ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Management Information System Practices at Ghana Cocoa Board

The study sets out to assess the management information system practices in Ghana Cocoa Board. The three main specific objectives were to assess the nature of management information system practices, to examine the benefits of management information system practices, and finally to ascertain the challenges of management information system practices at Ghana Cocoa Board Head Office, Accra. The study employed a quantitative research approach and descriptive survey as the study design. The study was on the views of 175 employees from the study area with a self-administered questionnaire as the main research instrument. The results were analysed using descriptive statistics with the help of the Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS 22.0 version) software. The major findings of the study revealed that the administrative information is stored in the management information system of the organisation. This leads to quick decision making, saves office space and promotes good corporate governance. It was further indicated that there were insufficient resources in terms of professionally trained management information system managers, training-starved administrative staff and office space. Therefore, it was recommended that management of Ghana Cocoa Board Head Office, Accra should embrace the information system management function to ensure its effectiveness, and also professionally trained management information system managers should be employed.

Source: UCC
Management of chronic non-communicable diseases at Komfo Anokye and Korle Bu teaching hospitals in Ghana

This study explored the management of chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs) at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) in Ghana, using phenomenology as the study design. Using purposive and accidental sampling procedures, I interviewed 82 patients receiving care for CNCDs as well as 30 health professionals managing their conditions, using in-depth interview guides. Data collected were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The study revealed that management practices by the health professionals included general education on the CNCDs, checking of vital signs, and the prescription of medications/surgeries based on the CNCDs of the patients. Also, management practices by patients were mainly in the form of self-management which included exercise and diet restrictions. Coping strategies adopted by the patients in managing their conditions included prayer and engaging in social activities such as listening to/watching entertainment programmes on radio/television. Challenges faced by health professionals in managing the CNCDs included job-related stress, inadequate staffing, inadequate logistics, poor utility supply, and inadequate in-service training on CNCDs. Patients had financial challenges in buying medicines and undergoing expensive surgeries, especially those not covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). The challenges militate against achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 3.4 on CNCDs. The findings underscore the need for the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service to develop and implement a chronic care management policy to give more priority to the management of CNCDs

Source: UCC
Management of curriculum change: a mechanism for ensuring continuous academic improvement in Ghanaian universities

Effective collaboration in the curriculum change effort remains a challenge in higher education, in particular, with comprehensive curriculum reform or change. Curriculum modification to existing courses or content will not always lead to the desired reform even though a collaborative approach has been the foundation of the process. Comprehensive and collaborative curriculum change requires a full examination of how academics conceive their role and how the curriculum itself is defined, analyzed, and changed. Through a systematic review of literature, the researchers were able to create a contextualized emergent model for curriculum change management for Ghanaian universities derived from experience and educational policies. It emerged from the review of literature that a collectively shared guiding vision for an effective curriculum change provided a strong foundation for the comprehensive curriculum review process; Embracing curriculum as a shared responsibility among faculty and administration led to widespread participation; The collaboration of various groups within the institution in the process promoted organizational change; Cultural issues regarding people and organizational structure served as barriers to the collaboration process, simultaneously the curriculum team’s sense of community strengthened the curriculum review process. This position paper, therefore, recommends that the Ministry of Education in conjunction with the Ghana Education Service should ensure that the practice of curriculum change is highly decentralized to reflect local concerns. Thus, the decentralization of the process would be tailored towards the local needs of the area. This would make education more meaningful and relevant to students.

Source: UCC
Management of domestic solid waste in Ghana: Perception of households

The rapid economic development and population growth in Ghana have resulted in waste management problems as major cities battled with tons of uncontrolled rubbish, polythene bags spotted all over and waste disposal sites are full of refuse which causes serious health hazards and disease outbreak. This study therefore sought to examine the perception of stakeholders on domestic solid waste management in the Kumasi metropolis of Ghana. Data for the study were obtained by the use of semi-structured questionnaire and interviews with key informants. The results indicated that the frequency of waste collection was daily for communal waste sites and varied from daily, once, twice to three times per week for house-to-house collection. It was also revealed that inadequate equipment, poor roads, inadequate funds and inadequate trained staff were identified to be the key constraints that local authority and waste collection companies faced. The study recommends that to improve waste management within the metropolis, education and awareness creation concerning reduction of wastes should be carried out. Also, the local authority should make funds available to secure the needed logistics to improve waste management

Source: UCC
Management of employee stress in financial institutions: A case study of Ghana Commercial Bank Limited Branches Cape Coast

