knust research report 2015

KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITYOF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Research Report2015

Research Report 2015

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi

Table of Contents

Vision and Mission of KNUST 4

Principal Officers 5

Foreword: Vice-Chancellor 6

Message from Director, Office of Grants and Research 8

Impact of KNUST Research on Society 11

Research Activities in the Colleges 27

College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) 29

College of Art and Built Environment (CABE) 41

College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CoHSS) 53

College of Engineering (CoE) 59

College of Health Sciences (CHS) 81

College of Science (CoS) 97

Major Grants 109

Awards & Achievements 115

Research Supporting Units 121

University Relations Office 122

Quality Assurance and Planning Unit (QAPU) 123

International Programmes Office (IPO) 124

University Library 125

Central Laboratory Network 127

Office of Grants and Research (OGR) 130

Research Output 135

VisionTo be globally recognized as the premier centre of excellence in Africa for teaching in Science and Technology for development; producing high calibre graduates with knowledge and expertise to support the industrial and socio-economic development of Ghana and Africa.

MissionTo provide an environment for teaching, research and entrepreneurship training in Science and Technology for the industrial and socio-economic development of Ghana, Africa and other nations. KNUST also offers service to the community, is open to all the people of Ghana and is positioned to attract scholars, industrialists and entrepreneurs from Africa and the international community.

KNUST Research Report 2014/2015 4

Principal Officers

Other Officers

Otumfuo Osei Tutu IIChancellor

Dr. Kwame Saarah-MensahChairman of Council

Professor Samuel Nii OdaiPro Vice-Chancellor

Professor William O. EllisVice-Chancellor

Mr. Kobby Yebo-OkrahRegistrar

5KNUST Research Report 2015

Professor William Otoo Ellis

KNUST Research Report 2015 6

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has over the past decades played a significant role as a

trailblazer in the socio-economic and technological development of Ghana, Africa and many other nations in the areas of teaching, research and community service. Our society today is characterized by constant changes to every aspect of our lives. These changes are occasioned by the output of research and development which must of necessity, influence the way we do our things as a global institution.

Message from the Vice-Chancellor

Research and development have always been part of our core mandate as a science and technology University


Research and development have always been part of our core mandate as a science and technology University but with the current global changes, we have had to enhance our capacity as an institution by adding a bit of impetus to our research and development effort in order to respond appropriately to the changes occurring in our environment. Therefore, in our attempt to better our fortunes as a science and technology institution towards our resolve to “reposition the University as a global institution for Science and Technology with national development as the focus”, several initiatives and projects have been, and continue to be implemented.

In this respect, there has been a rigorous effort towards re-equipping and modernising our laboratories, workshops, farms and studios with the establishment of a state-of-the-art Central Laboratory to support research and development. We have also created the KNUST Research Fund which is being accessed competitively by researchers. Other initiatives include the establishment of the Office of Grants and Research (OGR), with the responsibility of coordinating all issues relating to grants and research in the University in addition to liaising with the Colleges and the Quality Assurance and Planning Unit to enhance research scholarship in the University, revitalizing and refocusing our research units to deliver in their core business of research and the establishment of the Business Incubator Project. To support this initiative we have embarked on capacity building in the area of research uptake management and utilisation with the training of staff at the levels of PhD, MPhil and other postgraduate certificates.

Consequently, our research and development output as a university has increased tremendously over the past few years and as a result, we have received national and international awards. KNUST has made significant contributions to the socio-economic development of Ghana. This research report is, therefore, one of the initiatives to chronicle some of our individual, departmental and college research and development activities.

This is intended to provide a rare window of opportunity to showcase to the outside world, some of our research and development outputs and how such activities are impacting the ordinary man on the street.

As a University, we have always maintained a cordial and reciprocal relationship with our industrial partners. We, therefore, in this respect want to appreciate them and our stakeholders and also welcome fruitful partnerships from other entrepreneurs, industrialists and commercial entities. Enjoy your reading.

KNUST Research Report 2015 8

Message from Director, Office of Grants and Research

Being the premier Science and Technology University in Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

(KNUST) has a mandate to provide leadership in the technological aspirations of Ghana. Not only will findings from research feed into instructional content and improve the quality of teaching, but will also directly impact on the lives of our citizenry. Research has to be the vehicle for tackling the problems of increasing poverty, functional illiteracy, housing deficit and overcrowding in our cities, environmental pollution, lack of potable water, death and disability from injury and preventable disease, unreliable energy supply, protein malnutrition, inadequate food production etc.

