What are the main challenges faced by Ghana's construction industry in adopting cleaner production for concrete production, and what initiatives and case studies exist within the Ghanaian context to address these challenges?

Sustainable construction efforts in some countries have been unsuccessful due to numerous barriers to its successful implementation. This study identifies and priorities likely barriers to successful implementation of sustainable construction in the Ghanaian construction industry and measures to overcome potential barriers. A multiple research approach involving semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey was adopted for the study. Interviews were carried out amongst purposively selected 18 contractors and 16 consultants whereas questionnaire survey was conducted among 100 randomly selected practitioners (58 Architects, 37 Quantity Surveyors and 5 Structural Engineers) to examine the relevance of the identified factors in the Ghanaian context. The factors identified as barriers to successful implementation of sustainable construction and measures to overcome potential barriers to sustainable construction were evaluated and ranked according to their mean scores. The five strongest barriers to the implementation of sustainable construction in Ghana are ranked as cultural change resistance, lack of government commitment, fear of higher investment costs, lack of professional knowledge, and lack of legislation respectively. Factor analysis using the SPSS Version 16 package enabled the barriers identified to be grouped under six components as 1) Financial barriers, 2) Political barriers, 3) Management/ Leadership barriers, 4) Technical barriers, 5) Socio-cultural barriers, 6) Knowledge/ Awareness barriers. The results of this study would enable the Ghanaian construction industry to be successful in its quest to implement sustainable construction. This will be possible through the implementation of the measures suggested to remove potential barriers to the implementation of sustainable construction. Identification of barriers and measures to overcome potential barriers are steps towards successful implementation of the sustainability concept in the Ghanaian construction industry.

This research investigates waste disposal practices in the Ghanaian printing industry with a specific emphasis on adopting environmentally sustainable approaches. Four (4) prominent printing presses in Ghana were selected as case studies to examine their waste management strategies. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative statistical data on waste generation and disposal rates with qualitative insights gathered through direct interviews, observation and site visits. The finding revealed the current state of waste disposal in the selected printing presses and highlight existing challenges. Additionally, the research identifies innovative waste disposal practices that contribute to greener printing operations. Factors influencing the adoption of these innovations were explored, including regulatory compliance, economic considerations, and environmental awareness. The study highlighted the importance of transitioning towards greener printing practices to mitigate environmental impact. Recommendations are provided for stakeholders in the printing industry, regulatory bodies, and policymakers to promote sustainable waste management practices. Ghanaian printing presses specifically industrial types must understand and implement these innovations that contribute to both environmental conservation and long-term business sustainability.

This study aims at developing a Knowledge Management Implementation Framework for adoption by firms in the Ghanaian construction industry. Recent developments in the field of Knowledge management in the construction sector have led to a renewed competition in driving organizational performance. However, the construction industry in Ghana lacks a knowledge management implementation framework that addresses the needs of the Ghanaian construction supply chain while a comprehensive approach to managing knowledge remains nebulous. The study adopted an extensive literature review of existing knowledge management models to provide the basis for the development of the proposed framework for Ghana. The proposed knowledge management implementation framework was subjected to testing and validation by project managers drawn from nineteen indigenous construction firms in Ghana. The technology acceptance model (TAM) was used as the criteria to validate the proposed knowledge management implementation framework. The proposed Guribie & Tengan knowledge management implementation framework was perceived to be useful, and easy to use and the intention to adopt and use was high among indigenous Ghanaian construction firms. The study recommends further validation using wider population to enhance the efficacy of the framework for wider industry acceptance to enhance organizational competitiveness and performance delivery.

