ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Gender equality in managerial positions in Ghana’s civil service: challenges and prospects

This study is a comparative investigation of gender equality in managerial position in the respective Civil Service in the Ghana Cocoa Board, Ghana Highways authority and teachers in Ghana Education Service in the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly. The study was supported with literature on the following areas: gender equity in leadership positions, gender and leadership in Ghana, perceptions on gendered differences in leadership, the situation of women leadership in Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, a global review of gender inequality in leadership/management, affirmative action and discrimination within the organization, gender differences in leadership, empirical literature on gender inequality in management: gender stereotype, inequity in education, recruitment, employment and advancement, government policies supporting and promoting status and welfare, and a conceptual framework. A descriptive design method was adopted and qualitative data analysis approach of interviews was used to elicit data from respondents with a sample size of 150. The findings from the analyzed data, indicated that women are suffering from domestic constraints, psychological factors, pressure at work and home. In addition, some men said that the place for women is the kitchen. It was also revealed that women in the Civil Service faced challenges and also indicated that the women in the Civil Service are disproportionally represented in leadership and managerial positions. Therefore, the Civil Service needs to follow the Employment Equity Act in terms of balancing gender in the working environment. From the foregoing findings, several recommendations were made such as: that recruitment, selection and placement in organization should avoid a tokenistic pattern that has been the trend used against women representation. The government should create a women leadership platform or network in order to let women share success and challenges they face in their leadership practices.

Source: KNUST
Gender disparities of chronic musculoskeletal disorder burden in the elderly Ghanaian population: study on global ageing and adult health (SAGE WAVE 1)

Background: Traditionally, non-communicable diseases including musculoskeletal disorders have not been a priority in low-and-middle income countries. The main aim of this paper is to assess age and gender specific burden by estimating the current prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and associated risk factors in the elderly Ghanaian population. Methods: Between May 2007 and June 2008, the World Health Organization conducted a nationwide study on AGEing (SAGE) and Adult Health in Ghana. The study employed a multistage cluster sampling strategy to identify participants by stratifying the population by age and setting. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. A Poisson regression model was fitted with robust error variance. Prevalence estimates took into account the complex survey design and sampling weights. Statistical significance was considered at p ≤ 0.05 significance level. Statistical analysis was performed with STATA version 11.2. Results: The prevalence rates of chronic back pain and chronic arthritis/joints pain were higher in women than men. The overall crude prevalence’s rates were 28.2 and 10.7 % for chronic back pain and chronic arthritis/joints pain respectively. Substantial differences existed between men and women in terms of socio-economic status, education level and occupational status. Women with primary education had a chronic back pain prevalence of 36.2 % (95 % CI; 29.2, 43.3) and chronic arthritis/joints pain prevalence of 15.8 % (95 % CI; 11.1, 20.6) while their male counterparts had prevalence rates of 29.0 % (95 % CI; 23.4, 34.5) and 9.8 % (95 % CI; 6.4, 13.2) respectively. Residence (rural and urban) did not appear to influence the prevalence of chronic back pain and arthritis/joints pain. Conclusion: Our findings suggest the existence of sex differences in chronic back pain and chronic arthritis/joint pain in the elderly population in Ghana after adjustment for demographic and socio-economic factors. It indicates the existence of inequalities in health between elderly men and women with women suffering more from chronic back pain and chronic arthritis/joints pain.

Source: KNUST
Gender inequalities among Students in Visual Art Education in selected Senior High Schools in Kumasi Metropolis

