ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Assessment of the organisational cultures of the Business schools of University of Ghana and Central University College, Accra

Every organisation has its own unique culture which defines its existence and operation. This culture is so critical to the existence of any organisation and it could either be a barrierto change or a catalyst to the same in an organisation. This study sets out to assess the organisational culture of the Business schools of University of Ghana and Central University College within the context of Van der Post, De Coning and Smith (1997) dimension of organisational culture. The study made use of cross sectional study design. A total of 103 respondents took part in the study, which was conducted between March and May, 2011. The quantitative datawas analyzed with the use of ttest statistic, and descriptive statistics. The qualitative data was transcribed and presented as narratives. The study noted that the dominant organisational culture in Central Business School was adhocracy while thatof University of Ghana Business School was hierarchy. The study also revealed that the dimensions of the culture of the two institutions only differed in terms of culture management, disposition to change, authority and management style. It again indicated that the least preferred aspects of the organisational cultures ofboth institutions were customer orientation and employee participation in decision making. Based on the findings, it was concluded that on the whole, the organisational cultures of both institutionsare similar. It is recommended that the two institutions improve upon their customer and employee relations in order to stay above the competition and deliver effective services.

Source: UCC
The Assessment of the Performance of Public Basic Schools and Private Basic Schools, Ghana

The findings of the study gave evidence that there were disparities in the academic performance of pupils in public and private basic schools in the Berekum Municipality. From the study it was established that both internal and external factors in the classroom and outside the classroom were responsible for the disparities of academic performance in schools. These factors included the fact that public schools did not have the needed teaching and learning resources in order to operate fully in the teaching and learning process.

Source: UCC
An Assessment of the Performance of Strategic Plans in Ghanaian Universities: A Case Study of the University of Cape Coast and Christian Service University College

The study used the descriptive research approach to assess the performance of the strategic plan implementation of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) and Christian Service University College (CSUC) in Ghana. This research targeted middle-level managers including heads of departments, registrars, finance officers and union leaders. Methodologically, face-to-face interviews from 20 respondents were conducted to obtain primary data aided by an interview guide and this was complemented by secondary data. The results of the study showed that CSUC which is a private university recorded higher implementation rate of their strategic plan (85%) than UCC which is a public university with 70% due to committed staff, visible support from the President and reduced bureaucracies. The findings established that both UCC and CSUC did not prioritized monitoring and evaluation of their strategic plans. The findings on the barriers to strategy implementation showed that the major challenges encountered during the implementation of the strategic plans were: funding, resistance to change, low awareness by the key stakeholders. In order to ensure the effective and efficient implementation of the strategic plans, the management of CSUC and UCC should adopt management practices that encourage effective communication among the top, middle, and bottom staff of their institutions. This will help bridge the gap between strategy formulators and implementers. Additionally, the institutional managers should ensure that annual budget always aligns with the strategic plan. The institutions should also use innovative strategies to generate alternative funding sources and these should be allocated to each of the key actions in the strategic plan.

Source: UCC
Assessment of the performance of waste stabilization pond at the Cape Coast teaching hospital in Ghana

In developing countries, hospital wastewater management is an issue of major concern. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the performance of the waste stabilization pond at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital in Ghana. Wastewater samples were taken from the raw sewage (anaerobic pond) after screening. The process was repeated in both the facultative and maturation ponds, sequentially. Fifty four samples representing 18 samples each from the three stages of the waste stabilization treatment were analysed to evaluate the efficiency of the ponds over a period of six months. The selected parameters were analysed based on a well-established protocols. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to determine the distribution and relationships among wastewater parameters measured in the stabilization ponds. The results showed that the final effluent values obtained for most of the parameters were within the acceptable limits of the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency. However, conductivity, TSS, turbidity, nitrate, phosphorus, magnesium and mercury levels were not compliant. The efficiency of the WSP for turbidity was 56.78%, TSS 71.96%, BOD 64.78%, magnesium 3.55%, total coliforms 34.48%, E.coli 53.53%, Iron 50.60%, manganese 75.40%, and cadmium 47.83%. The rest of the parameters exhibited negative values. Based on the low efficiency removal of some of the parameters, the effluent should be treated to prevent any possible pollution in the environment.

