Ghana Meteorological Agency Research Articles

Technical Efficiency Evaluation of Maize Production in Ghana: An Application of Three-Stage Data Envelopment Analysis

Purpose: In Ghana, maize constitutes the primary source of revenue and food for small-scale farmers, and to attain maize self-sufficiency, appropriate production techniques must be employed, coupled with the scaling up of production efficiency to supplement our food output. The objectives of the study are to estimate the technical efficiency and analyze the trend in total factor productivity of maize production. Method: This study focuses on forty-eight (48) cities in six (6) selected regions of Ghana: Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Central, Eastern, and Volta. Secondary data on maize production was obtained from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture from the 2010/11 to 2020/21 cropping seasons. Environmental variables (amount of rainfall and temperature) were sourced from the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMA) from 2010/11 to 2020/21. Results and Conclusion: The results displayed a fairly high level of TE, and environmental factors significantly influence production efficiency. The study revealed that the TE of maize cultivation was 0.752 and 0.853 for the first and third stages, respectively. From the findings, the efficiency scores attained after the adjustments to the input in the third stage of the DEA model were greater than those in the first stage. Also, the results indicated the eastern region had the highest TE scores, showed an increment in productivity, and serves as the finest region for maize cultivation. Overall, the technical performance of maize cultivation had shown an upward trend in productivity, and the eastern region recorded the highest efficiency performance and technological progress. Implications of the Research: The research highlights the significance of the maize crop to the Ghanaian economy and how environmental factors impact farmers' production efficiency. It also emphasizes the benefits of resource use efficiency and its implied effects on the total factor productivity of maize cultivation. Policy suggestions include sustainable production practices primarily for farmers living in susceptible areas to enhance productivity and improve their food security status. Originality/Value: The gap discovered in the examined literature was that there exists a substantial deficiency in the usage of the three-stage DEA Malmquist model for analyzing technical efficiency and limited studies on the estimation of the total factor productivity (TFP) changes, specifically focusing on maize farming. This paper adds to the body of the existing literature by utilizing a three-stage DEA model to evaluate the TE of maize production. This is entirely limited both in theory for annual crops and methodologically in the Ghanaian literature on efficiency studies.

Flood risk assessment and adaptation under changing climate for the agricultural system in the Ghanaian White Volta Basin

In the context of river basins, the threat of climate change has been extensively studied. However, many of these studies centred on hazard analysis while neglecting the need for comprehensive risk assessments that account for exposure and vulnerability. Hazard analysis alone is not adequate for making adaptive decisions. Thus, to effectively manage flood risk, it is essential to understand the elements that contribute to vulnerability and exposure in addition to hazard analysis. This study aims to assess flood risk (in space and time until the year 2100) for the agricultural system, in the White Volta Basin in northern Ghana. Employing the impact chain methodology, a mix of quantitative and qualitative data and techniques were used to assess hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. Multi-model climate change data (RCP 8.5) from CORDEX and observation data from the Ghana Meteorological Agency were used for hazard analysis. Data on exposure, vulnerability, and adaptation were collected through structured interviews. Results indicate that flood hazard will increase by 79.1% with high spatial variability of wet periods but the flood risk of the catchment will increase by 19.3% by the end of the twenty-first century. The highest flood risk is found in the Upper East region, followed by North East, Northern, Savannah, and Upper West for all four analysed periods. Adaptive capacity, sensitivity, and exposure factors are driven by poverty, ineffective institutional governance, and a lack of livelihood alternatives. We conclude that the region is highly susceptible and vulnerable to floods, and that shifting from isolated hazard analysis to a comprehensive assessment that considers exposure and vulnerability reveals the underlying root causes of the risk. Also, the impact chain is useful in generating insight into flood risk for policymakers and researchers. We recommend the need to enhance local capacity and foster social transformation in the region.

