ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
An evaluation of bush fire prevention and control policy in Ghana

Bush burning has been part of the Ghanaian land use practice for years, but unfortunately, it easily gets out of control and poses problems of national dimension. In the wake of the bush fire destruction of 1983, the People’s National Defense Council (PNDC) enacted the Bush Fire Prevention Law 46. This was later repealed by the Bush Fire Prevention and Control Law, 1990 (PNDC L. 229). The aim of this study is to evaluate the bush fire prevention and control policy in Ghana. The Brong-Ahafo Region was selected for the study. Kokuma and Chirahini in the Kintampo district, and Woramuso and Amanfrom in the Asutifi district were randomly selected for the study. Bush fire and rainfall data were collected from Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) and Meteorological Service Department respectively to facilitate quantitative analysis of the study. Results of the Study show that despite the existence of the bush fire policy, incidence of bush fires has been generally increasing. This is mainly due to the culture of burning. The general compatibility of the bush fire policy was found to be encouraging. However there are external inconsistencies. After analyzing the policy options, a number of shortfalls were identified. This includes lack of appropriate mitigation measures, lack of major preparedness and low data and information requirements for effective monitoring and feedback. The Study again observed that there is no potency arrangement to co-ordinate bush fire activities at both the national and regional levels. As regards the formulation and implementation of the policy, it was found out that the communities were not involved in any way in the formulation of the policy, and Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) also muddles through in the training of the Fire Volunteers. In effect, there is totally non-adherence to the tenets of the bush fire policy. The study again revealed that many Fire Volunteers are, however, discouraged from performing their duties as expected due to lack of legal defense, finance and other logistical support. It is therefore, recommended that Central government should improve the existing bush fire policy.

Source: KNUST
An evaluation of cajanus cajan mulch and fertilizer application on the growth and yield of tomato

The experiment was conducted at the Tono Irrigation Project site in the Upper East Region of Ghana. The objectives were to investigate the effect of Cajanus cajan mulch and fertilizer application on the growth and yield of tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum mill.) and also to find out the effect of pruning height and pruning frequency on biomass yield and survival of pigeonpea. Both experiments were carried out using the split plot design, with treatments randomised within each block. In the first experiment, fertilizer was applied at three levels (OkgN/ha. 75kgN/ha and l50kgN/ha) as main plot treatments and Cajanus cajan mulch at two levels (0tons/ha and 15tons/ha) as sub plot treatments. In the second experiment, three pruning heights (25. 50, 100cm) were the main plot treatments, whilst monthly and tri- monthly pruning frequency were the sub-plot treatments. Mulch, fertilizer and mulch/fertilizer interaction had a significant effect on the growth (height and leaf area) of tomato. Tomato growth was highest at the highest rate of mulch and fertilizer interaction (1 5tons/ha and I 50kgN/ha). The effect of fertilizer treatment on plant height and leaf area at 6 WAP showed an increase of 21.7% and 57.1% respectively over the control treatment. On the other hand, mulch increased plant height and leaf area by 12.1 and 14.2% respectively over the control. Highest yield (9.35tons/ha) was obtained at the highest rate of mulch/fertilizer interaction (1 5tons/ha and 1 50kgN/ha) and lowest (2.8tons/ha) with respect to the control (No mulch and No fertilizer). However, marketable yield was highest (9.l2tohs/ha) at half rate of fertilizer and mulch interaction (75kgN/ha and 15 tons/ha). Mulch, fertilizer and mulch/fertilizer interaction influenced soil moisture content and soil temperature. Mulch (15tonsiha) and fertilizer (150kgN/ha) interaction increased soil moisture content by 10.9% while soil temperature was decreased by 20% over the control treatment at 8WAP. Soil chemical properties were not significantly affected by mulch and fertilizer treatment, however, there was a slight increase in all the treatments with respect to the control. Economic analysis shows that half rate of fertilizer application (75kgN/ha) and mulch (1 5tons/ha) recorded the highest profit with respect to the other treatments. Dry matter yield of pigeonpea was highest (1.24 tons/ha) at 100cm pruning height and tri-monthly pruning frequency while, 25cm pruning height/monthly pruning frequency recorded the lowest (0.17 tons/ha). The highest percentage survival of pigeonpea (42.5%) was recorded at I 00cm pruning height/tri-monthly pruning frequency and lowest (6%) at 25cm pruning height/monthly pruning frequency. Generally, Mulch and fertilizer application had a significant effect on growth and yield of tomato. Therefore, the use of mulch would reduce the dependence on inorganic fertilizers and ensure a sustained improvement in tomato yield.

