Technology In Ghana Research Articles

Education and Technology in Ghana: Understanding the Centrality of Technology Integration in the Classroom and Beyond

Education and Technology in Ghana: Understanding the Centrality of Technology Integration in the Classroom and Beyond

Additive effects of Bridelia ferruginea leaf meal as a partial replacement for soybean meal on nutrients digestibility, growth performance, and carcass characteristics of weaner rabbits

BackgroundProtein is a crucial nutrient for enhancing livestock performance and productivity, traditionally sourced from soybean and fish meal. However, issues like erratic availability and rising prices necessitate exploring alternative protein sources. Tropical plants, especially leaf meals, are being considered to replace or supplement conventional protein sources in rabbit diets. Bridelia ferruginea, a plant abundant in West Africa, is recognized for its medicinal properties, but its potential as an animal feed is largely unexplored. This study aims to evaluate the impact of graded levels of Bridelia ferruginea leaf meal (BFLM) as a partial substitute for soybean meal in the diets of weaner rabbits.Materials and methodsThe experiment was conducted at the Animal Science Department of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana. BFLM was obtained by air-drying harvested leaves and milling them. Four diets were formulated, with BFLM partially replacing soybean meal at levels of 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30%. Representative samples of BFLM and all formulated diets were analyzed for their proximate composition and detergent fibre fractions. Twenty-four weaner rabbits were assigned to these diets in a Completely Randomized Design. The study covered a 10-week period, assessing growth performance, nutrient digestibility, carcass characteristics, and economics of production.ResultsThe chemical composition of BFLM revealed favorable attributes for rabbit feeding, with 20.5% crude protein and 92.6% dry matter. Growth performance declined at 30% BFLM inclusion, indicating a possible impact of anti-nutritional factors. Feed conversion ratio increased at higher BFLM levels. Nutrient digestibility showed a decline in dry matter digestibility at 30% BFLM. Carcass characteristics were affected at higher BFLM levels, with dressing percentage decreasing. Weights of internal organs were generally not negatively affected by the inclusion of BFLM. Economic analysis indicated a linear reduction in feed cost with increasing BFLM inclusion.ConclusionThe study suggests that BFLM can be incorporated up to 20% in weaner rabbit diets without compromising productivity, nutrient digestibility, or dressing percentage. Beyond 20%, adverse effects on growth performance and some carcass characteristics were observed. Economically, BFLM incorporation up to 20% lowered feed costs without compromising feed efficiency. Incorporation of BFLM up to 20% in weaner rabbit diets had no adverse effects on the weights and functions of the heart, liver, and kidneys. Overall, BFLM presents a promising alternative protein source for weaner rabbit diets, contributing to cost-effective and sustainable livestock production.

Co-creating a Health Entrepreneurship Education for Sustainable Employment and Sector Transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa

The unemployment and underemployment of youth in sub-Saharan Africa is a significant socio-economic issue. This situation, coupled with high poverty rates and low health standards, threatens economic growth and social stability. The healthcare sector offers a potential solution through job creation and innovation, yet mismatched skills and a lack of high-quality education hinder progress. Health Entrepreneurship Education (HENT Ed) is crucial to address these challenges by equipping youth with the necessary skills to drive healthcare innovation and economic growth. The Mastercard Foundation’s “Young Africa Works” strategy aims to bridge this gap by facilitating 30 million jobs for youth by 2030, supported by educational curricula and entrepreneurial training. One way of achieving this goal is the MSc in Health Entrepreneurship at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana, launched in January 2024. In collaboration with the University of Toronto, this program represents the first global co-created HENT Ed, combining entrepreneurship education with healthcare needs. Early feedback from students reveals the benefits of this innovative approach, indicating positive impacts on engagement and venture success. Continuous evaluation and refinement will ensure the program meets evolving needs, fostering a new generation of health entrepreneurs.

Factors Affecting the Adoption of Wildfire Management Technology in Ghana

This study evaluates the factors that influence and limit the development of fire belts, a fire management technique used by Ghanaian farmers. We obtained primary data from three hundred farmers. Kendall's coefficient of concordance and the logit model were used. Awareness of fire belt creation as fire management technology was high, with a generally positive perception of fire belt creation. This methodology, however, was adopted by less than half of the farmers. Age, gender, marital status, type of crop grown by the farmer, access to community fire volunteers, FBO membership, awareness of technology, cost of technology, and ease of technology use are the factors that determine the incidence of adoption of fire belt creation. Major constraints in adoption include limited access to information, unavailability of assistance from GNFS, initial investment cost, illiteracy, unwillingness to adopt the technology, culture and traditions, time-consuming and difficulty in technology use and risk and uncertainty about the technological application. To improve the uptake of fire belt creation there is the need to form and strengthen community fire volunteers and group dynamics (FBOs) at the community level as it promises to promote fire belt creation as fire management technology and hence reduce wildfire risk in the communities.

