ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
A mathematics e-learning platform for high school students in Ghana

This project deals with designing a Web application that delivers KHAN ACADEMY® instructional videos and attempts to give SHS students, access to educational resources that are relevant to the WASSCE syllabus. The ultimate objective of this project is to help students improve their math learning abilities by giving them reach to vast resources which can be accessed offline. The added value of this application is that it allows teachers to use this resource to assist their students by uploading their own content i.e. exercises, assignments and explanations on various math topics. This application should help curb the rate of failure in WASSCE Math exams and improve the results of many SHS students in Ghana.

Source: Ashesi
A Mobile Application For Supporting Mental Health Among Ghanaian University Students

Mental health is vital for well-being, yet Ghanaian university students face significant challenges, including stress, anxiety, and depression, exacerbated by limited access to culturally appropriate support and pervasive stigma. Traditional counseling services struggle to meet rising demand, leaving students underserved and at risk of academic and social setbacks. Mobile technology offers a scalable solution to bridge this gapp through accessible, user-centered tools. This study aims to develop Calm Minds, a mobile application designed to support the mental health of Ghanaian university students by integrating AI-powered counseling, mood tracking, and offline self-care resources. The project seeks to create an affordable, privacy-focused system that empowers students to proactively manage their wellbeing while reducing stigma. We designed and implemented a client-server architecture using Flutter for cross-platform compatibility, Node.js and Express.js for server-side processing, and Firebase Fire store for secure data storage. The system incorporates a Natural Language Processing (NLP)-based chatbot for real-time support and offline functionality to ensure accessibility Inlow-connectivity areas, addressing limitations of prior digital interventions in Ghana. User inputs, such as mood logs and journal entries, are processed and visualized through an intuitive interface, providing actionable insights for students and counselors. Alpha groundwork for broader deployment.

Source: Ashesi
A mobile application to locate shop/items and handymen

Shopping is one essential activity in every individual’s life. Without shopping, individuals will not have access to things they need to live comfortably. Handymen also make our lives easier by offering services we cannot provide for ourselves either due to lack of skills, time constraints or unavailability of necessary tools. Shopping and finding handymen are relatively easier in developed countries because of the ease of accessing shopping centers, and handymen. However, in developing countries, bad roads and traffic congestion, security and safety threats make these activities much more difficult. In this project, a mobile application to locate shops, items, and handymen is developed to increase the accessibility rate of shops and items, while decreasing security and safety threats associated with hiring handymen.

Source: Ashesi
A mobile application utilizing geolocation technology to enhance ticket sales in Ghana

According to a 2013 report by the international youth foundation, Ghana has seen some increased development in the fields of software, communication and technology. Aside this, the number of individuals having access to high end phones has also seen an increase. Even with all this technology people still find it difficult to access tickets for events that are organized in the country. The ticketing industry in Ghana is still patronizing the traditional system of issuing tickets which obviously has many flaws. This system involves printing out paper tickets which are later moved to vantage points across the country for people to access. The cost involved in this process is not the only problem. The existing problems are that, tickets vendors sometimes use the concept of protocol to sell tickets. That is, they tend to reserve tickets for potential customers who may or may not show up. This action leads to losses in most cases. Queuing and moving long distances for tickets also tends to discourage several people from buying tickets. This paper proposes an improved way to solve the problems faced by many who seek to acquire tickets for events. The ePublisher is mobile application that makes use of Global Positioning Services (GPS) and QR code development to make the process of accessing tickets easier and faster. The application was to be designed to change the experience people have when they are buying tickets for events. Thus, the eight golden rules of interface design coupled with rapid prototyping, the application interface was generated. The GPS feature of the application allows users to locate vendors of tickets around them. Markers displayed on the map symbolizes a vendor and this helps people move to the nearest vendor. In addition, users get to see the number of tickets available and this would guide their decision making. In effect, the implementation of the ePublisher would help reduce the unproductive movement of people to vendors without getting tickets to buy. Queuing and loss of revenue due to the use of protocol would also be checked. Finally, people interested in attending events would be able to buy tickets by a click of a button and all this is done in the comfort of their homes.