Through the pages of this Research Report, we share with the wider public some of the achievements of KNUST researchers. These take the form of technological inventions, scientific theories, contributions to knowledge and the literature, creative arts, religious enlightenment, health sector transformation, agricultural innovations, computer software development, sociological interventions, etc. The contents of this maiden issue of the KNUST Research Report have been organized into three main sections. The first section highlights the visible impact some of our research findings have had on the wider Ghanaian society. The second section details some of the active research projects being undertaken in the six Colleges in the university and the constituent units. The final section provides summary

Professor Peter Donkor


information on our research output in terms of publications. Naturally, not all ongoing research in the university can be covered in this report. For practical reasons, only the tip of the mountain of achievement by KNUST researchers is presented. It is not the intention to exclude any work, rather great effort has been made to fairly represent work from as many disciplines as possible. The research landscape at KNUST, like a kaleidoscope, keeps changing constantly.

Researchers at KNUST have made some notable technological breakthroughs over the years. These include the “Boafo” motor vehicle, fufu-pounding machine, indelible ink, Tech “bankye” (cassava), new fish breeds, speed calmers on roads and the Jatropha biofuel among others. The cassava harvester designed by our engineers will reduce the drudgery of cassava farming, and thus increase the productivity of our farmers; the production of the first ever emergency physicians and nurses in West Africa will make us feel more confident about our health; and the development of high protein fish will contribute to reducing protein malnutrition. It is clear that research at KNUST can contribute significantly to wealth creation and improve the lot of the Ghanaian. Many of the inventions made have resulted from small scale self-funded research. Our researchers have not received large grants from government or industry. Funding for research at KNUST has come mostly from external governments, multilateral institutions, NGOs, private foundations, etc. Government’s direct investment has been minimal and needs to be increased. Recently, the University has set up the KNUST Research Fund (KReF) with the purpose of encouraging young researchers to team up with their colleagues from other disciplines to embark on socially impactful research. It is our expectation that the KReF will attract additional support from our corporate partners and serve as a model for academia/industry collaboration.

KNUST has every reason to be proud of its research achievements, but there is still a lot more that needs to be done. The research frontiers need to be expanded through the formation of alliances

with industry, international institutions, funders, NGOs, etc. More research funding to support the endeavours of researchers must be mobilized and we have to redouble our efforts in finding a lasting solution to the mountains of waste in our cities, inadequate energy, malaria, etc. Research will not only project us as a university, bring in more revenue, enhance our chances of promotion, but will also improve the quality of our teaching and the service we provide to the community. We aim to excite and nurture interest in research among our undergraduates and graduate students through research assistantships and postdoctoral positions, among others, in order to grow and institutionalize our research enterprise.

The administrative support needed to ensure the realization of our very important research objectives is gradually taking shape. The central Office of Grants and Research and the projected branches in the Colleges are poised to transform the research landscape, by supporting researchers and coordinating research at the university. This will be further strengthened as we work toward being counted among the league of research-led universities

Putting this report together has been a team effort and I would like to acknowledge the staff of the Office of Grants and Research, the University Relations Office, Quality Assurance and Publication Unit (QAPU), University Printing Press (UPK), Provosts, Deans, Heads of Department, individual researchers and administrators. The Vice – Chancellor has given us his unflinching support throughout the process. We could not have done it without them and we thank them all.

It is the expectation that KNUST Research Reports will be published regularly from now on and play a role in informing the public and stimulating a transformation in the Ghanaian society. May the research efforts of KNUST ignite the much needed technological revolution in our country! Long live KNUST, Long live Ghana.

10 KNUST Research Report 2015

Impact of KNUST Research on Society


Research Activities Making Impact on our Communities

Improved Cook Stoves

Improved cook stoves

The Technology Consultancy Centre (TCC) has developed improved cook stoves and heat retention devices which are less harmful to users. These two devices promote the use of clean energy. Researchers at the Applied Industrial Ceramics and Rural Enterprise Development Unit (AIC-RED) and the Technology Consultancy Centre (TCC) led by Mr. Michael Commeh, a Research Fellow, carried out research activities on bio-briquettes and bio-char for smokeless stoves and clean energy development technologies for high efficiency cook stoves. These improved stoves reduce carbon emissions significantly thereby reducing indoor air pollution unlike other traditional cook stoves. It also reduces fuel usage by 70% and cooks very fast making it energy efficient and time saving. Due to its uniqueness and efficiency, it has been adopted and is currently being used by Kumasi Secondary Technical and Yaa Asantewaa Secondary Schools, both in Kumasi.

The Centre is using the Vice Chancellor’s Impact Programme to promote the improved institutional cook stoves in some communities. The Centre also won a competitive bid to establish a Testing and Expertise Centre for improved stoves and heat retention devices at

KNUST. The Energy Commission of Ghana funded the project with an amount of US$ 90,000 which included the supply of equipment and installation. Training is sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The Testing and Expertise Centre will carry out efficiency, performance, technical and emission level tests on cook stoves produced locally or imported into Ghana. This will facilitate the successful and effective adherence to stipulated standards. With these standards and the appropriate labels in place, compliant cook stoves will be labeled as “improved” to differentiate them from ordinary cook stoves. The Testing and Expertise Centre will also create an avenue for Research and Development (R&D) to facilitate continuous technological improvement and innovation in the design and manufacture of improved cook stoves in Ghana and Africa.