Modernizing cocoa production in Ghana: successes, constraints, and future possibilities of innovation diffusion in the cocoa sector

ABSTRACT This paper employs the political settlement framework, diffusion theory, and data generated through a mixed methods design to examine the adoption of innovations and technology in Ghana’s cocoa sector, with particular reference to the Juaboso district, a major cocoa producing area. The findings indicate that while most farmers have adopted improved cocoa planting methods in rows, the use of hybrid varieties and application of chemicals because of perceived benefits of these innovations and state support in adopting them, the use of fertilizers on cocoa farms is very low due to political economy issues, economic challenges, and neopatrimonialism. Historically, corrupt state politicians have used the fertilizer subsidy programme to strengthen patronage networks and reward crony capitalists. We conclude that the socio-political dimension of innovation-diffusion overrides the technical-economic reasons often cited in the literature for the failure of cocoa farmers to adopt these technologies. Addressing neopatrimonialism and recent politicization of input distribution is needed to enhance adoption of innovation and improved technology in Ghana’s cocoa sector.

Is financial technology a complement or substitute for domestic financial institutions in Ghana?

PurposeThis paper aims to examine whether financial technology is complementing the performance of domestic financial institutions or substituting their performance in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachThe paper used data from the Bank of Ghana Payment System Statistics and Time Series Data of the Bank of Ghana from 2012 to 2021, by using autoregressive distributive lags estimation technique.FindingsThe results showed that in both the long run and short run, financial technology has a significant negative impact on bank performance, indicating that fintech serves as substitutes rather than complements for Ghanaian banks. These results suggest that there must be a critical review on the interoperability policy in Ghana and that banks should take advantage of the financial technology to increase profit.Originality/valueBased on the authors’ study, no empirical work has been extensively done in the Ghanaian context by examining how financial technology serves as either a complement or substitute for domestic banking institutions. This paper focuses on exploring the key definition of financial technology in Ghana and how transactions through these media are affecting or improving the performance of banks.

English

The evolution of blockchain technology has drastically altered the provision of banking services. Businesses are currently transitioning to a paperless environment. Robots are taking over labor-intensive jobs, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is assisting in tracking any massive disaster, and biotech is assisting in curing multiple illnesses in a matter of seconds. Blockchain, one of the most important inventions of our time, is poised to assist individuals in reaching new heights of innovation in almost all domains. However, like other technologies, blockchain is confronting unique hurdles that must be overcome before widespread adoption particularly in Ghana and in Africa as a whole. This paper sought to examine the opportunities and challenges of the adoption of blockchain technology in Ghana. A qualitative technique in data gathering was employed for the purpose of this paper. The study used an interview-based technique, aimed to identify and communicate the problems that the banking sector in Ghana experiences in adopting blockchain technology. The interview took place in Ghana's capital, Accra. One representative from the Ghanaian Central Bank and nine from Commercial banks were interviewed. The paper concludes that the implementation of blockchain technology in Ghana's banking sector is being hampered by a lack of international norms or laws, high energy costs, a lack of intermediaries, poverty, corruption, a lack of infrastructure, and a lack of technical support.   Key words: Adoption, banking sector, blockchain technology, financial industry, opportunities, challenges.

Assessment of Effective Demand for Climate-smart Solar-powered Cocoa Irrigation Technology in Ghana

Assessment of Effective Demand for Climate-smart Solar-powered Cocoa Irrigation Technology in Ghana

Taking stock of gender gaps in crop production technology adoption and technical efficiency in Ghana

ABSTRACT There is a strong linkage between agricultural performance and economic growth in developing countries. However, the gain from agriculture disproportionately trickles down to the poor which can be partly reduced by addressing gender differences in production. Historically, the validity of gender statistics has been questioned as the way researchers and policymakers describe gender differences also affects how they perceive and address them. Amid these antecedents, we apply a meta-stochastic frontier to pooled cross-sectional population-based surveys that represent three decades (1987–2017) of the production history for twelve crops in Ghana to assess the dynamics of gender gaps in technology gaps and technical efficiency (TE). Results indicate that female farmers exhibit technology gap and TE scores of 25 and 76% while their male counterparts exhibit scores of 20 and 73%. The TE gap of 4% against male farmers has remained relatively steady over the three decades while the technology adoption gap against females has reduced from 18% in 1997/98 to 3% in 2016/17. All farmers operate at 60% of the potential possible given the overall crop production technology in Ghana. Over the three decades, the estimated crop production gap of 5.94% against females shifted to a gap estimated at 9.24% against males.