Source: UCC
Assessment of the Physicochemical and Microbial Quality of Groundnut Pastes from Major Markets in the Central Region of Ghana and Prediction of Groundnut Paste Adulteration Using Portable Handheld Nir Spectroscopy with a Mobile Phone

Groundnut paste safety and quality is of great concern to consumers due to potential contamination and adulteration which poses serious health risk. This study investigated the safety and quality of groundnut paste using wet chemistry standard method as well as develop a novel application of hand-held NIR spectrometry coupled with chemometrics for the examination of groundnut paste authenticity and quality in real time. Samples were collected within the major markets in the Central region (Mankessim, Kotokuraba, Twifo Praso, Swedru and Kasoa). The authenticity of groundnut paste was evaluated through a physicochemical analysis and fungi count were also determined. A handheld near-infrared spectrometer was used to predict the presence of cassava flour and roasted maize flour at different percentage purity. Among the pre-processing methods used to ensure the quality and accurately of the final analysis, standard normal variant (SNV) was found to be superior. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to extract relevant information from the spectral data set and the results showed that groundnut paste samples of different categories could be clustered. The performance of the Support Vector Machine (SVM) model shows strong predictive capabilities, with R² values of 0.9751 for cassava flour and 0.9753 for roasted maize flour in the training phase, indicating that it explains a substantial portion of the variance in the data. Most of the groundnut paste samples examined showed low contamination of fungi ranging from 1.60 – 2.48 log10CFU/g. The current study showed that NIR spectroscopy can classify and determine groundnut paste adulterated with cassava flour and roasted maize flour.

Source: UCC
Assessment of the Policy Guidelines for the Teaching and Learning of Geography at the Senior High School Level in Ghana

This article empirically assessed the extent to which geography teachers adhered to the Ghana Education Service policy guidelines on the teaching of geography at the Senior High School Level in Ghana. Census survey was used to collect data from seven geography teachers because of the researchers’ objective of gaining a quick insight into the problem at hand. Simple random sampling was, however, used to select 80 geography students. Data were collected with the aid of two sets of questionnaires which were personally administered by the researchers. Simple frequencies and percentages were used in the analysis of the data collected. One of the key findings was that all the teachers had knowledge and mastery of the content areas of geography. Again, the study revealed that the geography teachers implemented to a fairly large extent the policy guidelines on teaching by employing a variety of teaching methods, though with varying emphases. Another finding was that some students could not acquire skills in the handling of certain equipment (e.g. in surveying) either because of the non-availability of those equipment in their schools or their teachers lacked the expertise to teach them how to use those equipment even though those equipment were available. The students therefore suggested the frequent use of inquiry methods such as field work and project work. Based on the findings, the study recommended that as part of the reforms in teacher preparation, there should be a re-structuring of the geography education programmes in the universities so as to accommodate the policy guidelines for teaching geography at the senior high school level. Lastly, the study also recommended regular in-service training for practicing geography teachers to enable them hone their professional competence, particularly their pedagogical skills.

Source: UCC
An Assessment of the potential for mapping fishing zones off the Coast of Ghana using ocean forecast data and vessel movement

This research assessed the feasibility of mapping potential fishing grounds off the coast of Ghana using vessel trajectories and speeds as proxies for identifying migration patterns and fishing behaviour of inshore trawling vessels. The methods involved the extraction of data from Satellite Automatic Identification System comprising position and speed of the vessel from exactEarth Shipview. Daily oceanographic parameters i.e. sea surface temperature, sea surface height, sea surface salinity, and the current velocity between August 2015- January 2016 were obtained from Copernicus (www.marine.copernius.eu). Speed ranges and trajectories indicate that, the vessels steamed between 6.9 to 7.5 knots and fish aggregation mostly occurred closer to the shore predicated on favourable environmental ocean conditions. It was observed that the vessel depicted steaming behaviour in this study, characteristic of a recreational vessel with high speed, moving in straight paths rather than a trawling vessel whose movement occurs in slower and erratic trajectory patterns. The findings strongly suggest that the fishermen operating this trawl vessel have good knowledge of productive fishing grounds. The months with highest probability of catch aggregation were from October 2015 to December 2015, within the geographical locations of longitude -4o 2 ʹ E and latitude 3.5o 6 ʹ N. The highest probability of catch aggregation was observed in October 2015, probably due to upwelling that occurred during that month. It is concluded that, fishing efficiency of inshore trawling vessels in Ghana could be enhanced with maps indicative of probability of fish aggregation in the ocean.