The aim of the study was to determine the extent to which staff of Ghana Commercial Bank Limited branches in the Cape Coast Municipality experience job-related stress, the behavioural manifestations of stress and the coping strategies adopted by staff at the work place. A sample of sixty-eight respondents was drawn from staff of the branches in the Cape Coast Municipality. The research design used for the study was a descriptive survey. The research instrument used was the questionnaire. The major findings of the study indicated the presence of stress in the form of emotions, occupational and physiological at the Ghana Commercial Bank Limited branches in the Cape Coast Municipality. They impatient, withdraw from people, and became disgusted when others were perfect on their jobs. On the coping strategies adopted by staff, the findings revealed that the staff used time management techniques, consulted colleagues when faced difficult situations, listened to music, and exercised regularly. It is, therefore, recommended to the management of the banks to organise workshops for counsellors to make staff aware of the many factors that are potential stressors and how to manage all types of stress associated with working in financial institutions.

Source: UCC
Management of instructional time in the public junior secondary schools in the Cape Coast municipality

With the reduction in the number of years spent at the basic school level from the previous ten years to nine years it has often been argued that the short fall of one academic year represents a very significant loss of instructional time. The perceived loss and how to offset this is the focus of the study. The study was based on research questions on lesson planning and its usage, supervision in schools as well as interferences and interruptions during instructional time. A review of the relevant literature was done to provide a point of departure for the study. The study was conducted in the 44 Junior Secondary Schools within the Cape Coast Municipality. The respondents were the 44 headteachers and 174 teachers. By means of interviews, questionnaire and onthe-sport observations, data were collected, tabulated and processed for analysis. The findings were ineffective external supervision on instructional time use, interferences and interruptions of activities held during instructional time, the preparation of teaching notes and the time being wasted on the changing over from one lesson to another. The analysis leads to the conclusion that in-service training on lesson planning especially with regard to breaking down the lesson into time-referenced, smaller manageable units from the introduction to the conclusion and evaluation is needed. The study also argues for another look at the existing official timetable to determine the various ways through which instructional time is lost, albeit inadvertently. The need for regular external monitoring of instructional time use in schools by the educational authorities is also recommended. There is also the need for further research into instructional time use at the JSS level in Ghana with a view to eliminating or at least minimizing waste in instructional time use at this level.

Source: UCC
Management of learning resources in Public Junior High Schools in the Mfantseman Municipality in the Central Region of Ghana

The main purpose was to find out the availability, adequacy and state of learning resources in the Junior High Schools (JHSs) in the Mfantseman Municipality in the Central Region of Ghana. It further wanted to find out how heads as well as teachers manage these available learning resources. In all 202 teachers and 70 headteachers were involved in the study. The headteachers were requested to answer 50 items whilst the teachers had 49 items. The entire respondents answered closed-ended questions on the availability, adequacy and state of school resources. They further answered questions on how the resources are managed in the JHSs in the Mfantseman Municipality. The main findings were:There were available learning resources in most of the schools and were adequate. Only science equipment were inadequate. The state of learning resources was good with the exception of science equipment. The resources were yearly replaced and inspected once a week.Old existing materials were used when resources are not supplied, resources are mainly kept in the headteachers office and receipt voucher and inventory books are used to take school records. It was concluded that:More learning resources should be supplied to schools to help eliminate the inadequacies in the schools.Both teachers and head teachers should constantly inspect and ensure effective use of learning resources in the schools. It is recommended that Ghana Education Service, head teachers and teachers should regularly maintain and replace outmoded learning resources in the schools.

Source: UCC
The Management of Micro Credit and Poverty Reduction in Ghana: a Case of Birim Central Municipality

Most development policies and programmes, including microfinance, have prioritised poverty reduction. As a result, it is critical in development practice to aim such policies and programs at the poor. The causes for these microfinance enterprises’ failure have sparked the researcher’s curiosity, pushing him to do advanced research into credit management in microfinance institutions in the Birim Central Municipality of Ghana’s Eastern Region. As a result, the study looked into the effect of credit management and poverty reduction in Ghana’s Eastern Region’s Birim Central Municipality. The effect of credit management, practices, causes and challenges were also explored. The study revealed that holding microcredit management in terms of client appraisal, credit risk control, and collection policy to a constant zero, poverty reduction would be 4.798, and a unit increase in microcredit management would lead to an increase in poverty reduction by a factor of 0.494. The study’s results showed a positive effect of microcredit management of the MFIs on the poverty reduction of beneficiaries of the institution. The study further revealed that issues of the board and staff influencing approval, disbursements, and recovery, customer business failure due to mismanagement, lack of appropriate security on the part of loan applicants, the problem of liquidity on the part of customers, inadequate information about the customers’ business, delay in the approval of loans and high overdue rate used by the bank were the common and major challenges faced by these MFIs. The study suggests that more research be done into all of the variables related to microfinance credit management and their effects on beneficiaries’ poverty reduction and the institution’s success.