Performance of Ceramic Students with Different Backgrounds at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana

This study assessed the performance of ceramic students with different backgrounds at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana, using the cross-sectional design. A total of 170 students were sampled using a simple random sampling technique. A questionnaire yielded the Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.89 which confirmed the required reliability of the instrument. Data was treated using t-test and ANOVA so as to establish the difference in performance by learners categorized according to their backgrounds. The study established no significant difference in performance between students with arts and those without arts background in SHS. The study did not establish difference in performance by students categorized according to their genders. The performance of second year students was significantly lower than that of the first and third and fourth years combined. This might be due to the fact that second years curriculum is the beginning of studio practice where students struggle to learn how to throw on the potter’s wheel and begin producing arts works. The study recommends that SHS teachers should enhance the teaching strategies of arts studies at the SHS level so that students who went through the studies might even outperform those who did not take the subject at the SHS level. Students in second year of studies need more attention as they navigate their path in the manipulation of clay for them to perform better in their studies before they join the two final years of ceramic studies.

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Health Behaviors of Higher Education Students in Ghana: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Stressful events can significantly impact health behaviors of tertiary students in various ways. Many studies reported adverse alterations in health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is limited knowledge about students from sub-Saharan African countries. Therefore, this study aimed to assess effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health behaviors of Ghanaian tertiary students, with an emphasis on the association between sleep and other health behaviors. A cross-sectional study with eligible tertiary students from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana (n = 129) was conducted. An online survey assessed quality and duration of sleep, financial stress, dietary risk, alcohol misuse, and physical exercise using validated tools. Health behaviors did not differ by gender. The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected health behaviors for many students including dietary intake (20.2%), sleep quality (20.2%) and duration (81.4%), alcohol consumption (3.1%), exercise frequency (4.1%), and exercise intensity (38%). Shorter sleep duration was linked with greater alcohol misuse scores (p < 0.05). A majority of the students (56%) had increased financial stress during the pandemic. This study contributes important insights into the effects that stressful events such as a pandemic have on the health of higher education students in sub-Saharan Africa.

Institutional Involvement and Collaboration in Disseminating Biogas Technology in Ghana

Globally, biogas technology has been touted by academics, international organizations, United Nations, and pressure groups, among others, as an effective tool for protecting the planet against degradation. As such, stakeholders in the biogas technology sector have made some policy recommendations toward that goal. These include a global campaign in support of energy for sustainable development, climate financing by the international community, all countries adopting appropriate national strategies, innovative financial mechanisms, and encouraging private-sector participation in achieving the goal. Clearly, for countries to promote accessibility and create favorable perceptions on the adoption of biogas technology requires institutional involvement and collaboration. That is, institutions need to participate and contribute in terms of ideas and expertise as well as work together to ensure the dissemination and uptake of biogas technology in Ghana. This study is aimed at assessing the level of institutional involvement and collaboration and barriers to biogas technology dissemination in Ghana. A qualitative method was employed, and data were collected from 101 respondents through interviewing. The results indicated that the involvement of government and financial institutions in disseminating biogas technology was low, while biogas service providers showed moderate involvement. With regard to collaboration, it was revealed that institutions moderately collaborate in awareness creation but had low collaborations for promotion, monitoring, and evaluation. Furthermore, the lack of a national biogas policy, low government commitment towards biogas technology, and low financial support were key barriers to effective institutional involvement and collaboration in disseminating biogas technology in Ghana. It is recommended that the government shows a high commitment by providing the needed resources for dissemination activities and task the Ghana Energy Commission to formulate a national biogas policy to facilitate dissemination and adoption. Finally, a national biogas steering committee composed of all relevant stakeholders, including the Finance Minister or a representative from the Finance Ministry would create a good platform to help champion the dissemination of biogas technology in Ghana.

