ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
De-commissioning of surface mines in Ghana -a case study

The challenges facing the surface mining operations in Ghana after the cessation of production relates to rehabilitation, reclamation and restoration of the mined-out areas and the management of the long-term environmental problems such as closure and decommissioning. The concept of de-commissioning involves, among others, the removal of unwanted infrastructure, making excavation and waste repositories safe and stable and surface reclamation with the view to minimising any environmental impact remaining after cessation of mineral production. It includes the after care or maintenance that may be needed until relinquishment of tenement. Surface mines are known to generate environmental impacts both during their lifetime and after they have ceased operation. At closure the mine is obviously not generating any income and therefore it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to find the necessary financial resources to carry out any meaningful remedial works. It is therefore pertinent to plan the mine closure and de-commissioning phases of the operation to make provisions for it while the mine is in production. According to the Mining and Minerals code, all the minerals within legal boundaries of Ghana are vested in the state. The code mandates the minerals commission, the responsibility to promote and ensure that the exploitation of the mineral resources optimally benefits the state. Bogoso Gold Limited (BGL) mines gold deposit by open cast technology in an environmental friendly manner at Bogoso, a village located in the Wassa West district of the Western Region of Ghana, 35 km north of the town of Tarkwa. Even though the stakeholders’ involvement in the decommissioning activities was not explicitly highlighted, the research identified the major stakeholders such as the proponent of the mine (i.e. company), the workforce, the chiefs and the local community, the government, District assembly and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Due to high rainfall, and the presence of reactive waste material, acid mine drainage will be a problem. As a result, the expected cost of de-commissioning the pits and waste dumps alone will be high, costing about US$11 million. Alternative livelihood programmes for the communities have been suggested by the research, which will cushion the people against the problems associated with mine closure. It is proposed that more attention be given to Palm plantation and oil processing and aquaculture because of their economic benefits. The estimated cost of cultivating a hectare of palm plantation and bringing it to fruition is about US$309/ha.

Source: KNUST
The decentralisation policy and development at local and national levels in Ghana - a Case Study of Five Districts in the Southern Volta Region

The demise of centralised development approaches in many developing countries has focused attention on decentralised development approaches as an alternative. Many developing countries including Ghana are implementing decentralisation policies. Ghana’s decentralisation policy is both a devolution and deconcentration model and is based on the Agropolitan Concept of Growth. By its very tenets this concept favours rural or local level development. The aggregation of local level development is a process of national development. It has been alleged in some publications e.g. Ghana Local Government Information Digest that the policy has been performing “magic” at the local levels since its implementation in 1988. This study was conducted as an investigation into this claim. The study area which consists five districts; Ketu, Keta, Akatsi, Sogakope and Adidome districts, situated at the south-eastern part of the Ghana was the crucible for this investigation. The rate of provision of six facilities; political administrative centres, potable water, health, schools, electricity and, post and telecommunications were examined under two distinct periods. Data analysed for these periods confirmed the alleged “magic” being formed in the rural areas. Results indicated that the overall per capita rate of development of settlements in the study area under the decentralised administration period is more than four times the rate under the centralised administration period. The study however revealed that despite this accelerated rates of development under the decentralised development administration, the study area is still largely undeveloped. This indicates the depth of the neglect the sub-region suffered under the centralised development administration period. Migration of both skilled and unskilled individuals from the sub-region in search of better opportunities elsewhere was identified as a direct result of the neglect. The major problem which militates against the full benefits of the decentralisation policy is the lack of office and residential accommodation for personnel posted to the sub-region. One other problem is the inability of the departments in the districts to fully decentralise. This leaves development projects in the districts of the sub-region uncoordinated. The recommended remedies suggested were; i. Government should see to fiscal decentralisation to the district level. This will ensure the complete decentralisation of the departments in the districts. ii District Assemblies in the sub-region, government or interested investors should be encouraged to provide accommodation units for personnel posted to the districts in the sub-region. Local community participation in development should be encouraged through training programmes directed at helping the communities realise their development potentials.

