ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Impact of economic policies on the mining sector

Ghana has been exploiting minerals especially gold, diamond and manganese for over a century and making significant contribution to the world’s production of these minerals. However, as a result of a general decline in the economy of the country, the production of these minerals reduced significantly between 1960 and 1983. To revitalize the industry, the Government of Ghana enacted an attractive Minerals and Mining Law, PNDCL 153, in 1986 as part of its economic reform policy. Consequently, mining activities increased, with 10 mining companies coming into production by 2000, and it is now generally believed that mining is making a significant contribution to the economy of the country. To ascertain this general belief, this thesis was set out to study the economic policies of the government and their impact on the performance of the mining sector over the 15- year period, from 1986 to 2000.The performance of the mining sector has been studied by analysis of the sector’s contribution to employment, government revenue generation, gross foreign exchange earnings and Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The results of the study show that the mining sector accounted for 4 % of formal sector employment over the 15-year period, 14 % of the total revenue collected by the Internal Revenue Service by 1995, and over 36 % of the gross foreign exchange earnings over the 15-year period. These performances confirm the general assertion that the mining sector is making a significant contribution to the country’s economy. This however, is deceptive as the results of the study also show that the mining sector’s contribution to real GDP, which is a better measure of an industry’s contribution in an economy, was less than 10%. As part of this thesis, alternative policies to improve on mining sector’s contribution to the country’s GDP have been proposed and it is recommended that the Minerals and Mining Law, PNDCL 153,which is being reviewed should include these alternative policies.

Source: KNUST
Impact of e-procurement on procurement practice; case study – Newmont Ghana Gold Limited

The use of e-procurement in recent times has gained a lot of popularity in Europe and Asia. In Ghana, e-procurement is commonly known to the mining and Oil and Gas industries. Whilst some industries do not see the value in investing in this technology in procurement, others do appreciate its value from literature but require practical evidence from practicing organizations in our very country. It is therefore the aim of this study to establish the impact of e -procurement on procurement practice, using Newmont Ghana Gold Limited - Ahafo as a case study. The impact of e-procurement on efficiency, communication, compliance, transparency, record keeping and retrieval of documents, and planning and forecasting were considered. The research design is a case study using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. A two stage approach was adopted to collect data. Sampling techniques employed included a census for the first stage and purposive sampling for the second stage. Whilst the primary and secondary sources of data were used, questionnaires and interviews were used as data collection instruments. Relative importance index and descriptive statistics were used as data analytical tools. The study reveals that the popularity of e-procurement and its deployment in many organizations in recent times hinges on it being a tactical tool used purposely to support strategic goals of a function and not merely because it is a new trend in procurement. Some strategic goals are to ensure compliance in processes and reduce the level of effort of employees. The study reveals that e-procurement improves communication by making information flow quicker and easier, improves compliance to procurement processes whilst reducing maverick spending. It also improves transparency into processes and work load, improves vi record keeping, planning and forecasting. E-procurement also positively impacts efficiency with regards to a reduction in; lead times, volume of paperwork, repetition of administrative procedures, efforts required to complete similar task as manual paper-based system. The study however reveals that whilst e-procurement has the potential to save cost through reduction in prices as a result of electronic sourcing, an Organization could be denied of this valuable impact if e-procurement is not exploited and used to its full potential. It is therefore recommended that whilst Newmont Ghana Gold Limited should continue to use e-procurement as it will continue to positively impact transparency, communication, efficiency, compliance and record keeping, Buyers should be encouraged to use the reverse auction application tools available to realize the impact of cost saving through reduction in price as was anticipated by the Company

Source: KNUST
The Impact Of Education On The Lifestyle Of Pregnant Women: A Case Study of the Kumasi Metropolis In Ghana.

