ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Students’ Indebtedness and their Repayments: The Case of Ghana Technology University College

Several kinds of students’ educational financial aid in operation with the aim of guaranteeing students the chance to afford higher education regardless of the student’s financial and economic background. The study sought to examine students’ indebtedness and their repayments. It also explored the impacts of student debtors’ gender, age and attitude on repayments of indebtedness. The study was quantitative in nature and fell on primary data via questionnaire to gather data from 169 respondents out of 300 student beneficiaries of educational credit facility provided by Ghana Technology University College. The findings of this study indicated that students’ indebtedness and their repayments varied across gender, age and attitude. The study revealed that students who fall above 18-22 age category had higher rates of indebtedness repayments. Moreover, female student debtors have slightly higher indebtedness repayments than males. This study also revealed that educational credit facility is manageable and that students have positive attitudes towards repayment of their indebtedness. The study suggested that educational credit facility providers should carefully screen applicants in terms of their gender, age and attitude as predictors of indebtedness repayments.

Source: KNUST
Studies into vegetative propagation of the sheanut tree (Vitellaria Paradoxa, Gaepnt) using Cuttings

The sheanut (Vitellaria paradoxa Gaernt) tree is an economic tree found in the interior savanna belt. The tree is believed to be recalcitrant responding unfavourably to some vegetative propagation techniques, although vegetative propagation by stem cuttings has proved promising. Vegetative propagation methods using different wood types, hormone application, sucrose concentration, basal wounding, media and propagation structures were investigated at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) Substation, Bole in the Northern Region. Three studies were carried out to develop a vegetative propagation technique as a basis for the multiplication of the existing stock and probably reduce the long gestation period of the tree. Rooting was significant for coppiced cuttings treated with Seradix ‘3’ powder. Among the media used, significant performance was observed for rice husk with many roots on the cuttings as well as long roots. With sucrose concentrations, rooting of cuttings dipped in 15% sucrose solution did not differ much from 25% sucrose but both were higher than the control. Basal wounding by squeezing gave a significant performance. Anatomical and biochemical studies done at Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG), Fumesua and CRIG, Tab showed a remarkable effect on rooting. Rooting depended on high carbohydrate and phenol levels in the cuttings to promote growth and development. Coppiced cuttings had the highest carbohydrates and phenolic levels, which made it root better than the other wood types. The anatomical studies showed the presence of root primordia especially with coppiced cuttings. The studies also showed the presence of root pnmordia in most of the cuttings that rooted. Almost all the cuttings that rooted whether dipped in high sucrose levels (15% and 25%) or not, had a discontinuous sclerenchyma cell (phloem fibres) that permitted root penetration. The season also played an important role in rooting of cuttings. Cutting materials set in June to August, 2002 performed well whilst those set from November, 2002 to January, 2003 were terminated due to the harsh weather conditions.

Source: KNUST
Students’ indebtedness and their repayments: the case of Ghana Technology University College

Several kinds of students’ educational financial aid in operation with the aim of guaranteeing students the chance to afford higher education regardless of the student’s financial and economic background. The study sought to examine students’ indebtedness and their repayments. It also explored the impacts of student debtors’ gender, age and attitude on repayments of indebtedness. The study was quantitative in nature and fell on primary data via questionnaire to gather data from 169 respondents out of 300 student beneficiaries of educational credit facility provided by Ghana Technology University College. The findings of this study indicated that students’ indebtedness and their repayments varied across gender, age and attitude. The study revealed that students who fall above 18-22 age category had higher rates of indebtedness repayments. Moreover, female student debtors have slightly higher indebtedness repayments than males. This study also revealed that educational credit facility is manageable and that students have positive attitudes towards repayment of their indebtedness. The study suggested that educational credit facility providers should carefully screen applicants in terms of their gender, age and attitude as predictors of indebtedness repayments

Source: KNUST
Studies of Entomological Parameters and Perception of Malaria Transmission on the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology campus, in the Ashanti Region of Ghana