Ghana Jatropha Project

Equipment installed by TCC at Kparigu in West Mamprusi District

Researchers at the Technology Consultancy Centre (TCC) are undertaking a Jatropha Project in partnership with three Ghanaian institutions – Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), and New Energy, a Ghanaian NGO


– under the thematic Programme for Environmental and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources. The project is coordinated by Nucleo Ricerca Desertificazione (NRD-UNISS) of the University of Sassari in Sardinia, Italy.

Community members being trained in the operation and maintenance of the decorticator

The overall objective of the project is to afford rural communities in Ghana access to improved renewable energy services, income generating opportunities for community-based groups and desertification mitigation. The project is focused on the use of the Jatropha curcas, a plant which produces oil when its seeds are pressed.

The Centre designed a decorticator for de-husking Jatropha fruits into seeds and manufactured a number of them at the Intermediate Technology Transfer Unit (ITTU), a Unit of the Centre based in Suame Magazine. A complete Jatropha Energy Facility, made up of the decorticator, an oil expeller and diesel engines, has been installed at Kparigu in West Mamprusi District, Northern Region. The community members were trained in processing Jatropha oil and enterprise development in Jatropha-based products. This has enabled Jatropha oil to be processed, extracted and tested and used as fuel for electricity generation as well as for cooking, lighting and soap making.

Three (3) Jatropha decorticators will also be used for training, extraction of oil and production of Jatropha-based products in three other rural communities of Nasia, Wungu and Yama, all in West Mamprusi District in the Northern Region of Ghana.

Gasification Development for Electricity GenerationThe Technology Consultancy Centre (TCC), in partnership with the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV), has constructed a 10kW gasification plant to produce electricity from charcoal at the Centre. The gasification technology is the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa. It was built from readily available materials such as cement, sand, iron rods and chicken wires (Ferro-cement). A key objective of the project is to create interest in the gasification technology which was transferred to Ghana by Biomass Technology Group (BTG) of the Netherlands. The Centre currently uses power generated by the gasification plant to support their main supply. The 10-20kw biomass gasification power plant is in operation and currently has four (4) KNUST students working on it. It is expected that more Master’s and Doctoral students of KNUST will further improve the technology while private sector practitioners will develop business interest in it.

KNUST Mechanical Cassava Harvester

Prof. Emmanuel Y. H. Bobobee with tubers of cassava

An efficient mechanical cassava harvester has been developed by Prof. Emmanuel Y. H. Bobobee and his team of researchers in the Agricultural Engineering Department, College of Engineering to unlock the huge potential of cassava as an industrial crop in addition to its nutritional value in Sub-Saharan Africa.


To support large-scale commercial exploitation of the crop, especially during the dry season, this device can harvest a cassava plant per second compared to the 5-10 minutes by manual labour. The device is also light and does not require special high power-rated tractors and can be pulled by existing tractors owned by small-scale farmers on the continent. This intervention improves production, modernization and commercialization of cassava production in Ghana and other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.

A fully-mounted harvester hitched to a tractor

The prototype mechanical cassava harvester weighs 300 kg mass and is one metre wide with a slatted conical mouldboard. The replaceable part of the device is the digging blade, which wears out and needs to be replaced after working for a stipulated acreage. Until recently, there were no commercial mechanical cassava harvesters in use by cassava growers in Africa. This makes cassava production a drudgery, unattractive to the youth and dependent on aging farmers, who produce limited quantities.

Plans are underway to identify and train enterprises (SMEs and foundries) to manufacture the equipment which needs to be introduced to more cassava farmers, equipment operators, entrepreneurs, policy makers and other stakeholders in the cassava value chain in Ghana and Sub-Saharan Africa. The use of the device has been demonstrated in KNUST to delegates from the Ministries of Agriculture in Ghana, Sierra Leone, La Cote d’Ivoire and Togo. The device has also undergone

testing and demonstration in South Africa for large-scale cassava and potato production.

NNSUPA – KNUST’s Clean Water Project

Mr. Micheal Commeh

A user-friendly water filter called “Nnsupa”, which literally means “good water” has been designed by Mr Michael Commeh, a Research Fellow at the TCC.

The Nnsupa Non-Chemical Ceramic Water Filter is both a household and industrial ceramic filter for water treatment. The research work which was initially funded by the Swiss government has pore sizes ranging from less than 0.02-0.45 microns. The materials for the filter are 100% local and the cost of the product ranges from as low as USD$5 for the household filters to USD$1500 for industrial ones. A complete household water filter system costs USD$25 and this can drop to USD$18 when scaling up is completed. This project is significant and applicable to the health sector since conservative estimates suggests that about 84% of medical problems are water related. Out of this, about 90% relate to unavailability of good drinking water.

Most ceramic filters are colloidal silver impregnated and the chemical leaks into the filtered water causing diseases. This led to the research to develop and produce a non-chemically treated ceramic filter.