Most countries in the world including Ghana are striving to reduce maternal mortality in order to attain the millennium development goal number 5. Institutions like the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) believe that, ‘‘educating girls for six years or more drastically and consistently improves their prenatal care, postnatal care and childbirth survival rates’’ (www.unicef.org/mdg/maternal.html). Also the 2008 Millennium development goal report points out low literacy rate among girls as one of the major challenges in combating maternal mortality. These claims above, suggest that, education will help girls or women adopt lifestyles, which will improve maternal health and hence reduce maternal mortality. This study therefore was carried out basically to find out the impact of education on the lifestyle of 400 conveniently selected pregnant women in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana. The study looked at the impact of education on six lifestyles (Smoking, drinking alcohol, using a mosquito treated net, attending antenatal regularly and whether a respondent will prefer to deliver in a hospital and still seek for postnatal care after delivery). Using the Probit regression model to find the impact of education on each lifestyle question separately, it was found that, education had no or little impact on drinking alcohol and attending antenatal regularly, but had a positive significant impact on the probability that, a pregnant woman in the sampled population will use a treated Mosquito net and engage in regular physical exercises. No regression was run, to find the impact of education on smoking, hospital delivery and postnatal care, because both the educated and the uneducated answered yes throughout. The study also used the likelihood ratio test to find out whether the positive significant impact of the education parameters when it comes to regular physical exercise and the usage of a treated mosquito net varied or not and it was revealed that all the coefficients of the education variables (Basic, Senior High and Tertiary) were statistically not different in terms of their impact on treated mosquito net usage and embarking on regular physical exercises. The study recommended that, since education and income had a significant impact on the usage of mosquito treated net and embarking on regular physical exercises which are key to maternal health, it is important that, the Government of Ghana and all other stake holders institute measures towards providing mosquito treated nets to the uneducated and people with low income since they are unlikely to buy and also encourage them to embark on physical exercises regularly. The study also among its policy prescriptions, recommended that affirmative action’s that will increase the enrolment of girls in schools should be instituted since education has proven to impact on certain lifestyles that affect the survival of pregnant women.

Source: KNUST
The impact of doctor-patient interaction on patient loyalty in eye healthcare delivery at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. The mediating role of service quality.

Since the introduction of the National Health Insurance Act, Act 650 (2003), the financial barrier which prevented many from accessing certain healthcare institutions was removed, enabling patients to now have a wider range of accessible healthcare facilities to choose from. This has resulted in competition, with some healthcare institutions, whose only advantage was affordability, now losing patients, and therefore revenue. Many healthcare institutions are now having to find other ways of maintaining and building the loyalty of their patients. This study seeks to investigate the effect of doctor-patient interaction on patient loyalty in the KATH Eye Center, and the mediating role of service quality in this relationship. 450 patients at the KATH Eye Centre were sampled using accidental sampling method, out of which 419 responses were received, representing a 93.1% response rate. Data was gathered via questionnaires and analyzed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel v.2013. Reliability testing using Cronbach Alpha was done on the data, after which descriptive and inferential statistical tools were employed to help describe an accurate profile of persons and situations and to help determine the associations existing amongst the variables under study. Hierarchical regression analysis was also done to establish mediation. The findings of this study show that there is a statistically significant and positive relationship between doctor-patient interaction and patient loyalty. It also reveals that service quality has a partial mediation effect on this relationship. It further shows that doctor-patient interaction shares a significant and positive relationship with service quality, and that service quality also has a significant and positive relationship with patient loyalty. These findings imply that efforts being made to increase patient loyalty at the KATH Eye Centre must be aimed towards improving the doctor-patient interaction and service quality at the KATH Eye Centre.

Source: KNUST
The impact of electric power failures on water supply to the Kumasi Metropolis

This study is about the impact of power failure on water supply to Kumasi metropolis and its extended socio-economic, health and environmental impact on human activities. Water supply to some selected organisation in Kumasi city as well as some sampled households in some outlying towns in the Barekese Dam catchment area is analysed. Detailed survey data enables the performance of Reliability Test between two revenues realised out of water sales when (i) electric power is guaranteed at the Barekese Headworks and (ii) when there are power outages over a specific period of time. • The opportunity cost of the daily water requirement of most organizations runs into several millions of cedis, the highest being ¢152,352,000 for Guinness Ghana Limited. • For the period 1997-2001, with the exception of 1998, each year’s analysis suggest that there was significant difference between revenue generated when power was guaranteed and that generated when there were power outages. • Availability of power is a necessary but not sufficient condition for GWCL to be viable and this is evidenced by the outcome of 1998 analysis when power was available but not reliable. • GWCL on the average lost about 700 million cedis a month as a result of power failure during the period 1997-2001. • GUINNESS GH. LTD. loses a whopping ¢1,584 billion daily should they stop production as a result of water supply cut arising out of power outage whilst G.B.L. and COCA-COLA loose ¢230,78 million and ¢3 12,12 million respectively.

