ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
A study of the challenges associated with project stakeholder management in the Ayensuano Dstrict Assembly

Stakeholder management encompasses coming out with the various types of stakeholders, collecting their details, defining their purposes in a project, assessing their strength and weaknesses, identifying strategies, forecasting their behavior and developing and implementing a strategy for managing these stakeholders. Stakeholder management has an effect on the reputation of a project. However, there are numerous challenges that affect the effective management of stakeholders in the construction industry. Therefore, the aim of the study was to explore the challenges associated with the management of stakeholders in the Ayensuano District Assembly. With this aim, three objectives were established which were to identify the challenges associated with effective stakeholder management in in the Ayensuano District Assembly, to identify the causes of the challenges related with effective stakeholder management in the Ayensuano District Assembly and to identify the strategies for improving effective stakeholder management in the Ayensuano District Assembly. In order the achieve the aim and objectives of the study, the quantitative research method was adopted. Structured questionnaire was developed based on the findings of the extensive literature review. The questionnaire was distributed to thirty-two (32) construction firms who have worked with the Ayensuano district assembly since 2012. Therefore, using the census sampling technique, thirty-two (32) questionnaires were distributed and twenty-seven (27) were retrieved for analysis forming a response rate of 84.37%. The respondent rated their responses using the five-point Likert scale and their ratings were ranked using the Relative Importance Index (RII) formula. The analyzed data revealed that, unidentified stakeholders were the most severe challenge of stakeholder management. Also, the most significant cause of the challenges associated with stakeholder management was unsupportive top management Lastly, the most significant strategy to improve stakeholder management was acknowledging the relevant concerns of stakeholders. From the findings of the study it was recommended that, construction firms should acknowledge the relevant concerns of stakeholders in order to bring them on board with regards to the objectives of the construction project. Some of the limitations to the research were that, the study was limited to the Ayensuano district only. Therefore, the outcome of the study is practical only to district assemblies of similar characteristics. Also, this study was limited to only internal stakeholders and lastly, this study was limited to construction firms.

Source: KNUST
A study of the arts in the Ada Asafotufiami Festival

The arts in the Ada Asafotufiami festival serve as strong visual and performing communicative devices of culture among the Ada people. The principal motivation of this research stems from the fact that the arts and their roles in the Ada Asafotufiami festival are almost completely overlooked when it comes to the analysis and appreciation of the festival. The Asafotufiami festival is annually celebrated in pomp and pageantry as it embodies various forms of art; it has shown a remarkable capacity for survival in spite of several socio-cultural influences. During its celebration the arts of the people are displayed. However, most of the youth and people who participate, observe and read about the festival may not know the ideologies or beliefs of the various rites and significance of the arts. Other cultural values involved in the celebration of the festival may also not be appreciated. This study seeks to contribute to the total development of Art education by providing adequate information on the arts characterizing the festival and the roles that they play. The descriptive method of research was employed for this study. The scope of the study covered the traditional area of the Dangme East District (Ada) in the Greater Accra region. Data was collected through observation, questionnaire responses and interviews. Population of the study was limited to 105 persons, mostly traditional leaders, opinion leaders, participants and educational facilitators. The stratified sampling method was adopted with the assumption that the findings would be representative of the Ada state. The major findings gathered from the study show that, art and culture are interdependent, thus, the success of the Ada Asafotufiami festival is made possible by the numerous roles art play. The arts portray beliefs, traditions and aspirations of the people. It is recommended that, there should be scholarly documentation of the festival by researchers and duly published to help promote the cultural heritage of the people.

Source: KNUST
The study of the conservational status of some cultivated crop plant species and their wild relatives in Ashanti Region of Ghana

Questionnaire and field surveys were carried out in some selected fanning communities in twelve districts in the Ashanti region of Ghana to determine the cultivated and wild crop species and varieties that the local people knew to occur in their localities in the past, their indigenous uses and their present conservational status. Both males and females were interviewed during the survey. Active participation of the farmers was enlisted by informing them about the purpose of the project and the benefits they would derive. The survey produced a great deal of data about crop species and varieties found in the villages, farms and surrounding bushes or forest, their uses and conservational status. The knowledge of the local people about these plants especially the wild species differed significantly from district to district. The cultivated crops are food, vegetable and cash crops. Many of the trees and shrubs mentioned as wild crops have multipurpose uses. Some of them provide edible seeds or fruits, and leaves, while others are valued purely for their medicinal properties. The survival of the plant species is presently tenuous. Although majority of the plant species identified are still found in the survey area about sixty five percent of them were mentioned as rare or endangered. Factors causing the disappearance of these species were identified as adoption of high yielding varieties, bush fires, logging etc.