The growth in global production and consumption rates has resulted in increased pollution generation by industrial companies. To this end, cleaner production is one of the most widely used strategies to reduce the environmental impacts of industry and gain competitive advantage. However, it is still adopted slowly in many places. Therefore, the objective of this study is to propose a framework composed of governmental, scientific, and industrial strategies, policies, initiatives, and research opportunities for the development of cleaner production. The best practices of the top countries in the cleaner production technical-scientific scenario and the main implementation challenges and opportunities for its scientific development were identified and were the reference for the framework proposals. In the government sector, the framework suggests actions to encourage the adoption of cleaner production practices through national policies, legislation, tax incentives, and educational campaigns. In the scientific sector, it suggested the development of studies about the factors that motivate its adoption, studies about clean technologies, and studies about the cleaner production implementation difficulties. In the industrial sector, it highlighted the importance of the engagement of upper management to focus on efforts to increase the efficiency of manufacturing processes with the adoption of clean technologies, management systems, strengthening of the research and development areas, and replacement of hazardous raw materials. Thus, this study contributes with initiatives that will help the implementation of cleaner production practices, reducing the generation of pollution in industry, increasing the efficiency of its processes, and aligning countries and societies to sustainable development.

Adopting green building technologies (GBTs) is critical to implementing sustainability within the construction industry. Many barriers, drivers, and promotion strategies influence the GBTs adoption. Appreciating these barriers, drivers, and promotion strategies and how they influence GBTs adoption is core to the successful promotion of GBTs adoption. However, there appears to be no studies developing quantitative models to explain how various types of barriers, drivers, and promotion strategies influence GBTs adoption, especially in developing countries such as Ghana. This research aims to investigate and model the influences of various types of barriers, drivers, and promotion strategies on GBTs adoption in Ghana. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey with 43 professionals with green building experience. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the data. The results showed that: (1) government-related barriers have a significant negative influence on GBTs adoption; (2) company-related drivers have a significant positive influence on GBTs adoption; and (3) two promotion strategies – “government regulations and standards” and “incentives and R&D support” – would have significant positive influences on GBTs adoption. In conclusion, this study highlights the need to reinforce the government's participation in the promotion of GBTs adoption. The findings can help policy makers and practitioners promote GBTs adoption in the construction industry. Based upon the results, an implementation strategy (IPS) to help promote GBTs adoption is proposed. Regarding the quantitative influences of barriers, drivers, and promotion strategies on GBTs adoption, the findings of this study are arguably the first to be presented for the construction industry, and therefore contribute to the existing green building body of knowledge.

Abstract This special volume of the Journal of Cleaner Production is comprised of articles presented at the 3rd International Workshop Advances in Cleaner Production held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2011. The content underscores the recognition of the pressing and inescapable need for making changes from unsustainable to sustainable production and consumption patterns. The 48 articles from 15 countries provide different, but complimentary approaches to help industrial and societal sectors in advancing on their paths towards sustainability. Initiatives and challenges are included, which systematically address problems affecting raw material changes, technological modifications, product and policy changes. The findings range from proposals for alternative uses of wastes, substitution of raw materials for environmentally friendlier substances, optimization of industrial processes by source reductions of wastes and emissions and documented economic and environmental advantages of a wide array of initiatives. The roles of operational and managerial practices are also stressed, highlighting the role of diverse stakeholders as promoters of implementation and internalization of innovative cleaner technologies within companies. Systemic assessment tools are employed and experimented with in order to more effectively evaluate the environmental performance of systems on the biosphere scale. The methodological procedures and proposals presented can help in the design and management of production systems, for governmental and corporate policy development, for implementing and monitoring CP Programs, prevention and mitigation strategies, and evaluation of the outcomes of CP initiatives in the production and service sectors.

This study seeks to develop a framework that improves sustainable practices in government construction projects in Ghana, specifically housing or building projects when the nation is required to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs), targets, and indicators. This study used semi-structured and open-ended exploratory interviews as qualitative methods to discover and obtain understanding of the subject matter by engaging six (6) industry experts. This study assisted in probing answers provided by the experts. Although the main study addresses seven research objectives, this exploratory study focused on the first three objectives and therefore addressed the first three research questions of the main study accordingly. Ghana government has made efforts to increase awareness of sustainable development goals (SDGs) amongst stakeholders, but there is room for improvement. This study identified six environmental, eleven social, and six economic factors that can promote sustainable practices in government construction projects in Ghana concerning UNSDGs 8, 9, 19, 11 and 12. The government of Ghana also has to do more to utilise a database system required by the United Nations to provide details on achievements attained on the UNSDGs 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 targets in different sectors, including the construction sector. This study engaged six industry experts, making generalisation of findings not possible. Many more diverse stakeholders are required to ensure this study is more representative across the country. The practical implications for this study are to increase SDGs awareness amongst stakeholders, utilise some provided environmental, social, and economic factors to promote sustainable practices, and improve the usage of database system in government construction projects in Ghana.