Source: KNUST
Decentralised approach to donor support for development in Ghana - a study of European Union micro-projects programme approach

Post independence strategies have made the state the main actor in development, often at the expense of other actors. This development approach was also behind European Union cooperation policies which centred on the state. Thus cooperation activities were mainly limited to government relations while decentralised actors were largely kept out. However, since the early 1 980s, this approach to development has progressed towards a more participatory approach which goes beyond governmental relationship to the involvement of decentralised actors. The expression of this is the recent signing of the EU-ACP partnership agreement in Cotonou. The agreement emphasized the principle of participatory development, extending the partnership concept to include a wide range of actors such as civil society, the private sector and local authorities in both the formulation and implementation of policies. The objective of this study is therefore to find out, how the European Union approach to development has evolved over the years and then look at the practical implications of the partnership agreement in the light of the implementation of the micro-projects programme. The study reveals that decentralisation of aid through effective participation of decentralised actors holds the key to greater ownership and sustainability of donor support programmes. However, the involvement of the decentralised actors in the formulation and implementation of policies is not a simple matter as it appears at first sight but a complex issue due to the varying interests of these actors and also the limited capacities of some of them. Certain recommendations have been made such as the need to build the capacities of decentralised actors to enable them participates effectively in both policy formulation and implementation.

Source: KNUST
Decentralization and management in the new local government system

In the early post-independence period, the choice of strategies for the government was preponderantly inform and influenced by centralist methods. The major value and mediation then were natural integration and consolidation of the new nation states. The strategies were basically the central mobilization of resources at the command, centrally directed planning. Decentralization is an old concept, which since time immemorial has been practised by one state or the other to enable as many people as possible to take part in the governance of the state as well as to give a free hand to the central Authorities to concentrate on issues or policies of more national dimension. In Ghana, decentralization as a corollary to the introduction of a new local Government system has been debated on since 1951, with the passing of the first local Government ordinance. This has culminated, in the passage of the fourth Republican constitution which has enshrined in it the concept of decentralisation through the establishment of District Assemblies. Management is a process of planning, organising, leading and controlling the work of Organisation members and of using Organisational goals. It is therefore an imperative that the science of management is applied in the decentralization process to bring about efficiency into the system.

Source: KNUST
Decentralization and solid waste management- a comparative study of Berekum and Dormaa Municipalities

Waste management remains a major challenge for any society, since all natural processes generate waste. However; it often competes with more pressing economic and social issues such as fiscal and trade matters, unemployment and poverty, education and health, and crime and security. Even within the domain of environmental sustainability, the management of waste has had to play second fiddle to fundamental challenges such as land and coastal degradation, biodiversity loss, and climate change. This has resulted in a total failure on the part of government to provide effective Solid Waste Management (SWM) for the people. The government of Ghana in trying to solve the menace of waste has decentralized waste management to promote accountability, as well as to introduce competition and cost consciousness into the public sector and develop a new role for the state in enabling and regulating. The thesis is a comparative study on the decentralized solid waste management in Berekum and Dormaa Municipalities. Specifically, the study analysed the evolving involvement of the private sector in SWM, the service quality of the companies in the two municipalities and the influence of private sector capacity and local government regulations on private sector. In order to establish the magnitude and causes of performance problems and possible policy interventions to these problems, the following questions were addressed in this study: Has decentralized SWM evolved to ensured sustainable service delivery? What is the service quality of decentralized SWM systems? What factors explain the differences in service quality of the decentralized SWM? A survey of 312 households was conducted in the 2 municipalities. Households’ perceptions about the existing service quality were rated on a scale from one to five and scores calculated. Household data were analysed to determine the extent of involvement of the residents and quality of service and residents’ satisfaction. The implications of the study for performance improvement, regulatory policy, and sustainable service delivery have been explored. The conclusions drawn from the study were that there was a significant difference in service quality within the municipalities and not between the municipalities. There were no mechanisms for full cost recovery to include majority of the residents who patronize communal collection service, there were weak regulatory practices and non-adherence to contractual obligations. In the light of these problems enumerated above, the research study recommended the adherence to formal rules, use of appropriate cost recovery mechanism for low income group, and restructuring of institutional arrangements to ensure bottom-up approach to user involvement, enforcement of legislation and capacity building.

