ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Cost control measures used by building contractors in the Greater Accra region

The issues of cost control in the building and construction industry pioneered by contractors and their allied players and professionals in the industry is a concern to ensuring due diligence in the building and construction sector. This research assessed contractors’ commitment to cost control, the challenges that confront contractors and the proposed remedies to ensuring effective cost control measures. The case study research design was adopted for this study. Questionnaires were used for the study. A sample size of 63 respondents was used. Purposive sampling technique was employed for the surveyors, architects and storekeepers. Random cluster sampling technique was also used for the contractors and Foremen. The data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. For quality, the data was test-run and later generated simple frequencies. The information generated was then linked to contractors’ efforts to control the cost of construction projects. The tone of the respondents were examined and reported as such. The qualitative information was linked to the figures generated through the simple frequency thus making confirmation of what the figures indicated. The findings of the study demonstrated that, contractors’ experience, educational level, understanding of cost control, patience of some surveyors and architects to observe the necessary laws, rules and regulations concerning contracts are vital to the success of construction projects. Based on the study, it is recommended that contractors, surveyors, foremen, and storekeepers all pay attention to issues connected to cost control and also invite the inputs of each other when embarking on construction projects.

Source: UEW
Cost functions for predicting capital expenditure of small town water systems in Ghana

Using data gathered by the WASHCost project in Ghana, this study uses cost functions to predict capital ex penditure for construction of piped water systems for small towns in Ghana. The data was collected from 45 small towns in peri-urban areas in the Volta, Ashanti and Northern regions of Ghana. Correlation and multiple regression analyses are used to derive cost functions for both the complete and components of water systems. The aim is to derive functions for the total capital expenditure of a small town water system and for the fixed assets components: mechanised borehole, water reservoir, pipe work and stand post. The results are presented as eight functions, representing the total capital expenditure for a water system and capital expenditure for the infrastructure components water reservoirs, pipework and stand posts. Explaining variables identified are de sign population, length of pipeline, volume of reservoir and dummy variables for region (location). The func tions vary in accuracy with an explanation coefficient R2 varying from 0.42 to 0.88 with limited data, but the functions are indicative for the cost of water systems with mechanised boreholes which are increasingly being used as small town water supply systems in Ghana. Key words – Ghana, small town water system, cost function, capital expenditure, multiple regression analysis

Source: UEW
Cost trend of variation orders in district assembly construction projects a case study of Jasikan district assembly

Variation orders are an inevitable occurrence in construction projects execution. It is common in all types of construction projects and plays an important role in determining the final cost and time of completion of projects. The study examined cost trend of variation orders in Jasikan District Assembly construction projects. The study used a descriptive research design. Data was collected using structured questionnaire and in-depth interviews. Simple random sampling was used to draw a sample of 30 professional staff, consultants, contractors involved in handling government projects from Jasikan District. The case study approach was used to obtain data from source documents of the completed projects. This allowed an in-depth understanding and help explained the process and the outcome of the analysis of cost trend of variation orders in building construction projects. The study identified the following as dominant factors causing variation orders: changes in the plan or scope by owner, owner instructing for modification or specifications errors and omission in design and change in design by consultants. The significant impacts found included; contractual dispute and claims, cost overrun, productivity degradation, and delays in payment. The impact of variation orders calls for attention to issues of variation in the Jasikan District. The research conclude that increasing in the scope of the works or omission, changes in government policy relating to the project and changes in the quality of materials to be used for projects result in variation orders. It is recommended that careful investigation should be carried out properly by qualified professional staff at the initial stage of projects and adequate planning in advance is required by all stakeholders before work starts at the site.

Source: UEW
Costuming African plays king Musu in perspective

This research explored how characters in African plays could be costumed by using our locally manufactured gray baft, with regards to Kwasi Amponsah’s “King Musu” as a case study. It outlined the need for a costume designer to interweave herself in the total objectives of the playwright and director before creating a suitable costume within the African circle. The role of the costume designer is very crucial in any theatrical production. The absence of proper costuming in any production denies the audience the actual interpretation, message and understanding of the play production. However, it appears that most directors in the theatre give prominence to actors and the dialogue and not the costumes used by the characters. The study explored and created appropriate costumes which is culturally contextualized and integrated in the scenery, lighting, make-up and sound to be used in performance on any stage. Since costume is symbolic in nature, it carries messages meant to be decoded by its audience. The study is a qualitative research based which used historical and textual analysis, as well as creative designs as its methodological approach Thus, the research adopted Jakobson’s model of communication as the theoretical framework. Purposive sampling technique was used in determining and selecting “King Musu” as the play text for the study. This research revealed that the use of gray baft and African textiles fabrics are appropriate in designing the costume for the African stage. It also revealed that the fabrics are less expensive and are readily available to be used. It recommends that costume designers consider using these Ghanaian made fabrics in theatrical productions.