Construction projects monitoring and evaluation is a vital process in project delivery which is aimed at ensuring that major objectives and goals are achieved. However, the implementation of monitoring and evaluation in the Ghanaian construction industry have seen numerous challenges and as a result, the poor performance of the industry. This paper identifies and evaluates the barriers faced by projects in the implementation of monitoring and evaluation in the Ghanaian construction industry. Literature was reviewed and subsequently, a semi-structured questionnaire developed to stimulate the relevant response from the major stakeholders in the Ghanaian construction industry. The collected data were analysed using the one sample t-test. Literature revealed ten (10) challenging factors to the implementation of monitoring and evaluation. Weak institutional capacity, limited resources and budgetary allocations for monitoring & evaluation, weak linkage between planning, budgeting and monitoring & evaluation, weak demand for and utilisation of monitoring and evaluation results and finally, poor data quality, data gaps and inconsistencies were identified as the most significant contributing factors to the implementation of PM&E in Ghana construction projects. The study contributes to the body of knowledge on the challenges to effective monitoring and evaluation of construction projects.

Technology has undoubtedly played a vital role in improving construction procedures and processes for many years. However, its application for health and safety monitoring and management has not been fully exploited in the Ghanaian construction industry. This study aims at exploring the current technologies essential for health and safety in the Ghanaian construction industry. Three specific objectives are set: (1) to identify the current health and safety technologies important in the Ghanaian construction industry; (2) to examine the level of utilization of the current health and safety technologies in the Ghanaian construction industry; (3) to identify the barriers to the adoption of the current health and safety technologies in the construction industry. A structured questionnaire is used to solicit the views of 123 construction professionals who double as health and safety officers in large construction firms in Ghana. The questions are developed through a critical comparative review of the related literature. The data are analyzed via descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings reveal that key among the current technologies important for health and safety in the Ghanaian construction industry are wearable safety devices, geographic information systems, sensing technologies, virtual reality, and BIM. The findings further reveal a moderate level of usage of the key technologies among construction professionals in Ghana. Key among the barriers to the adoption of these technologies for health and safety in the Ghanaian construction industry are the factors ‘excess costs related to acquiring new technologies’, ‘weak innovation culture’, ‘lack of continuous training of the workforce in adapting to the technologies’, ‘resistance to change with aging workforce’, and ‘little or no governmental support and regulations for the use of the technologies’. The findings from this study provide insight into the ever-increasing state-of-the-art technologies used in the construction industry.

Purpose The uptake of Design for Safety (DfS) practices in developing countries like Ghana has been limited. This study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the barriers across regulatory, organizational, cultural and educational dimensions that restrict DfS assimilation in the Ghanaian construction sector. Identifying the key impediments can inform policy initiatives and industry efforts to facilitate safer construction. Design/methodology/approach A postpositive philosophy underpinned the quantitative research. Multi-stage research was used. A comprehensive questionnaire survey was designed and given to six industry experts to assess clarity, relevance and effectiveness after a thorough literature review. In all, 164 professionals were reached to take part in the study using purposive sampling and consequently snowballing. “Variables” were ranked using mean score ranking and normalization techniques; exploratory factor analysis was then used to group variables into clusters. Findings Emergent findings revealed four distinct clusters of challenges; Design Process and Communication Challenges; Regulatory and Expertise Limitations; Planning and Education Constraints; and Attitudinal and Perception Barriers. These findings help identify targeted solutions to overcome barriers including developing robust regulatory frameworks, promoting collaboration among stakeholders and cultivating a positive safety culture. Originality/value This study provides new insights into the integration of DfS in the context of the developing construction industry in Ghana. This study expands the knowledge base to drive further research in enhancing construction safety in developing countries. Practical recommendations for overcoming these challenges are proposed.