Source: KNUST
Evaluation of career information service in visual art education: a case study of three Senior Secondary Schools in the Kumasi Metropolis.

In our new educational system, one area which is considered crucial in the development and mobilisation of human resources for economic growth and sustenance at the Senior Secondary School level is career Guidance and Counseling. Within the on-going education reform this unit is considered essential due to the expectation that the Senior Secondary Schools are going to receive students with varied abilities and interests. Also with the emphasis on vocationalisation and technical/practical oriented courses at those level Guidance officers are urgently needed to provide Career Guidance Services and to help place them in the areas of their interest and capabilities. The Visual Art, which is a major part of the vocational programme in the Senior Secondary School, is of great concern because it needs exposition of Guidance and Counselling Services to prepare students for a wider variety of skills for Careers in industries. Unfortunately, it is not given the due attention at the basic level of education where students are expected to select subjects for Senior Secondary School education. For example basic schools are expected to choose only one area out of ten Visual Arts disciplines. Therefore, before they enter the Senior Secondary School the Junior Secondary School students are not well exposed to the broad scope of the Visual Art subjects and their careers due to inadequate career information. This always leads to difficulty in choosing areas of their specialisation. The result is that sometimes some students are pushed to Visual Art department at the Senior Secondary School level against their will. A recent survey and findings have revealed that there is inadequate career guidance services provided for Visual Art students. This shows that all is riot well with guidance programmes and that there is more room for improvement. This thesis has therefore attempted to evaluate the effectiveness of the Career Guidance Programme for Visual Art students at the Senior Secondary Schools. The researcher has therefore made some suggestions and recommendations for the improvement of the Career Guidance Programme in schools.

Source: KNUST
Evaluation of clay pozzolanas as partial replacement of cement for shelter construction

The issue of housing in Ghana has become a national problem due to overpopulation and high cost of building materials, especially cement. Whereas the materials for the production of cement are imported, there exist alternative and durable local materials for the production of both ordinary and composite or blended cement. Pozzolana cement is one of such blended cements. The study focused on the evaluation of pozzolanic properties of clay samples from four (4) deposits at Asokwa (near Obuasi), Nkonsia (7km from Wenchi), Mankesim and Hwereso (25km from Kumasi) for the production of pozzolana cement in Ghana. The clays were calcined at 600°C - 1000°C, milled and passed through 75μm standard sieves. The burnt clays were then used to replace 20% - 40% of cement and moulded into mortar cubes. Also, pozzolana lime mortars at three different mix ratios were moulded. On calcination, Asokwa and Mankesim clays became highly pozzolanic at 800°C, Hwereso and Nkonsia clays were at 900°C and 600°C respectively. The 28-day compressive strength at 20-40% replacement of cement by mass showed that Nkonsiaa clay pozzolanas can replace cement up to 40%, Asokwa and Mankesim clays up to 30% and Hwereso at 25%. 1:2:6 lime pozzolana sand mortar cubes gave appreciable 28-day dry compressive strength. The water absorption of the pozzolana cement was not different from the ordinary cement but they set faster than ordinary portland cement. All the clays were highly siliceous, containing more than 60% silica. Minerologically, all the clay samples are kaolinite with some amount of quartz. Of the four clays, Mankesim and Asokwa pozzolana cement products were mildly affected by sulphate attack whilst Nkonsia and Hwereso products were seriously damaged, showing the least resistance. Their compressive strengths were greatly reduced after one year in sulphate solutions. It is shown that using 25% of the total cement used in Ghana from pozzolana cement would save the country at least $6.7m (about 15.1 billion cedis) in foreign exchange per annum, generate employment for the youth and provide revenue to both the central government and local authorities. The pozzolana cement from Asokwa, Mankesim and Nkonsia clays can be used for general construction, including concrete works, up to 30% replacement of cement and up to 40% replacement for masonry works and production of sandcrete blocks. For Hwereso clay pozzolana cement, it can only be used for masonry works and sandcrete blocks with up to 25% replacement of cement.

