ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Assessment of the capacity of health facilities in the early detection of disabilities in children in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana

Advances in medical technology have improved on the health of many infants who have sustained injuries during intrauterine development or birth, giving them a better chance of improved quality of life. Nevertheless, some conditions still create overwhelming consequences causing lifelong disabilities. Many infants injured during the birth process or born with congenital anomalies have long term effects from their conditions. Their families may have long-term effects as well. There is therefore the need for early detection and prevention measures to curb the incidence of disabilities in newborns. This study is therefore aimed at assessing the capacity of health facilities to facilitate the early detection and intervention of disabilities in infants and children in order to prevent the debilitating effects of such disabilities on children. Findings confirmed that Pediatricians, midwives and other health professionals employed various techniques including physical examination or assessment to determine if they have any defect. They did this by listening to the cry of the newborn child, the color of the eye, the physical appearance of the baby, and the color of the skin. The findings of the study indicated that most of these examinations were conducted between the first hour and 48 hours after birth and detection usually occurred during this examination period. The results of the study also showed that most of the facilities lacked modern screening equipment. To improve on the effectiveness of health facilities to detect disabilities in newborns and infants, there is need to create a unit for early detection and treatment of disabilities in every health facility, provide enough screening tools and modern equipment for every unit/facility, and pregnant women should be encouraged to take antenatal care seriously.

Source: KNUST
An assessment of the capacity of local organisations to implement and sustain reproductive health projects in Yilo Krobo District

The main objective of this study was to analyse the factors affecting the capacity, operation, activities and growth of local organisations that could be involved in implementing reproductive health programs in Yilo Krobo District in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The analysis included the internal dynamics of the organisations, their linkage relations with local institutions and the communities’ attitude towards these organisations and towards reproductive health. The research methodology combined both qualitative and quantitative approach. Data were collected through in-depth interview of local organisation leaders and members; group discussions in selected communities and household sample survey. The study identified four types of organisations in the district: Church-based organisations, self-interest groups, women’s movement and farmers associations. Among the internal factors affecting their capacity to implement reproductive health programs, these organisations were found to have a well-accepted leadership and a good mobilisation capacity. However, most of them lack financial resources for their activities and do not always have an adequate financial management system. Linkages relation with local institutions is an important weakness of local organisations in the district. Only the women’s groups have adequate linkage with Yio Krobo District Assembly, Donor Organisations and Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) outside the district. The other organisations, either do not clearly perceive the necessity to be linked with local institutions or do not know how to establish such a link. Only church- based organisations collaborate with other local organisations in the district. Despite the multiplicity of local organisations, a significant proportion of community members are not part of any group. One of the reasons given is the inability to afford the large amount of dues to pay to local organisations as members. However, “Gong-Gong” appears to be an alternative communication channel in the communities. The attitude of local communities towards reproductive health is characterised by low use of modern methods of family planning by women, first because of fear of conflict with husbands and secondly, because of existing rumours on the side effects of these methods. In the communities, sexually transmitted diseases patients are very shy to go to the health centre and prefer self-medication or treatment by a herbalist. The main findings of the study lead to formulating recommendations for strengthening the capacity of local organisations to address reproductive health issues in Yilo Krobo District. This capacity can be strengthened through training of selected members of local organisations in reproductive health, provision of educational materials, supervision of the activities, and effective linkage with local institutions and other local organisations.

Source: KNUST
Assessment of the Collaboration and Commitments among Mining Communities, Mining Companies and the Governmental Institutions towards the realisation of Reclamation Goal (A Case Study of the Reclaimed Kubi Mined Site)