The purpose of the research was to contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by helping to eradicate water-related diseases on the continent of Africa. The beneficiaries cut across rural and urban settings. Samples of these filters have been sent to the Millennium Village Projects in the Ashanti


Region of Ghana, Senegal and Kenya and the feedback is very positive and encouraging.

An average production rate is about 1,000 full systems per year. A sizable number of University staff have bought and are using the filters and they provide valuable feedback to the researchers. The production of the filters currently needs to be scaled up.

A sample of Nnsupa water filter

Training in Honey Harvesting and Processing Technology Development

A Section of trainees at Drobo

Longstanding research with the West African Honeybee, Apis mellifera adansonii, conducted at the Technology Consultancy Centre (TCC) has addressed challenges faced by beekeepers in Ghana. These include the low rate of hive colonization, high levels of waste of hive

products and poor quality and challenges in harvesting and processing of the honey. The Centre was contracted by the Council for Technical Vocation, Education and Training (COTVET) under the SDF Skills Training Project to train the Progressive Beekeepers’ Association of Berekum, and the Jaman South Beekeepers’ Association, all in the Brong Ahafo Region in honey processing technology. The training was led by Dr. Michael K. Adjaloo of TCC and comprised two phases. The first phase of the training was on Apiary (Bee Farm) Management Practices for Improved Honey Production. This was followed by the second training in Honey Harvesting, Processing and Quality. A total of one hundred and seven (107) beekeepers were trained. Weeks after the training, the beekeepers testified of improved honey processing leading to increase in the sale of their produce which has gone beyond the region.

Extracting honey from fresh combs

The two Beekeepers’ Associations were also supplied with improved bee costume, improved bee smokers, wax extractors, honey press, refractometer for determining honey quality. The technology is currently being used by the two associations at Berekum and Drobo in the Brong-Ahafo Region.


Enhancing Poultry Industry Through Naked Neck and Frizzle Breeds

Dr. G. F. Olympio

In Ghana, all the chicken breeds used for commercial egg production are imported. These birds are bred, selected and tried under optimal temperate conditions and when they are brought to Ghana and raised under sub-optimal and high ambient temperature conditions, their meat quality and egg production performance reduce markedly.

This reduction in performance is expected to worsen due to the increasing average temperature of the earth and variations in other bioclimatic factors (relative humidity, rainfall, wind speed, etc.) as a result of climate change.

In 2007, Dr. Olympio and Dr. Adomako from the Department of Animal Science of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) identified naked neck and frizzle birds whose growth and egg production potential were found to be superior to those of the normally feathered ones. Since then birds carrying these genes have been studied extensively by the two researchers.

The naked neck and frizzle genes have been introduced into commercial layer parents in collaboration with Akate Farms and Trading Company Limited in Kumasi, and these locally bred layers have an average hen-day egg production of 85%.The naked neck gene is an incompletely dominant gene which reduces the feather coverage of chickens by 20-40%. This gene has been found to improve productivity of chickens in terms of growth rate, egg production, carcass yield, egg quality

and disease resistance, under high ambient temperatures. The use of this gene to improve the productivity of chickens has long been advocated by researchers. This gene would be useful now and in the future for increased meat and egg production due to the huge increase in ambient temperature as a result of climate change.

Dr. Olympio and Dr. Adomako with naked neck and frizzle birds

Multiple Cropping and Integrated Aquaculture Systems

Sorting fish into different sizes at the farm before marketing

The Department of Fisheries and Watershed Management has developed various innovations in multiple cropping and integrated aquaculture systems. The general perception that consumers need large-sized tilapia i.e.>500g fish produced from cage culture on the Volta Lake is now being challenged and more research on consumer behaviour will enable increased produce


variation. The Department has identified markets for various sizes of fish and is, therefore, promoting variety in fish production. This has proved beneficial to pond farmers, who can now produce varied sizes of tilapia to meet the needs of both domestic and commercial consumers. This is more sustainable for aquaculture since production time is shorter, resulting in multiple cropping cycles per year with smaller fish also contributing to the overall incomes of farmers. These interventions have resulted in the increased knowledge in the farming of tilapia and catfish in Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Eastern and Western Regions. Furthermore, local feed ingredients have been identified and studies are underway to formulate feed for tilapia using these local ingredients to reduce the cost of commercial feed. This is expected to increase the profit margins of fish farmers.

Fish and vegetables displayed at the Friday Market

The Department has also piloted the integrated aquaculture system where nutrient-rich pond water and sediment are used for fish culture and vegetable production (lettuce, onions, green pepper, etc.). This strategy leads to efficient use of water, nutrients and other resources, reduced pollution of natural water bodies and continuous fish production even in the dry season. Additionally, the Department will soon roll out a tilapia-hatchery-vegetable aquaponics system where nutrient-rich effluent water from tilapia tanks will be utilized to grow vegetables and the clean water returned to the fish tanks in an effort to promote climate smart agriculture for adoption in Ghana. To enhance uptake, the Department has trained farmers in stocking practices, best management practices, farm management and farm budgeting in fish culture.