Source: UCC
Management of natural resources in a conflicting environment in Ghana: unmasking a messy policy problem

Resource use conﬂict is an enduring problem for science and policy making. Using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with resource users, policy makers and key informants, we explored four case examples of resource use conﬂict within lands and forestry, ﬁsheries, oil and the mining sectors in Ghana. Results indicate that resource use conﬂict consists of a complex, non-linear system of balancing and reinforcing feedback loops that recur across resource sectors. The conﬂicts are difﬁcult to clearly deﬁne, have many interdependencies and are multi-causal. Speciﬁcally, dysfunctional policy, commoditization of land, infringement on rights of users, shift from communal to private land ownership, renegotiation of rights, and unclear roles and responsibilities of government agencies, exacerbate conﬂicts among resource users, managers and policy makers in Ghana. In addition, supranational policy such as the protocol of the Economic Community of West African States, which promotes free movement of people and goods within the 16-nation community, is a driver of conﬂict between native farmers and nomadic Fulani herders. Clear policy directions from government that outlines the speciﬁc roles of various departments involved in resource issues together with a holistic community participatory approach is therefore required to comprehensively understand and address such conﬂicts

Source: UCC
Management of Pedestrian Walkways in Accra Metropolis

Walking is a sustainable and basic mode of transport worldwide. In developing countries, it is a crucial means of transportation. Walkways provide the main infrastructure that affords pedestrians the ability to manoeuvre safely through the built environment. Faced with rapid motorization and increased congestion, government investments have focused more on vehicular infrastructure expansion at the expense of pedestrians in Accra, Ghana. Available spaces for pedestrians have also been found to be inadequate, highly encroached and obstructed, and poorly maintained. Thus, there is a need to assess the management of pedestrian walkways and sidewalks in Accra Metropolis. The study adopted a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, drawing on the model of public space management. A mixed sampling technique was used to sample 239 everyday users and 7 institutional heads. Data was obtained from the field using a questionnaire, an interview guide, and a field auditing scheme. Simple regression, PCA, and MAXQDA were used to analyse the results. The results of the study revealed that the existing conditions of pedestrian walkways within the metropolis were poor. The results also suggest that organisational practises in the management of pedestrian walkways were unsatisfactory. The challenges confronting institutions mandated with the management of pedestrian walkways and sidewalks border on issues such as political interference, institutional inadequacies in enforcement, lack of funds, lack of skilled staff and logistics, poor institutional and departmental coordination, and a lack of policy direction. The study recommends that institutions and departments should be adequately resourced in their undertakings. A policy on design and standards should be developed to manage non-motorised facilities like walkways and sidewalks to ensure their sustainability.

Source: UCC
Management of plastic waste in the Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipality

The main objective of the study was to examine the management of Plastic Waste in the Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipality. The study was limited to the Nsawam Central Market. Data was collected from both primary and secondary sources. This was done by administering questionnaires to members of the public, environmental officers and staff of the Nsawam Municipal Assembly. The municipal assembly was selected because they are in charge of waste management in the municipality. The study indicated that organic waste forms the 75% of the total waste generated in the municipality, organic waste was followed by plastic waste. Plastic waste alone accounted for about 22% of the total waste generation in the Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipality, thereby making plastic waste management an important aspect of the Municipal Assembly. By way of recommendation, it is very prudent that right from the national level, a more pragmatic policy direction be established to let everyone be aware of the direction the country is going so far as plastic waste management is concerned. This should be such that the information would be made privy to everyone within the country which will also be followed by several adverts and media coverage and announcements.

