The Hydrogeological Setting of Ghana and the Potential for Underground Dams

Increasing human population, changing lifestyles and environmental considerations have resulted in increased utilization of groundwater resources worldwide. Thus, in turn, has led to the decline of groundwater levels in some countries and Ghana is no exception to this problem. To augment the availability of groundwater resources for various uses, numerous techniques have been developed in many part of the world, one of which is the construction of underground dams. The successful construction and utilization of underground dams, however, depends very much on the physical and hydrogeological conditions at the dam sites. Ghana is underlain by Precambrian crystalline igneous and metamorphic rocks ; and Paleozoic consolidated sedimentary formations. There are further subdivided and described locally as the Birimian, Dahomeyan, Buem, Togo Series, Tarkwaian, Granites, Voltain, Coastal Block Fault, Coastal Plain and Quaternary Alluvium. The review of these and the pre-requisite conditions necessary for the construction of underground dams indicate that underground dams could be constructed and utilized in some parts of Ghana, especially where the overburden is shallow, in the Dahomeyan granites and in the recent formations consisting of alluvial and coastal sands and gravels. This paper is part of a continuing research programme being carried out by the authors

Performance of restaurants: Recognizing competitive intensity and differentiation strategies

Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to examine the relationships between differentiation strategies, competitive intensity and restaurant performance. It was also to estimate the effect of interaction terms of differentiation strategies and competitive intensity on restaurant performance. Methods: Data were obtained from 160 restaurant operators in the Ashanti region of Ghana through a structured questionnaire. The paths of the relationships were estimated and tested using regression analysis. Results: The findings suggest that differentiation strategies have a significant impact on restaurant performance and that competitive intensity partially influence the performance of restaurants. Competitive intensity was, however, found not to moderate the relationship between differentiation strategies and restaurant performance. Implications: The study findings will greatly help managers of the restaurant industry to appreciate the critical contribution of competitive intensity and differentiation strategies in estimating the performance of restaurants. The interactive terms of differentiation strategies and competitive intensity add to the divergent ways of measuring restaurant performance. This paper, therefore, contributes to the growing research in the restaurant industry

Customer Perceived Risks and the Choice of Mobile Phone Brand in Ghana

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to develop, measure and empirically validate the contribution of performance risk, social risk, financial risk and psychological risk to the customer choice of mobile phone. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 267 mobile phone users applying the convenience sampling method. The study finds that performance risk, social risk, financial risk, and psychological risk relate to customer choice. Further study results demonstrate that all the predictor variables after controlling for experience and means of acquisition are statistically significant in predicting customer choice of mobile phone brand. However, performance risk showed the highest effects on customer choice. The study contributes to the development of a multi-dimensional scale for customer perceived risk and choice of mobile phone in the Ghanaian context. The study provides firms in the mobile phone industry with a deeper understanding of how the performance, financial, social and psychological factors are relevant in the development of marketing programmes in the mobile phone industry

Marketing performance of service firms: Recognizing market sensing capability and customer interaction orientation

Purpose: This study examines the effect of market sensing and interaction orientation capabilities on the marketing performance of service based firms in Ghana. The study particularly explored the moderation effect of interaction orientation capability on the relationship between market sensing and firm performance of the service firms. Methods: This study adopted the survey approach focusing on a convenient sample of 200 employees of service firms. The hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to establish the relationship between the variables of interest. Results: the study revealed that market sensing capability and interaction orientation significantly account for variations in the marketing performance of the service businesses. Furthermore, the findings showed that the interaction of market sensing and interaction orientation capabilities is vital for extracting a higher marketing. Implications: The research target of service firms limits the generalizability of the findings since the participants were not proportionally participated. In addition to insights on how marketing sensing and interaction orientation should fit the realization of marketing performance, the research offers other ideas to enhance measurement of marketing performance based on customer profits and customer relations

Measuring the Performance of Automobile Services Sector in Ghana: A Pricing Orientation Approach

This study examines the role of pricing orientation in firm performance – focusing on specific components such as value-oriented pricing, costoriented pricing, competition- oriented pricing, demand-oriented pricing and customer oriented pricing. The study sample comprised of Small and Micro Enterprises (SMEs) automobile services firms in Ghana. 498 firms participated in the study. A hierarchical regression was conducted to estimate the paths between pricing orientation and firm performance. All the pricing orientation components; value, cost, competition, demand, and customer oriented prices were found to have positively and statistically significant effects on the outcome of the firm performance. Some limitations of the study were identified, and areas for future studies have been duly provided to aid the continuous research into the operations of SMEs automobile services industry

Performance of restaurants: Recognizing competitive intensity and differentiation strategies

Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to examine the relationships between differentiation strategies, competitive intensity and restaurant performance. It was also to estimate the effect of interaction terms of differentiation strategies and competitive intensity on restaurant performance. Methods: Data were obtained from 160 restaurant operators in the Ashanti region of Ghana through a structured questionnaire. The paths of the relationships were estimated and tested using regression analysis. Results: The findings suggest that differentiation strategies have a significant impact on restaurant performance and that competitive intensity partially influence the performance of restaurants. Competitive intensity was, however, found not to moderate the relationship between differentiation strategies and restaurant performance. Implications: The study findings will greatly help managers of the restaurant industry to appreciate the critical contribution of competitive intensity and differentiation strategies in estimating the performance of restaurants. The interactive terms of differentiation strategies and competitive intensity add to the divergent ways of measuring restaurant performance. This paper, therefore, contributes to the growing research in the restaurant industry

Role of Mycorrhizae in Crop Protection

Mychorrizae are indigenous soil fungi that are found associated symbiotically with plant root system. They promote growth of the root system by protecting the plant from pathogen attack, acting directly or indirectly as biocontrol agents and offering plant resistance. These group of rhizosphere fungi also benefit from various biosynthetic substances produced by the root of the plant (root exudates). In this chapter, attempt is being made to present a balanced account of the various roles these fungi play in plant protection. This will give our cherish readers the opportunity to appreciate the mycorrhizal fungi as potential biocontrol agents or bioprotectants of soilborne plant pathogens

Anthracnose Disease of Mango: Epidemiology, Impact and Management Options

Mango is one of the frequently cultivated seasonal fruit crops in several tropical and subtropical regions. It is consumed as whole fruits apart from serving as raw materials for most industries that are into mineral production. Mango production is, however, constrained by diseases, pests, and poor post-harvest handling of fruits. Anthracnose disease, caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Penz and Sacc, is one of the most important yields limiting constraint in mango production across the globe. The disease occurs in both the field and post-harvesting. In the field, it affects aboveground parts, such as the stem, branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits. Anthracnose disease reduces the shelve life and marketability of mango fruit. In Ghana, anthracnose disease is responsible for about 30% yield/fruit loss. Most farmers do not control it, although some have resorted to the application of various fungicides not registered for mango anthracnose disease management in Ghana. This chapter will highlight on the importance of the disease on the mango industry in Ghana, control strategies currently employed thereby reducing the over-reliance on chemical control option and propose ways to minimize the effect of the disease in the country

Location, biophysical and agronomic parameters for croplands in northern Ghana

Smallholder agriculture is the bedrock of the food production system in sub-Saharan Africa. Yields in Africa are significantly below potentially attainable yields for a number of reasons, and they are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts. Monitoring of these highly heterogeneous landscapes is needed to respond to farmer needs, develop an appropriate policy and ensure food security, and Earth observation (EO) must be part of these efforts, but there is a lack of ground data for developing and testing EO methods in western Africa, and in this paper, we present data on (i) crop locations, (ii) biophysical parameters and (iii) crop yield, and biomass was collected in 2020 and 2021 in Ghana and is reported in this paper. In 2020, crop type was surveyed in more than 1800 fields in three different agroecological zones across Ghana (the Guinea Savannah, Transition and Deciduous zones). In 2021, a smaller number of fields were surveyed in the Guinea Savannah zone, and additionally, repeated measurements of leaf area index (LAI) and leaf chlorophyll concentration were made on a set of 56 maize fields. Yield and biomass were also sampled at harvesting. LAI in the sampled fields ranged from 0.1 to 5.24 m2 m−2, whereas leaf chlorophyll concentration varied between 6.1 and 60.3 µg cm−2. Yield varied between 190 and 4580 kg ha−1, with an important within-field variability (average per-field standard deviation 381 kg ha−1). The data are used in this paper to (i) evaluate the Digital Earth Africa 2019 cropland masks, where 61 % of sampled 2020/21 cropland is flagged as cropland by the data set, (ii) develop and test an LAI retrieval method from Earth observation Planet surface reflectance data (validation correlation coefficient R=0.49, root mean square error (RMSE) 0.44 m2 m−2), (iii) create a maize classification data set for Ghana for 2021 (overall accuracy within the region tested: 0.84), and (iv) explore the relationship between maximum LAI and crop yield using a linear model (correlation coefficient R=0.66 and R=0.53 for in situ and Planet-derived LAI, respectively). The data set, made available here within the context of the Group on Earth Observations Global Agricultural Monitoring (GEOGLAM) initiative, is an important contribution to understanding crop evolution and distribution in smallholder farming systems and will be useful for researchers developing/validating methods to monitor these systems using Earth observation data. The data described in this paper are available from https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6632083 (Gomez-Dans et al., 2022)