Source: Ashesi
A navigation aid for visually impaired people

The United Nation’s 2018 report states that about 1.3 billion people suffer some form of visual impairment with 36 million of them being blind. The number of blind people is projected to reach 115 million by 2050. Some of these people find it difficult to move around because they have difficulty identifying their location, orientation and paths leading to their destinations in unknown territories. While on the road, they have difficulty detecting and avoiding obstacles along the road. The white cane and guide dogs have been popularly used by blind people to guide them along the road and help them avoid obstacles. However, white cane and dogs cannot communicate to the victim, his or her current location or tell him or her the kind of obstacle identified. This report proposed a low-cost system that uses raspberry pi, camera, GPS receiver, ultrasonic and infrared sensors to help the user identify his or her current location, guide him or her through a path while detecting and avoiding obstacles. The system also names obstacles to the user to give him or her more perspective about the surrounding. In this report, only the location identification and path following are implemented and tested and the results showed a mix of true and false turns.

Source: Ashesi
A non-intrusive approach to measuring flow rate in a pipe using machine learning

This paper addresses the issue of inadequate flow rate measurement in domestic water pipe systems, specifically within the content of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) network. While most large-scale water production plants and pipelines are equipped with flow meters for consistent monitoring and control, the same cannot be said for most in-house domestic water pipe systems. Furthermore, many users are unaware of how to interpret the readings on the GWCL-provided meters and are unable to track instantaneous flow rate of water entering their homes. This paper proposes a solution using embedded machine learning and specific sensors to develop a non-intrusive, low-cost device for instantaneous flow rate measurement in residential water pipers, with information transmitted to a dashboard for monitoring by the consumer.

Source: Ashesi
A Patient Elevation System For Space-Constrained Hospitals

In many developing countries, hospitals are often adapted from existing buildings rather than purpose-built, leading to infrastructural limitations that directly impact patient care. Yeboah Hospital in Accra, Ghana, operates from a two-storey building without an elevator, requiring patients who may be in pain to be manually carried up narrow spiral staircases. This project addresses the critical question: How can hospitals like Yeboah implement safe and cost-effective patient transport systems within space and budget constraints? The broader relevance lies in improving accessibility and dignity in healthcare delivery in low-resource settings globally. To answer this, the study employed an engineering design methodology combining secondary research with stakeholder engagement to identify context-specific needs. A weighted decision matrix was used to evaluate transport solutions based on factors like cost, safety, space, and maintenance. The innovative outcome was a pulley-driven scaffold lift system designed to accommodate both patients on stretchers and accompanying nurses, without requiring major structural changes. Key innovations include the integration of a permanent magnet motor for power-failure safety, a compact structural frame using stainless steel profiles for lightweight and hygiene, and an intuitive control interface modelled after simple winch systems. Preliminary findings from prototype testing show the design meets key functional requirements: low vibration, sufficient load capacity, and minimal footprint. The proposed system not only enhances patient safety and comfort but also offers a scalable, low-cost alternative to conventional elevators. Its successful implementation could transform patient mobility in under-resourced hospitals, contributing to more inclusive and dignified healthcare environments.

Source: Ashesi
A personal health record system for patients and medical professionals

As modern healthcare progresses, hospitals have incorporated technology into their various services. Essentially, this has given multiples hospitals a competitive advantage over other industry players. They have implemented Electronic Health Record Systems that is used within their facilities to efficiently manage patient information. However, patients still have little to no access to their personal records. It is believed that a Personal Health Record System would improve the access and the quality of care provided to patients by allowing them to have direct access to their medical health records. This project proposes a mobile application that will digitize hospital cards and allow patients to maintain and manage their health information privately and securely.

Source: Ashesi
A platform to connect investors with smallholder farmers

This capstone project idea is to develop a system called FarmConnect—a mobile application platform that connects investors with smallholder farmers who are seeking funding for their farm operations. Such funding will help the farmer operate at full capacity hence increasing the level of food security in Ghana. FarmConnect will be able to provide interested investors with concrete data that will inform their decision to invest in a chosen smallholder farmer. Also, an example farmer who farms with a hoe, who does not have a business plan, who does not farm using agricultural data like rainfall pattern, and has no way of accessing market information to inform his or her farming activities should be able to farm with knowledge when he or she uses FarmConnect. The farmer can employ current market trends about crops, location of farming, be more organized in terms of their farming operations to enable investors who want to invest in their farm operations have the interest to do so. They should be able to farm with knowledge.

