ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Profitability and technical efficiency analyses of small scale palm oil processing in the Assin North and South Districts of Ghana

This study analyses profitability and technical efficiency of small scale palm oil processors in Assin North Municipality (ANM) and Assin South District (ASD) of Ghana. The study used primary data collected during the 2011/ 20012 production season for analysis. The data was collected through the use of structured questionnaires administered on one hundred and fifty (150) small scale palm oil processors who were selected through a simple random sampling technique. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents. Gross Margin (GM) and Benefit/Cost Ratio (BCR) were the main financial tools used to assess financial viability of small scale palm oil processing. Maximum Likelihood Estimation of the Stochastic Production Frontier was employed to examine Technical Efficiency (TE) levels among the processors. The values obtained from GM and BCR analyses showed that small scale palm oil processing is financially profitable in both major (peak) and minor (lean) seasons. Results of the TE analysis indicated that the level of TE varies across processors and ranges from 54.2% - 99.4% with a mean of 92.4% suggesting that on the average crude palm oil output falls 7.6% short of the maximum possible level. The TE level is positively correlated with the level of education, experience and membership of association, but unexpectedly negatively correlated with access to credit. Kendall‘s Coefficient of Concordance analysis of constraints militating against the industry showed that access to credit is the most constraining factor followed closely by transportation cost, labour cost and bad state of rural road network. The study recommended that policies that would improve, formation of active processing based associations, functional literacy and capacity building programmes for processors and rural road network should be pursued by central and local government structures in the study areas to further improve the profitability and TE in the industry in the study area.

Source: KNUST
Profiling of Anti-Schistosoma Antibodies Pre and post Praziquantel treatment in persons living in a Schistosomiasis endemic area in Ghana

Schistosomiasis, a water borne parasitic disease where 240 million people in 78 countries are affected, majority occurring in Africa. Sensitive diagnostic tools for detection of infections, pre and post treatment is the foundation of the success of mass drug administration. Detection of antibodies in the serum gives knowledge on therapeutic responses and persistence of infection. ELISA was used to measure the sero-prevalence of anti- Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma haematobium IgM, IgG and IgE to soluble egg antigen (SEA) and adult worm antigen (AWA) among participants. Blood samples were collected from participants aged between 6 and 76 years 2 weeks before treatment and 8 weeks after treatment with praziquantel. At pre-treatment, the sero-prevalence of anti-Schistosoma mansoni IgM to SEA and IgE to AWA was higher in participants. At 8 weeks post-praziquantel treatment, there was no statistically significant decrease in sero-prevalence of participants having IgM against SEA. Participants having IgE against SEA was reduced significantly and IgG increase was statistically significant. A significant decrease was observed in participants having IgM and IgG against AWA whiles IgE increase was not statistically significant. For Schistosoma haematobium at pre-treatment, participants had a higher sero-prevalence of IgE against SEA and IgG against AWA. At post treatment, there was a statistically significant increase of participants having IgM and IgG and a reduction of IgE against SEA. IgE against AWA tend to increase whiles IgG reduced and IgM sero-prevalence remained the same. Results from this study showed history of individuals that have recent or past infections and an individuals immune status before an infection and after chemotherapy. Thus antibody profiling can be a useful tool in determining therapeutic response and persistence of infection.

Source: KNUST
Profile and outcomes of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 at a tertiary institution hospital in Ghana

Background: In high-income countries, mortality related to hospitalized patients with the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is approximately 4-5%. However, data on COVID-19 admissions from sub-Saharan Africa are scanty. Objective: To describe the clinical profile and determinants of outcomes of patients with confirmed COVID-19 admitted at a hospital in Ghana. Methods: A prospective study involving 25 patients with real time polymerase chain reaction confirmed COVID-19 admitted to the treatment centre of the University Hospital, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana from 1st June to 27th July, 2020. They were managed and followed up for outcomes. Data were analysed descriptively, and predictors of mortality assessed using a multivariate logistic regression modelling. Results: The mean age of the patients was 59.3 ± 20.6 years, and 14 (56%) were males. The main symptoms at presentation were breathlessness (68%) followed by fever (56%). The cases were categorized as mild (6), moderate (6), severe (10) and critical (3). Hypertension was the commonest comorbidity present in 72% of patients. Medications used in patient management included dexamethasone (68%), azithromycin (96%), and hydroxychloroquine (4%). Five of 25 cases died (Case fatality ratio 20%). Increasing age and high systolic blood pressure were associated with mortality. Conclusion: Case fatality in this sample of hospitalized COVID-19 patients was high. Thorough clinical assessment, severity stratification, aggressive management of underlying co-morbidities and standardized protocols in country might improve outcomes.

