ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Assessing the Effect of Organic and Inorganic Resources on Carbon Fractions in Soggy Sodic Soil at Sege in Ada West District, Ghana

Labile organic carbon (OC), a dynamic component of soil organic carbon (SOC), is essential for improving soil health, fertility, and crop productivity, particularly when organic and inorganic amendments are combined. However, limited research exists on the best amendment strategies for restoring degraded gleyic solonetz soggy sodic (GSSS) soils in West Africa’s coastal zones. A three-year field study (2017–2019) assessed the effects of various combinations of organic (mature or composted cow dung, with or without biochar) and inorganic inputs on soil organic carbon fractions, total carbon stocks, and the Carbon Management Index (CMI) in GSSS soils of Sege, Ada West District, Ghana. The results showed that organic and inorganic combinations outperformed the sole inorganic NPK treatment and the control, particularly in the topsoil. Composted cow dung with mineral fertilizer (CCfert) was especially effective, significantly increasing labile OC, SOC stock, and CMI by 35.3%, 140.5%, and 26% in the topsoil compared to the control and by 28%, 77.8%, and 4.3% compared to NPK alone. In the subsoil, mature cow dung-based treatments performed better. These findings highlight the potential of integrated organic and inorganic strategies, especially those based on composted manure, to rehabilitate degraded sodic soils, build carbon stocks, and improve soil quality for sustainable agriculture in coastal West Africa.

Source: UG
Assessing the effect of seedling age and time of urea supergranule application on rice growth, yield and nitrogen use efficiency

Nitrogen is the most limiting nutrient in tropical soils and nitrogen fertilizer application to rice is subject to losses. Good synchrony of nitrogen availability to crop’s need is a strategy to reduce losses and improve efficiency. A pot experiment was conducted to assess the effect of seedling age and time of urea supergranule application on rice growth, yield and nitrogen use efficiency. The experiment consisted of 10, 14, 21 and 28-day old seedlings and urea supergranule applied at 0, 7, 14 and 21 days after transplanting with a check treatment without nitrogen application. Results indicated significant effect of seedling age on growth, yield and nitrogen use efficiency. Highest grain yield, nitrogen uptake, agronomic use efficiency of nitrogen and nitrogen recovery efficiency were obtained with 10 and 14-day old seedlings, while the lowest values were observed for 28-day old seedlings. Urea supergranule applied at 7 or 14 days after transplanting gave the highest rice growth parameters while the lowest performances were obtained with urea supergranule applied at 0 and 21 days after transplanting. The interactive effect showed better growth, yield and nitrogen use efficiency of rice when urea supergranule was applied at 7 or 14 days after transplanting seedlings of 10 and 14-day old. The results suggested that even though application of urea supergranule at 7 and 14 days after transplanting increased rice yield over 0 and 21 days after transplanting, for the aged seedlings of 21 and 28-day old, the variation of urea supergranule application time could not compensate for the decrease of yield due to old seedlings transplanting.

Source: UG
Assessing the Effectiveness of E-Government Services in Ghana: A Case of the Registrar General’s Department

The adoption and implantation of electronic government service are on the rise as government services to citizens through electronic means has increased. However, assessing the effectiveness of e-government systems is still limited in the literature. This study evaluates the effectiveness and benefits of information systems (e-registrar) at the Registrar General Department (RGD) in Ghana, using the updated DeLone and McLean IS Success Model. Via the purposive sampling technique, data for the study were collected from 102 staff members of RGD and analyzed following the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. The results of the study indicate that service quality, system quality, and information quality positively influence system usage and user satisfaction. Also, system usage and user satisfaction positively influence the net benefits derived from the e-registrar system. The findings provide a relevant recommendation to policymakers and management of organizations when it comes to information systems implementation.

Source: UG
Assessing the effectiveness of a local agricultural research committee in diffusing sustainable cocoa production practices: The case of capsid control in Ghana

The conventional method of ‘delivering’ technologies recommended by researchers to farmers through extension has proved ineffective, resulting in a persistent low (3.5% over ten years) adoption of research-based cocoa technologies. The present study was conducted in the Eastern Region of Ghana and assessed the impact of the Local Agricultural Research Committee (LARC) approach on the diffusion of capsid management knowledge and practices, developed with the LARC, to others in the community. Capsids (Sahlbergella singularis and Distantiella theobroma) were diagnosed as the most serious production constraint. LARC members engaged in intensive interactive learning and experimentation to control them. The interactive approach developed by the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture was used to link the LARC with community farmers, a majority of whom aspired to produce organic cocoa for a premium. The LARC acquired vital agro-ecological knowledge on capsid management, including skills in scouting for capsids to determine their temporal distribution and systematic experimentation with control methods, before presenting its results to the community. This article reports on a survey comparing three categories of farmers: LARC members, exposed and non-exposed community farmers, so as to assess the diffusion and impact of LARC knowledge co-production. The results show that the LARC approach significantly influenced acquisition and diffusion of knowledge and practices. © 2007 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Source: UG
Assessing the efficiency of hospitals in Botswana: An application of the pabón lasso technique