Climate variability impact on crop evapotranspiration in the upper East region of Ghana

Ghana's agriculture is primarily rain-fed, making it vulnerable to the impact of climate variability and climate change. This study examined the trends and impact of climatic variability and evapotranspiration on the crop evapotranspiration of selected staple crops across three districts in the Upper East region of Ghana over a 19-year period. Data on agro-climatic conditions (rainfall, temperature, relative humidity, and sunlight) in the Upper East region were obtained from the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) from 2000 to 2018. Given the non-conformity of the response variables to the normality assumption, the Quantile Regression (QR) was employed to examine the impact of climatic variability on different crop evapotranspiration scenarios (low = 10 %, typical = 50 %, and high = 90 %) of the selected crops. The analyzes disclosed a significant difference in crop evapotranspiration between the districts, except for maize, which remained consistent. There was an increase in crop evapotranspiration trend for all, but the maize crop informs the potential improvement of crop evapotranspiration notwithstanding the climatic variability. The study offers a vital insight into the complex dynamics of crop evapotranspiration in response to climatic variability and evapotranspiration. It is recommended, therefore, to consider advances in crop varieties through continuous investment in crop breeding research programmes to improve drought tolerance crops and develop regional water balance techniques.

Seasonal Differences in Rainfall Distribution Within the Bawku Area in the Savanna Belt of Ghana

Empirical evidence suggests that temperatures are continuously rising in the savannah areas of Ghana and impacting negatively on residents’ livelihood activities. However, there is paucity of information on the wet and dry seasons’ rate of wetness or dryness in the driest belt of Ghana. Meanwhile, residents of the area are mainly rained agriculturalists. We employed gauge station rainfall and temperature data from Ghana Meteorological Agency to assess the seasonal rainfall characteristics of the Bawku area using XLSTAT and DrinC software. Results from the rainfall anomalies show persistent dryness (-0.017) in the area during the dry season and continuous wetness in the wet season (0.021). Evapotranspiration was consistently higher in the dry season at a rate of 2.6% (0.26) yearly as well as a high rate of aridity [AI] (0.00≤AI≤0.09) in the dry season and low aridity (0.56 ≤AI ≤1.13) during the wet season. Following the reduction in the amount of rainfall, we can conclude that Bawku area is continuously drying amidst the changing climate. It is recommended that the ministry of agriculture should prioritise the construction of mechanised dams or wells and expand irrigation projects in the area to reduce the climate change effects on the livelihood of the residents especially in the dry season.

Mechanistic interaction between climate variables rainfall and temperature on surface water quality and water treatment costs at the Barekese Headworks, Ghana: A time series analysis and water quality index modelling approach

Extreme rainfall and temperatures are climate variables that threaten global water supplies and surface water quality (SWQ). To understand how rainfall and temperature interact with surface water quality and water treatment costs, this study, unlike previous ones, uses time series analysis (TSA) and water quality index (WQI) modelling to fill significant research gaps. The study uses data from the Barekese Water Treatment Headworks, Ghana. Water quality data from 2000 to 2019 for the Barekese Headworks were obtained from the Ghana Water Company Limited. Rainfall data for the catchment was obtained from the Ghana Meteorological Agency. The Mann-Kendall statistical test for trend and the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) water quality index was applied to data sets. The Mann-Kendall trend test showed no significant change in annual temperatures. An increasing trend for annual rainfall was observed, but this was not statistically significant (Z = 0.21). Sen's slope estimator (Q) showed that rainfall increases at 3.03 mm annually. pH correlated negatively with rainfall (r = - 0.15). Correlations were observed between rainfall and temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO), turbidity, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Nitrate (NO3−), Phosphate (PO43−), and Manganese (Mn). Rainfall was observed to increase the cost of liming, coagulation, and disinfection. A 20.26% deterioration in SWQ was observed from 2009 to 2019. The SWQ over the period under study and according to the CCME water quality index was 80% marginal, 10% fair and 10% poor. The findings reveal that the concurrent use of TSA and WQI modelling can help elucidate how rainfall and temperature interact with SWQ and water treatment costs. It further contributes knowledge to attaining the Africa Union Agenda 2063 on climate resilience and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 6 and 6.3 on universal water access and quality improvement.