Source: UCC
Assessment of the Potential Outbreak of Aedes-Borne Diseases During the Covid-19 Restriction Period in Cape Coast

Vector-borne diseases transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes pose a significant public health threat worldwide. This study focused on assessing the risk of Aedes-borne disease outbreaks during the Covid-19 restriction period based on entomological indices and investigating the contributing factors, with a particular emphasis on the role of artificial containers as breeding sites. A household larval survey was conducted in a small community called Duakor in Cape Coast, evaluating three larval indices (Container, House, and Breteau Index). Mosquito larvae collected from containers were reared and tested for insecticide resistance against four commonly used insecticides which were Deltamethrin (0.05%), DDT (4%), Fenitrothion (0.1%) and Bendiocarb (0.1%). The findings indicated that the risk of Aedes-related disease outbreaks during the Covid-19 restriction period was significantly lower compared to a previous assessment in 2017 (Breteau Index = 2.02, House Index =34%, and Container Index =22.5%). The sampled Aedes aegypti population showed resistance to all four tested insecticides, and the study reported the detection of a novel V410L kdr mutation in Ghana, in addition to the previously known F1534C and V1016I mutations in Ae. aegypti population in the country. The lower risk observed during the restriction period was attributed to frequent community clean-up exercises, aligning with the notion that sanitation improvement plays a crucial role in controlling Aedes aegypti. Given the emergence of multiple insecticide resistance, the study emphasizes the need to encourage non-insecticide-based control tools such as sanitation improvement and proper water storage practices.

Source: UCC
Assessment of the quality of revegetated soil near an active goldmine in southwestern Ghana

This study presents an assessment of soil quality of revegetated locations within the catchment of a goldmine, using the index of geo-accumulation, enrichment factor and multivariate statistics. Fourteen composite soil samples were analyzed for the following parameters: Mn, Cd, Pb, Fe As, pH, organic C, organic matter, available K and P, total N, total exchangeable base, exchangeable acidity, effective cation exchange capacity and base saturation. The results indicate that all locations except one were practically uncontaminated with Fe. Three locations were practically uncontaminated with Mn, whereas all other locations were uncontaminated to moderately-contaminated. Principal component and cluster analyses indicate that most members form one cluster suggesting uniformity in the degree of impacts on the soils with regard to the parameters analyzed; and further signifying that the impacts possibly originate from a common source. 93% of the locations recorded low to very low levels of N (0.04-0.14mg/kg). 15% of the soils show medium levels of available P (8.45- 9.81mg/kg) while the other locations (85%) show very low levels (0.01-1.59mg/kg), an indication that most of the soils are phosphorous deficient. The mean ECEC was 8.5meq/100g and ranged from 3.66meq/100g to 17.12meq/100g. 28% of locations recorded less than 5meq/100g CEC, which is the minimum level for adequate exchange capacity according to the Ghana Soil Fertility Capacity Classification. Though the heavy metal concentrations in the soil do not pose any significant risks to agronomic activities, the nutrient / fertility status is low to medium. There will therefore be the need to fertilize to correct the various nutrient deficiencies prior to the commencement of agronomic activities

Source: UCC
Assessment of the quality of shallow groundwater for irrigation in the Atankwidi Sub-Basin of the White Volta Basin, Ghana

The potential use of shallow groundwater for small-scale dry season irrigation is a key issue for irrigation development in the arid zone of Ghana. Farmers within the Atankwidi sub-basin of the White Volta Basin are increasingly adopting groundwater as a source of irrigation water due to the unavailability of surface water during the dry season. However the quality of the groundwater and its suitability for irrigation is not known, hence the need to assess the quality and its suitability in order to ensure sustainability in the application and possible expansion of groundwater irrigation in the area. Two main water types (Ca-Mg-HCO3 and Na-Mg-CaHCO3) have been determined using the Piper diagram. The relative abundance of cations in the groundwater was found to be in the decreasing order of Na +> Ca 2+ > K + > Mg 2+ > Fe 2+. Similarly, that of anions was found to have a decreasing order of HCO3 > SO4 2- > Cl - > PO4 2- > NO3 - > F - .Groundwater in the area had low SAR and low to medium salinity hazard. However, magnesium hazard and alkalinity problems are likely to limit its use for irrigation

Source: UCC
Assessment of the rationality of senior high school students' choices of academic programmes in Kwabre district of Ghana

The study sought to find out whether Kwabre District Senior High School students make rational choices of academic programmes in school. The population of the study was all students in the six Senior High Schools in Kwabre District. However, the Form 3 students were purposively sampled for the study. Stratified random sampling technique with proportional allocation was used to sample 331 Form 3 students from the various programmes in each school for the study. A self-made questionnaire was used to gather data from the 331 respondents. A total of 320 copies of the questionnaire were obtained from the respondents. Statistical Product for Service Solutions was used to analyze the data. Frequencies and percentages were analyzed to answer all the research questions. It was found out that generally Senior High School students in Kwabre District make rational choices of their programmes of study. This is because most of them assessed their strengths and weaknesses and sought information on their programmes before choosing them. Again, most of them chose their progrmmnes based on their abilities or interests and expressed satisfaction with their programmes of study. However, few of them sought counselling from qualified counsellors before choosing their programmes. It was recommended that school counsellors should reinforce students' rational progrmmne choice behaviour by intensifying counselling in schools so that students will continue to make rational choices of programmes in school.