The health system in sub-Saharan Africa faces a number of challenges, including weak health systems structures. The ramifications of inefficiencies in the management of resources could jeopardise the development of health infrastructure and the coverage of health care, especially among the poor and underprevillaged. Consequently, efficient allocation and management of scarce resources could improve the health systems in the region. The 2010 World Health Report places much emphasis on the invaluable role that efficiency palys in achieving universal coverage. The aim of this chapter was to conduct an exploratory assessment of the performance of non-referral hospitals in Botswana for the period 2006 to 2008 using the Pabón Lasso technique. The results show that during each year in the study period, less than half of the hospitals operated efficiently while more than half operated with excess bed capacity. The findings of the study imply that rather than expanding hospital sizes by increasing the number of beds, there could be an expansion in the health services provided by hospitals. This provides an opportunity to improve maternal and child health services and accelerate progress towards the health-related Millennium Development Goal targets while moving the country towards universal coverage of health services. © 2012 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

Source: UG
Assessing the efficiency of regional hospitals in Ghana: Implications for optimal resource allocation for referral hospitals

Scarcity of resources, high expenditure, and ineffective resource use characterise healthcare in Ghana. The symptom of inadequate hospital resource utilisation gave rise to the popular term ’no bed syndrome’ in some Ghanaian regional hospitals. Under these circumstances, patients are continually turned away from receiving treatment because of inadequate beds especially in the emergency and surgical units. Therefore, this study assesses the efficiency of four (4) regional hospitals in Ghana in 2020. Secondary data on bed occupancy rates, average length of stay and bed turnover rates, among others, were collected from District Health Information Management System (DHIMS) for further analysis. Pabon ´ Lasso charts were drawn using Microsoft Excel 2019 to evaluate the efficiency level of hospitals and wards. The results show that the Greater Accra and Brong Ahafo Regional Hospitals were inefficient, the Upper East Regional Hospital was less efficient and the Eastern Regional Hospital was efficient. Findings also indicate that the medical, maternity and surgical wards of the Brong Ahafo Regional Hospital were inefficient. However, the emergency ward was the most efficient in the Eastern Regional Hospital but that of the Upper East Regional Hospital was inefficient. The medical and surgical wards of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital were less efficient. These findings have practical implications for designing policy in struments to promote healthcare delivery in Ghana

Source: UG
Assessing the efficiency of regional hospitals in Ghana: Implications for optimal resource allocation for referral hospitals

Scarcity of resources, high expenditure, and ineffective resource use characterise healthcare in Ghana. The symptom of inadequate hospital resource utilisation gave rise to the popular term ’no bed syndrome’ in some Ghanaian regional hospitals. Under these circumstances, patients are continually turned away from receiving treatment because of inadequate beds especially in the emergency and surgical units. Therefore, this study assesses the efficiency of four (4) regional hospitals in Ghana in 2020. Secondary data on bed occupancy rates, average length of stay and bed turnover rates, among others, were collected from District Health Information Management System (DHIMS) for further analysis. Pabon ´ Lasso charts were drawn using Microsoft Excel 2019 to evaluate the efficiency level of hospitals and wards. The results show that the Greater Accra and Brong Ahafo Regional Hospitals were inefficient, the Upper East Regional Hospital was less efficient and the Eastern Regional Hospital was efficient. Findings also indicate that the medical, maternity and surgical wards of the Brong Ahafo Regional Hospital were inefficient. However, the emergency ward was the most efficient in the Eastern Regional Hospital but that of the Upper East Regional Hospital was inefficient. The medical and surgical wards of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital were less efficient. These findings have practical implications for designing policy in struments to promote healthcare delivery in Ghana.

Source: UG
Assessing the Enacted Kindergarten Curriculum in Ghana

BACKGROUND: The intended curriculum is the content stated in the kindergarten syllabus, while the enacted curriculum is the content teachers implement in their kindergarten classrooms. The extent to which teachers implement the intended kindergarten curriculum in Ghanaian classrooms is unknown. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to assess the enacted kindergarten curriculum in Ghana. METHOD: Participants were a purposive sample of 101 kindergarten teachers in one district of the Upper West Region of Ghana. They completed the Kindergarten Enacted Curriculum Scale (KECS) once. The KECS included 13 items (KG1) and 17 items (KG2) that assessed the extent to which participants taught content in four subscales: literacy and numeracy (LN), psychosocial skills (PS), environmental studies (ES), and physical development (PD). Participants responded to items on a 4-point Likert scale as major focus (scored 3), minor focus (scored 2), touched on briefly (scored 1), and not taught (scored 0). A higher score indicated alignment with the kindergarten syllabus and a lower score indicated non-alignment. Descriptive and inferential data were computed for the entire scale and for each subscale. RESULTS: The LN (2.81) subscale had the highest mean score followed by ES (2.64). Conversely, PS (1.94) and PD (2.02) had the lowest mean scores. Inferential tests revealed gender differences for the PD subscale. The data also indicated grade level differences in teaching LN and PD. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that kindergarten teachers in Ghana continue to focus on academics (LN and ES), despite the emphasis on the holistic development of the young child.