Farmers response to climate variability and change in rainfed farming systems: Insight from lived experiences of farmers

Climate adaptation, while urgent, is complicated by a slew of unknowns and uncertainties through insufficient scholarship. This study addresses these slews of unknowns surrounding local adaptation to climate change and associated determinants among rainfed smallholder farmers in rural Ghana. We utilized a mixed-method approach to collect primary data from 410 households, 15 key informants and 10 focus group participants coupled with meteorological data from the Ghana Meteorological Agency, Accra (GMet). Results from meteorological analysis from 1989 to 2020 and farmers' perceptions showed a consistent pattern exemplifying a temperature rise, and a decline in rainfall pattern in the study area over the period. Rainfed smallholder farmers employed multiple coping strategies including—cognitive restructuring, resource seeking, experiential avoidance, expressive coping, capital disinvestment and relying on social networks to deal with current and future climate shocks. Also, key adaptation interventions implemented by rainfed smallholder farmers based on lived experiences include farm and crop management, soil and water conservation, conservation agricultural practices, smart-farming practices and cropping decisions, livelihood diversification and indigenous knowledge application. Market access, access to climate information/services, access to extension services, use of indigenous knowledge and practice, risk perception, and government support, livestock ownership, asset ownership, credit access, and farm insurance significantly increase rainfed smallholder farmers' decision to cope/adapt to climate variability in rural Ghana. However, improved soil fertility and farm labour significantly influenced rainfed smallholder farmers' adaptation response but not coping. The findings have implications for developing effective adaptation interventions to build resilient agricultural systems and sustainable livelihood in rainfed farming areas.

The role of personality differences in achieving organisational productivity

Purpose: This study examines the role of personality differences in organizational productivity. Specifically, the study examined the level of acceptance of individual differences, ascertained how individuals relate to each other to attain preset productivity levels and assessed how personality differences translate into organizational productivity. Research methodology: Using a quantitative research approach and case study design, data were collected from 190 employees through simple random sampling. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics from IBM SPSS Statistics 24 and are presented in the tables. Results: The results showed a high level of acceptance of individual differences, even though leaders mostly failed to adjust to employee differences. It was also found that, although leaders did not invest in employee relations programs, personality differences positively affected organizational productivity. The findings also reveal that employees are creative in managing resources and materials for production, explaining the significant influence of personality differences on productivity. Limitations: The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics only. Therefore, no inferences can be made. This study was limited to the employees of the Ghana Meteorological Agency. Contribution: Organizational leaders need to become more tolerant of individual employee differences, as this goes a long way to improve organizational productivity. Future studies should consider other industries in which the workforce is more diverse. Novelty: This study highlighted the role of personality differences in achieving organizational productivity with evidence from the Ghana Meteorological Agency.

Revisiting the agro-climatic zones of Ghana: A re-classification in conformity with climate change and variability

The Ghana Meteorological Agency delineated Ghana’s geographical space into four agro-climatic zones namely the north, transition, forest and coastal zones. Since the demarcation in the 1960s, previous studies have rarely provided a more dis-aggregated agro-climatic zone map in tandem with contemporary climate change and variability. The continued use of this age-old classified zones is a disservice to the public. In this study, therefore, we evaluated the existing agro-climatic zone map of Ghana and reconstructed it to a more appropriate and dis-aggregated map that reflect current climate change and variability impact. This was achieved by quantifying the contrast in rainfall and temperature amount over a 30 year period for different climate windows and mapped out areas with similar rainfall and temperature regimes. Our findings revealed significant changes in the existing agro-climatic zones especially in terms of number, the boundary size and geographical orientation of the zones. The newly proposed map consist of five distinctive climate zones namely: the Sudan Savannah, Guinea Savannah, Transition, Forest and Coastal zones. The Sudan and Guinea Savannah zones showed a southerly expansion. The transition zone shriveled in size as the Guinea Savannah zone took over most of it, notably in the southeast. The forest zone shrank in size with a northwest shift while the coastal belt grew to encompass the whole coast of Ghana. These changes are strong evidence of climate change and possible food production changes. These findings are useful to agriculture sector in planning their activities, the health sector in predicting specific diseases caused by changes in weather and climate, Ghana Meteorological Agency for weather forecasting purposes, and the National Disaster Management in identifying disaster prone zones.