Mining is an age old activity in Ghana and dates back to several decades. Starting as a simple alluvial activity it has transformed to the present day industrial level characterized by massive underground drills and heavy surface excavations which come with numerous environmental problems such as land degradation, thus, necessitating the reclamation of affected lands to ensure that society retains multiple use opportunities of such sites. This study which is a case study of Anglogold Ashanti’s reclamation of the their Kubi concession, was to determine the level of involvement of the Kubi communities in reclamation planning and decision making and their overall understanding of the reclamation process, the commitment of the company to reclamation activity in terms of management and hence the general performance of the established trees, species diversity and site conditions of the reclaimed site. Questionnaires were administered to community members while tree height and diameter measurements, species numbers and types and soil samples were taken from repeated sample plots that were laid on the reclaimed site. The study revealed that communities were not involved in the reclamation decision making contrary to provisions under the Environmental Assessment Regulation. Secondly, the communities could not foresee how the reclaimed site could be useful to them in the future as their expectations were clearly different from that of the company. While the exotic species such as Senna seamia and Acacia mangium performed well on the site, almost all the indigenous species such as Ceiba pentandra, Entandophragma angolense and Terminalia ivorensis were stunted because of poor management and accounted for only 3.6% of the reclamation species on the site instead of the 40% indigenous species recommended by the EPA The soil chemical condition with a mean pH of 5.5 was good with most of the soil nutrients tested within the average range for most standard soil classifications. It is recommended that further studies be conducted to find out the heavy metal levels on the reclaimed site because of their potential to contaminate underground water and streams since the communities depend solely on such streams.

Source: KNUST
Assessment of the Consumers’ Awareness and Marketing Prospects of Organic Fruits and Vegetables in Techiman, Ghana

The consumers’ awareness and willingness to pay premium for organic fruits and vegetables as well as the marketing prospects of these organic foods in the Techiman Market of Ghana were assessed. A face-to-face interview technique was employed using a structured questionnaire for this cross-sectional study. Out of 330 questionnaires administered, 318 were valid and included in the data analysis accordingly. Results showed that most of the consumers (74.53%) were aware of organic foods and the majority willing to pay up to 50% premium for the organic fruits and vegetables. The study revealed that key factors such as age, marital status, income and knowledge of chemical residues and their associated health risks significantly influenced consumers’ choice and willingness to pay a premium for organic fruits and vegetables. The estimated market potential for the organic fruits and vegetables were GH¢3,514,383,194.70 (~926 million USD) and GH¢5,341,348,087.50 (~1407 million USD) per year, respectively. Most consumers are aware of organic foods in the Techiman market of Ghana and they became aware generally through the radio and school/books. Most of the consumers acknowledged that they had concerns about the environmental and health risks associated with chemically grown fruits and vegetables on their health and wellbeing. Almost all the consumers were willing to pay up to 50% premium for the organic fruits and vegetables purchased in the Techiman municipality

Source: KNUST
An assessment of the community ownership and management approach to community participation in the sustainable supply of potable water in rural communities in Ghana: a study of two communities

The idea of community participation in development has long been recognized as key to achieving meaningful and sustainable development. Community participation has, for instance been recognised among others as critical to ensuring sustainability in water supplies and the realisation of the MDGs and progress on poverty reduction. However, the need to establish and understand the prerequisites and impacts of participatory development approaches has never been greater, even though there has been increases in the number of organisations and projects that solicit community involvement and CP literature in the last decade. This study examines the community ownership and management (COM) approach to community participation (CP) as a viable alternative to the sustainable supply of potable water in rural communities as a contribution to knowledge on CP and sustainable and equitable development. The case study method involving interviewing, document analysis, and observation was used as the means of investigation. Specific analytical techniques such as creating matrices of categories, the use of pie charts, histograms, tables and pictures were used. The objective model of community participation in line with the project based approach to development provided the theoretical framework for the conduct of the study. The study concludes that the COM approach to community participation is an effective way of involving communities in what concerns their daily livelihood especially in small rural communities. For the assurance of sustainability of rural water systems, however, the study notes the importance of on-going support to communities in the form of monitoring, retraining, conflict resolution among others. The study observed that, the training component of COM enhances communities’ financial mobilisation skills and increases community group activities. Communities also institute management schemes such as regular cleaning of pump sites and byelaws to guarantee sustainability in the use of water facilities. The use of local decision-making processes and leadership structures enhances meaningful involvement of community members and engenders high sense of ownership in participatory projects. However, general weak managerial and technical capacity, weak and politicised WSDB, inadequate legal autonomy of the Board, unclear definition of responsibility over capacity building and the maintenance of good quality human resources affect the optimal operations of the small towns’ systems. Irregular internal and external audits of accounts, inadequate financial transparency and accountability, inadequate consideration for capital investment arrangement and cost recovery, and unclear and non-functioning communication with the community of users including the nonpayment of bills by public institutions undermine the sustainability of the WSDBs.

