ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Pseudomonas oryzihabitans sepsis in a 1- year-old child with multiple skin rashes: a case report

Background: Pseudomonas oryzihabitans is a Pseudomonas bacterial organism rarely implicated in human infections. The bacterium has been isolated in a few reported cases of neurosurgical infections and patients with end-stage cirrhosis, sickle cell disease, and community-acquired urinary tract infections. Limited information exists in developing countries, however, because of the lack of advanced microbiological tools for identification and characterization of this bacterium. This case report describes the isolation of a rare Pseudomonas bacterium in a patient presenting with sepsis and skin infection. Case presentation: A 1-year-old girl was presented to a hospital in the northeastern part of Ghana with a 1-week history of pustular rashes on her scalp and neck, which occasionally ruptured, along with discharge of yellowish purulent fluid. The child is of Mole-Dagbon ethnicity and hails from the northern part of Ghana. Pseudomonas oryzihabitans was identified in the patient’s blood culture using the 16S ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid sequencing technique. The rash on the patient’s scalp and skin resolved after continuous treatment with gentamicin while her condition improved clinically. Conclusions: This finding suggests the potential of this bacterium to cause disease in unsuspected situations and emphasizes the need to have evidence for the use of the appropriate antibiotic in clinical settings, particularly in rural settings in Africa. It also brings to the fore the unreliability of conventional methods for identification of Pseudomonas bacteria in clinical samples and thus supports the use of 16S ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid in making the diagnosis.

Source: KNUST
Psychological contract and work related attitude and behaviour in selected public organisations in Kumasi.

This study assesses the effects of psychological contract on work related attitude (intention to quit) and behaviour (organizational citizenship behaviour). The study was carried out in two (2) selected public organisations in the Kumasi Metropolis. Specifically, the research sought to describe the state of psychological contract; assess the effect of Psychological Contract violation on intention to quit and lastly to assess the effect of psychological contract violation on organizational citizenship behaviour in the selected organisations. The researcher used a convenient sampling approach to select 116 respondents. Self-administered questionnaires were utilized to collect data and SPSS version 20 used to analyze the data. The results indicated that there is a significant relationship between psychological contract violation and intention to quit, (r =-.37, ρ ≤ .01); psychological contract violation and organizational citizenship behaviour (r= 0.48, p ≤ .01)}. It was therefore concluded that the two institutions have a relatively good state of psychological contract. Moreover, it was also discovered that whenever employees perceive a psychological contract violation, the organisation is likely to suffer serious consequences in terms of employee work related attitudes and behaviours as they begin to engage in undesirable behaviours. The study recommended that employers should ensure that the promised obligations to the employees are fulfilled and not violated. This will enable employees gain a sense of belonging in the organisation and go an extra mile to make sure that the set goals and objectives set by the organisations are met. In addition, the organisations should put in place practical measures to enable them understand and manage employee expectation as the psychological contract is a very subjective construct.

Source: KNUST
Psychological Traits of Team Members that contribute to Project success: a case study of the Ghana Urban Management Pilot Project (GUMPP) Sekondi-Takoradi

Usually, institutions set out to organize the best teams for their projects using criteria such as years of experience, level of education and professional achievements. The issue of selecting team members with regard to their inherent psychological characteristics that gives them an added advantage over others is ignored. Not all persons, regardless of their competence can work efficiently and effectively in every environment. This study sort to identify the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) psychological types that characterize project team members in delivering successful projects under the Ghana Urban Management Pilot Project (GUMPP) infrastructural facilities within the Komkompe-Takoradi industrial enclave. This work was a pilot study to facilitate further related research for conclusive results. Simple random sampling was used to derive the number of respondents to issue the questionnaires to. Three hundred and fifty questionnaires were issued to the residents of Kokompe-Takoradi. With respect to the team members at Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA), eleven questionnaires were designed and issued out. Data was then analysed using SPSS software, to identify successful projects under the criteria of stakeholder satisfaction in terms of product quality and timely service delivery of project. A Chi test was conducted between variables (project success and psychological traits of team members) and a strong link was established. It was deduced that; seventy-three percent of the team members were introvert, intuitive, thinking, judging (INTJ) psychological type. The remaining introvert, intuitive, feeling, judging (INFJ), extrovert, intuitive, feeling, judging (ENFJ) and extrovert, intuitive, thinking, judging (ENTJ) were nine percent each respectively. Analysis showed that there was strong link between the psychological traits of team members and the success of a project. To attain project success the selection of project team members should have the appropriate blend of psychological traits to acquire project success.