A Friday Market has also been set up at the premises of the Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources to market the produce, improve direct engagement with the general public and provide practical experience for students. In addition to getting fish on demand, the public has the benefit of acquiring knowledge of fish production, pond and feed management, and fish farming. Students are involved in all stages of production and marketing; providing hands-on-training and thus engendering confidence in those who desire to venture into the aquaculture business after school.

Solar Traffic Light

A Physics student working on a solar traffic light

Traffic lights have become a useful and an integral part of our road network since its inception in the early 1930s and have undergone several transformations as a result of technological advancements over the years. In Ghana, however, the basic challenge is that most traffic lights rely on the national power grid. Hence, any time there is power outage, the traffic lights in the affected areas cease to work causing traffic chaos. In view of this, the Physics Department under the direction of Dr. Reuben Yao Tamakloe has developed a traffic light system that runs on solar energy. The model consists of a solar panel (peak voltage: 17 V; peak current: 2.8 A;), a battery (12 V, ≥ 40 Ah), a charge controller, Arduino and LEDs control circuit. The design enables the traffic light to operate for approximately 3 sunless days when the battery is fully charged.

The solar traffic light is currently being piloted at three locations within KNUST campus: the Agric Junction,


the Shuttle Station intersection and the Engineering/Business School intersection. Since the operation of these solar traffic lights, KNUST has witnessed enormous improvements and order in vehicular and human traffic particularly at the various pilot locations. It is expected that this will be rolled out on a wider scale as this system will be a more efficient and economical option.

KNUST and Partners Address Climate Change

A Scientist, a technician and a student downloading data from a pluvio rain gauge at Emena

The Meteorology and Climate Science Unit of the Department of Physics in collaboration with the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMET) has established an improved weather and climate observation station network. Prof. Andreas Fink of the Department of Geophysics and Meteorology, University of Cologne, Germany leads the West African Meteorology Research Group in operating the automated weather station they donated. This station provides high time resolved measurement of several meteorological parameters such as rainfall, temperature, relative humidity, up and down solar radiation, soil heat flux and matrix potential, atmospheric pressure and three vector wind velocities.

Other potential automated meteorological stations are the GMET Synoptic Station at the Kumasi Airport and the Agromet Station at KNUST. The Airport Station has constructed an automatic weather station and in addition the station has a pluvio rain gauge installed by KNUST and the University of Cologne. The pluvio rain gauge which uses differences in mass principle

(Archimedes’ Principle) has the advantage of measuring both rainfall amount and evaporation. Pluvio rain gauges have also been installed at KNUST Agromet Station and at the Emena Hospital. The installation at Emena Hospital was done as part of a European Union project “Quantifying Weather and Climate Impacts on Health in Developing Countries (QWeCI)”.

Map of KNUST Project Weather Stations

The Meteorology Climate Science Unit of the Physics Department, KNUST coordinates the climate and health data collection from Ghana and also provides the scientific input for QWeCI project.

A new automatic station expected to be completed at KNUST, will measure CO2 flux, heat flux, soil moisture content and soil temperature. This equipment was donated by the World University Service in Germany as part of a workplace equipment programme donation to one of the German-trained scientists in the Meteorology and Climate Science Unit, KNUST. The station, however, will be set up after sensors for atmospheric pressure, relative humidity and radiation are procured. The stationwill also need a sensor for methane to measure and observe the concentration of methane and its related organic compounds in the KNUST Animal Farm.


Weather Station at Agromet measuring CO2, heat flux, soil moisture, atmospheric pressure and soil temperature.

The Earth’s atmosphere is undergoing rapid changes, mainly due to human activities like deforestation, overgrazing, land degradation, biomass burning and industrialization. These activities have modified the composition of the air and climate of the earth’s atmosphere. The consequences of these man-made activities such as the depletion of stratospheric ozone, global warming resulting from increase in greenhouse gas emissions, large scale pollution among others have led to strong variations in rainfall and temperature, extreme events and the rise of the sea level generally known as climate change.

Kwame Nkrumah University of WScience and Technology (KNUST) in response to environmental change concerns locally and internationally commenced undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Meteorology and Climate Science. In addition, KNUST has joined forces with other institutions around the globe to initiate climate change programmes. In 2008, the Department of Physics, hosted a biennial Summer School in Meteorology and Climate Science. The biennial summer school attracted students and lecturers from the rest of Africa, Europe and America. The event was funded by the British Council and International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Italy.

KNUST and its partner institutions are in these climate change partnerships because in Ghana climate change has had direct socio-economic impact on livelihoods. For instance, yields from subsistence farming and fishing are already on the decline in sub-Saharan

African countries. Furthermore, climate change has led to increased cases of malnutrition, diarrhoea, malaria, and infectious diseases in the most vulnerable regions of the world, which are mostly in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.