Source: UG
Assessing the factors of adoption of agrochemicals by plantain farmers in Ghana

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify and assess the key factors that influence the adoption of agrochemicals on plantain farms in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach: The paper employs probit estimation using data from a stratified random sample of 249 farmers in four districts in Ghana. Findings: The results show that adoption of agrochemicals is positively associated with: being literate, older than 40 years of age, having higher income from sales, living in villages distant to Accra (capital of Ghana), having access to hi-tech machinery, being migrant, and being linked to extension services and financial institutions. Contrary to expectation, a farmer's gender and association with farmer-based organizations (FBO) and non-governmental organizations (NGO) did not make a difference. Practical implications: The results suggest that there are no exclusions to innovation systems such as agrochemical adoption based on gender or living in rural areas; women are just as technologically empowered as men, while rural farmers have an option to retain their indigenous management practices or adopt new and improved practices such as using agrochemicals. Major efforts to improve access to agrochemical adoption lie with government extension officers, as the functions of FBO and NGO have yet to make a significant difference. More needs to be done to bring young, illiterate, low income and indigene farmers into inclusive plantain science techniques and applications in Ghana. Originality/value: The paper reveals how vulnerable groups such as rural populations and women plantain farmers are being included in systems that support agrochemical adoption. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Source: UG
Assessing The Food Habits Of Crassostrea Tulipa (L. 1819) In A Commercial Fishery Of A Ramsar Site In Ghana

The development of wild commercial oyster culture in Ghana is of recent concern. Reduction in feed cost Reliance on natural feed sources is an important sustainable aquaculture management strategy. In In many parts of sub-Saharan African countries, including Ghana, there is limited documented information on the natural food items fed on by Crassostrea tulipa (Lamarck, 1819). The oyster in the Densu estuary was studied for food habits using the Numerical, Frequency of Occurrence, and Index of Relative Importance (IRI) methods and condition index for a duration of 18 months.The diet of the oyster was dominated by golden algae (Phylum Ochrophyta; IRI=595), red algae (Phylum Rhodophyta; IRI=209), green algae (Phylum Chlorophyta; IRI = 131.37) and diatoms (Phylum Bacillariophyta; IRI =172). There was a high species diversity (D = 6.60 ± 0.10 - 7.01 ± 0.03; H '= 0.30 ± 0.12 - 0.32 ± 0.05) among the food items ingested by C. tulipa. Golden algae was the most abundant (IRI= 56%), followed by red algae (IRI = 16%) and the diatoms (IRI = 13%). The less abundant phyla were Chlorophyta (IRI= 8 %), Cynophyta (IRI = 6 %) and Arthropoda (IRI = 1%). The oyster was in a good state of wellbeing (Mean Condition index = 139.50 ± 0.11) and fed on a wide range of plankton species. This information is essential in the development of natural feed for the oyster industry in Densu estuary. The presence of green algae in the diet requires further investigation to help minimize the possible toxic effects it may have on the fishery and humans.

Source: UG
Assessing the Ghana Police Service’s Participation in International Peacekeeping Operations as a Modern Tool of Foreign Policy: Challenges and Prospects

A major gap in literature on the Ghana Police Service (GPS) is the lack of scholarly work on the Service’s role in international peacekeeping as a means by which Ghana promotes its national interest and foreign policy objectives. This study assessed the GPS’ participation in international peacekeeping operations as a modern tool of foreign policy within the context of its achievements and challenges, through the utilization of primary and secondary data. Major findings of the study indicate that the GPS’s involvement in international peacekeeping has contributed to an enhanced image of Ghana in the International System (IS), improved capacity, general well-being and represent a strategy for entrenching Ghana’s position among her peers, as a member of International Institutions. The study, therefore, concluded that the Government of Ghana should re-consider its utilization of the GPS’ high reputation in international peacekeeping as a tool for modern diplomacy. The recommendations are a review of how the GPS is effectively utilized within the overall strategy of achieving Ghana’s foreign policy objectives is conducted to ensure the re-tooling of the GPS as a means of positioning them to continue to excel and raise high the flag of Ghana among the comity of nations.

Source: UG
Assessing the Impact of Board Sustainability Committees on Greenhouse Gas Performance: Evidence From Industrialised European Countries.