Gender equality has been a topic of interest to many organizations and governments over the years. For example, Millennium Development Goals 2 and 3 underline the significance of ensuring equal access for girls and boys to education, eliminating gender inequalities in main and secondary education, creating equal education programmes and curricula, and offering adequate resources to monitor and implement equitable education reforms. Moreover, several gender-specific projects such as the establishment of the Girls ' Education Unit (GEU) in 1997 and the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs (MOWAC) in 2001, the introduction of food rations and schemes for disadvantaged girls, especially at elementary and secondary level, to attain the MDGs by 2015. All these have been done to bridge the gap between the two genders in the whole educational system in Ghana. However, one may ask that for all these interventions, is the visual art programme affected positively? Therefore this study sought to analysis some gender inequalities among students in visual art education in Ghana with the following objectives; (i) To find out how male and female students of visual art are distributed in the chosen high schools in Kumasi Metropolis, (ii) To identify and discuss the causes of inequalities in the population and distribution of male and female students offering Visual Art education and (iii) To propose appropriate interventions to promote gender equality among the population and distribution of male and female students offering Visual Art in selected Schools. The descriptive research under the qualitative method was employed. Proportionate stratified sampling technique was to choose One Hundred and fifty (150) Visual Art students and Six (6) teachers from two schools participated in the study. The teachers indicated that the programme is not biased towards any of the sexes in relation to accessing Visual Art Education in their respective schools, thus both males and females have equal access. However, data obtained shows that enrollment of female students into the programme for the 2018/2019 academic year was 24.9% as against 75.1% for the male enrollment. Some female students feels they are not motivated enough in that only few of their teachers are females. Some other female students bemoaned that some male colleagues and even some teachers discourage them during practical assignments. The researchers suggested among others that the Education Ministry through the Education Service of Ghana should recruit more female teachers in the art programmes in the country's several senior high schools. Also, Visual Art teachers should encourage their female students by motivating them in order increase enrollment in the subsequent academic years.

Source: KNUST
Gender-Disaggregated Consumer Testing and Descriptive Sensory Analysis of Local and New Yam Varieties

Gender-disaggregated sensory evaluation has become an essential element that could enhance breeding activities by increasing the adoption of new varieties. The effect of age, sex and geographical location on descriptor preferences for boiled and pounded yam were studied using descriptive and consumer testing. Attributes with definitions and measurement scales were used to generate lexicons for boiled and pounded yam. Analytical tools employed for the inferential statistics were the independent t-test, analysis of variance, Kruskal–Wallis test, Mann–Whitney test and relative importance index (RII). Descriptive testing showed that all the D. rotundata varieties were good for boiling and pounding. The D. alata varieties afase soanyinto and afase biri were most liked, while afase pa and ahodenfo were disliked. Age had no significant effect on descriptor preferences. Being a female or male, however, influenced preferences for pounded yam descriptors such as mouldability, lumpiness and colour. The RII for the D. rotundata varieties (0.22–0.28) showed that they are all good varieties for boiling and pounding. The local D. alata varieties were still highly acceptable compared the new CRI varieties due to the aroma. Rural consumers preferred all the descriptors of boiled D. rotundata than urban consumers, whereas urban consumers liked the pounded yam varieties better than the rural consumers. Availability of the new yam varieties on local markets could therefore increase consumption and improve adoption.

Source: KNUST
Gendered perceptions and adaptation practices of smallholder cocoa farmers to climate variability in the Central Region of Ghana

Understanding gendered adaptation practices among smallholder cocoa farmers is crucial to ensuring sustainable cocoa production in Ghana. This study examined the gendered perceptions and adaptation practices of small- holder cocoa farmers to climate variability in three selected communities (Breman Ayipey, Breman Baako and Breman Kuntanase) in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District of the Central Region, Ghana. The study adopted a mixed-methods approach including household surveys and focus group discussions with 10 participants in each community. Mann-Kendall trend test was used to determine the rainfall and temperature changes in the study district from 2000 to 2015. Results indicated that there was no significant difference between male and female farmers’ perceptions of climate variability ( p > 0.05). Both male and female farmers perceived an increasing temperature, rainfall, windstorms and flooding for the past 15 years. The Mann-Kendall trend test showed that annual rainfall and temperature had increased over the study period although the trends were not statistically significant ( p > 0.05). Both male and female farmers had resorted to the use of different adaptation practices to reduce the threats of climate variability. There was a substantial difference between adaptation practices used by male and female farmers such as changing planting dates, use of drought tolerant hybrids, shade management, livestock rearing and income from sale of properties ( p < 0.05). The study recommends policy formulations that incorporate gender perspectives into climate change adaptation practices among smallholder cocoa farmers in Ghana.