Malaria is a major public health problem in Ghana. Estimations are that 3.5 million people contract malaria every year. In order to develop effective control interventions targeted at reducing the malaria burden in any setting, it is important to understand the major factors that affect transmission and sustenance of the disease. The study was conducted on the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) campus to determine the vector species present and their roles in malaria transmission, map out areas of high malaria risk using GIS, and seek the perception of inhabitants of the KNUST campus on malaria. Monthly mosquito sampling surveys revealed the existence of varied larval habitat types within the area, mostly characterised by clear or turbid shallow and sunlit conditions, with the greatest larval density contributed, mainly by vegetable gardens and irrigated farmlands. A. gambiae Giles complex, A. funestus Giles complex and A. zieamanni Grunberg were the three Anopheles species that were identified from 843 Anopheles spp that were caught from all night human landing collection during the survey. Of the 3 species A. gambiae proved to be the main species, with a sporozoite index of 1.01% and 0.57% for the dry and rainy seasons respectively. An average entomological inoculation rate (EIR) of 0.059 infective b/m/n and an annual EIR of 22 ib/m/yr were estimated. The faculty area was identified as area with the highest malaria risk, with respect to entomological parameters that were measured during the period. A KAP survey revealed that respondents had high malaria knowledge with 97.4% of respondents relating malaria to mosquito bites. Some respondents on the other hand also thought that eating too much oil and long exposure to sunshine caused malaria. However, high knowledge of malaria did not necessarily result in correct attitudes and practices. This study reveals that though malaria transmission appeared low on the KNUST campus, misconceptions of some inhabitants on malaria transmission coupled with the high abundance of Anopheles gambiae Giles complex, on the KNUST campus could result in high levels of transmission if an infectious gametocyte pool comes into play. The study also provides a GIS based malaria information, which needs to be considered and integrated into the design and implementation of future malaria control interventions on the KNUST campus and its immediate surroundings. Educational programs aimed at increasing awareness on the correct attitudes and practices towards malaria transmission could promote community participation for effective malaria control in the study area.

Source: KNUST
Studies of some simple techniques for extending shelf-life of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentuin Mill) fruits

A study was undertaken, at the Horticulture Department, University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, to develop simple techniques that will significantly improve the shelf-life of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum cv. “Power) commonly grown in Ghana. Treatments of the experiments were to study the effects of benomyl (a broad- spectrum fungicide) and hot water as pre-package treatments, perforated and unperf orated low density polyethylene (LDPE) bags as packaging materials and storage in an evaporative cooler (Cooler), in the laboratory (Room) and under Shed (with ambient condition) on tomato fruits. Eight hundred and ten (810) freshly harvested, healthy tomato fruits, at the mature-green and breaker stages of ripening, were randomly divided into three groups and each group treated with (dipped in) either benomyl(0.8g a.i./l), hot water(55°C ± 2°C) or tap water (as control) . Each group was then further divided into three and each subgroup was packaged in each of the storage materials before they were stored under the three storage environments. The percentage weight loss, colour, firmness, total soluble solids, pH and percentage rot of the tomato fruits were monitored. The time (in days) taken for 50 of fruits to rot was taken as the shelf-life. The experiment was repeated twice. The Cooler achieved and maintained a low mean temperature of 25.2°C, about 3°C lower than both Room and Shed, and mean relative humidity of 83.7, about 10% higher than in either the Room or under the Shed. The mean daily percentage weight loss in fruits stored in the Cooler (0.10%) was more than twice lower than those in either Room or under shed which had 0.24 and 0.256 respectively. The conditions in the Cooler helped in maintaining the firmness of the fruits more than fruits stored in Room and or under Shed. The mean shelf-life for the fruits in the Cooler (14 days) was, however, the same as in the Room, though incidence of rot in the Cooler was higher. Mean shelf-life of benomyl-treated fruits (14 days) was longer than both the control and the hot water-treated fruits. The hot water-treated fruits had the shortest mean shelf- life (12 days) and were significantly different from the benomyl-treated fruits but not the control (13 days). Fruits without any packaging material had the longest mean shelf-life of 15 days but were not significantly different from those in perforated polybags which scored 14 days. Fruits in unperforated polybags were worst with 11 days and were significantly different from both the unpackaged fruits and those in perforated polybags. Pretreating tomato fruits with benomyl (0.8g a.i/l aqueous suspension), packaging them in perforated low density polyethylene bags before storing them under normal room conditions or just washing (cleaning) the fruits, allowing them to dry before storing them in an evaporative cooler (without any pre-package treatment and polybags) were the two most effective techniques that prolonged the storage life of tomato fruits.