Source: KNUST
Project interventions and slum improvement in Ghanaian Cities: A case study of Kumasi Metropolitan Area.

Rapid urbanization in Africa comes with myriad of problems including slum growth. Factors such as rural-urban migration, and weak institutional and regulatory framework in the management of land in the cities are some of the causes of slum growth. The proliferation of slums changes not only the urban form and structure, but it also exacerbates poverty, housing problems, inequality and social exclusion in the cities. This poses socio-economic and developmental challenges to the management of the city, and this is the problem which the study investigated taking Kumasi as a case study. The study was guided by the following objectives; the examination of the socio–economic and spatial structure of slums and the assessment of the efforts being made towards slum control and urban growth management. The study further sought to examine the challenges associated with slum control efforts and based on the challenges, recommendations were made towards slum control and urban planning and management. A case study method was adopted in which the Kumasi metropolis was chosen to facilitate the ease of data collection. Respondents were selected through a simple random sampling technique to gather household data using structured questionnaires from four purposively sampled slum communities of Asawase, Aboabo, Oforikrom and Anloga all in the Kumasi metropolis. Institutional survey involving the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Ghana Water Company, Electricity Company of Ghana, the Department of Urban Roads, among others was also done. The study identified that slum dwellers are mainly rural-urban migrants, and it was thus revealed that 50.9 percent of them are females. The informal sector employs about 71 percent of the slum dwellers and that 60 percent of the people employed in this sector are poor due to low earnings. Only 11 percent of the sampled population have any form of a tertiary education. Recommendations were made to help resolve the challenges posed by slum growth. Some of these include the need for KMA to reduce her overreliance on the external sources of funding for slum control projects to make them successful, squatting on marshy areas and other unauthorized locations should be made a punishable offence and the house-to-house waste collection in the slum communities should be intensified to help address the worsening sanitation problem in the slum.

Source: KNUST
Profitability determinants of savings and loans companies in Ghana

Profitability of banking industries are reliant on various variables which are typically factors exuding from both internal and external sources. The internal determinant factors are broadly impacted by the choices of the board and planned activities of the organization. The external determinants on the other hand are those variables which are not impacted by the choices and strategies of the board but pose influence from various events outside realm of the business. The main objective of the present study was to investigate into the profitability determinants of Savings and Loans (S&L) companies in Ghana with a focus on S&L Companiesin the Kumasi metropolis. The study adopted quantitative research approach. The study used OLS models and secondary data from 9 S&L companies. Moreover, the study revealed that Loan to Deposit ratio, liquidity ratio, inflation rate and exchange rate were significant determinants of profitability of using ROE as a parameter. Moreover, the study revealed that inflation, exchange rate, and interest rate were significant determinants of the profitability of the focused S&L companies using ROA as indicator. The study concludes that loan to Deposit ratio, liquidity ratio, inflation rate and exchange rate were significant determinants of profitability among servings S&L companies in Ghana. The study recommends the need to make good use of the company’s resources to attract more vibrant investors. The results from the study confirm the assumptions of RBV on the value of the company's resources, particularly its sales and marketing staff .Again, the study recommends that S&L companies in Ghana need to upgrade their marketing strategies by using the latest and most advanced e-marketing technologies to expand their technological capabilities. S&L companies need to renovate their services through online and mobile accessibility to inform the youth about good things from S&L and engage them.