Evaluation of Agronomic Performances and Fruit Quality of Improved Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) lines under greenhouse conditions

Although agriculture is the driving force of Ghana's economy, accounting for one third of GDP and employing more than half of the workforce, Ghana is still far from achieving food security due to serious challenges facing the sector. If agriculture is to fulfill its promise of achieving food and nutrition security in Ghana by 2030, it must take drastic steps towards enhancing vegetable crop production. Greenhouse technology is fast gaining recognition in urban and peri-urban areas. Low tomato production in Ghana is a problem owing to the lack of improved and high-yielding varieties. Evaluation of improved lines of tomato under greenhouse condition which is a fast-growing technology in Ghana can help identify adaptable and promising lines for cultivation. This can lead to increased tomato production as well as meeting consumer demands. In this study, 12 improved lines and 2 local checks of tomato were evaluated under greenhouse conditions to determine their agronomic performances, and fruit quality traits using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The results indicate that Lines J138 and B24 recorded the highest yields (20.05 t/ha and 23.03 t/ha respectively) whiles the check varieties, Anna F1 and Nkansah HT gave yields of 18.77 t/ha and 16.96 t/ha, respectively. Lines B24, B25, J138, B45 and B46 also exhibited good fruit quality traits such as pH, pericarp thickness, fruit firmness and shelf life. These promising lines of tomato could be useful germplasm in tomato breeding programmes in Ghana and for cultivation under greenhouse conditions. • Promoting greenhouse vegetable production is a priority in Ghana's quest to achieving food and nutrition security by 2030. • Adaptable and promising improved tomato lines were identified. • These could be useful genetic material for breeding and cultivation purpose in Ghana.

The rise of ‘smart’ solutions in Africa: a review of the socio-environmental cost of the transportation and employment benefits of ride-hailing technology in Ghana

Governments in Africa are licensing major global ride-hailing firms to launch operations in the continent. This is often presented as a refreshing development for the continent to leverage technology to address its twin problems of inefficient urban transport and rising youth unemployment. Interviews with ride-hailing adopters (drivers, riders, and car owners) and researchers in Ghana suggest, however, that whereas the technology is driving up the standards of road transport experience, the benefits are accessible to a select few (largely, the younger, highly educated and relatively high income-earning class). The lopsided power relations underlying the ride-hailing industry have also meant that the economic opportunities it avails disproportionately benefit a few powerful players (e.g. ride-hailing firms and car owners) while stimulating ‘turf wars’ among online and traditional taxi drivers; deepening existing gender inequalities in access to income-earning opportunities in the commercial passenger transport sector; encouraging unhealthy driving practices, shifts from shared public transport, and inundation of the roads with more private cars. While it will be imprecise to say that the private gains of ride-hailing outstrip the public costs and, therefore, the technology is detrimental to Ghana’s development, the considered evidence raises the need for sustained scrutiny of the hailing of technological interventions as though they are the magic bullets for socio-economic transformation in Africa. Overall, the paper argues that dismantling the power structures underlying Africa’s urban challenges will require more than splashing ‘smart’ apps and other tech wizardries around. Indeed, the lessons from Ghana’s ride-hailing industry suggest that such exclusively technical solutions could easily take root and pattern after existing strictures of unjust power structures in ways that could exacerbate the social and environmental problems they are supposed to address.

Achieving a Professorship with Proper Academic Merit: Discouraging Questionable Publishing

There are frequent discussions in many research communities about publishing in predatory and questionable outlets. It is necessary to address the researchers who publish in these publications, since this problem could be resolved if researchers stopped engaging with them. One of the factors contributing to an author’s decision to engage with these journals is the advantage of having more publications and editorial board involvement when they apply for a faculty position or a promotion. Fast-tracking promotions using questionable publications is an increasing problem, as scholars see the strategy working well for their colleagues. Universities are increasingly being called upon to take action. Promotion guidelines are vital for setting expectations, and more specifically pressures and incentives, when addressing the issue of questionable journals. In the case study presented in this article, new promotion guidelines have been developed at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana to discourage faculty members from publishing in questionable journals. A verification process for all publications listed in promotion applications has been implemented. Since the implementation of this scheme in October 2019, 221 researchers have applied for promotion. Our analysis shows that one fifth of submitted publications do not meet the new criteria. Furthermore, we find no correlation between the proportion of verified publications and an applicant’s college or total number of listed publications. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Vouchers for Improving Sanitation: A Step toward Stopping Open Defecation.