Due to the vulnerability of developing countries to climate change, there is an urgent need for human capacity building in the area of meteorology, climate science and atmospheric physics that will provide needed skills for better understanding of climate change issues locally and globally.

Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2020 Project (PMA2020 Ghana)The School of Public Health has led the Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2020 Ghana Project dubbed PMA2020/Ghana with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In July 2012, a Family Planning goal was agreed upon by countries worldwide to ensure access to modern contraceptives for an additional 120 million women and girls by 2020 (FP2020 goal). PMA2020 is a multi-national project designed to meet the monitoring and accountability needs of the FP2020 goal.

A mobile-assisted data collection system was used to routinely collect data in nationally representative surveys and update key indicators for family planning and water and sanitation. 120 female resident enumerators (REs) and 12 field supervisors were trained to conduct interviews at the level of the household, individual eligible females, and at health service delivery points (SDPs) at 100 study sites (enumeration areas) spread across the ten regions of Ghana. The project used the Open Data Kit Collect software on mobile phones and other mobile devices. Resident enumerators transfer data by phone to a central server via the GPRS network. In real-time, data are validated, aggregated and prepared in tables, graphs, and maps and pushed for use by community and other stakeholders. The survey indicated that it was possible to conduct low-cost nationally representative surveys with a rapid turnaround time between data collection and data dissemination using innovative mobile technology.


Key family planning indicators generated included contraceptive prevalence rates and total fertility rates as well as indicators for access, equity, quality and choice. Prior to PMA2020, data for these indicators was collected at five year intervals but this project has resulted in four rounds of data collection in two years.

This provides a unique opportunity for developing countries to conduct such surveys annually and provide reliable data to inform programming. Ghana was the first country to implement PMA2020, and the model used in Ghana has been replicated with minimal adjustments in Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia.

PMA2020/Ghana is led by KNUST School of Medical Sciences in collaboration with University of Development Studies (UDS) with the support of the Ghana Health Service and Ghana Statistical Service. The Principal Investigator is Dr. Easmon Otupiri. PMA Global is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA.

Ghana Trains First Emergency Nurses and Medicine SpecialistsKNUST has led a collaboration to establish the first training programmes in Emergency Medicine (EM) and Emergency Nursing. This has produced Ghana’s

first fifteen (15) locally trained Emergency Medicine Specialists and 35 Emergency Nurses. This was achieved in collaboration with the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Ministry of Health and the University of Michigan under the Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) funded by the United States National Institutes of Health.

The first graduating class of EM specialists in a pose with the MEPI PI and Head of EM Department, KATH

The programme, in collaboration with the National Ambulance Service has also provided training for over 300 Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). Other components of the initiative also included research and training in HIV/AIDS-Related Emergency Care, Medico-Legal Training for health care workers and students and Initiative on Research and Innovation Management (iRIM).

A research project on HIV/AIDS related emergencies, conducted at the KATH Accident and Emergency Centre indicated an HIV prevalence rate of 13.5%, which is about ten times the national rate. This stimulated the development of “Guidelines and SOPs for HIV/AIDS Care at Emergency Units”. This document, developed in collaboration with the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) has been endorsed by the Ministry of Health and is available for use in various hospitals in all ten regions of Ghana. Training has been held in nine regions for 474 staff of emergency units. Additional training to create awareness in ethics, confidentiality and medico-legal issues has been conducted for 447 healthcare workers in the Ashanti, Brong Ahafo


and Central Regions. The initiative was led by Prof. Peter Donkor.

An emergency team attending to an acutely ill patient at the KATH Accident and Emergency Center

KNUST Advances in Injury Control and PreventionUntil recently, trauma care services in Ghana were rudimentary. Prof. Robert Ekow Quansah, Department of Surgery conducted a study on the trend of injury along the major highways across Ghana. The human and logistical capacity of all the major hospitals dotted along the highways, to handle injured patients were assessed. This was the first time the burden of injury in Ghana was brought to light. It resulted in a deeper appreciation of the problem of the non-existence of basic capacity for trauma care in the country.

The World Health Organisation was made aware of these findings and the possibility of the existence of similar findings across the third world. A trauma consultative group was formed at the WHO to study the findings from the studies in Ghana to determine the extent of the problem across the Third World. Studies were started to actually determine the burden of injury in many third world countries and the capacity for trauma care. The findings culminated in the compilation of the first book entitled Guidelines for Essential Trauma Care in 2004. Ghana became the first country to develop guidelines for strengthening care for victims of injury with the publication of Recommendations for a National Policy in 2005, which were replicated for many countries in Africa, Asia and Europe.

Presently, Ghana has state-of-the-art trauma centres, an ambulance system with technicians trained in basic life support skills, developed skills and tools for training of non-trauma surgeons in trauma care and training of commercial drivers as first responders in trauma care.