Source: KNUST
General Insurance, a tool for managing business risks: A case study of SMEs in the Tamale Metropolis

SMEs are noted as the foundation of the emerging private sector in developing countries and government’s assistance is paramount to sustaining and growing them for the sector’s contribution to the country’s economy (World Bank report, 2000). Despite efforts to enhance performance of SMEs, little or no attention is given to the sector to become business recovery conscious in moments when disaster strikes. Events such as violent floods, fire outbreaks, traffic accidents, occupational hazards, accidental damage to properties and harm caused to lives, theft and armed robbery, as well as other unforeseen events have slowed down private sector investment activities, and in some instance discontinued the existence of businesses. The need to possess appropriate insurance policy cover is significant and beneficial to both public and private stake holders; and more importantly to the survival and success of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sector. The survey involved the collection of data using questionnaire and observation as a complement. In all 184 questionnaires were administered. The data gathered were primary in nature and then analysed using frequency counts, cross tabulation, graphs and percentages. The basic motive of this research was to establish whether SMEs within the Tamale Metropolitan Area use non-life insurance as a risk management tool. The results have shown that most of the SMEs do not have insurance policies for their businesses, and the level of information on insurance is relatively low. Owners of SMEs are required to be educated on the need to have insurance and appropriate insurance to recover business losses associated with their operations through periodic workshops organised by industry players. The need to enforce the Insurance Act on fire and liability insurance to ensure compliance is paramount to enhancing business recovery mechanism for the sector.

Source: KNUST
Gender diversity and firm performance: the role of corporate social responsibility

This study examines how CSR moderates the relationship between board gender diversity and firm performance. Seventeen non-financial enterprises listed on the Ghana stock markets are sampled from 2009 to 2021. The design for the study is explanatory, and the data are analysed using panel regression. This study finds that eight of the seventeen firms do not commit any resources towards CSR activities financially. Also, the study finds that firms are not able to maintain consistent financial support toward CSR activities. Only three firms show consistent CSR commitment, and two of them are state-owned firms. The study also finds that board gender diversity has a significant positive effect on firm performance. There are two metrics of firm performance. Board gender diversity is significant at the 10 per cent level with ROA and significant at the 5 per cent level with GPM. The study finds that CSR does not moderate the relationship between board gender diversity and firm performance. The interaction between board gender diversity and CSR is significant at the 10 per cent level for ROA but insignificant for GPM (p-value; 0.24). This study recommends that firms should establish a diversity policy that include goals and metrics for increasing board gender diversity. The policy should be communicated to stakeholders and progress should be regularly reported.

Source: KNUST
Generalization of Odd Ramos-Louzada generated family of distributions: Properties, characterizations, and applications to diabetes and cancer survival datasets

Probability distributions offer the best description of survival data and as a result, various lifetime models have been proposed. However, some of these survival datasets are not followed or suf ficiently fitted by the existing proposed probability distributions. This paper presents a novel Kumaraswamy Odd Ramos-Louzada-G (KumORL-G) family of distributions together with its statistical features, including the quantile function, moments, probability-weighted moments, order statistics, and entropy measures. Some relevant characterizations were obtained using the hazard rate function and the ratio of two truncated moments. In light of the proposed KumORL-G family, a five-parameter sub-model, the Kumaraswamy Odd Ramos-Louzada Burr XII (KumORLBXII) distribution was introduced and its parameters were determined with the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) technique. Monte Carlo simulation was performed and the numerical results were used to evaluate the MLE technique. The proposed probability distribu tion’s significance and applicability were empirically demonstrated using various complete and censored datasets on the survival times of cancer and diabetes patients. The analytical results showed that the KumORLBXII distribution performed well in practice in comparison to its sub models and several other competing distributions. The new KumORL-G for diabetes and cancer survival data is found extremely efficient and offers an enhanced and novel technique for modeling survival datasets.