Source: KNUST
The impact of effective stakeholder management strategy on project success – A case of the Ghana land administration project of the lands commission- Accra

Determining stakeholder interests is important in meeting the sustainability objectives in a development project. The aim of the study is to examine the importance of effective stakeholder management strategy to project success; a case of the land administration projectLAP (Lands Commission). Lands Commission was used as a case study. Purposive sampling was used to select the respondents. Data processing was done by SPSS through descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation and rank score. It was found out that the approaches that effectively involve stakeholders in the land administration project were; gathering in meeting and being told what is happening continuously, identification of the project needs, giving their input for project development, decide on project location and monitoring the project, participatory monitoring and evaluation and citizen control. The data revealed that the challenges with stakeholder management strategy in the land administration project were the slow information flow between parties owing to the struggle to clearly define the project objectives, changes in the scope of work, conflicts and controversies which obstruct the project implementation process, and lack of involvement in the project. it was gathered that opportunities and avenues for dialogue, making efforts to pay attention across an array of stakeholders rather than limit attention to a few stakeholders and obeying the demands and rules that are presented by stakeholders were the major strategies instituted to effectively respond to stakeholders‟ pressures in the planning of the land administration project. It is recommended that relevant stakeholders must come on board early enough in the project and remain as long as they have some contributions to make towards the project goal. This means that the design and implementation team will need to work together right from the start of the project while the external stakeholders are also carried along where and when necessary

Source: KNUST
Impact of electronic banking channels on bank growth in Ghana.

This study examines the relationship between electronic banking channels and banks growth among commercial banks in Ghana. Using a quantitative research approach, the study adopted a survey research strategy with the use questionnaires to collect data through self-administration to customers, employees and managers of all commercial banks. The statistical population of this research was all commercial banks in the Tema metropolis and a convenience sampling technique selects 250 respondents, out of which 207 questionnaires were obtained. Average Variance Extract (AVE), Factor Loading (FL) and Cronbach’s alpha (CA) tested the validity and reliability of the scales. Linear regression was used to assess the impact of electronic banking, which includes internet banking, automatic teller machines (atms), mobile banking, and point of sales (POS) on banks’ growth. The results indicated that some of these channels, including internet banking, POS, mobile banking and atms, positively affect a bank’s growth in diverse ways. The findings of this study reveals a positive relationship between electronic banking and bank growth and expand the understanding of how bank managers can grow their banks by developing innovative electronic banking channels. Individual with high literacy rate demonstrate greater understanding of the usage of electronic banking products and services. The understanding of relevance and risks associated with the usage of electronic banking, which enables them to make informed financial decisions effectively. The findings emphasize the need for consistent educational programs to improve financial decisions and foster responsible electronic banking products usage. This work can guide policymakers, financial institutions and all other individuals in developing effective and efficient technological strategies on the use of electronic banking products

Source: KNUST
The impact of Electronic Banking Transaction in the Banking Industry (The case of ADB, SG-SSB and Barclays Bank branches in the Eastern Region).

In Ghana, developments in information and communication technology are radically changing the way business is done. These developments in technology have resulted in new delivery channels for banking products and services such as Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), Telephone Banking, PC-Banking, and Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale (EFTPoS). This study evaluates the perceptions of banking customers regarding the effect of technological innovations on banking services in the Eastern Region. The study focused on customers with banks that have at least one form of electronic banking product in the Eastern Region. The of results of the study generally indicate that, out of the 257 respondents, 205 of them representing 79.8 % patronize electronic delivery product and service out of which users of the ATM occupies 58.8% the highest with EFTPos being the least with 3.1%.Turn around time and service delivery were 85.5% and 80.4% respectively and resulted in overall customer satisfaction to 78.2%. These shows that electronic banking has contributed positively to the provision of banking services and the growth of the Ghanaian banking industry.