Source: UCC
Assessment of the Research Orientation of Academics in Ghana through the Lens of Entrepreneurialism

This paper examines from, an entrepreneurial perspective, the research orientation of academic researchers, across academic discipline. It also investigates knowledge requirements, in the form of research requests, by the carriers of innovation in relation to the research orientation of academics. It follows an explanatory sequential mixed methods approach to analyse survey data from a stratified sample of 266 academic researchers and interview responses from 11 key informants from two universities, in Ghana, with the entrepreneurial mandate to contribute to regional and national development. Data were analysed with mean values, skewness, kurtosis and Kruskal-Wallis tests. The research findings indicate versatility in the research orientation of the academics surveyed although no statistically significant differences were established among academics from the Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, the Social Sciences and the Arts, in their research orientation as basic researchers, applied researchers and use-inspired basic researchers. Further exploration shows that knowledge requirements by the carriers of innovation were in line with the academics’ research orientation. Versatility in the research orientation of the academics, is an indication of the capacity of the two universities to fulfil their entrepreneurial mandate of knowledge production, in the Ghanaian economy.

Source: UCC
Assessment of the RIFLE criteria for the diagnosis of Acute Kidney Injury; a retrospective study in South-Western Ghana

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) affects 3–7 % of patients admitted to the hospital and approximately 25–30 % of patients in the intensive care unit. RIFLE, a newly developed international consensus classification for AKI, defines three grades of severity—class R (risk), I (injury) and F (failure). The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the RIFLE system of classification can detect the incidence of AKI using retrospective data of in-patients at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital. Methods: A total of 1070 in-patients’ records spanning a period of 6 months, from July 2014 to December 2014, was used. Demographic data and hospital admission serum creatinine of each participant were used for the calculation of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) using the 4-variable modification of diet in renal disease (MDRD) equation. Also, the baseline serum creatinine was estimated assuming a standard GFR of 75 ml/min/1.73 m2 using the simplified MDRD equation. Results: Males had higher serum creatinine, eGFR, and baseline serum creatinine than females (P < 0.0001). However, the level of increase in baseline serum creatinine was higher in females than males (P = 0.0212). The percentage ratios of the various classes from the SCr/ePCr (hospital admission serum creatinine/estimated plasma creatinine) criteria (R-1.45, I-1.53 and F-3.26) were higher than that of the eGFR criteria (R-0.34, I-0.11, F-0.12). The SCr/ePCr criteria gave more risk (89.7 %) than that of the eGFR criteria (23.1 %). The number of Injury and normal patients from the eGFR criteria was higher than the SCr/ePCr criteria. Conclusion: AKI was common in the ICU population with SCr/ePCr detecting more AKI than the eGFR criteria. Males had more injury and failure than females using the eGFR criteria whereas the SCr/ePCr gave females more risk and injury than males. A prospective cohort study must be employed in subsequent studies using the RIFLE criteria to assess the incidence of AKI in hospitalized patients with known diseases or medical conditions.

Source: UCC
Assessment of the role of microfinance on women empowerment in Nsawam

The eradication of poverty among women in developing countries had been a major challenge confronting governments and international organizations. Notwithstanding, the strategies and programmes designed to address the issue of poverty, it is still rampant among women in most developing countries like Ghana. It was against this background that this study sought to assess the role of microfinance on the empowerment of women. The research employed convenience sampling technique to select the sample from the population of women who access credit from rural banks and microfinance institutions in Nsawam. The sample size was 70 clients selected from two (2) rural banks and five (5) microfinance institutions and purposive sampling method was used to select 21workers from the credit departments of the seven (7) microcredit institutions. Primary data on the impact of microfinance on socio-economic wellbeing of respondents and challenges facing microcredit institutions were obtained from the respondents. In the case of analyzing the data obtained from the issuance of questionnaire, the research used Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software. The study divulged that, microfinance has positive effect on the socio-economic wellbeing of women in Nsawam. The finding of the study further revealed that, the bottlenecks of microfinance institutions in Nsawam encompasses poor regulatory environment, inadequate capacities on part of client, lack of linkages between formal and informal financial institutions and there is no specific set of criteria developed to categorize beneficiaries. Based on the finding, the study recommended that the Government of Ghana, through Ghana Revenue Authority and Bank of Ghana should grant incentives such as tax exemption and subsidies to microfinance institutions to enable them provide low – priced loans to women in Nsawam.

Source: UCC