Source: KNUST
Decentralization in the Health Care Delivery in Ghana. ‘A Case Study of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital-Kumasi’.

Since the 1980’s both developing and developed countries have been embarking on public sector management reforms. One such Reform was decentralization. The level of implementation of Health Care Decentralization in an institution depends on a number of indicators such as; the right of Directorates to generate their own income, the authority of Directorates to allocate resources, the authority to set targets and see to achieving them, the number and type of decisions taken by the Directorates, the degree of independence of Directorate from the CEO as self managed Directorates, the number of hierarchical levels in the organogram, the degree of delegations etc. Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital(KATH) implemented decentralization of Health Care Delivery in the form of directorates system along the pattern of age, sex, diseases etc. five (5) years ago. There has not being much research to establish the existence of these indicators above and the level of the implementation of decentralization of health care is still unknown. The general objective of the research was to identify how decentralization in the Health Care Delivery is implemented at KATH in relation to Human resource, Finance and Service Organization. It was a descriptive cross-sectional study with purposive sampling size of 60 subjects. SPSS were used to analyze the raw data collected. The major outcome of the research was that about 55% of respondents appreciate the level of Health Care Decentralization at KATH. The major benefit of Decentralization of Health care Delivery at KATH was quick decision making (88.3%) whiles the major limitation was the GH¢ 25 spending limit of Directorates. In nutshell, for the fact that there is decentralization does not mean Directorates activities should not be subjected to approval by hospital top management. At least there should be some degree of accountability of the Directorates to the top Management of KATH.

Source: KNUST
Decentralization as a panacea to rural development: a case study of the Asante Akim North district.

This study is aimed to assess the District Assembly Panacea to Rural Development in Ghana with a specific focus on the Asante Akim North District. The study adopted both quantitative and qualitative approach to data collection. The researchers used convenient sampling technique with a sample size of hundred (100) and the data for the study was basically primary. The findings revealed that the District Chief Executives (DCEs) who are to be managers at the District level are not but rather occupied on workshops and meetings, most of which may not be productive and relevant to their duties. The researcher also found out that, Municipal/ District Assemblies do not attend to the immediate needs of communities. This has led to the abandonment of some projects in the selected communities. Lastly, the researcher found out that, those in remote communities within the districts still lacking basic social amenities such as good school infrastructure, libraries, hospitals, potable water and electricity hence a bad impression by the people in relation to the developments taking place in the education, health, water and electricity sectors owing to lack of funding, limited managerial skills and too much interference from the District level. The study recommends that the District Assembly together with its stakeholders must sensitize the public on the Public Private Partnership policies of the government for active private sector participation in the development management of facilities like stores, public toilets, guesthouses, water supply systems and possibly property rate revenue collection. Also, proposals need to be developed or prepared and presented to development partners and other potential funding sources to solicit their intervention in district development.

Source: KNUST
Decision making strategies adopted by construction managers on stakeholder attributes: A case of Effutu Municipal Assembly

Scanty or lack of research papers on construction stakeholder management in relation to the construction manager’s decision making adopted on stakeholder attributes rationalized the need to highlight the concept. Thus, this study sought to assess the decision-making strategies adopted by construction managers on stakeholder attributes at the Effutu Municipal Assembly. The subsequent objectives were set to guide the study: identify the decision-making strategies adopted by construction managers on stakeholder attributes; identify stakeholder attributes that are more distinct in the construction industry; and identify the impact of decision-making strategies adopted by construction managers on stakeholder attributes on the successful implementation of projects. The study adopted critical review of germane literature on decision-making strategies adopted by construction managers on stakeholder attributes. The quantitative research approach was thus adopted to address the preceding objectives. A total of 65 questionnaires were administered and 51 were completed representing a response rate of 78.46%. That is, the research analysis was grounded on this response rate. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and mean score ranking. It was revealed that the most adopted decision-making strategy was giving out information to build relationship with stakeholders –having a mean value of 3.14. Similarly, it was revealed that the most distinct attribute of stakeholders in the construction industry was utilitarian power with financial or material resources (e.g. money, goods possession, and services) –having a mean value of 2.98. The study concluded that Decision making strategies adopted by construction managers on stakeholder attributes for construction projects is important for project success as the construction industry is undoubtedly crucial to the GDP and sustainable development of most economies, particularly developing countries like Ghana. The study thus recommended that proper channels should be created for effective communication between construction managers and the various project stakeholders.