Source: KNUST
Public - private partnership in urban sanitary services delivery: a case study of Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly

All countries in the world over face financial constraints in their efforts at sustaining the provision of social infrastructure and service. The situation is, however, more disturbing in Sub-Saharan Africa. Most post independent governments of Africa continued with a development philosophy of central government control and “government, alone can do it all”. This has had far reaching negative consequences on the provision of both technical and social infrastructure. Consequently, in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, and for many years the bulk of the responsibilities of financing and providing infrastructure has however, been with the public sector. The realization that the civil society, including non-governmental organizations and for- the-profit sector are important partners in development, are of recent philosophies and strategies. As such, governments of this region are vigorously adopting the public-private partnership to share development roles and task to provide efficient services and infrastructure. Against this background, the study was set to investigate the cost savings achieved by the Kumasi Metropolitan assembly in privatizing the solid waste management in the city of Kurnasi. The study reveals that the contracting out arrangement applied under the public-private partnership of privatizing solid waste did not result in any meaningful cost savings. However, the limited application of franchise arrangement appears to hold a higher potential of cost savings to the assembly. Based on the foregoing findings the author finally recommends strategies that are necessary for private sector involvement in solid waste management and suggests for further studies an assessment of the output of the house-to house waste collection operators and the cost burden on the house hold income and the metropolis.

Source: KNUST
Public - Private Partnership in Faecal Sludg Collection and Treatment in Ashanti Region of Ghana

Importance of good sanitation is indisputable because it is a crucial stepping stone to better health. It offers the opportunity to save the lives of many children who would otherwise yield to diarrheal diseases and to protect the health of many more. It is fundamental to gender equity because it protects women‟s dignity. Appropriate management of faecal sludge, a component of sanitation can never be left out in this contest.This study therefore seeked to assess public-private partnership in faecal sludge collection and treatment in Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and Asante Akim North Municipal Assembly in Ashanti region of Ghana. The study was based on desk study and interviews. The key informants provided information on the management and operations of collection and treatment system of faecal sludge in the selected areas. The study revealed the method used in collecting faecal sludge from households and public toilet in Kumasi Metropolitan Area which included the use of vacuum suction trucks and manual collection truck undertaken in partnership with private operators and the Assembly, whereas Asante Akim North Municipal Area, only vacuum suction trucks were used in faecal sludge collection which was solely done by the Assembly. Seven public institutions and twenty-three (23) private companies were identified to be involved in the collection of faecal sludge in the Kumasi Metropolis at the same time, Asante Akim North Municipal Area; the Assembly owns two trucks for collecting faecal sludge in the municipality with no private hand involvement. The study revealed that, 77% of faecal sludge disposed off at the treatment site in the Kumasi metropolis is done by the private companies. However, the Assembly seeks to regulate the activities of all private companies within the metropolis.

Source: KNUST
Psychometric Properties of the Participation Scale among Former Buruli Ulcer Patients in Ghana and Benin

Background: Buruli ulcer is a stigmatising disease treated with antibiotics and wound care, and sometimes surgical intervention is necessary. Permanent limitations in daily activities are a common long term consequence. It is unknown to what extent patients perceive problems in participation in social activities. The psychometric properties of the Participation Scale used in other disabling diseases, such as leprosy, was assessed for use in former Buruli ulcer patients. Methods: Former Buruli ulcer patients in Ghana and Benin, their relatives, and healthy community controls were interviewed using the Participation Scale, Buruli Ulcer Functional Limitation Score, and the Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue to measure stigma. The Participation Scale was tested for the following psychometric properties: discrimination, floor and ceiling effects, internal consistency, inter-item correlation, item-total correlation and construct validity. Results: In total 386 participants (143 former Buruli ulcer patients with their relatives (137) and 106 community controls) were included in the study. The Participation Scale displayed good discrimination between former Buruli ulcer patients and healthy community controls. No floor and ceiling effects were found. Internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) was 0.88. In Ghana, mean inter-item correlation of 0.29 and item-total correlations ranging from 0.10 to 0.69 were found while in Benin, a mean inter-item correlation of 0.28 was reported with item-total correlations ranging from 20.08 to 0.79. With respect to construct validity, 4 out of 6 hypotheses were not rejected, though correlations between various constructs differed between countries. Conclusion: The results indicate the Participation Scale has acceptable psychometric properties and can be used for Buruli ulcer patients in Ghana and Benin. Future studies can use this Participation Scale to evaluate the long term restrictions in participation in daily social activities of former BU patients.