Source: KNUST
Assessment Of The Consumers’ Awareness And Marketing Prospects Of Organic Fruits And Vegetables

The increase in the consumption of organic products has been demand led, the consequence of a positive shift in consumer attitudes to organically produced food and also supply driven, with consumer reaction to more competitive prices and increasing availability. As a result of the increasing demand for organic foods, this study was aimed at assessing consumers’ awareness and willingness to pay premium for organic fruits and vegetables as well as determining the marketing prospects of these organic foods in the Techiman Market. The face-to-face interview technique was employed using a structured questionnaire for this cross-sectional study from September to November, 2014. Out of 330 questionnaires administered, 318 were valid and included in the data analysis accordingly. This study showed that most of the consumers (74.53%) were aware of organic foods and they became aware generally through the radio (36.71%) and school/books (22.78%). Majority of the consumers were willing to pay up to 50% premium for the organic fruits and vegetables. The study found that there was a huge market potential for organic fruits and vegetables in the Techiman Market. The estimated market potential for the organic fruits and vegetables were GH¢3,514,383,194.70 and GH¢5,341,348,087.50 per year, respectively. The empirical results showed that age, marital status and income significantly influence consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for organic fruits and vegetables. Also, knowledge of chemical residues in chemically grown fruits and vegetables and their associated health risks significantly influence consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for organic fruits and vegetables.

Source: KNUST
An assessment of the contribution of cashew production to local economic development: a case study of the Brong Ahafo Region

Effective poverty reduction in Ghana is underpinned by sustainable local economic growth and development. It is for this reason that the Government of Ghana aims to ensure local ownership of development interventions. One way of ensuring local economic development is through the promotion of non-traditional agricultural commodities such as cashew. With the Brong Ahafo Region’s comparative advantage in the production of cashew, the industry has gained currency with several farmers engaged by it. Following this the study sought to assess the contribution of the cashew industry to the local economic development towards poverty reduction. With data from both primary and secondary sources, the study identified that first; the cashew industry has provided employment to about 8,233 people in Jaman North, Tain, Wenchi and Kintampo districts. These farmers received technical and logistical support from MoFA, chiefly under the Cashew Development Project (CDP). A total amount of GH¢2,417,013.00 has been dispensed as credit to about 4,580 farmers towards the CDP between 2004 and 2007. However, the study revealed that the low priced variety is mostly produced in the study areas. Again it was identified that there was no fixed prices for the cashew products like that of Cocoa. The prices of cashew products were rather determined by the forces of demand and supply. For the cashew industry to have improved the economic lives of many of the people in the districts, the study recommended that MoFA should educate and train farmers to use improved cashew seeds and disease resistant varieties. Again, the government should take over the responsibility of fixing the prices of cashew nuts like that of cocoa so that the farmers would be secured even if there is a bumper harvest. Finally, the government could operate a buffer stock system to avoid a situation where supply exceeds demand to force the price down.

Source: KNUST
An assessment of the contribution of cotton production to local economic development in Sissala East and West Districts

Millions of poor households secure their livelihoods from the cultivation of cotton the world over. In most developing countries, cotton production contributes about 40 percent of exports and about 5 percent of Gross Domestic Product. Cotton production in Ghana however has, remained a subject of concern to policy makers and other development stakeholders for some time now due to the poor sector performance. The objective of this study was to assess the contribution of cotton production to Local Economic Development in the Sissala East and West Districts. The study was an exploratory case study which utilized both quantitative and qualitative types of data both of which were accessed from primary and secondary sources. The tools used for data collection included questionnaires, interview/FGD guides/checklists. The data collection methods included Focus Group Discussions, structured, semi structured and unstructured/informal interviews and questionnaire surveys. A sample size of 335 was obtained from a total sampling frame of 2589 at 95% confidence and a margin of error of 5%. Findings of the study show that, the entire Sissala land has a huge potential for the cultivation of cotton even without the use of fertilizer. It is was also established that, cotton production creates more employment opportunities for the people than other crops due to its numerous value chain processes which further translate into improved income levels of cotton farmers. The study again discovered that farmer attitudes towards cotton production in terms of input diversion remains a major challenge to efforts aimed at revamping the cotton sector in the districts. The study recommends that, cotton farmer associations, cotton producing companies, and the government through the districts assemblies should harness the needed synergy to salvage the rather promising cotton industry in the districts through input subsidies, improved peer monitoring on the usage of inputs supplied to the farmers for cotton production, and the institution of schemes to reward hardworking farmers, Cotton Production Assistants and farmer groups who are able to repay in full their indebtedness to the companies