Source: KNUST
A study of the cost planning strategies adopted by project managers in real estate projects

The amount of investments and participation of stakeholders in Real Estate building projects is high, hence cost planning process is more complex and has various stages. Therefore, in Real Estate projects there are countless problems of cost overruns. The cost of building a house, however, is directly related to final selling rates. Eventually, the price level of real estate houses becomes very costly and the level of project execution is affected by low patronage. Hence effective cost planning is key in Real Estate construction projects. Therefore, the study aimed at exploring the cost planning strategies used by project managers in the Real Estate Sector in Ghana. The study had three (3) objectives which were to determine the cost planning strategies used by project managers in real estate projects in Ghana, to ascertain the challenges faced by project managers in cost planning in real estate projects in Ghana and to identify the significant strategies that can be adopted by project managers to improve cost planning in real estate projects in Ghana. The study adopted a quantitative research method and thus, a structured questionnaire was developed and distributed to seventy-five (75) respondents and fiftysix (56) were retrieved for the analysis. The collected data was coded and entered into the Statistical Package of Social Scientist (SPSS) version 20, by using mean score ranking and standard deviation tools. With the first objective, it was realized that, the most significant cost planning strategy was elemental cost planning. The second ranked significant cost planning strategy was comparative cost planning. The third ranked cost planning strategy was the cubic method. All the standard deviation values were below one (1) which depicts a low variability between the responses given by the respondents. With the second objective, it was realized that, the most significant challenges were inexperienced project manager. This was followed by unscientific cost planning process and high interest rates on funds from financial institutions. With the third objective, it was realized that, the most significant strategy to improve cost planning was the decrease the dependency on financial institutions for funds. The second ranked significant strategy was adoption of suitable procurement system for specific contract. The third most significant strategy was a clear definition of the scope of a project. From the findings, it was recommended that, project managers must select adequately skilled cost planning personnel to aid in the cost planning process and project managers must try to keep accurate data on cost in other to enhance their cost planning.

Source: KNUST
A study of the effect of compaction on particle breakage of sub-base and base material used for pavement construction in Ghana

The acquisition of naturally occurring soils for construction purposes involves first taking soil samples from trial pits in proposed borrow pits and testing them in the laboratory. In actual field practice, contrary to specification the results obtained from the said laboratory test are then compared with as placed and compacted material requirements of the MRH specifications for road and bridge works after which the suitability of the soil material is decided. Some selected soil samples from the three agro-ecological zones of Ghana were used for laboratory, model site and field compaction studies. The laboratory compaction method used was the modified ASSHTO T 190. The model site compaction studies involved three loose lift beds of 120 mm, 170 mm and 220 mm and three types of compaction plants; an 825kg duplex vibratory roller, 8,559kg static roller, and 15,380kg vibratory roller. The field compaction studies used a number of field compaction plants. The analysis used the decrease in gravel content as an index of particle breakage. It was generally observed that particle breakdown occurred for all the soil samples studied under both laboratory and field compaction. The extent of particle breakdown, however, was different for different soils and varied from a minimum of 1% to a maximum of 19% decrease in gravel content. In the laboratory, particle breakdown was observed to take place only during the initial stages of compaction. The breakdown of particles did not significantly affect the Atterberg limits and tended to lead to increase in strength of the compacted soils.

Source: KNUST
Study of the Effects of Ageing Temperature and Ageing Time on the Microstructure and Some Mechanical Properties of Sand Cast AL-SI-CU and AL-SI-MG Alloys

This research work studied the effect of heat treatment on some mechanical properties of locally produced sand cast Al-Si-Mg and Al-Si-Cu alloys. The T6 heat treatment method was used for the heat treatment. The results show that solution heat treatment of Al-14%Si-2.66Cu at 480 oC produced an ultimate tensile strength of (126.72±0.51 MPa) with impact energy of (18.00±0.58 J) and the as-cast ultimate tensile strength was (129.94±0.66 MPa) with impact energy of (13.33±1.15 J). The peak ultimate tensile strength for the Al-14%Si-2.66Cu, artificially aged at 155oC for 7 hours was (143.46±0.33 MPa) with impact energy of (17.33±0.58 J) and (150.70±1.20 MPa) with impact energy of (14.67±1.53 J) when artificially aged at 165 oC for 6 hours. The solution heat treatment of Al-14%Si-0.288Mg at 530 oC for 6 hours resulted in an ultimate tensile strength of (120.00±0.70 MPa) with impact energy of (20.00±2.65 J) and the ascast ultimate tensile strength was (122.00±0.70 MPa) with impact energy of (12.33±0.58 J).The peak ultimate tensile strength was (228.32±0.93 MPa) with impact energy (14.00±0.58 J) when artificially aged at 170 oC for 5 hours. The peak strength at 160 oC for 7 hours was (200.40±0.98 MPa) with impact energy (13.67±0.58 J). These values obtained for the ultimate tensile strength were within the European standards for the ultimate tensile strength of sand cast Al-Si-Mg and Al-Si-Cu alloys (ISO Al Si7Mg, ISO AlSi10Mg and ISO Al Si12Cu in the T6 conditions are 260, 260 and 170 MPa) respectively. Also the Al-Si-Mg alloy responded much better to the heat treatment than the Al-Si-Cu alloy.