Source: KNUST
Evaluation of clinical preventive services in primary health facilities wthin the Kumasi metropolis

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are increasing at an alarming rate in Ghana, with stroke and heart attack among the common causes of deaths amongst adults in the country. Already, Ghana is battling with infectious diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, as well as not meeting its targets in areas such as maternal and child health. Yet several projections suggest that NCDs will continue to increase, with the possibility of outstripping communicable diseases as the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the African region if the current situation is not dealt with. Even though there is some evidence of preventive health service provision in Ghana, the extent to which these services are streamlined and standardized is not well documented. This study set out to evaluate the state of clinical preventive services (CPS) within the Kumasi Metropolis. The cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in forty-six (46) primary health facilities, 21 government-owned and 25 privately-owned. In each facility, the practitioner likely to provide medical checkup services was purposively interviewed. The findings of the study suggest that primary health facilities in the Kumasi Metropolis do not have adequate structures in place that encourage the provision of medical checkups services. Healthcare being delivered to the public is mainly curative to the neglect of preventive services. Inadequate knowledge and lack of use of evidence-based guidelines for providing medical checkup was observed in most facilities. Most providers relied mainly on their professional discretion without making reference to at least one evidence-based guideline on preventive services as a basis for providing the service. Patronage for CPS was found to be low, accounting for less than 1 % (0 – 0.83%) of all OPD attendance in all 46 facilities.

Source: KNUST
Evaluation of clinical preventive services in primary health facilities within the Kumasi metropolis

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are increasing at an alarming rate in Ghana, with stroke and heart attack among the common causes of deaths amongst adults in the country. Already, Ghana is battling with infectious diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, as well as not meeting its targets in areas such as maternal and child health. Yet several projections suggest that NCDs will continue to increase, with the possibility of outstripping communicable diseases as the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the African region if the current situation is not dealt with. Even though there is some evidence of preventive health service provision in Ghana, the extent to which these services are streamlined and standardized is not well documented. This study set out to evaluate the state of clinical preventive services (CPS) within the Kumasi Metropolis. The cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in forty-six (46) primary health facilities, 21 government-owned and 25 privately-owned. In each facility, the practitioner likely to provide medical checkup services was purposively interviewed. The findings of the study suggest that primary health facilities in the Kumasi Metropolis do not have adequate structures in place that encourage the provision of medical checkups services. Healthcare being delivered to the public is mainly curative to the neglect of preventive services. Inadequate knowledge and lack of use of evidence-based guidelines for providing medical checkup was observed in most facilities. Most providers relied mainly on their professional discretion without making reference to at least one evidence-based guideline on preventive services as a basis for providing the service. Patronage for CPS was found to be low, accounting for less than 1 % (0 – 0.83%) of all OPD attendance in all 46 facilities.

Source: KNUST
Evaluation of Commercial Complexes in Ghana

Commerce has undergone numerous degrees of phases and changes over the years as man made one discovery after the other. The various stages of man’s development in descriptive terms meant an agglomeration of certain types of goods and services within that particular era, which also can be interpreted into various systems and mechanisms of exchange within time and space. The commercial activities prominent within the district capital of Kumasi – (Central Business District – Adum) have developed to the stage whereby shopping which once used to be enjoyable and stress free has now become a much dreaded experience due to passenger vehicular conflict, traffic congestion, and its negative socio-economic and health implications. The thesis aims at solving or reducing this existing menace by providing the public with an alternative shopping unit – a one stop shopping center, which is designed principally to satisfy the needs of both the customer and the prospective sellers. This outfit by design solves the problems of circulation, ventilation, lighting, storage spaces etc – optimizing the use of space or land. Once the facility is operational, attention would more or less be drawn from the C.B.D, reducing the congestion and its related challenges in no small way, to a less congested zone where commerce can go on with minimal spacial restrictions – all things being equal. For these reasons, the project is sited at Abuakwa, a satellite town which is about 11.5km from the C.B.D.