Source: KNUST
PROFITS, ACCESS AND AUTHORITY ALONG GHANA’S CHARCOAL COMMODITY CHAIN

In Africa, charcoal is the main source of energy for cooking and heating in urban households. Charcoal supply produces great wealth and engages remarkable number of people. In spite of its economic significance, the extent to which charcoal income reduces poverty is debatable. This study addresses the questions: (1) What profits are reaped by the different actors in the charcoal production and trade, and what are the characteristics of actors?; (2) By what mechanisms do actors gain, maintain and control access to benefits?; and (3) How are institutions mediating access to opportunities, and how do that affect the legitimacy and authority of institutions? The questions are addressed in the case of the charcoal chain originating in the Kintampo Forest District (the main charcoal production area in Ghana) and going to the three largest end markets in Ghana. The study employed commodity chain analysis to quantify and explain profits, and access mapping to trace the socio-political and economic relations in which charcoal benefits are located. The study estimates that Ghana’s charcoal market generates US$ 66 million income annually. Yet, income distribution is highly skewed among and within actor groups. Merchants make up only 3% of the actors in the market, yet reap 22% of the profit. Producers and retailers, the largest groups in the sector, generate incomes below the national minimum wage. The study illuminates how the mechanisms used by various groups of actors to gain, maintain and control access are dynamic in time and space. It shows how significant incomes are derived by those in control of the market while those in control of the production process generate much lower levels of profits. The study documents force, moral economy, social movement and innovation as structural and relational access mechanisms that allow actors to benefit. The study further demonstrates that chiefs, having no legal mandate in trees, are gaining overall authority in Ghana’s charcoal production. Chiefs’ authority is drawn from long-established customs and social structures in land/tree management, as well as validating of claims. The Ghana Forestry Commission de facto have very limited authority over trees for charcoal production despite their de jure mandate in this regard. The study suggests that improving equity and wellbeing along charcoal chains requires more attention on access mechanisms operating on charcoal markets, especially access to capital, information and buyers. The legitimacy of institutions stems from the coercive and social ability to control access to resources and opportunities.

Source: KNUST
Project leadership style of women project managers in construction firms in Accra

This current study was aimed at investigating the project leadership styles of women in the road construction industry of Ghana. Five leadership styles were assessed, namely transformational styles, transactional, autocratic, democratic and laissez faire. Objectives for the study included; to identify the leadership styles that is adopted by women project managers in road construction industry; to identify leadership challenges that women project managers face in the industry, and to identify effective ways that leadership challenges of women project managers can be curtailed. In order to achieve the specific objective for the study data was gathered from 50 women selected across various road construction companies in Accra. This number of respondents was achieved using the convenience sampling techniques to draw out respondents who are willing and ready to provide information for the course of the study. A structured research instrument in the form of questionnaires was administered to women in road construction companies selected across Accra. Data was collected after two weeks and IBM SPSS (version, 20) was used in the coding, analysis and display of results. Interpretations were given for each segment of the analysis and results were discussed in line with previous literature. The findings of the research indicated that transformational style of leadership was mostly adopted while laissez faire style of leadership was the least adopted by women project managers. Results also showed that the leadership challenges that women project managers face include the perception that women do not have the expertise in construction hence their ability is often downplayed. The study concludes that setting clear objectives and collaborative approaches is an effective way to curtail these challenges. The study recommends that employees within the construction sector should be schooled on the ability of women as project managers to reduce the stigmatization faced by these women project managers.

Source: KNUST
Project management practices: a comparative study of three selected banks in Ghana

The extensive application of project management in organizations required a procedure that can effectively handle these temporary endeavours’ which are crucial to the organizations projected objectives. The aim of the study was to identify project management practices carried out within the PM organizations that affect projects performance in the banking industry. The study, after extensive review of literature, developed an interview schedule which aided the researcher to gather relevant information to answer the research questions. The study was guided by three research objectives which include identifying the project management practices adopted by the banks for management of banks’ projects; to identify the barrier to project management practices in the banking industry and to identify ways of improving project management practices in the banking industry. The study revealed that some project management practices were peculiar to one bank others are common to two or all the banks. PM practices such as: Contractor pre-financing works with money either than advance mobilizations provided by the client; obtaining project funds quarterly; and monitoring progress of works jointly between project consultant and local clients in conformance with specially developed project monitoring progress reporting format. The practice of bearing entire project cost with support from local clients was also identified. Other PM practices: “selecting project consultants competitively”, “selecting contractors through open competitive tendering” etc. are common amongst all the three organizations. From the interview, the respondents indicated that all the practices posed some amount of potential effect on project time, cost and quality objectives. It is recommended that Banks, organizations and stakeholder should ensure that contractors are paid on time to avoid delays on projects which directly affect the success of projects.