This study examines the impact of executive compensation (EC) and board sustainability integration index (BSII) on both greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) and greenhouse gas management processes (GGMP). Additionally, it investigates the relationship between GGMP and GHGE to assess the effectiveness of process-oriented measures in reducing actual emissions. Through the lens of legitimacy theory and incentive alignment theory, we harness an extensive dataset encompassing 15,876 firm-year observations across 22 industrialised European countries from 2002 to 2022. First, the findings show that although EC positively correlates with enhanced GGMP, it has an insignificant effect on GHGE reduction. Second, the results suggest that although BSII independently bolster sustainability initiatives, the moderating effect of BSII on EC (EC*BSII) may lead to a legitimacy gap. This gap emerges when the relationship of EC and BSII falls short of societal expectations regarding environmental performance, potentially eroding organisational legitimacy. Third, the findings indicate that firms that engage in GGMP also tend to have higher levels of GHGE, pointing to the use of GGMP by firms as a means of symbolic legitimation.

Source: UG
Assessing the impact of community engagement interventions on health worker motivation and experiences with clients in primary health facilities in Ghana: A randomized cluster trial

Background Health worker density per 1000 population in Ghana is one of the lowest in the world estimated to be 2.3, below the global average of 9.3. Low health worker motivation induced by poor working conditions partly explain this challenge. Albeit the wage bill for public sector health workers is about 90% of domestic government expenditure on health in countries such as Ghana, staff motivation and performance output remain a challenge, suggesting the need to complement financial incentives with non-financial incentives through a community-based approach. In this study, a systematic community engagement (SCE) intervention was implemented to engage community groups in healthcare quality assessment to promote mutual collaboration between clients and healthcare providers, and enhance health worker motivation levels. SCE involves structured use of existing community groups and associations to assess healthcare quality in health facilities. Identified quality gaps are discussed with healthcare providers, improvements made and rewards given to best performing facilities for closing quality care gaps. Purpose To evaluate the effect of SCE interventions on health worker motivation and experiences with clients. Methods The study is a cluster randomized trial involving health workers in private (n = 38) and public (n = 26) primary healthcare facilities in two administrative regions in Ghana. Out of 324 clinical and non-clinical staff randomly interviewed at baseline, 234 (72%) were successfully followed at end-line and interviewed on workplace motivation factors and personal experiences with clients. Propensity score matching and difference-in-difference estimations were used to estimate treatment effect of the interventions on staff motivation. Results Intrinsic (non-financial) work incentives including cordiality with clients and perceived career prospects appeared to be prime sources of motivation for health staff interviewed in intervention health facilities while financial incentives were ranked lowest. Intervention health facilities that were assessed by female community groups (Coef. = 0.2720, p = 0.0118) and informal groups with organized leadership structures like Artisans (Coef. = 0.2268, p = 0.0368) associated positively with higher intrinsic motivation levels of staff. Conclusion Community-based approach to health worker motivation is a potential complementary strategy that needs policy deliberation to explore its prospects. Albeit financial incentives remain critical sources of staff motivation, innovative non-financial approaches like SCE should complement the latter.

Source: UG
Assessing the impact of cross-cultural communication competence on expatriate business operations in multinational corporations of a Sub-Saharan African context

This study investigated the impact of cross-cultural communication competence (CCC) on expatriates’ work outcomes in emerging economies. Using a convergent parallel design methodology of data collection comprising an in-depth face-to-face interview with 21 expatriate executives, and a quantitative survey of 204 expatriates in various subsidiaries in Ghana, a structural equation modeling and a content analysis were the basis of data analysis. Findings suggest that host country culture is related to CCC. Additionally, expatriates’ CCC is influenced by multicultural team effectiveness and their interpersonal skills. The work recommends training of expatriates in cross-cultural communication for subsidiary assignments.

Source: UG
Assessing the impact of export processing zones on economic growth in Ghana

The study examines the impact of free zones exports and investments on economic growth in Ghana. A vector error correction model (VECM) was employed to ascertain the impact of the Free Zones Programme on economic growth in Ghana on a quarterly time series data spanning 1998–2015. The results show that both free zones exports and free zones investments have significant negative relationship with economic growth. Trade openness also has a significant negative relationship with economic growth but insignificant positive relationship with investment and export. The study concludes that the Free Zones Programme has not served its purpose of promoting economic growth in Ghana. It is universally known that the concept of free zones is actually a second best option and as such is not meant be a lasting policy for promoting economic growth. For this reason, given the negative effect the programme has had on economic growth, the Government of Ghana should scrap it and possibly look at opening up the whole country, especially in terms of infrastructure and other incentives for all firms, so that economic activity can freely take place in every corner of the country to realise balanced and more sustainable growth of the economy.

Source: UG