The A&E center, KATH

Cassava Starch as a Tool to Improve the Aesthetics of Leather Products

Vester Adu Gyamfi

Ghanaian indigenous vegetable-tanned leather has been produced by local tanners as the major raw material for use in a variety of leather products. Most of the colourants used to dye the leather are vegetable-based and they fade off easily. It is against this background that a research team from the Department of Integrated Rural Art and Industry comprising J. O. Boahin, K. Asubonteng and V. E. Adu-Gyamfi, decided to look into different ways of enhancing the beautification of vegetable-tanned leather works.


The main objective of the study was to conduct an experiment into the possibility of manipulating indanthrene dye (vat dye) to make it applicable as a printing colourant (a colouring dye) for creating patterns on the Ghanaian indigenous vegetable-tanned leather in order to expand its material value and aesthetic quality. They conducted these experiments by capitalizing on the favourable properties and ready availability of indanthrene-dye (vat dye to be precise) and manipulated it into paste with the aid of cassava starch as a vehicle for screen printing on locally-made leather.

The three experiments that were conducted proved successful in terms of dye penetration with the auxochromes, printing process and wash fastness. The results of the research asserted the possibility of manipulating indanthrene dye into a paste for printing on indigenous tanned leather. Now tanners, artisans, students and artifact processors of leather can improve the aesthetics of their products to enable them increase their competitiveness for accelerated patronage.

Printed ladies shoulder bag A pair of printed leather shoes

Screen printing on leather

The Development of Multi-Media Interactive Learning Materials

Dr. G. Y. Annum and the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts (MoTCCA), Hon. Mrs. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare

Dr. G. Y. Annum of the Department of Painting and Sculpture has developed a simple but effective technology for interactive electronic educational products. This innovation for Interactive Electronic Learning Material (IELM) development was borne out of his research for his PhD in Art Education. The technology is based on the Adobe Flash computer software, which enables the digitization and compilation


of the principal learning elements of text, audio, video and still pictures into a multi-media learning material with web enabled functionality and interactivity. Adobe Flash has several powerful working tools for the web designer, interactive media professional, or subject matter expert developing multimedia content. It deals with creation, import, and manipulation of many types of media (audio, video, bitmaps, vectors, text, and data). It provides external scripting and capabilities for handling dynamic data from databases and this makes Flash particularly suitable for a wide category of projects including complex educational materials that incorporate audio, video, text and still pictures.

The cover page of the CD

Dr. Annum has used this technology to develop an interactive electronic educational product on Forts and Castles in Ghana. The Ministry of Tourism in Ghana has taken delivery of this product to help in the promotion of culture and tourism in educational institutions.

The technology can be used to develop interactive educational materials that can meet the learning needs of students of varied disciplines including studio and laboratory-based programmes. Dr. Annum is currently developing an ‘IELM’ on obstetrics and physiology for the Department of Medical Education at the School of Medical Sciences in the University of Cape Coast.

Unearthing the Creative Skills of our Children

Aba Brew-Hammond

In 2010, the Department of Publishing Studies in collaboration with the University Press, provided support to 30 pupils in class 3-6 in KNUST Primary School to produce a book Our Basket of Poems and Stories 1 which is on the market for primary school pupils. The book came about as a result of an initiative taken by two final year students in the Department of Publishing Studies. Linda Aduhene and Roselyn Mensah-Bonsu studied under the supervision of Mrs. Aba Brew-Hammond through the establishment of a Creative Thinkers Writers’ Club of pupils at the University Primary School. These pupils were taken through basic creative writing techniques, editorial processes and copyright issues in Publishing.

After 5 months they were encouraged to write poems and stories on various themes of their own choice and appropriately illustrate their pieces. Twenty-one of the stories and poems were selected and published without much interference from project students or supervisor, leaving the stories as original as possible. The result was the book Our A second collection, Ananse Stories Retold, written by children from KNUST Primary, Weweso M/A and Ayeduase R/C Primary Schools is going through editorial production to be published soon under the title Our Basket of Ananse Stories 2.

The Club’s slogan “By Us for Us” has truly made an impression on the children writing for children and the Department of Publishing is happy to have contributed to enhancing the creative abilities of these young children.


Basket of Poems and Stories

Sharing Knowledge and Research Findings with our Communities

University and Community Members at a Research Dissemination Durbar

The College of Health Sciences has undertaken activities to improve the dissemination of research findings to communities and the general public. This was done under the Knowledge Sharing, Research Dissemination and Communication (KSRD&C) Project which was implemented in collaboration with the College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana (UG) and the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. The two-year project funded by DANIDA under the Building Stronger Universities (BSU) initiative aimed at addressing the “know-do” gaps in research communication and enhancing research dissemination and uptake, thus making an impact on society.

A Research Communication Course was conducted to heighten research communication skills among university researchers, faculty members and post-graduates especially PhD students as well as selected research user groups. Participants were trained in the use of newspaper articles, policy briefs, theatre and various communication tools to disseminate their research findings. Equipped with these skills, the participants proceeded to communicate various research findings to the public.