Source: KNUST
Decision making strategies adopted by construction managers on stakeholder attributes: A case of Effutu Municipal Assembly

Scanty or lack of research papers on construction stakeholder management in relation to the construction manager’s decision making adopted on stakeholder attributes rationalized the need to highlight the concept. Thus, this study sought to assess the decision-making strategies adopted by construction managers on stakeholder attributes at the Effutu Municipal Assembly. The subsequent objectives were set to guide the study: identify the decision-making strategies adopted by construction managers on stakeholder attributes; identify stakeholder attributes that are more distinct in the construction industry; and identify the impact of decision-making strategies adopted by construction managers on stakeholder attributes on the successful implementation of projects. The study adopted critical review of germane literature on decision-making strategies adopted by construction managers on stakeholder attributes. The quantitative research approach was thus adopted to address the preceding objectives. A total of 65 questionnaires were administered and 51 were completed representing a response rate of 78.46%. That is, the research analysis was grounded on this response rate. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and mean score ranking. It was revealed that the most adopted decision-making strategy was giving out information to build relationship with stakeholders –having a mean value of 3.14. Similarly, it was revealed that the most distinct attribute of stakeholders in the construction industry was utilitarian power with financial or material resources (e.g. money, goods possession, and services) –having a mean value of 2.98. The study concluded that Decision making strategies adopted by construction managers on stakeholder attributes for construction projects is important for project success as the construction industry is undoubtedly crucial to the GDP and sustainable development of most economies, particularly developing countries like Ghana. The study thus recommended that proper channels should be created for effective communication between construction managers and the various project stakeholders

Source: KNUST
Decision support system for agro-technology transfer (DSSAT) model simulation of maize growth and yield response to npk fertilizer application on a benchmark soil of Sudan savanna agro-ecological zone of Ghana

Maize production in the Sudan savanna agro-ecological zone of Ghana is hindered by erratic rainfall and low soil fertility. The use of inorganic fertilizers tends to increase yield of maize. The general objective of the study was to refine profitable fertilizer recommendation for maize production on selected benchmark soils in the Sudan savanna agro-ecological zone using Decision Support System for Agro-technology transfer (DSSAT). The experiment was laid in RCBD with a plot size of 4.8 m X 6m and 4 replications. Obaatanpa maize variety was used for the experiment. The soil at the site was Tanchera soil series (Ferric Lixisol, FAO classification). NPK fertilizer rates evaluated were 0-0-0, 0-90-90, 40-90-90, 80-90-90, 120-0-90, 120-45-90, 120-90-90, 120-90-0, 120-90-45 and 160-90-90 kg/ha respectively. The predictive ability of the DSSAT model was tested and validated with data collected from the field during 2010 growing season. Mean difference (MD), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), R2, d-statistic and Normalized Root Mean Square Error (NRMSE) were used to determine the level of coincidence between the observed field and model simulated results. Results showed that treatment 160-90-90 had the highest yield, by-product weight and top weight from both the field data and the model predictions. Treatment 0-90-90 had the lowest yield, by-product weight and top weight. The seasonal analysis of the model showed that 160-90-90 was the best and most efficient for maize production on Tanchera soil series (Ferric Lixisol FAO, 2006) in the Sudan savanna agro-ecological zone in terms of yield and monetary returns per hectare.

Source: KNUST