Source: KNUST
Generation and management of funds In public schools. A Case Study of Yaa Asantewaa Girls’ Senior High School

The availability of funds in the achievement of an organization’s operations has over time been seen as a key issue. However, the generation and subsequently its management cannot be overlooked as funds are never enough to cater for all financial needs of any organization. It is in this direction that this study seeks to look at how public schools generate and manage funds for their activities. The country has over the years experienced scarcity when it comes to finances. This therefore makes disbursement of allocated funds to government sectors inadequate. The need then arises for school authorities to be abreast with the requisite skill and knowledge in financial management in order to manage the little financial resources available towards the achievement of their goals. The aim of the study is to find out the major sources of funds, compare the trend of funds received over a period of five years, how public schools are complying with the financial administration act as well to examine the challenges faced with the generation and management of funds. The study in its analysis stage combined qualitative and quantitative methods by administering questionnaire to key staff members that are concerned with the generation and management of funds for the school. It was revealed in the study that the fact that government subsidies are inadequate is true and thus internally generated funds is the main source of funds with little support from donor pool funds; which are the three sources of funds available to public schools. It was also gathered that compliance with the financial administration act be strengthen as it forms the core of generation and management of funds. The study further revealed that lack of professionalism and not frequently equipping staff concerned with adequate knowledge and skill are some challenges faced with the management of funds. This study therefore recommends that the school’s financial policies be strengthened to ensure effective generation and management to achieve maximum benefits in running the schools activities to realize its goals.

Source: KNUST
The generational link between Ama Ata Aidoo and Amma Darko: a case study of their prose works

The works of female writers have often been dismissed as self-seeking texts that champion the parochial interests of women. In fact some African feminists, especially Molara Ogundipe-Leslie, have posited that the female writer must “tell us about being a woman” and “describe reality from a woman’s view, a woman’s perspective.” However, in an attempt to establish the generational link between the works of two prolific Ghanaian female writers (Ama Ata Aidoo and Amma Darko) this thesis has established the fact that the modern feminist is not concerned with exclusively female issues but equally focuses on the political, economic and socio-cultural realities of her society. Among other pertinent issues, Aidoo’s and Darko’s prose works which have been examined in this thesis show that both female writers have and continue to explore issues such as the negative effects of colonialism, self-exile, unemployment, the plight of the poor and the marginalised, racism, and domestic violence. Though writing from two different generations, Aidoo and Darko manifest continuity in the sort of issues their works explore although their artistic skills and their attitudes towards these issues differ slightly. It is this generational link in the issues Aidoo and Darko discuss that this thesis establishes. Most importantly, the thesis draws attention to the fact that modern feminists like Aidoo and Darko are not concerned with only female issues but also with other pertinent issues of their society.

Source: KNUST
Generation mean analysis of two populations of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) for yield and yield components

Owing to the limited availability of high yielding cultivars that are suitable for different purposes, the yield of tomato in Ghana falls between 7.5 and 10 tones/ha which is far below the world’s average yield 45-50 tones/ha. Therefore, identification of superior plant and fruit types for further improvement in yield is necessary. Hence, two separate experiments designated as genotype (F) and genotype (G) were conducted at the Horticulture Division, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-Crops Research Institute (CRI) Kwadaso, Kumasi, Ghana to evaluate early generations of interspecific crosses of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) genotypes for yield using a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications under field conditions. Data were collected on growth parameters and yield components, including plant height, stem girth, days to flowering, days to maturity, fruit weights, number of fruits per plant, fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit flesh thickness, brix, total fruit weight per genotype, marketable fruits and nonmarketable fruits per plant. Heritability was estimated on the above traits. Results from the study showed that total marketable fruits was higher for ‘BC2F1’, ‘F2’, ‘F1’, P2 (213)’, and ‘P2 (042)’ than the rest of the genotypes, whereas P1 (083), P1 (097), BC1F1 had the lowest for total marketable yield. Considering yield and yield components, F2 was found to be better than the rest of the genotypes for most of the characters for genotype (F), while P2 (213) produced higher yield than segregating population for genotypes (G) and F1 was found to be the poorest performer for almost all parameters for genotypes (F) and (G). Fruit flesh thickness, fruit length, fruit diameter and number of nonmarketable showed high broad sense heritability. Number of marketable fruits, total fruit weight, number of fruit per plant, brix, days to flowering, days to maturity, fruit flesh thickness, fruit weight per plant and stem girth showed high heritability.

Source: KNUST