Source: KNUST
Studies on Chuchuru, a Socio-Cultural Practice and its Effects on Social Development in Navrongo Traditional Area in the Upper East Region

The chuchuru phenomenon is a cultural practice of the Kasena-Nankana people in the Navrongo traditional area of the Upper East Region. It is a practice where children born with congenital abnormalities are declared to be chuchuru and this leads to their execution since they are seen to be carriers of evil and misfortunes to their families and the community at large. An investigation by Anas Arimeyaw Anas led to the arrest of some of the concoction men, yet, very little has been done to expose the negative effects of the practice and to put an end to it. The research methods used are qualitative approach and descriptive method. The research techniques employed are interviews, focus group discussion and observation; pictures were taken regarding the chuchuru practice. The scope of the study has been limited to seven communities in the Navrongo traditional area such as Namolo, Vunania, Biu, Kologo, Wuru, Pugu, and Naga. The study also revealed the barbaric and cruel cultural practice which the accused children passed through. The interviewees were of the view that something needs to be done to abolish the practice among the people of the area to save the lives of the innocent children killed all the time. The community stands to benefit from this study due to the recommendations made to Community Based Organization, the Government Agencies such as the CHRAJ and the National Commission for Civic Education to extend their programs to cover the community so as to bring cultural sanity to the inhabitants.

Source: KNUST
Studies on Arsenic Release and its Mitigation from Tailings Dam Using Nanomagnetite Particles

Knowledge of the geochemistry of As in tailings material after beneficiation of gold-bearing sulphidic ores is necessary to comprehend the nature, stability and mobilization of As into the geo-environment and its subsequent mitigation during storage. In this study, XRD combined with reflected light microscopy and SEM-EDX were employed to carry out studies on the mineralogical composition of As in a tailings material. Arsenic-rich solutions were generated from the tailings material using deionised water to ascertain As mobilisation. The remediation kinetics of the soluble As was carried out using nanomagnetite (Fe3O4). The XRD and SEM- EDX analyses showed that the major source of As in the tailings material is arsenopyrite (FeAsS). The study further confirmed that the residual As mineral in the tailings material is capable of decomposing during storage and can be subsequently mobilised into the geo-environment. It was established that nanomagnetite can efficiently remove As from tailings leachates; preferably at pH between 6 and 7 and Langmuir isotherm best described the sorption process while the Gibbs free energy of the sorption was found to be -12.1026 KJ/mol. Thus, nanomagnetite can be used to mitigate arsenic foot-prints from tailings dam.

Source: KNUST
Studies on Carbon Enhanced Heap Leach

Conventional Heap Leaching recovers only about 60 -70% of the precious metals in the ore which is significantly less than the recoveries in other gold processing methods. Gold recovery can be greatly enhanced by the combined application of Fick’s Law and the principle of Carbon-in Leach (CIL) to a conventional Heap Leaching process, especially, when naturally occurring active carbonaceous materials are known to be present in the ore. The above improvement was effected by inter—dispersing suitable activated carbon in an Agglomerated Heap Leach (AEL), having parameters identical with conventional Heap Leaching process. The result was that an increase in gold recovery from 61% to 87% was achieved. Ways of applying this innovation of Carbon Enhanced Heap Leach to improve on recovery in the gold processing industry have been suggested, and a flowsheet added.

Source: KNUST
Studies on Exploring Critical Success Factors for Stakeholders Management in Construction Projects in Ghana.

Construction projects are undertaken to achieve specific objectives and the success of it is measured by the realization of the set goals including stakeholder satisfaction. Several stakeholders are involved in construction projects and depending on the environment, complexity, and procurement method adopted; stakeholders are involved at different phases of the project undertaking different tasks and duties. These stakeholders with variable influence and power, play key roles in the success or failure of project. Hence, construction projects are normally influenced by success element which can help parties reach their envisioned goals with greater proficiency. The purpose of this study was to identify the various project stakeholders, examine the roles of project stakeholders, and also examine the impact of stakeholders on construction projects, and finally to determine critical success factors leading to construction project success in Ghana. Many critical success factors such as factors related to project manager‘s performance, factors related to organization, factors related to project, and factors related to external environment which become obvious from this study would be useful to ascertain which factors impact on the success of projects. Stakeholder Management is therefore indispensable if project goals are to be achieved. The research develops on the existing performance area outlined to advance a contingency-based model for evaluating construction projects in Ghana. This research also focused on the key elements and best methods that lead to the success of project in Ghana, the exploration of likely indicators for its evaluation and the identification of the critical success factors. In an attempt to fill this research gaps, a questionnaire survey was carry out in Ashanti Region - Ghana to gather the views of construction practitioners and clients concerning the relative significance of CSFs for stakeholder management. Findings from this report showed that all selected CSFs are regarded as critical by most respondents for the success of iv stakeholder management in construction projects. The factor concerning Effective Program Time Management is considered most essential for managing stakeholders.