Source: KNUST
A Study of the Effects of Chemicals Used to Control Diseases and Pests of Cocoa on the Users: A Case Study of Atwima Nwabiagya District

In Ghana, periods of higher producer prices of cocoa beans have witnessed a corresponding increase in production. This has led to a significant increase in the use of various chemicals by our farmers in their attempts to boost production. There are however very scanty information on the toxicity of these chemicals on the health of the non – target organisms. This study was undertaken to access the effects of these chemicals on the health of the users within the Atwima Nwabiagya district in the Ashanti region of Ghana. The study consisted of a questionnaire survey and laboratory experiment using albino rats. Questionnaire was administered by the interviewer to 100 respondents who were selected from five different centers within the district, thus ensuring a wide representation. The laboratory experiment consisted of 4 groups (6 rats per group). Three of the groups were exposed for 8 weeks to different concentrations of chemicals commonly used by farmers whilst the other group was set up as control. Rats were sacrificed at the end of the exposure period and histopathology of targeted organs carried out. Results from the questionnaire survey indicated that the chemicals could cause dermal diseases such as skin rashes and irritations to the users. Laboratory experiment also indicated that the chemicals could be toxic to the exposed rats if the concentrations of the chemicals are high enough. Rats exposed to high concentrations of both chemicals used for the experiment (bifenthrin and thiamethoxam) were significantly of smaller body weights (p< 0.05) compared with the control rats. The lungs of the rats exposed to high concentration of thiamethoxam were the slightly affected organs, but no signs of toxicity were observed on the other organs (hearts, liver, kidneys) of rats exposed to the other concentrations including bifenthrin. Furs of rats were also affected.

Source: KNUST
A study of the factors influencing the reproductive performance of female N’Dama And Fresian X N’Dama cattle in the hot humid forest zone of Ghana.

The reproductive records of N’Dama and Fresian X N’Dama cattle at UST Dairy/Beef Cattle Research Station were analysed and the progesterone-radioimmunoassay technique used to investigate the determinants of reproductive performance. Mean birth weights were 17.2 ± 5.1 and 28.32 ± 6.7kg for the N’Dama and Fresian X N’Dama cattle respectively. Bull calves of the Fresian X N’Dama weighed significantly heavier (P < 0.05) than the heifer calves at birth. The mean birth weight of the Fresian X N’Dama calves born in the wet season was also significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the dry season. Puberty was reached at mean ages of 684.33 ± 133.8 and 626.33 ± 188.96 days for the N’Dama and Fresian X N’Dama heifers respectively. Endocrine function at puberty was, however, abnormal and pubertal heifers had to wait a mean of 69 days before fertile oestrus. Minimum weights of 510 and 180 kg were required for the initiation of sexual cyclicity in the N’Dama and fresian X N’Dama respectively. The mean ages at first calving were 1045.93 ± 148.9 and 990.0 ± 161.4 days for the N’Dama and Fresian X N’Dama respectively, while the respective calving intervals were 511.6 ± 166.6 and 368.0 ± 162.8 days. Calving intervals was significantly longer (P < 0.05) for the N’Dama which calved in the wet season than for those which calved in the dry season (558.78 ± 187.1 vs 447.76 ± 177.2 days respectively) Ovarian luteal inactivity lasted a mean of 180.96 ± 135.9 days for the N’Dama and 82.69 ± 54.6 days for the Fresian X N’Dama. The interval from calving to ovarian luteal activity was, however, significantly lower (P < 0.05) in the N’Dama cows which nursed their calves only up to 3 months compared to those which nursed beyond 3 months (85.0 ± 48.8 vs 256.36 ± 135.5 days respectively). Mortalities were 20 and 19 percent for the N’Dama and Fresian X N’Dama respectively. Ninety two percent of the N’Dama deaths occurred in calves up to 6 months of age while only 42 per cent of the Fresian X N’Dama deaths occurred in animals of comparable age. Undernutrition and enteritis in calves accounted for 55 percent of the deaths in the N’Dama, but the heartwater disease was more important in the Fresian X N’Dama, accounting for 50 per cent of the deaths. Age at puberty, season of calving, postpartum anoestrus and culling were found to be important determinants of reproductive performance. The results suggested that early weaning (with supplementary feeding of calves and dams) and culling of non performers could significantly improve reproductive performance of female cattle in the hot humid forest zone of Ghana.