Source: KNUST
Assessment of the contributions and challenges of credit union in Ghana: A case study of Techiman area Teachers’ Credit Union

The study investigated the contribution and challenges of credit unions in Ghana, using Techiman Area Teachers credit union as a case study. The objectives of the study include; finding out the various products of Techiman Area Teachers credit union. Also finding the trend of contribution of Techiman Area Teachers credit union, again assessing the benefits of the Techiman area teachers credit union to members and finally to identify the challenges facing the members of the credit union. The study was descriptive using both primary and secondary data. Data was collected through questionnaires and analysed using SPSS analysis package. The study identified the following as products of the credit unions; Susu, saving and loans, funeral loans, salary loans among others. The product with the largest patronage was savings and loans. The study found the following as the benefit members received from the credit union; receiving loans for land or building, loans to purchase vehicle, loans as working capital, etc. The study went further to look various challenges members faced in assessing facility from the credit union. These challenges include high rate, bureaucracy, favouratism, duration to qualify for a facility, etc. The finding of the study shows that credit base of Techiman area teachers‘ credit union has been increasing every year, favouratism and the frequency in getting more funds from the credit union among others are challenges members goes through in accessing facility from the credit union. It recommended that members use the benefits they receive for productive activities and therefore more funds should be given so as to help them pay the principal and interest and also to improve their livelihood in the Techiman municipality.

Source: KNUST
Assessment of the credit risk management practices of National Investment Bank Ltd.

Credit risk management is a very essential model for any financial institution. This is because the business of granting loans by these institutions involves the corporate cost of holding risk. The banking industry in Ghana though making gains; experience the setback of credit risk. As a result, the study assessed the credit risk management practices of National Investment Bank Ltd. The research was an attempt to assess the extent to which the implementation of various credit risk management practices by the bank has reduced the amount of non-performing loans. In order to answer the research objectives, the case study approach was employed questionnaire as well as face-to face interview was conducted to collate the views of senior credit officers and customers of the National Investment Bank Ltd. on credit risk management practices. Besides, information on non-performing loans was obtained from the books of accounts while the researcher also relied on data from NIB annual reports and credit policy documents for analysis. The results from the study showed that National Investment Bank has a clear, written guideline on credit risk management with the board of directors having an oversight responsibility for implementation. It was revealed that the implementation of credit risk management by NIB has imparted positively on the loans as evident in the decline in the non-performing loans of the bank. Credit policies and procedures are periodically reviewed by the board to ensure that appropriate internal controls have been established. It is recommended that the bank tighten the credit policies to ensure a further decline in the non-performing loans to achieve the 1% impairment loss as required by the regulator.

Source: KNUST
Assessment of the Credit Risk Management Practices of Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited

The flow of credit in global financial markets has slowed from a glacial pace to a virtual standstill and credit markets threaten to stay that way despite immense amounts of cash being pumped in by governments and central banks around the world. Controlling risk is a delicate business. Too much credit exposure can lead to high default rates and charge- off percentages; too little exposure often means lost business and revenue. The 2006 annual banking survey report by KPMG showed deteriorating levels in the asset quality of certain financial institutions in the country and Stanbic was not an exception. With asset quality rate of 15.3% against the backdrop of an industiy average of 11.25%, the need for a thorough assessment of the credit risk policies cannot be overlooked. The purpose of the study was to improve understanding of credit risk and assess its impact on the overall lending policies of the bank and profitability. And also to provide a platform for appreciating the role of the credit department within the bank Descriptive survey methodology was used with extensive consultation of documentations * by other researcher, the bank's books and discussions with other key stakeholders of the bank. The findings of the study showed that even though the bank has a well structured and organised credit department, weak monitoring of the bank's books; bureaucracy; ineffective staff with poor assessment of credit applications; conflict of interest on the part of relationship officers and some staff of higher position results in a customer who may not be duly qualified for credit facility but as a result of 'whom you know' and ulterior motive of staff, may be granted the assistance which finally result in difficulty in retrieval. The study recommended the removal of an account from the Lock Up category; writing off irrecoverable debts; quarterly review of NPL book by Country Head of Credit; risk monitoring; Credit Motivation; and Offers of Compromise to defaulting but reliable customers of the bank. It is hoped that the adoption mid implementation of the recommendations of this study would help improve the existing situation of the bank.

Source: KNUST