Source: KNUST
Studies on exploring the project execution risks in the real estate business in Ghana

Ghana is one of the developing countries that has embraced the real estate industry as a means to improve its housing sector of the economy. Over the years, the real estate industry has been faced with a myriad of risks during project execution. Hence, the aim of the research study was to explore the project execution risks in the real estate industry in order to efficiently outline measures to mitigate them. Through an in-depth literature review, the concept of project execution risks, the causes of these risks, the adverse impact of these project execution risks and efficient mitigative measures were ascertained. The model was tested vis-à-vis data obtained from a field research when a total of 60 questionnaires were administered to professionals; site supervisors, site engineers, project managers, project sponsors, architects and subcontractors in the real estate industry. A total number of 50 responses were obtained representing a response rate of 83.33%. Some of the results obtained from the analysis of stakeholders responses agreed with the qualitative research made. The research work was limited in scope such that, only a handful of real estate firms in Accra were sampled using purposive and snowballing sampling techniques. This renders it inappropriate to generalize the results for the entire real estate industry in Ghana coupled with the fact that, it was hectic getting subcontractors and professionals off their working hours to respond to the questionnaire which may also affect the results. However, recommendations were made for future study to the effect that, research should be made on implementation of risk management and its impact on project success in the real estate industry in Ghana.

Source: KNUST
Studies on farmers᾽ indigenous technical knowledge and bio-ecology of mango stone weevil - Sternochetus mangiferae Fab. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Ghana

Studies were conducted on mango farmers‟ indigenous technical knowledge about the mango stone weevil (Sternochetus mangiferae L.) and the impact this knowledge have on the management of the weevil. Laboratory studies were also carried out on the bio-ecology of the weevil. For farmers' indigenous technical knowledge, the country was divided into three zones (Southern, Middle and Northern Zones) and structural questionnaire was administered to a total of 125 farmers chosen at rand om. Fruits were also collected from each zone and dissected to ascertain the levels of infestation. The results showed that awareness about pests among mango farmers was high (96.0%). About 34.4% and 35.2% of the respondents indicated the mango stone weevil and fruit flies, respectively , were the most important insect pests of the crop in Ghana. Only 40.8% of the respondents have adopted the use of garlic extract, pepper, neem seed extract, local soap (alata samina), wood ash and cow dung as part of the indigenous, non-synthetic materials for the management of insect pests on the crop. On the infestation of the mango fruits by the weevils, 15.6% , 38.1% and 46.1%, were recorded on mango collected from the Northern, Middle and Southern zones respectively. From bio-ecological studies, it was found that fresh mango flowers are the most attractive part to mango stone weevils ( S. mangiferae). The study also revealed that black colour significantly (P < 0.05) attracts more weevils than the other colours. This has shown that visual stimuli such as shape and colour have an effect on the habitat behaviour of the weevil

Source: KNUST
Studies on Exploring the Potential Innovations in Contractor Insurance Options in the Construction Industry in Ghana.

The construction industry (CI) worldwide involves many forms of activities that exposes it products, professional, services providers and consumers in the industry to many forms of risk and uncertainties in various dimensions. Contractors are not of sound mind when carrying out construction project because of the uncertainty and risk associated with it. This study presents critical examination of contractor insurance options available to the contractor and determines potential innovations in insurance delivery and means of adopting the options in the CI of Ghana. The study was based on a mixed method research methodology and covers construction and contractor insurance options, means of adopting an innovation method of contractor insurance option in order to ascertain the nature and typology contractor insurance options in the CI of Ghana. Data was collected in a questionnaire survey of 60 stakeholders in the CI and insurance companies across the Ashanti region of Ghana representing 76.92 percent (%) as the response rate. Descriptive statistical analyses were used toanalyse the research questions. Proposed findings cover better ways of creating awareness of risk and uncertainties involved in successful completion of construction projects and the need to involve them as contractor to contactor insurance when contracts are awarded. The study shows that, creating awareness of risk and uncertainties associated with contractor insurance is to fully protect construction worker as a core responsibility for every contractor. The study also shows that, the most influencing factors affecting the selection of contractor insurance are the insurance companies’ parameter and the determinants of contractor insurance options respectively. There is also evidence of “Contractor Insurance options and innovation is key to the development of the insurance industry” as the most potential innovations insurance option that influence the selection of contractor insurance option in the CI.

Source: KNUST