, the respondents reported having convenient access to documents from the Accountancy Department. Furthermore, the respondents provided information regarding the existence of internal documents utilised for data collection purposes, as well as the criteria employed for selecting navigation indicators.

Source: KNUST