Source: KNUST
Evaluation of community ownership and management of point sources of water supply in Bolgatanga and Bawku East Districts in the Upper East Region of Ghana

The Government of Ghana launched the National Community Water and Sanitation Programme (NCWSP) in 1994 to allow rural water supply and sanitation services to come under Community Ownership and Management (COM). Since then, most facilities previously owned and managed by the Public Sector have been handed over to the beneficiaries for ownership and management and new projects being implemented in the sector are based on this policy. This research evaluated Community Ownership and Management of point sources of water supply in 80 communities randomly selected from two districts - Bolgatanga and Bawku East districts - in the Upper East Region. The scope of the evaluation was limited to examination of sustainability of the facilities under the following headings: • Reliability of the Facilities • The Level of Human Capacity Development to support COM • The Existing Local Institutional Capacity to Support COM • Cost Recovery. Data was collected by interviewing or holding focus group discussions with various stakeholders - the beneficiary communities (or their representatives), the private sector operators (Spare Parts Dealers and Area Mechanics), the Local Government representatives (the District Water and Sanitation Team or DWSTs) and the regional officials of the Community Water and Sanitation Agency, (the facilitators of the sector). The research found out that: • reliability of all facilities in both districts were at least 90%; however hand pump spare parts were not available most of the time; • there was enough human capacity development in the beneficiary communities that can make the facilities sustainable; • All relevant institutions are in place locally and have been given the necessary training to be able to perform their functions. The only exception are the DWSTs who are on secondment to the District Assemblies and whose turnover is so high that it has negated all capacity building efforts; • The communities paid part of the initial cost and are paying for O&M but none has saved towards capital replacement. Therefore, cost recovery is only partial. These findings led the research to the conclusion that the programme will be sustainable in the two districts only if spare parts are made more available and the District Assemblies employ permanent staff solely for serving as DWSTs and give them enough logistics to operate. It is recommended that District Assemblies employ permanent staff to form DWSTs so that they can offer the necessary post project support services to the communities. It is the view of the author that without this support from DWSTs, the present level of capacity within the communities might decline. Efforts should also be made to identify shopkeepers within remote rural communities to stock hand pump spare parts so as to make the parts more accessible to remote areas.

Source: KNUST
Evaluation of competitive strategies of the Licensed Cocoa Buying Companies (LBCS) in Ghana: a case study of Produce Buying Company Ltd

The study was aimed at evaluating the competitive strategies adopted by the Licensed Buying Companies in the cocoa industry in Ghana with a special focus on the Produce Buying Company Limited (PBC). The main objectives of the study were to analyse the current competitive strategies being pursued by the company, determine the impact of such strategies on the company’s performance, assess the sustainability of the strategies and to make recommendations to improve the company’s strategic competitive advantage in the industry. The review of literature was related, among other issues, to the concepts of strategy, competitive strategies and competitive advantage and how they have been used to impact on performance. For this research the methods employed were by survey and interviews. The instrument used for collection of relevant data for the study was a questionnaire and the semi-structured interview approach. Questionnaires were given out to both staff and farmers at the selected purchasing centers of PBC. A sample size of two hundred (200), comprising thirty (30) staff and one hundred and seventy (170) farmers of the targeted population of two thousand, six hundred (2,600) were selected using the non-probability sampling method of random sampling, specifically, the purposive sampling technique. Data collected were collated and analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis. Findings indicated that PBC has adopted the cost leadership strategy which has had a significant impact on general performance, increased market shares, corporate image and profitability. Lack of public relations department, permanent strategic department, lack of information communication technology strategy, prefinance and port discrepancies were identified as bottlenecks in the company’s bid to attain higher competitive advantage. Recommendations made include the need for PBC to diversify its operations, look for offshore loans, adopt adequate monitoring strategy, establish corporate strategy and public relations departments, computerise the company’s operations and many others.

Source: KNUST
Evaluation of Conversational Agents: Understanding Culture, Context and Environment in Emotion Detection

Valuable decisions and highly prioritized analysis now depend on applications such as facial biometrics, social media photo tagging, and human robots interactions. However, the ability to successfully deploy such applications is based on their efficiencies on tested use cases taking into consideration possible edge cases. Over the years, lots of generalized solutions have been implemented to mimic human emotions including sarcasm. However, factors such as geographical location or cultural difference have not been explored fully amidst its relevance in resolving ethical issues and improving conversational AI (Artificial Intelligence). In this paper, we seek to address the potential challenges in the usage of conversational AI within Black African society. We develop an emotion prediction model with accuracies ranging between 85% and 96%. Our model combines both speech and image data to detect the seven basic emotions with a focus on also identifying sarcasm. It uses 3-layers of the Convolutional Neural Network in addition to a new Audio-Frame Mean Expression (AFME) algorithm and focuses on model pre-processing and post processing stages. In the end, our proposed solution contributes to maintaining the credibility of an emotion recognition system in conversational AIs.

Source: KNUST