Livelihood Vulnerability Index: An Approach to Assess Vulnerability of Crop Farmers to Climate Variability and Change in Ghana

Climate change has emerged as a global concern, especially its negative impacts on agriculture, particularly amongst poor subsistence and smallholder farmers because of the sector’s dependency on rainfall. The impacts of climate change and climate related extreme events may vary among farmers within the same locality based on the interplay of factors such as differences in households’ socio-demographic and economic characteristics. The extent of the impacts of climate change depends on the capacity of farmers and appropriateness of the adaptation measures undertaken to mitigate such impacts. This study adopts the Livelihood Vulnerability Index to assess the vulnerability of the two districts (Atwima Mponua and Ejura-Sekyeredumase) in different agro-ecological zones (Semi-Deciduous Forest and Transition Zone respectively). The study used household questionnaires to collect primary data from150 farming households from each district as well as using secondary data on rainfall and temperature from the Ghana Meteorological Agency. The Livelihood Vulnerability Index was used to assess the vulnerability of the two districts. The overall LVI indicates that Ejura-Sekyeredumase District may be more vulnerable to climate change impacts than Atwima Mponua District. The vulnerability triangle indicates that Ejura-Sekyeredumase District is more sensitive to climate change and variability impacts than Atwima Mponua District. Although Atwima Mponua District may have a higher adaptive capacity than Ejura-Sekyeredumase District, the difference is relatively small. The study found that while it is important to have generic policies that address the main agricultural issues in Ghana, development and implementation of region-specific adaptation policy is crucially important. Keywords: Climate variability and change, Livelihood Vulnerability Index, exposure, sensitivity, adaptative capacity DOI: 10.7176/JEES/13-1-03 Publication date: January 31 st 2023

Climate Change Adaptation: An Ecosystem-Based Approach for Livelihood Improvement of Fringe Communities around Worobong South Forest Reserve in Ghana

Anthropogenic and climate-induced change can potentially impact negatively on direct dependents of forest ecosystem services. To help build resilient societies, we examined the vulnerability of ecosystem-dependent communities in the Worobong South Forest Reserve (WSFR). We also examined climate variability impacts on forests and further suggested ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) strategies for livelihood improvements in the study area. The reserve can be found in the Eastern region of Ghana. We administered 250 questionnaires as well as studied time series data for temperature and rainfall with satellite images using the mixed method approach. The types of questionnaires used were open-ended and closed-ended semistructured questionnaires. The study also involved a focus group discussion and the development of trend analysis of relationships between the two data sets in 2016. Our results show that respondents perceived variation in average annual temperature and rainfall over the past few decades as the main reasons for the decline in the supply of bush meat, freshwater, tree barks, and leaves in the study area. The results of the questionnaire corroborated those of the data for the time series obtained from the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMeT) which is correlated with changes in the structure of (WSFR). To build resilient livelihoods and ecosystems, residents suggested strategies such as intensification of agroforestry systems with gain sharing arrangements, forest regulation enforcement, and bushfire control as ways to sustain the forests in the WSFR. We conclude that any measure to develop any climate change resilient mechanism in the WSFR should include those suggestions from residents.