Source: Ashesi
A portable and low-cost electroencephalography device with automated autism diagnosis

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by challenges in speech and communication, impairment in social skills, and repetitive behavior. Autistic children in Africa have very severe symptoms of autism due to the lateness in the diagnosis and treatment of autism on the continent. This work explores the use of a portable, low-cost electroencephalography (EEG) device with automated diagnosis as a means of expediting the process of autism diagnosis in Africa. This work compares two instrumentation amplifier designs for the EEG system. It also compares k-nearest neighbor, support vector machine, decision tree, and random forest as classifiers for providing automated diagnosis for the EEG system. The resulting design was a portable EEG system that can be interfaced with a smartphone for real-time visualization of the EEG signals and automated diagnosis with an accuracy of 85.1%.

Source: Ashesi
A process for automated class scheduling at Ashesi

At the beginning of every semester, the registrar at Ashesi University goes through the laborious task of either manually or semi-automatically developing a course schedule. Very often, after the schedule has been developed, conflicts are realized in the various schedules. Conflicts are categorized into student, lecturer and room conflicts. An open source software, FET was recently used by the university to help develop schedules for the courses. This project is an attempt to review the ways in which the automation process can be enhanced in order to potentially reduce the conflicts faced. At the heart of automated course scheduling is the algorithm being used. Any effort made at enhancing the scheduling process in Ashesi will require an efficient algorithm. This paper begins with a background on scheduling, an extensive research on existing approaches and algorithms follows. The algorithms reviewed include the Multi-Agent System approach, Sequential methods, Constraint Based Methods, Genetic Algorithms, Simulated Annealing, Particle Swarm optimization and Tabu Search. The algorithm used in the FET software is also reviewed. These techniques are compared based on their computational time, ease of implementation, solution quality and constraint handling. Based on the literature, it is realized that Particle Swarm Optimization is potentially the best algorithm with respect to the set criteria. A basic version of the Particle Swarm Algorithm is implemented and tested and the results compared with the results from testing the current FET software algorithm, recursive swapping. The outcome implies that recursive swapping, can produce good solutions but Particle Swarm Optimization is easier to implement.

Source: Ashesi
A real-time passenger information system for public transit systems in Accra

Transportation has played a vital role in the development of societies globally. The quality of services provided by a country’s transportation sector directly influences the productivity of a country’s citizens. In Ghana, the transportation services offered by public transport agencies are inefficient and unreliable. The lack of transit information about these services often cause a great level of inconvenience before, during and after an intra-city commute. With the development of mobile technology and global positioning systems, technology can immensely improve the services provided by the public transportation sector in Ghana. A mobile application which functions as a passenger information system is proposed in this project to provide relevant and real-time information to commuters in Accra. The proposed system allows transport managers and bus conductors to update information that can be viewed by commuters. It also allows commuters to view the estimated time of arrival of a bus operating along a route in real-time.

Source: Ashesi
A resource planning software for youth agripreneurs in Africa

Across the continent of Africa, there are young people who use their experience in farming and knowledge in business to engage in agriculture in a whole new way. Unlike traditional farmers, these young people are in tune with technology and are passionate about changing the status quo on the continent. They are called Agripreneurs. The world bank projects that the world’s population will reach about 9.6 billion by 2050 and this means that current food production needs to be increased by 70 per cent. A significant percentage of the increase in the world’s population will come from the continent of Africa. The continent will have about 2 billion people at this time. The role of Agripreneurs in improving food security on the continent will be paramount. This project is about creating a resource planning software for youth Agripreneurs on the continent to help them manage their resources in the face of disastrous land tenure systems, climate change, and the increase in the use of land for non-agricultural purposes.

Source: Ashesi
A reusable, low-cost and self-sufficient sensorbased neonatal pulse oximeter

Pulse oximeters are non-invasive medical health devices for measuring oxygen saturation and pulse rate of humans. Pulse oximeters used for neonates have been identified to have some limitations in terms of their bulkiness in size, the need for a pulse sensor attachment to a monitoring device to obtain readings and their expensive nature. This project explores a pulse oximeter design to eliminate these limitations and create an accurate alternative for neonatal pulse oximeters. The proposed design includes a pulse sensor and a control and display circuit self-sufficiently powered by a direct current source of voltage. It employs analog signal processing, digital signal processing (DSP) with a low-power but highly efficient microprocessor to ensure accurate values are obtained. The project explores this design but however implemented part of the design (Infrared (IR) sensor) based on the materials and electrical components available. Even though the proposed design was not built as whole, various sections of the design was implemented or simulated and were feasible. The results from the IR sensor built was compared to a commercial pulse oximeter and from the statistical analysis conducted, the two systems have similar readings confirmed by the t-value of 0.917 in the paired t-test. Unfiltered data was used with the algorithm developed and the DSP and the readings for the SpO2 and pulse rate were similar to the commercial oximeter.