Source: UCC
Management of taro leaf blight disease caused by Phytophthora colocasiae in the Eastern Region of Ghana

Studies on the management of leaf blight disease on taro by Phytophthora colocasiae were conducted in the Eastern District of Ghana. The studies comprised a survey to assess the prevalence of the disease, production practices of fanners and perception of the disease in ten selected districts of the region. It also included characterisation of isolates of Phytophthora colocasiae from the ten districts and the evaluation of twenty-one taro accessions both in vitro and on the field for resistance to the taro leaf blight disease (TLBD). Five different fungicides (Carbendazim, Agro Comet, Chemoliette, Mancozeb and TOPS-M) were evaluated in vitro to determine their effectiveness against P. colocasiae as well as evaluation of different plant distances (1.0 m x 1.0 m, 0. 75 m x 0. 75 m and 0.6 m x0.9 m) for the management of TLBD. It was observed that majority of the farmers were male (75%), relatively young (< 50%) with age range of 20 to 49 years and low level of education (JHS/MSL). Most farmers produced taro on small pieces of land (0.5 acres to 1.44 acres) and in river plains as sole crop. Majority of the farmers had observed the TLBD on their farms and revealed that it mostly occurred in the rainy season and high in marshy areas with stagnant water. The results revealed that majority of the farmers used insecticides instead of fungicides to manage the disease. Few fa1mers practiced pruning as and when the disease appeared and admitted that it was very effective in managing the disease. The disease was observed to be very high in the districts with incidence of 62.2% to 92.2% in wet season and 69.9% to 78.9% in dry season with New Juabeng and Fanteakwa district recording the highest. The studies revealed that all the isolates were P. colocasiae, but showed differences in their length and width of sporangia, varying from 36 µm to 61.67 µm and 20 µm to 28 µm respectively and also a pedicel length of 3.667 µm to 12.333 µm. Amongst the 21 taro accessions evaluated, 4 exotic ones were resistant to the TLBD and only one local accession was tolerant. Carbendazim and Agro Comet (Metalaxyl + Copper (I) oxide) were identified to be most effective in reducing the growth of P. colocasiae at a rate of 300 ppm to 500 ppm. The combination of wider spacing (I.Om x I.Om and 0.75m x 0.75) and pruning reduced the severity of the disease significantly.

Source: UCC
Management of Tuberculosis and HIV in selected health facilities in Ghana

Tuberculosis (TB) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) are the two leading causes of death from infectious diseases globally. The World Health Organization has recommended integration of TB-HIV services in the management of the syndemic. However, scaling up of integrated TB-HIV services remain sub-optimal in Ghana, despite a nationally accepted collaborative policy. This study, therefore explored issues surrounding TB HIV services integration towards effective management of the syndemic. The study drew evidence from 31 service providers and 30 co-infected patients from 12 health facilities across four regions of Ghana. Using Normalization Process Theory as a framework, qualitative analysis was done with the assistance of NVivo 10. The findings of the study revealed a unanimous endorsement of a full integration model of service delivery. Service providers suggested intensified case finding, health education, and the use of mobile phone technology as additional strategies for TB-HIV management. The study also identified lack of commitment from programme managers, inadequate infrastructure, inadequate staff, Directly Observed Treatment (DOT) strategy, and funding constraints as key barriers to integration of services. Experiences of co-infected patients with regard to treatment access include inconsistencies in therapy administration, separate clinic appointment dates for TB and HIV, late diagnosis and prolonged TB treatment due to drug resistance. The conclusion drawn is that, co-infected patients and health care providers at the point of care are open to integration, but this will require commitment from all stakeholders, especially programme leaders at the national level so as to derive the full benefits associated with service integration.

Source: UCC
The management practice among heads of senior secondary schools in the Ashanti region of Ghana

Effective management of official time has been identified as an important resource to increase productivity in schools. One of the problems facing heads in administering schools is how to manage time to improve quality teaching and learning. The purpose of the study was to examine whether work behaviours, years of experience and amount of training in time Senior Secondary Schools in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Stratified random sampling was used in selecting the districts so that the study could cover rural and urban schools in the region. Fifty schools and 150 heads and assistants were purposively selected. Data were gathered through the use of questionnaire and observation checklist. Data were analysed using SPSS software and summarized into percentages and frequency tables. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were also conducted and the results summarized into tables. The major findings of the study were that interruptions were common occurrence and that they compelled heads to work overtime to complete schedules. Time management practices were generally less effectively managed. Work behaviours, number of years of experience and amount of training in time management were found to have a positive relationship with time management practices. It was recommended that Ghana Education Service should organised regular short courses in time management practices for heads to enable them acquire the needed skills in order to use time more effectively. Specific time that would be convenient to heads should be set aside to receive visitors.

Source: UCC