Economic shocks and the growth of the Ghanaian cocoa industry from 1975 to 2019

In this study, we sought to identify some economic shocks that have affected the Ghanaian cocoa industry and the effects of these shocks based on available annual data over the 45-year period from 1975 to 2019. The analysis was conducted using a simple autoregressive model of the cocoa industry. The results of the analysis indicated that the major economic shocks affecting the cocoa industry in Ghana were political instability arising from military coups, producer price shock linked to very high producer prices, the La Cote d’Ivoire civil wars between 2002 to 2007, and 2010 to 2011, which resulted in large-scale smuggling of cocoa beans across the border to Ghana for sale, and the El Nino weather shock characterized by severe droughts and very low amounts of rainfall, which dampened the production of cocoa beans in Ghana. The negative shocks were the El Nino weather phenomenon and political instability. The positive shocks were the very high producer prices and La Cote d’Ivoire civil war. We suggest some recommendations. These include increased resourcing of the Ghana Meteorological Agency to improve its prediction of extreme weather effects whose occurrence affect the production of crops such as cocoa, the establishment of bigger price stabilization funds by the Ghana Cocoa Board to support the cocoa industry, and research studies to analyse the apparent link between dramatic drop in cocoa production and explosive depreciation of the Ghanaian currency, the Ghana cedi.

Climatic zoning of Ghana using selected meteorological variables for the period 1976–2018

AbstractPeriodic climate zoning is an essential classification of land cover to account for anthropogenic activities resulting from population increase and urbanization that affect key climate response parameters. Rainfall, relative humidity (RH), maximum (Tmax) and minimum temperature (Tmin) data from the Ghana Meteorological Agency were used to zone Ghana by adopting cluster and PCA analysis methods and verifying the groupings with the seasonal trend and Tukey Honestly Significance Difference (HSD) analysis. The cluster analysis grouped the synoptic stations into four major homogenous clusters while the PCA distributed them into three sub‐divisions with reference to 1976–2018. Rainfall, RH, Tmax and Tmin were characterized by five, three, two and three factors with factor loadings in the range of 0.71–0.78, 0.53–0.70, 0.54–0.74 and 0.50–0.72, respectively. HSD found transition stations like Bole and Kete Krachi in cluster 1 and 2 to have no significant difference with cluster 1, while Wenchi, Sunyani, Sefwi Bekwai and Koforidua in cluster 2 had no significant difference with cluster 3. Accra station which was classified in cluster 3 showed the seasonal pattern of cluster 4 and was confirmed by HSD to belong in cluster 4. Therefore, Ghana‐based on‐point analysis is climatically grouped into Savannah (11°0′0′′N–7°46′11′′N), Forest (from 7°46′11′′N to the coast) and Coastal (about 30 km from the Gulf of Guinea coastline) based on the assessed parameters. These findings are vital for planners and decision‐makers especially for industries that depend on weather and climatic conditions for their activities.

Rainfall Prediction Using Machine Learning Algorithms for the Various Ecological Zones of Ghana

Accurate rainfall prediction has become very complicated in recent times due to climate change and variability. The efficiency of classification algorithms in rainfall prediction has flourished. The study contributes to using various classification algorithms for rainfall prediction in the different ecological zones of Ghana. The classification algorithms include Decision Tree (DT), Random Forest (RF), Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) and K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN). The dataset, consisting of various climatic attributes, was sourced from the Ghana Meteorological Agency spanning 1980 – 2019. The performance of the classification algorithms was examined based on precision, recall, f1-score, accuracy and execution time with various training and testing data ratios. On all three training and testing ratios: 70:30, 80:20 and 90:10, RF, XGB and MLP performed well, whereas KNN performed least across all zones. In terms of the execution time of the models, Decision Tree is consistently portrayed as the fastest, whereas MLP used the most run time.