Source: Ashesi
A road traffic offense management system integrated with payment system

The project seeks to develop an easier way of reporting traffic offences which reduces time wastage and corruption. The project also provides an option for using mobile money and Visa/MasterCard to instantly pay for fine/bail. The project also digitalizes the mode of offence booking used by the police. Currently the traffic police books an offence by manually writing the details of the offence in a book. By use of the application, the traffic police will be able to use their mobile phones to report an offense which reduces the use the ineffective books. The project also seeks to make the police work easier by giving the general public an opportunity to report drivers who are misbehaving on the road. The general public can also give announcements on the traffic situations and recommendations to reduce traffic.

Source: Ashesi
A simple water management system

Ashesi University, a premier university in Ghana, encounters problems with water conservation because the water output from its reservoirs is unable to meet the demand for water by students, staff and faculty on campus. For this reason, I set out to develop a prototype of a system that helps the Facilities team of the university monitor the usage of water in the hostels on campus and make decisions based on the data gathered. My work is similar in diverse ways to others before mine. However, a number of them do not include the ability to transmit this data to a database and are inefficient, in that they consume more power than required. My project aims to bridge that gap.

Source: Ashesi
A small photovoltaic inverter for grid-connected operation

Solar energy being one of the most promising renewable resources, plays a very significant role in the energy sector of different economies in the world. However, the photovoltaic (PV) system still faces some challenges such as high costs, low efficiency and the photovoltaic (PV) system’s output power intermittent nature as compared to other renewable technologies. This project focuses on three key areas of PV grid-connected inverter control strategies that is the PV Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) using perturb and observe technique, the PV gridconnected Synchronization technique using phase-locked loop (PLL) and PV inverter control using proportionate-integral (PI) technique to control the voltage and the current of the PV gridconnected inverter. The control techniques operate in such a way that during the grid-connected mode, the PV inverter output frequency and the amplitude is controlled by the grid and the inverter operates in a current-controlled mode. The inverter current-controlled mode of operation achieves two requirements that is, the excess energy generated from the PV inverter is transmitted to the grid under no overload condition. During unfavorable weather conditions or overload conditions, both the grid and the PV inverter operate in a voltage-controlled mode in order to maintain a constant frequency and amplitude of the voltage across the load. Simulations in MATLAB/SIMULINK have been used to verify the validity of the proposed system.

Source: Ashesi
A smart breathalyzer system for Ghana

Imagine a five-year-old boy losing his life by being knocked down by a drunk driver who has been intoxicated with alcohol. The driver’s carelessness will cause the family of the little child so much pain, as well as lead to a significant loss of human resources in the country. Road accident according to research has been the second leading cause of death in Ghana. While several countries in the world invest in finding solutions to road accidents [1], little is done by the country to tackle the issue. This capstone project seeks to help reduce or eliminate road accidents by tackling drunk driving, which is one of the preventable causes of a road accident. The paper focuses on reducing the influence of human activities such as corruption in the enforcement drunk driving laws, by developing a breathalyzer system that leverages on digitization, by incorporating a fingerprint sensor for user authentication, a web server which acts as a repository for all alcohol tests and check number of times users violate drunk driving laws. The paper discusses extensive research and implemented work to design a smart breathalyzer system that incorporates the internet of things to tackle the issue of road accidents. The paper explores the use of a fuel cell sensor for alcohol detection, fingerprint sensor for configuration of user authentication. It describes how the GPS model provided various test locations, and the procedure the microcontroller communicated to the database through the GSM module. The paper describes a remote database for the Ghanaian police system which serves as a repository for drunk driving law violations and road accidents management. The paper concludes on the complexity of configuring the alcohol fuel cell sensor, since the fuel cell sensor performs accurate measurement of user breath concentration. The paper also concludes on the importance of internet of things which combines web development and basic electronics in tackling the problem of drunk driving free from the influence of corruption.

Source: Ashesi