Source: KNUST
Psychological contract violation, abusive supervision, gossips and employee cynicism among health workers in Ghana

Psychological contract violation and abusive supervision have gained the attention of both practitioners and academics in recent years. Critical commentaries for instance have questioned whether psychological contract violation and abusive supervision have any implications for employee cynicism, and ultimately organizational performance. Research shows that approximately 94 per cent of employees perceived their organization as defaulting on agreed upon obligations within their first two years of work. This study therefore sought to examine the effects of psychological contract violation, abusive supervision and gossip on employee cynicism among health workers in Ghana. The study adopted both descriptive and explanatory research designs. The estimated staff strength of all five hundred and thirty (530) health facilities in the Ashanti Region was 8,800. The research sample of 424 involved different categories of health sector workers grouped into Type 1 (workers in Kumasi) and Type 2 (workers outside Kumasi). Purposive and convenience sampling techniques were used to select respondents across selected institutions in the Region. The main instrument used for the data collection was questionnaire whiles structural equation modelling was performed using STATA 13. The study concluded that Psychological Contract Violation (PCV) predicts Job Related Gossip (JRG). However, the effect of Abusive Supervision (AS) on Employee Cynicism (ECN) was not supported. Again, Job related and Non Job related gossip partially mediated Psychological Contract Violation (PCV) and Employee Cynicism (ECN) relationships. It is therefore recommended that the largest employer within the health sector (Government of Ghana) works at rectifying perceived psychological contract violations observed by the study. As highlighted, psychological contract violation was moderately high which partly explains the rate of worker agitations experienced within the health sector.

Source: KNUST
Public debt, public investment and economic growth in Ghana.

Research shows that numerous studies have analyzed the impact of public debt on economic growth. However, existing empirical evidence provides mixed and inconsistent predictions about the effect of public debt on economic growth. This study however explores the critical turning point at which the excessive government debt levels have a positive or negative impact on economic growth in Ghana. It also assessed the trend of public debt in Ghana from 1980-2017, as well as the relationship between the public investment and public debt in Ghana. The research design adopted was the quantitative method. This study utilises models that are based on Pattillo, Ricci, and Poirson (2004) Growth and Debt models due to the existence of subcomponents working unitedly. The research heavily utilized secondary data gathered from the World Development Indicators (WDI) on Ghana from 1980 to 2017. Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test, Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL), time series graph and pairwise correlations were used in presentation of results. The findings show that investment continues to significantly contribute to the increase of output growth. An increase in domestic investment in the short run also increases economic growth. The study shows that there is a negative effect of debt-to-GDP on growth which means that domestic borrowing from foreign capital was used, partially, to finance government expenditure and public investment, thus contributing to the increase in public spending, increases budget deficit and leading to higher public debt in order to finance these deficits. It was therefore recommended that Ghana should employ prudent financial and economic policies that will enhance efficient financial management, promote trade, Control the depreciation of exchange rate and control Inflationary pressure. This will go a long way to promote and sustain the level of Ghana’s economic growth rate in the coming years.

Source: KNUST
The public health control of scabies: priorities for research and action

We read the Article by David Engelman and colleagues1 with interest. Their overview of the key operational research questions to develop a global control programme for scabies provides a clear research agenda for the years to come.1 Mass drug administration (MDA) using ivermectin reduced the prevalence of both scabies and impetigo tremendously in Fiji with a sustained effect even 24 months after the intervention.2 Future studies should prioritise the inclusion of non-island populations.

Source: KNUST
Public education governance through the lens of democratic decentralisation in Ghana: the case of Asokwa and Amansie central districts