Comparative Assessment of Standard Precipitation Index and Standard Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index as Drought Evaluation Tools in Coastal Winneba-Ghana

In coastal Winneba-Ghana, drought occurrence negatively affects the ecosystems and agriculture and threatens food security and socio-economic livelihoods. Nevertheless, there exist dearth of information on a detailed statistical evaluation of drought indices over this area. This study made a comparative assessment of Standard Precipitation Index (SPI) and Standard Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) over coastal-Winneba. A daily temperature and rainfall data from 1980-2019 acquired from the Ghana Meteorological Agency was used to perform SPI and SPEI. Pearson correlation coefficient and cross-correlation, and Bland and Altman plot were used to test for the strength and direction and the degree of agreement, respectively between SPI and SPEI. Results showed a strong and positive association between SPI and SPEI (0.90, 0.91, 0.84, and 0.93) at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month timescales, respectively. Results again, showed a good degree of agreement between SPI and SPEI (-0.06138, -0.00736, -0.05211, and -0.01810) at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month timescales, respectively. Results further, showed that while both SPI and SPEI correlated strongly with each other, SPEI performed better in the detection of severe and extreme droughts at all timescales than SPI. Additionally, results showed that in the absence of temperature data to perform SPEI, the SPI can be used since the study found an acceptable degree of agreement scores between SPI and SPEI at all timescales in the study area. The study, therefore, recommends the utilization of numerous drought indices in drought performance assessment at a particular region or locality to arrive at a strong decision.

Trends and Periodicities in Rainfall, Temperature, and Relative Humidity Datasets Over Ghana

This paper analyzed trends and periodicities in annual and seasonal rainfall, temperature, and relative humidity (RH) over Ghana using climatological datasets for twelve (12) synoptic stations spanning the periods of 30 to 52 years (1961–2010), obtained from the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet). The datasets were normalized by dividing with the long time mean, and grouped in decades. Findings show that 1961-1970 and 2001-2010 decades recorded significant wetter years, while 1981-1990 recorded relatively drier years within in the zones with bimodal rainfall seasons. However in the zone with mono-modal rainfall seasons wetter years occurred within the decades of 1981-1990 and 2001-2010. Furthermore, it is realised that, there is a cyclic pattern noted in the rainfall time series and a cycle of about 5 to 8 months for the Northern zone, 6 – 8 month for the middle belt and approximately 8 months for the coastal zone in the rainfall, temperature and humidity datasets suggesting a coherence in their relationship.

Harnessing Local Forecasting Knowledge on Weather and Climate in Ghana: Documentation, Skills, and Integration with Scientific Forecasting Knowledge

AbstractImproved weather and climate forecast information services are important to sustain small-scale crop production in many developing countries. Previous studies recognized the value of integrating local forecasting knowledge (LFK) with scientific forecasting knowledge (SFK) to support farmers’ decision-making. Yet, little work has focused on proper documentation, quality verification, and integration techniques. The skills of local and scientific forecasts were compared, and new integration approaches were derived over the coastal zone of Ghana. LFK indicators were documented, and farmers were trained to collect indicators’ observations and record rainfall in real time using digital tools and rain gauges, respectively, in 2019. Dichotomous forecasts verification metrics were then used to verify the skills of both local and scientific forecasts against rainfall records. Farmers use a diverse set of LKF indicators for both weather and seasonal climate time-scale predictions. LFK indicators are mainly used to predict rainfall occurrence, amount of seasonal rainfall, dry spell occurrence, and onset and cessation of the rainy season. The average skill of a set of LFK indicators in predicting one-day rainfall is higher than individual LFK indicators. Also, the skills of a set of LFK indicators can potentially be higher than the forecasts given by the Ghana Meteorological Agency for the Ada District. The results of the documentation and skills indicate that approaches and methods developed for integrating LFK and SFK can contribute to increasing forecast resolution and skills and reducing recurring tensions between the two knowledge systems. Future research and application of these methods can help improve weather and climate information services in Ghana.

