Quality of type I Portland cement from Ghana and UK

Type I Portland cement is general purpose cement found in many countries and it is manufactured by different companies. This study sought to compare the properties of Type I Portland cements from Ghana (less economically developed country) and United Kingdom (more economically developed country) to ascertain whether the quality of Ghana cement is a contributing factor for recent spate of building collapse in the country. The study adopted a laboratory-based experimental approach to determine the properties of three cement samples: one from Ghana and two from the United Kingdom (UK). It was identified that UK cements particles were the fineness, contained more Calcium oxide (CaO), recorded earlier setting times and achieved early strength. Ghana cement on the other hand, had more Alkali (Na2O + K2O) content, higher density, good resistance to water and achieved better late strength development than UK grey cement. The study has revealed that although there are some differences in the properties of Ghana and UK Type I Portland cements, they all meet international standard requirements and therefore, the quality of Ghana cement may not be one of the contributing factors of recent building collapse in the country

Developing a Curriculum To Train the Lay Leaders in Ghana

Problem The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ghana is growing at a very fast rate. The rate of growth far exceeds the rate at which ministers are trained. There were over 300,000 baptized members at the end of 2005 and fewer than 200 pastors. The pastor to laity ratio is therefore very high. Some of the elders who are assisting the pastors do not have the needed skills to work effectively as leaders. As a result of this there is an increase in apostasies especially among new converts. Method In an attempt to train the laity in Ghana to assist the pastor in performing some pastoral duties, I have designed a curriculum to train the laity in Ghana. In designing the curriculum an attempt was made to look at the major tasks of a lay-leader in the local church. Six main areas were identified: leading congregations, worship, special services, committees, evangelistic outreach, and congregational health. Other factors such as biblical models of leadership as well as leadership models in the Ghanaian society were also considered. The curriculum was designed in the context of adult learning and a non-formal educational type of training. The training program has been designed to run for ten to fourteen days of intensive instruction followed by applied learning in the field through group discussions. There will be area (district) group leaders who will organize monthly follow up group discussions to keep the program going for six-months. After the six month period there will be a week-end retreat for reflection, assessment, and evaluation for those who attended the training program. Preliminary Results In my study of Theological Education by Extension (TEE) programs in Africa, I learned about some of the problems other instructors encountered and what helped them to be successful. I have also tested this curriculum in my local congregation and currently have about thirty equipped lay-leaders who perform most of the roles of a local pastor. By addressing some of the problems encountered by field based training programs this training program should be successful. Conclusion The curriculum developed to train the laity in Ghana will be a helpful tool to develop leaders that will support the pastors in their ministry assignments by helping train local leaders for the growing churches in Ghana. This will also help to offset the leadership needs in the Seventh- day Adventist churches in Ghana

Mapping Seasonal Variation in the Distribution and Concentration of Heavy Metals Using Water Quality Index and Geographic Information System Based Applications

Incessant monitoring of water is essential in terms of heavy metals and toxic substances as it provides detailed information on aquatic resources. Majority of lagoons receive freshwater from their catchment areas containing industrial and domestic waste. The paper analysed seasonal variations in the distribution and concentrations of Lead (Pb), Copper (Cu), Cadmium (Cd),and Manganese (Mn) in the Fosu lagoon in Ghana to ascertain the quality of the lagoon. Water was sampled from eighteen (18) different points on the lagoon and was analysed at the Water Research Institute (WRI) of the Center for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) and the results were interpolated using kriging.The results obtained were compared with the World Health Organisation water quality index. Statistical analysis of heavy metal concentrations using Pearson’s two-tailed significance correlation showed positive correlations for both seasons; between Pb and Cu (0.297; sig. = 0.232, and 0.196; sig.= 0.436), and Cd and Mn (0.119; sig. = 0.643 and 0.191; sig. = 0.447) for the wet and dry seasons respectively. A paired sample t-test on concentrations also showed statistical differences between wet and dry seasons’concentrations for Pb (t = 1.324; sig. = 0.203), Cu (t = 2.759; sig. = 0.013),and Cd (t = 3.056; sig. = 0.007), and Mn (t = -4.014; sig. = 0.001). Pb and Cd showed higher concentrations above the World Health Organisation's permissible limits. Heavy metal concentrations of water samples analysed varied widely in terms of seasons and sampling points