Source: KNUST
Impact of employee retention strategies on employee performance in some selected Private Universities in the Kumasi Metropolis

The importance of adequate expertise on the part of private universities in Ghana in managing their employee retention strategies cannot be overemphasized. This study therefore investigates the impact of employee retention strategies on employee performance in some selected private universities in the Kumasi Metropolis. The study identified some of the employee retention strategies to include career training, growth and development opportunities, employee recognition, compensation reward and systems, management-employee relationships, as well as work-life balance programmes. The study was conducted using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Structured questionnaire and interview were distributed to respondents, the results of which were presented and analyzed with the aid of SPSS version 16.0 software programme. The findings depicted that some selected private universities in the Kumasi Metropolis were relatively in good position with regards to such retention strategies as competitive compensation and reward systems, career training, growth and development opportunities, management-employee relationship as well as employee recognition. However, some areas such as effective communication, job security, and work-life balance programmes need urgent attention. The study also found out that there was a positive relationship between employee retention strategies and employee performance. This result is consistent with findings of earlier researches. It would therefore be imperative on the part of private universities in Ghana to formulate and implement effective employee retention strategies that would increasingly motivate and retain their employees. This would help to unleash employees’ maximum contribution and commitment in the attainment of organizational as well as individual goals and objectives.

Source: KNUST
The impact of employee transfer on performance in the banking sector - a case study of Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) - Ashanti Area Office

Employee transfer is a management tool for distributing workforce to compliment the workload to meet demand at the right time and right place. Case law established that employer can invoke the mobility clause which specify that employees must work in any location as required by the employer as long as that discretion is exercised reasonably and not in such a way as to prevent the employee being able to carry out his/her part of the contract. With employees scattered all over the country with different talents, skills and knowledge employee transfer is inevitable. However, transfer of staff from one branch to another looks more of victimization than for the good of both organization and the staff as transfers are sometimes not fairly executed and also not based on the transfer policy. In an attempt to answer the related problems of transfer the study delved into the need for employee transfer. Both primary and secondary data were used to source information. The findings of the study revealed that transfer of employees has numerous benefits if handled well. The researcher recommended that the policy on transfer should be adhered and not be used as punishment tool for staff if the full benefit is to be reaped for the good of employees specifically, organization as a whole and economy in general.

Source: KNUST
Impact of exchange rate volatility on economic growth in Ghana.

With globalization and trade liberalization, the role of exchange rate has become very crucial, particularly for developing countries. Ghana adopted flexible exchange rate regime in 1983, since that time the cedi has been depreciating against the US dollar and other major currencies. The study examined the impact of exchange rate volatility on economic growth in Ghana using a time series data spanning from 1960 to 2016. The GARCH (1,1) model was used to estimate the impact of exchange rate volatility on economic growth while the VAR was used to determine the influence of exchange rate on economic growth and vice versa. The Johansen co-integration model was also employed to determine both the short and long term relationship between the two variables. The GARCH (1,1) suggests that exchange rate depreciation is highly volatile and has negative relationship with economic growth. The VAR results reveal exchange rate depreciation and economic growth influences each other, however, the co-integration test reveals a short term influence between the two variables. It was found that there is a negative but short term relationship between economic growth and exchange rate volatility in Ghana. It is therefore recommended that government should promote policies that are likely to control variables that increase exchange rate depreciation.

Source: KNUST
IMPACT OF ETHNO-CULTURAL FACTORS AND LAND TENURE ON LAND USE AND LAND USE PLANNING

One of the major underlying forces in natural resources management, worldwide, is the system of tenurial arrangements which define entitlements and usufructural rights to land and other natural resources. In contemporary studies on sustainable natural resources management, land acquisition and land titles have received major attention. It is argued that in countries and societies where land tenure systems have not evolved properly to accommodate changes in agriculture, industry and the provision of services, the growth and development of such economies have stagnated.

Source: KNUST
The impact of exchange rate movements on import demand behaviour of Ghana

Persistent fluctuations in the exchange rate create uncertainties which increase the risk level of traders which eventually has an effect on imports. The aim of this paper is to empirically investigate the impact of exchange rate movement and other important covariates on import demand of Ghana using Annual data from 1980 to 2013.The Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity model was used to calculate the real exchange rate movement.By employing the ARDL methodology, the study found the existence of both short run dynamics and long run relationship between import demand, real income, relative price of imports, real effective exchange rate and exchange rate movements. The results show an insignificant and negative impact of exchange rate movement on the import demand of Ghana. The study again found that relative price of import has statistically negative impact on import demand in Ghana and also reveals that the income elasticity of imports is positive and significant.

Source: KNUST