Spatio-temporal rainfall trend and homogeneity analysis in flood prone area: case study of Odaw river basin-Ghana

Accurately forecasting rainfall trends is vital for the socio-economic development of a nation. Observed daily rainfall data from the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) spanning 1980 – 2015 was deployed to study the spatio-temporal rainfall trend in the Odaw river basin (ORB) in Accra. Using Mann–Kendall (MK), Sen’s slope and set of homogeneity tests, the monthly, annual and decadal rainfall variability based on the indices – rainfall total, daily maximum and rainy/wet day count were examined. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and wavelet (WT) analysis were applied on the monthly time series in order to verify the spatio-temporal variability. It was observed that a mean value ranging from 760 to 1200 mm, 77.1–94.4 mm and 56–90 day count were recorded for Annual Rainfall Total (ART), Annual Daily Maximum (ADM) and Annual Rainy Days (ARD) respectively in the ORB. Mann–Kendal test recorded an overall non-significant positive trend in the Odaw basin for ART and ARD with an average positive slope of 3.7 mm/year and 0.23 wet days/year and a significant positive trend with slope value of 0.55 mm/year for ADM in the basin. On the monthly scale, a significant upward trend was observed for the dry seasonal months; December, January and February for the Monthly Rainfall Total (MRT) and Monthly Daily Maximum (MDM) rainfall series during the period at all stations. Homogeneity for both annual and monthly rainfall time series were observed over the stations in the basin by the Pettitt, Alexandersson’s SNHT and Buishand’s tests. PCA revealed that the spatial variability of rainfall in ORB is very diverse with 55.9% of the variability located in the middle to highland part while 44.0% of the variation is occurring mostly in the low-lying area at the southeastern part of the ORB. The wavelet analysis also revealed a strong annual periodicity at all the selected stations in the basin. The outcome of this study provides valuable information to formulate adaptation measures through appropriate strategies for managing flood in the study area.

The Temporal Trend Analysis of Extreme Rainfall Events in Ga-West District of Accra, Ghana

The increasing frequency and impacts of flooding in the world have been blamed on global warming and climate change together with other anthropogenic factors. However some studies maintain the recent increase in flooding globally is mainly due to increasing extreme precipitation or rainfalls. In Ghana also, some researchers, technocrats and ordinary people believe that the recent increase in flooding in the city of Accra is resulting from increasing occurrence of extreme rainfall events, attributed to climate change. But this view was contested by other researchers who attributed the increasing flooding events purely to anthropogenic factors. This study, therefore, analyzed the temporal trend of extreme rainfall events from 1970 to 2009 to ascertain whether extreme rainfall events have been increasing significantly over the period under review in Ga West District to warrant the increasing flood events in the study area. A Manual Mann-Kendall Statistical Trend Test Table was used to analyze extreme 24hour maximum rainfall events which were extracted from secondary rainfall data procured from Ghana Meteorological Agency(GMet) for the Airport Weather Station as proxy data. Since the major raining season occurs from April to July in southern Ghana, the annual number of days of these extreme 24hour maximum rainfall events for the four months were extracted from the raw data for each year, from 1970 to 2009 for temporal trend analysis at the p=0.05 level of significance. The hypothesis of the study was as follows: i) Null hypothesis (H 0 ): there was no monotonic trend in the extreme 24-hour maximum rainfall events in the study area. ii) Alternative hypothesis (H 1 ): there was a monotonic trend in the extreme 24hour maximum rainfall events in the study area. The study found that Z=0.0058 which was less than Z (1- p / 2 ) = 1.96 at p=0.05 significant level. The null hypothesis (H 0 ) was, therefore accepted and the alternative hypothesis rejected. The acceptance of the null hypothesis shows that there was no statistically significant increase in extreme 24hour maximum rainfall events in the study area. The study, therefore, concluded that since there was no statistically significant increasing trend in extreme 24 hour maximum rainfall events, extreme rainfall events could not be the reason for the increasing flooding in the study area as some believed, but rather anthropogenic factors, or a combination of both. Keywords : Mann-Kendal statistical trend test, extreme 24hour maximum rainfall, anthropogenic factors, climate change, temporal analysis DOI: 10.7176/JEES/10-12-05 Publication date: December 31 st 2020