Vouchers for Improving Sanitation: A Step toward Stopping Open Defecation.

Transition to motherhood following the use of assisted reproductive technologies: Experiences of women in Ghana.

As a result of the significance of childbearing in the Ghanaian culture, couples would go to all lengths to have biological children. One of the means that has made it possible for childless couples to have children is through the use of various assisted reproductive technologies. Using a qualitative research design, the paper explores the experiences of 40 women who have delivered following the use of assisted reproductive technology in Ghana. A semi-structured interview guide was utilised to explore women’s experiences and results were analysed thematically. The study revealed that childless women faced hostile treatment but the birth of a child ceased the hostility, giving couples social recognition. The study also revealed that the transition to motherhood is characterised by excitement, high self-esteem, recognition and acceptance into spouses’ families. It was a source of anxiety for other women due to society’s perception of children born following the use of assisted reproductive technologies. However, women perceived that having a second or third child could change society’s perception about the use of assisted reproductive technologies to have children. Based on these assumptions, there is a need for public education to change the societal perception about women who utilise assisted reproductive technologies to meet their parenthood desires as well as children who are born following the use of assisted reproductive technologies.

Does value chain participation facilitate the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies in developing countries?

The adoption of new technology is a key driver of firm performance and economic development. Yet the process of transferring and adopting new technologies is not seamless, particularly when the pace of technological change accelerates, and more advanced capabilities are required for the effective operation of new technology. In this paper we develop a framework for the analysis of the drivers of adoption of advanced digital production technologies associated with Industry 4.0 in developing economies. In particular, we ask whether firms’ participation to global value chains (GVCs) can facilitate the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies in manufacturing sectors. Using a novel UNIDO database on firms’ adoption of different generations of production technology in Ghana, Viet Nam, and Thailand, we find that firms’ participation to GVCs is positively associated with the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies, and that adoption is positively associated with firm-level performance.

Optimal techno-economic potential and site evaluation for solar PV and CSP systems in Ghana. A geospatial AHP multi-criteria approach

In this study, the techno-economic potential and site suitability for utility-scale solar PV and CSP technologies have been estimated for Ghana. The overarching goal is to increase visibility of solar energy potentials to encourage and facilitate the uptake of renewable energy towards the global decarbonisation agenda as well as to expand energy access in the country. To assist policymakers in Ghana towards this agenda including potential areas for investment, the geographical, technical, and economic potentials for the two solar energy technology solutions have been assessed. In this study unlike many other studies, the AHP and Weighted Sum Average approaches have been applied in the ArcGIS Pro environment to estimate the two technology potentials at the national and regional levels. This combined approach is still in its infantry stages and thus contributes to a new body of knowledge from the international perspective in addition to its applicability at specific country level like Ghana. Results from the analysis show varying generation capacities for the selected solar energy technologies. Geographically, about 85% of total land area in Ghana is suitable for solar energy deployment. At the national level, a generation capacity of ∼68,622 TWh/year can be harnessed from utility-scale PV and ∼23,452 TWh/year from CSP systems. The LCOE for the utility-scale solar PV technology ranges from a minimum of about $0.04/kWh to a maximum of $0.15/kWh, and from ∼$0.73/kWh to ∼$2.89/kWh for the CSP technology in Ghana.

Techno-Economic Analysis of Municipal Solid Waste Gasification for Electricity Generation

Due to an overburdened national grid, chronic energy challenges, and the growing municipal solid waste menace, a unique opportunity to deploy waste-to-energy technology in Ghana is apparent. A techno-economic analysis was performed for meeting the primary electrical load of selected blocks at the University of Energy and Natural Resources through Municipal Solid Waste gasification. Three scenarios were simulated and assessed based on their Net Present Costs (NPC) and Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE): a gasifier-standalone system, a grid-tied gasifier system and a grid-alone system. The grid-tied gasifier system was found to meet the 230.1kWh/day electrical load at the least NPC ($2, 049790.00) and COE ($0.09426/kWh). The sensitivity analysis showed that the load factor, sell-back price of electricity and cost/ton of MSW had the most impact on the NPC of the gasification system. MSW gasification is, therefore, an economically viable alternative if grid-integrated. Finally, the study showed that Feed-in Tariffs, plant siting and demand response strategies are crucial to ensuring the cost-effectiveness of gasification systems.