Source: UEW
Council structural composition and functions, audit quality, agency problems and monitoring costs and corporate performance of Ghanaian public universities

The increased number of reported cases of corporate scandals, unilateral decisions by many corporate heads, countless media reports alleging wrongful conducts and acts by some Vice Chancellors, and issues of conflicts of interest against committees of many councils continue to suggest a prevalence of agency problems in our institutions of higher education. Thus, suggesting the need to strengthen corporate governance practices in institutions, especially the public universities toward resolution of agency problems. To provide knowledge, this study employed multi-theoretical lens to examine the governance practices, and related issues among the public universities using mixed methods design to obtain data from 20 out of 25 Ghana Tertiary Education Commission registered public and technical universities in Ghana. Overall, this study validates the path direction structural relationships among latent governing councils’ structural composition and diversity, monitoring functions, audit quality, agency problems and monitoring costs, and corporate performance variables with data from the Ghanaian public universities. The results confirmed that most of the assertions underlying the conceptual framework of this study as illustrated in Figure 1 except those assertions relating to councils’ functions. The results also confirmed the mediating role of auditing on corporate governance practices, agency problems and monitoring costs, and corporate performance. Consequently, mandatory orientations, and training of council members prior to induction, and while in office have been recommended for the action of Ghana Tertiary Commission and the Ministry of Education. Further research that examines councils’ monitoring functions and agency problems, and corporate performance have been suggested.

Source: UEW
Counselling in the new normal exploring counsellors’ perceptions of e-counselling during covid-19 in Ghana

The COVID-19 pandemic left a slew of psychosocial issues in its wake. To reach out to clients in these very difficult times, most counsellors resorted to e-counselling as an alternative means to the traditional face-to-face counselling due to the restrictions and lockdowns. The study explored the experiences of counsellors who used e-counselling during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Central Region of Ghana. This study adopted a qualitative research approach and a phenomenological research design. Data was gathered from ten counsellors in the Central Region of Ghana through a semi-structured interview and analysed thematically. The findings indicated an increase in e-counselling during the pandemic. The study discovered that e-counselling was characterized by the use of modern technological media. Further, the findings reveal that e-counselling was effective in supporting clients' psychological and emotional needs, with clients giving positive feedback and referring their friends and families. However, poor networks, misinterpretation of messages, lack of knowledge and skills on the use of e-media, communication delays, and diminishing counsellor-client rapport were challenging factors that affected counsellors' usage of e-counselling during the pandemic. To improve and cope with e-counselling, counselling and clinical psychologist in the Central Region of Ghana adopted a hybrid mode of counselling, sought IT assistance and training, and combined different e-media to provide counselling services during the covid-19 pandemic. The study recommended that counsellors should seek continual professional development and training on ICT use and integration in the counselling process. It is also recommended that institutions pursuing counselling programmes should include e-counselling in their curricular. The study contributes to the understanding of e-counselling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: UEW
Counselling needs of orphans in bethel orphanage in Gomoa central district

The study explored counselling needs of orphan children in Bethel orphanage in Gomoa Central district, Ghana. Phenomenological design within qualitative approach was adopted. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 15 (10) orphan children and five (5) workers to constitute the sample for the study. Semi-structured interview was the main instruments that was used to gather the data. The collected data was analysed thematically. It was found that orphan children received social supports such as food, clothing, Covid-19 personal protective equipment and encouragement among others. Also, sadness and rejection among peers were the psychological experiences of orphan children. Further, assistance in the form of food, clothing and pieces of advice orphan children received from friends, individuals in the community and religious groups helped orphan children to cope with their psychological experiences. More so, orphan children had counselling needs such as someone to talk to, show orphan children care and love as well as to listen to their problems. It was concluded that these children were assisted by some individuals and organisations. Besides, they often went through sad moment and rejection from their peers. Again, they received encouragement from their peers, teachers and elderly people as a way of coping. Also, these children had counselling needs, but did not get professional counsellors to help them meet these needs. It was recommended that individuals, groups and religious organizations should frequently supply orphan children with basic needs of life. Again, it was recommended that, teachers and school authorities should do their best to educate and orient students on the need to accept these orphans as friends and colleague. Also, the manager of Bethel orphanage should employ professional counsellors who would help provide counselling needs to these orphan children