Assessment of Flood Preparedness Level in Ga-West District of Accra, Ghana

In response to increasing flood disasters and their impact worldwide, countries all over the world including Ghana, have formed disaster management institutions to help manage the flood activities and reduce their negative impacts. Despite the establishment of National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) in Ghana to implement preparedness measures among other measures/activities to reduce the negative impacts of flood activities, subsequent flood reports in the city of Accra indicated that the impacts were rather increasing instead of reducing. The study, therefore, assessed the preparedness levels for flood disasters before the occurrence of the 2001 and 2007 flood disasters in Ga West District in Accra. Through purposive sampling, two officials, one from NADMO and Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet), were chosen for interview. The NADMO official answered various interview questions concerning preparedness measures implemented in the study area while the GMet official answered questions regarding GMet’s ability to predict heavy rainstorms that cause flood disasters ahead of their occurrence. Some household heads, mainly landlords, were also chosen through simple random sampling to respond to questionnaire regarding preparedness measures implemented by NADMO in the study area before the two flood disasters, and the various preparedness or coping strategies households adopted to reduce the negative impacts of the flood disasters on them. Direct observation by the help of photographs was also used to assess the coping strategies of households in the area. The study found that, neither NADMO nor other agencies ever carried out any preparedness measures in the study areas before the two flood disasters occurred due to resource challenges. It also became obvious that GMet possesses the capacity to predict heavy rainstorms at least 24 hours ahead before they occur and did predict the 2001 and 2007 rainstorm before the two flood disasters. But it was found out that only few people received the warning and none of these people acted on the warning. It was also obvious that households in the study area adopted various coping strategies, but they still suffered severe negative impacts of the flood disasters. The study concluded that preparedness levels in the study areas before the 2001 and 2007 flood disasters was generally very poor, hence might be responsible for the increasing incidence of flood disasters in study area and the city of Accra as a whole. Keywords: flood preparedness measures, Household coping strategies, Negative flood disasters impacts, Flood hazard, Flood prone communities, Household preparedness strategies, Accra city. DOI: 10.7176/JEES/10-12-04 Publication date: December 31 st 2020

Overhauling the Activities of Ghana Meteorological Agency through ICT

Faced with the growing risks of weather and climate disasters to economic and social development, the global community needs to act quickly to strengthen National Meteorological and Hydrological Services. This strengthening must be done in a way that transforms the agency, especially in developing Ghana into a robust professional agency capable of delivering the right information to the right people at the right time. Although the cost of modernizing and sustaining the Ghana Meteorological Agency will be huge, the rewards for Ghana and its citizens will be much significant. This analytical work assesses the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMET) for Hydrometeorology based on the user community needs. The analysis identifies gaps and challenges such as a deterioration of hydro meteorological observation networks and outdated technologies, and a lack of modern equipment and forecasting methods in producing and delivering weather, climate and hydrological information and services, and it lays out a technical technological and strategic framework for policy and decision makers in the Ministry of communication and the government at large. The Road Map postulates three scenarios, which are institutional strengthening and capacity building; modernization of observation, ICT and forecasting infrastructure; and enhancement of service delivery system for modernizing the GMET based on the potential cost and benefits of each while aiming at a greater national, regional and public good. The proposed scenarios target the GMET capacity: (i) to produce, manage, translate and communicate hydro-meteorological information to the user community; (ii) to assist the community in accessing, interpreting and using the information; (iii) to better disseminate and respond to warnings for public safety and economic security; (iv) to inform planning and decision making for cost-effective investments in climate-resilient development; and empowering its human resource; (v) identify red zone regions with these muddles. Strengthening these five pillars can help solidify Ghana’s resilience to natural hazards and climate change and help enhance the economic performance of such weather dependent sectors as agriculture, energy, transport and water resources management. This study recommends that, low-cost, high-priority activities are provided to achieve critical minimal capabilities to provide weather, climate and hydrological services and monetary investments are also needed to facilitate full modernization and bring the Ghana Meteorological Agency to the level of advanced middle income countries’ capabilities for providing data, forecasts and warning services to meet user needs. Keywords: Hydro-meteorological, Overhauling, ICT, Modernization, Sustainability.