Source: KNUST
Project Participants’ Satisfaction on Construction Delivery

Very often project participants have expressed dissatisfaction with teams that they have worked with and in order to address this problem, the research sought to find if there were factors that could be used to measure project participants’ satisfaction so that they are inspired to succeed on the project. To achieve this aim the study involved professionals such as civil engineers, project managers, architects, clients, contractors, and quantity surveyors through random sampling to provide the relevant data for the study. The researcherused survey questionnaires to collectdata from one hundred and sixty-two (162) construction practitioners with an average of 18 years of experience. The study shows that performance parametres are critical to the success of construction project with competence taking the lead. Conflicts as well as payment issues, however, marred the project performance issues with project participants mostly disapproving with issues therein. Some performance issues like communication, quality specification, and competence were internally correlated. Project schedule and project participants’ satisfaction were correlated. Remarkably, performance issues identified in the study significantly predicted project participants’ satisfaction. Competence, payment issues but most importantly, procurement processes were critical determinants of participants’ satisfaction. The study recommends that competence, payment and procurement issues; environmental safety; proper management and cost saving approaches; and good communication, etc., in every construction project should be adequately addressed.

Source: KNUST
Project closure practices in Ghana: A case study of Ghana Cocoa Board construction projects

The study sought to identify from literature the general project closure practices, the stages and the standard practices of project closure implemented by Ghana Cocoa Board for its construction projects as well as finding out adherence and compliance of project closure practices and identify problem associated with project closure. The study employed the quantitative method of research. Questionnaires were developed and distributed among forty (40) respondents comprising of fourteen (14) employees of Ghana Cocoa Board, thirteen (13) employees each of contractors and consultants to Ghana Cocoa Board’s building construction projects. Data collected were analyzed using the Relative Importance Index (RII) and the mean score. The study revealed that the general project closure practices from literature comprised of contractual and administrative close out activities. These represents the basic stages of project closure practices, which are being adhered by Ghana Cocoa Board in their building construction projects. Ghana Cocoa Board in their building construction projects adheres and complies highly with contractual closure practices but comply and adhere fairly to administrative closure practices. Further, it revealed that the problems associated with Ghana Cocoa Board project closure are delay and documentation of standard practices and construction events which will serve the basis for project evaluation and lessons for future projects. The study recommends that Ghana Cocoa Board should address the causes of delays as enumerated by the study and document standard practices and construction events for each project for future purposes. For the purposes of future research, it is also recommended that future research should focus on the impacts of delay from the perspectives of the client, consultant and the contractor.

Source: KNUST
Project performance in financial distress economy in the Ghanaian construction industry

The construction industry is of much relevance to every nation’s development by delivering products that offers the basis for industrial production and all activities carried out by individuals, the public, cooperate groups, organizations and others. Also, in terms of economic development, the industry employs lots of individuals when carrying out its operations. However, there have been a lot of concerns raised on the topic of project performance assessment and many countries from different economy has come to appreciate the relevance of improving project performance in their construction industry. Nevertheless, in financial distress economy regardless of a firm’s nature or size presents substantial dangers to its projects performance. The financial strength of the construction industry is a critical necessity for stability in the economy and development. As a result, the appraisal of financial conditions of project is an essential objective for various project participants. The cost of failure of projects is very massive therefore, a success in the performance of project in financial distress economy needs fast initiatives by authorities to rescue them before failure. The aim of this research was to examine project performance in financial distress economy in the Ghanaian construction industry. Three objectives were set on which literature review was conducted. The first objective was to conduct a critical literature survey to establish a characterization and a theory for financial distress construction economy. The second objective was to explore the underlying impeding constraints to project performance in financial distress construction economy and the third objective was to establish the determinants for improvements of project performance in financial distress construction economy. Philosophically, this study leaned towards the positivism paradigm culminating into the adoption of quantitative method in which survey questionnaires were administered to respondents involved with project management yielding a response rate of 80 percent. The statistical tools utilized in data analysis include mean score; Relative Important Index (RII) and descriptive statistics. The findings of the research indicated that “High interest rates chargeable on loans; Lack of regularly cash flow forecasting; Increment of foreign exchange rate are characterization of financial distress construction economy. It was recommended that project stakeholders should ensure effective construction waste management, adequate labor supervision and effective materials and equipment’s management in financial distress economy. Moreover, there must be effective planning and coordination of project activities and effective and fast communication among project stakeholders

Source: KNUST