Source: UEW
Coverage of covid-19 on selected Ghanaian online news portals

The COVID-19 pandemic was spreading at an alarming rate and caused a lot of fear in people. This stimulated a certain curiosity in me to find out more about the deadly virus and how the media reported it. Therefore, this study explores how selected Ghanaian online news portals gave coverage to the COVID-19 disease. Employing a qualitative content analysis, the study purposively selected two leading media houses with digital presence. The study explores the salience given to the COVID-19 pandemic by the selected media houses and investigates the frames used by the news portals in reporting on the pandemic. With the aid of the agenda setting and framing theories, the findings revealed that 66% of the news stories concentrated on COVID-19. In addition, the selected news portals framed COVID-19 around disease control, bare statistics, consequence and research and development. The study found that the Ghanaian media gave salience to the issue of COVID-19 in the course of news reportage. Also, frames used in the coverage of COVID-19 stories were in synchrony with the norms and values of the Ghanaian society bringing to bear how media houses re-mould news stories before their final reportage. The study concludes that the Ghanaian media executed its role as an educator through a consistent awareness creation of the pandemic without causing any alarm in the course of executing its educative role. The study will aid journalists to liaise with medical professionals during any disease outbreak. This will ensure accuracy in the reportage of health issues with little to less arousal of fear and panic among audience. The study recommends that Ghanaian media should adopt an early pattern of reportage during health crisis to aid in educating the citizenry to observe all protocols instigated by the government.

Source: UEW
Coverage of crime news in the media- a qualitative content analysis of two selected

This study examines the prominence given to crime news stories in two of Ghana’s foremost newspapers, the Daily Graphic and Daily Guide, because literature has established dearth of studies on coverage of crime news in Ghana. Therefore with insights from the agenda setting and the gender theories, this study seeks to examine and investigate prominence given to crime stories, the types of crime and gender of perpetrators in the crime news stories covered in the selected newspapers in 2019. The study employs qualitative approach and qualitative content design to carry out content analysis of 159 crime news stories within the period study. Thematic analysis of findings reveals that the Daily Guide gave more prominence to crime news stories than the Daily Graphic. Again, the study established that violent crimes were the dominant nature of crimes covered by the newspapers, whereas political crimes were the least covered within the study period. The study further discloses a variance in the gender patterns of perpetrators of crime news stories that presents males as being more prone to crimes in general, and violent crimes in particular, than females. The study recommends that newspapers should aim at fair representation of crime news as against other news items covered in their editions. The fairness should manifest in the frequency of reportage, as well as the prominence in the placement of crime news stories in editions of the newspapers.

Source: UEW
Covid-19 and Ghana’s quest for herd immunity a rhetorical discourse analysis of the presidential “updates”

This study interrogates the covid-19 addresses of president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo to discover their inherent rhetorical appeals and goals. Qualitative content analysis was the design for the work, by which the research officer purposively sampled five (5) COVID-19 addresses of the president for interpretive analysis. The focus of the study was on the covid-19 addresses delivered between February 2021 and March 2022 which were rhetorically analysed based on the Aristotelian rhetorical theory. The study found numerous persuasive strategies that exposed the presence of Aristotle's triad of appeals; ethos, logos and pathos in all the five selected update speeches. The findings of the study revealed further that, appeal to exemplary leadership, expert approval and trust in authorities were used under ethos while appeal to fear and empathy, nationhood and optimism are appeal types found to have depicted the patho-centric mode of persuasion. And the type of appeals which exemplified logos include; appeal to logical argumentation, datadriven policies and statistical data. Again, achievement of zero COVID-19 active cases in Ghana was found to be the overarching persuasive goal and two other supporting goals of attaining a vaccine-induced herd immunity and adherence to the COVID-19 safety protocols. The study also conclusively upholds the effective utilization of Aristotle’s trichotomy of appeals by Mr. Akufo Addo in his addresses to strategically influence an appreciative response among his audience, on the fatality of the virus, efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines and adherence to the safety protocols. Suggestions were made to the effect that; subsequent studies could examine the impact of the persuasive techniques employed by the president on the Ghanaian populace. And replicating this study on the other covid-19 speeches by the president, apart from the ones selected for the current study.