The study examined public education governance through the lens of democratic decentralisation in the Amansie Central and Asokwa districts of Ghana. It employed a mixed-method design of quantitative and qualitative methods, using both primary sources of data and secondary information. A survey of three schools each from Amansie Central and Asokwa districts involving 59 and 116 teachers respectively were undertaken. Questionnaires and interview guide were used for the collection of primary data from teachers and officials from the District Education Directorates (DEDs) and other key informants. Data from the survey were analysed using appropriate statistical tools in IBM Statistical Package for Social Science (Version 21) and Microsoft Excel 2016 for the quantitative data. Descriptive statistics, including percentages, and frequencies were used for analysing the quantitative data while direct quotations were mainly used in the presentation of the qualitative data. Findings and analysis of the study have revealed that Decentralisation in Ghana‟s education sector takes the form of delegation of functions to the local actors confirming the proposition that DEDs do not have adequate decision making authority and autonomy. Again, findings indicate that the DED in the Asokwa Municipal is relatively better than Amansie Central in terms of the physical, financial and human resources capacity in the performance of their duties. This is due to the fact that, the Asokwa Municipal is in the urban setting which enables them to receive support from Non-Governmental Organizations and many other companies. In addition, both Education Directorates in the two districts have employed several mechanisms including monitoring and evaluation, supervision, community participation and organizing training programmes/workshops with the aim of providing quality and sustainable education in line with Sustainable Development Goal 4 targets. Although, these mechanisms are effective, political interference, poor road network and financial challenges impede proper implementation of these mechanisms. The study further found that, the DED in Asokwa Municipal is relatively responsive to the expressed needs of the pre-tertiary schools in their area than the DED in the Amansie Central District. The DEDs studied were found to deliver limited downward accountability to the local people but adequate upward accountability to the Ghana Education Service through the Regional Education Directorate. With regards to the findings and identified problems, the study recommends that, the DEDs in both study districts as well as other districts in Ghana should be given adequate authority and autonomy in the performance of their decentralised functions. The study also recommends that, Government and other relevant stakeholders should provide the DEDs with adequate financial, physical as well as human resources so that they can effectively and efficiently perform their functions in order to promote sustainable quality education.

Source: KNUST
Public Health Challenges in the Supply Chain Management of Cold Chain Medicines in the Greater Accra Region

Members of the pharmaceutical supply chain have various global regulatory requirements to meet while handling, storing and distributing environmentally sensitive products. The focus of the regulatory requirements is to provide cold chain management for temperature sensitive pharmaceuticals to ensure that the quality and efficacy of the product are not compromised along the supply chain. Many countries such as Canada, United Kingdom, South Africa, etc, have issued regulations and specific guidelines that address product integrity during the entire supply chain. It will therefore be of importance to identify how Ghana has developed its cold chain supply systems and how it is able to maintain cold chain for temperature-sensitive medicines considering the challenges of; unreliable electricity supply, inadequate storage facilities, weak validation systems, perceived poor monitoring of cold chain supply management by regulatory authorities. The study was conducted to establish the challenges in the supply chain management of cold chain medicines in the Greater Accra Region and their impact on product quality and public health and safety. The methodology that was used in collecting the research data was descriptive survey where questionnaires were personally administered and visual observation made to corroborate practices, processes and procedures. Purposive sampling was used to identify cold storage facilities that stock cold chain medicines to meet the objectives of the research. The results indicated absence of quality management system, poor contingency for power outages, weak validation of cold storage facilities and qualification of cold chain vans and carriers for transport of cold chain medicines along the supply chain which obviously will impact negatively on product quality, efficacy and potency and finally putting public health and safety at risk. The way forward is effective regulatory oversight responsibilities to ensure compliance to cold chain management standards to protect public health and safety.

Source: KNUST
Public Library — Takoradi

The public library is a practical demonstration of democracy’s faith in universal education as a continuing and lifelong process in the appreciation of the achievement of humanity in knowledge and culture. It can be said to be the principal means whereby the record of man’s thoughts and ideas, and he expressions of his creative imagination, are made freely, available to all kind of people. Being a social institution, the public library is seen in a dynamic environment of aspirations, expectations and ideologies which are further manned and controlled by personnel who, to some extent can modify the character of the services it provides to public. It changes considerably in relatively short period of time in relation to the needs of its varied users as a result of population growth. The roles of course the importance of libraries in our societies are gradually becoming an influential factor in development worldwide. In Ghana, this was the major reason why the library Board was established and hence the efficiency of the services it provides. In the Western region, the library Board has been working quite hard in providing the necessary services to the public. However, the growing user requirement greatly out – weights the level of services provided. This is a result of lack of library facilities within the various locations in the region with respect to the drastic population growth and its implementations. In view of this drastic population, the Takoradi branch Library which was opened in 1960, in an adopted space in the neighbourhood centre, is grossly inadequate in providing the required level of services expected by the present target groups. This situation has actually become a major thought for the library Board and the Sekondi – takrodi metropolitan authority in trying to address it. It may interest you to know that the above mentioned bodies have gone a step ahead in making provision for a site for a new public library which forms part of the Takoardi Central Area Redevelopment Scheme. To help in making the above stated function of the public library a reality, I decided to identify myself with the situation in Takoradi as it exist now and furthermore accepting the line of action as a positive community development project

Source: KNUST