Source: KNUST
A study of the effects of supervisors’ communication modes on construction project delivery time: a case study of Ningo-Prampram District Assembly

The aim of this study was to identify the influence of supervisors’ communication modes on construction project delivery time in Ningo-Prampram district assembly. With this aim, two (2) objectives were set which were to identify the supervisors’ communication modes in Ningo-Prampram district assembly and to identify the challenges associated with the supervisors’ communication in Ningo-Prampram district assembly In order to achieve this aim, a comprehensive literature review was conducted on the subject of the study. The findings from the review was used to formulated a structured questionnaire which was distributed to twenty-eight (28) respondents, of which twenty-five (25) were retrieved for the analysis. The data were analyzed using mean score ranking and presented in tables. From the analysis, it was realized that, face-to-face communication was mostly used in Ningo-Prampram district assembly followed by telephone, memos and letters. Also, it was realized that, perception about the communication was most faced communication challenge in the Ningo-Prampram district assembly followed by semantic problem and lack of education and training. Finally, telephone, face-to-face and video conferencing tools had a statistically significant effect on project schedule performance. However, memos and letters, meetings, e-mails and project portal and project documents had a statistically low effect on project schedule performance. With these findings, it was recommended that, supervisors should improve on the extensive use of face-to-face communication mode in the Ningo-Prampram communication mode to facilitate the progress of the project and supervisors should switch to the use of other communication modes like letters and meetings as they have been proven to be effective in terms of time consumption. One limitation of the study was that it was limited to the Ningo-Prampram district assembly.

Source: KNUST
A study of the impact of ICT on banking activities in Ghana (A case study of selected banks in Ghana)

In Sub-Saharan Africa, developments in information and communication technology (ICT) are radically changing the way business is done. Electronic commerce is now thought to hold the promise of a new commercial revolution by offering an inexpensive and direct way to exchange information and to sell or buy products and services. This revolution in the market place has set in motion a revolution in the banking sector for the provision of services that is compatible with the demands of the electronic marketplace (Balachandher at al, 2001). In Ghana however, banking institutions have been subjected to much criticism for not providing their customers with innovative and convenient banking services, with the result that some customers especially businesswomen, find it more convenient keeping their savings at home than hi the banks (Safo and Andoh, 1990). One of the areas of ICT that is of great concern to academics and professionals is the issue of how it has impacted on banking activities. Although there are many previous empirical studies about impact of ICT on large companies, the scientific community has only started to pay attention to similar institutions especially in developing economies. This study examined the impact of ICT on banking activities in Ghana. The issue is of critical significance given the important role ICT play in the banking industry. The study made use of both primary and secondary data sources. Interviews and questionnaires were used to collect primary data from the field. The secondary data included annual reports of banks, journals and articles on ICT, technical papers and library work including the internet. Empirical studies of work done by some other people were also used. Analysis of the study was based on qualitative and quantitative measures. The results of the study suggest that ICT has played an effective and significant role in the banking industry in Ghana. It was observed that though ICT has had a positive impact in the banking industry, there is still mere room for improvement. The findings revealed that there is the urgent need to further strengthen the use of ICT. The bankers should also educate their customers to make use of their ICT services available. In conclusion, there should be further training for the entire staff of the institutions on new developments in the use ICT in the banking industry. This will let them be abreast with latest technologies available in the ICT Industry. Also a mini ICT center may be set up either within the banking hail or outside where customers will be able to access some of their ICT services, provided the necessary procedures are adhered to. This will reduce the queues in the banking halls. Customers can check their accounts and do other businesses without joining the queue.

Source: KNUST
A study of the leaching characteristics of tailing materials from gold processing plant: a case study of the Ghanaian-Australian Goldfields Limited

Column and agitation leaching tests were performed in the laboratory to investigate the leaching characteristics of tailing material from a carbon-in-leach plant under different conditions. Distilled water, rainwater, and acidified solutions of pH 5 and pH 3 were used as the leaching reagents to determine the mobilisation of some heavy metals. The effluents from the columns using the various leaching reagents were analysed for Pb, Cr, Cd, Hg, Zn, Cu, Ni, Fe, Mn, Mg, and Ca using AAS. Plots of concentration against cumulative bed volume of these elements were used to compare the mobilisation of the different heavy metals under these conditions. It was realised that the mobility of various metals into the aqueous contracting environment in a tailings darn depends on the conditions in the tailings dam. The results show that the concentrations of Pb, Hg, Cr, Mn, Ni and Fe in the effluent from the columns were in certain cases above the maximum permissible levels as given by Ghana EPA general effluent quality guidelines for discharges into the natural water bodies from mining and mineral processing. It was also realised that the leaching agent influences the relative motilities’ of the heavy metals from the solid phase. Polymodal mobilisation was observed in the case of Hg, Pb and Cd.

Source: KNUST