Source: UEW
Covid-19 and private pre-tertiary educational institutions in Ghana lessons from employers and employees in Accra metropolis.

The repercussions of COVID-19 were manifestly seen in every state around the world. Economies were deeply affected in terms of surge in death toll of both skilled and unskilled personnel, and loss of jobs and livelihoods among others. The core of the study was to examine COVID-19 and private pre-tertiary educational institutions in Ghana, especially the lessons from employers and employees in Accra Metropolis. The study adopted the qualitative research approach and used face-to-face interviews to obtain primary data which were analyzed based on themes. The study found that the COVID-19 adversely affected the livelihoods of both employers and employees in pre-tertiary educational institutions. The study also revealed that employers and employees had to endure near fatal means of survival as a result of the economic hardships attributed to the pandemic. As a consequence of the COVID-19, the study found that employers depended on loans, government’s interventions and reserved food and money during the pandemic. The study also revealed that employees and their dependants applied several coping mechanisms, including door-to-door private tuition, engaging in other businesses, resorting to loan facilities and a host of others to cope with the pandemic. The study recommends that government should enforce certain policies to ensure employers abide by contracts they have signed with their employees. Furthermore, the study recommends that government should engage in public education on its policy initiatives and avoid the zero-sum relations in relief packages to the citizenry during crisis.

Source: UEW
Covid-19 border closure effects on livelihood in Ghana. A study of Bole district in the Savannah Region.

This study aimed to explore the impact of COVID-19 border closure on the livelihoods of individuals residing in the Bole District of the Savannah Region in Ghana. This study utilised a qualitative research design and selected 54 participants using a purposeful sampling method. The data collection process involved conducting interviews and focus group discussions (FGD). It highlights the importance of personal connections, cultural exchanges, and economic interdependence in shaping relationships between border communities while also revealing how pandemics and border closures can disrupt these dynamics, emphasising the need for nuanced border management during crises. Furthermore, this study underscores the significant economic disruptions caused by COVID-19 border closure, affecting businesses, traders, and individuals, leading to reduced income and financial instability, and emphasises the importance of resilience and adaptive financial strategies during such crises. The findings also emphasise the role of cross-border trade in sustaining border communities' livelihoods and highlight coping strategies during crises, government support in economic shocks, and the long-lasting effects of pandemics, border closures, and economic crises on communities and businesses, emphasising the importance of resilience and strategic planning. The study concludes that COVID-19 border closure disrupted the interconnected social, economic, and cultural lives of border communities, worsening poverty, food insecurity, and limited education access, while highlighting their resilience and the need for government support and strategic interventions for long-term recovery. Governments of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, along with international organizations and district assemblies, should establish cross-border crisis management protocols, enhance trade infrastructure, and implement equitable post-COVID-19 policies to ensure coordinated responses, sustainable economic growth, and social justice.

Source: UEW
Covid-19 intervention in Ghana an assessment of the impact on the livelihood and socio-economic developments of rural folks in Bia west district

The outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic has jeopardized livelihoods of people and socioeconomic development of their communities. In wake of mitigating such effects government made available several relief packages and social interventions. The purpose of the study was to assess the COVID-19 interventions in Ghana; its implementation challenges as well as its impact on the livelihoods and socioeconomic development in the Bia West District in the Western North Region of Ghana. To achieve this objective, the study adopted a quantitative method by using the simple random sampling technique to select a total number of 357 respondents for the study. A structured questionnaire was used as instrument for data collection. The data was collected and analyzed using descriptive analysis. The study revealed that majority of the respondents had considerable levels of awareness of the interventions and programs on COVID-19. The study revealed that the reduction in financial burden, empowered the poor, supported income-generating activities, encouraged the entrepreneurial spirit, and reduced the vulnerability to COVID-19 as impact of the interventions. It was revealed that the interventions brought the establishment of new health facilities to augment infrastructural development of the area. The study recommends that government should speed up the implementation of all policies, programmes and establish a database where the citizenry can easily access information. They should also institute a policy implementation team and improve upon the way policies are organised in the country.

Source: UEW