Communicating Research findings to a community through drama

One team published three newspaper articles, while another team put together four policy briefs for stakeholders. Another team reached out to the community with a drama performance on Malaria and Aflatoxin in grains and posters on the prevention of Buruli Ulcers. A Research Durbar was also held to bring together members of the university and some surrounding communities to create awareness of the harmful effect of Aflatoxins and Malaria. The goal of this initiative was to bridge the knowledge gap between academia and civil society and ensure that research findings made an impact on the society.

Africa Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (AKTP) Composting ProjectThe Africa Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (AKTP) on composting is a project between the Chemical Engineering Department of KNUST and Zoomlion Ghana Limited, and facilitated by the British Council of Ghana.


AKTP was designed to help businesses improve their productivity and competitiveness using scientific knowledge, technology and skills available from the higher educational institutions.

The objectives of this Composting Project were:• Toacquireandimplementtechnologyto

determine the fraction of waste that can be used for composting

• Todesignasystemtohandlethatfraction,highlighting the other components of the waste including the generation rate, and to determine the marketability and profitability of the composts and plastic waste.

A successful pilot of the composting process has been set up at Ayuom. Source separation of household waste is done for value addition through decentralised composting in order to produce a solid amendment product. The labour-intensive technology successfully converts solid waste to compost and is amended with biochar to close the carbon cycle at the community level. The community has been sensitized on the project especially waste separation.

The overall project outcome will include an extensive characterization of municipal waste at the final disposal sites of five main metropolitan cities in Ghana: Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, Tema and Tamale. This can then be used to develop an integrated waste management system which focuses on reduction, reuse and recycling which is a more sustainable way of managing solid waste.

The waste composting process

Sensitization material for waste separation



Research Activities in the Colleges


College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR)


Message from the Provost, Professor Richard Akromah

The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources takes research very seriously. Without research, we will continue to teach the

same thing over and over again. We also acknowledge this mandate of the University and therefore engage in research to discover new things that will enrich our curriculum and promote quality teaching and learning. Again, it is only through research that we perform our third function of extending knowledge to the community. To achieve this, we carry our research in Agriculture

and Natural Resources to the communities through our outreach programmes, thus strengthening and justifying the very existence of our College. In the Faculty of Agriculture, all our departments are actively engaged in various research activities that have yielded enormous benefits both locally and internationally. In the Crop and Soil Sciences, staff are actively occupied with research on crop protection, in attempts to find solutions to insect and disease problems as well as post-harvest issues that confront farmers.


Lately, we have focused our attention on how to reduce Aflatoxin contamination in groundnuts and maize. Soil Science staff are also looking at how to improve soil health by increasing the use of organic manure while reducing inorganic fertilizers. Our Department of Horticulture is also researching into horticultural crops especially vegetables and how farmers can get the best out of them. We have also extended a very important farming technology to farmers in the Nkoranza area with the support of Export Development and Investment Fund (EDIF). Farmers in this area can now use sawdust as a medium to rapidly multiply plantain by virtue of the knowledge our department extended to them.

The Agricultural Business and Extension Department is also helping farmers by gathering data on post-harvest activities and marketing strategies that can improve their farming business. I am very enthused about the chicken project being undertaken by the Animal Science Department in collaboration with Akate Farms to genetically breed a special kind of chicken by crossing the naked neck and bristle-feathered local birds with the normal layer stocks to make them disease-resistant and relatively stronger. This PPP arrangement is beginning to yield results and I’m highly impressed and optimistic that very soon a special breed of bird will be developed for the Poultry Industry in Ghana.

Similarly, the Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources through the Fisheries Department has been involved in Tilapia farming which is now being sold to the community. We are doing a lot of outreach programmes to extend knowledge to fish farmers in and around Ashanti Region. A visiting scientist from Virginia Tech University in America is here to assist us in the study

of fish species that grow faster in our rivers. The Agro Forestry and Wood Science departments are all engaged in varied research that are very relevant for Agriculture not only for academic purposes but also to benefit the country as a whole. We all know that agriculture is the backbone of Ghana’s economy. Therefore when we strengthen agriculture, businesses and industries will also spring up thereby creating job opportunities for the people.

Beside these, there are a number of sponsored research activities being managed by the College in various areas. Examples include the AGRA Project, WAAPP-Gambia, SAWAFO, BSU and N2Africa among others. Indeed it is through the AGRA Projects that a new postgraduate building has been constructed for the University to support postgraduate studies.

It is refreshing to note that our College is currently ranked first in the University when it comes to research publications and the number of professors. Although the College is constrained by the limited number of academic staff, we continue to do our best to undertake highly relevant research that brings enormous benefit to the University, our country Ghana and the world at large.


Highlights of Research Activities in the CANR

Designer Eggs – Essential Nutrients for Rural Children

Dr. Jacob Alhassan Hamidu with Designer eggs

Ghanaian children, especially those in rural areas, would soon enjoy eggs fortified with Omega 3 fatty acids also known as “designer eggs” to help improve their intelligence quotient, nutrition and consequently their opportunities in society. Dr. Jacob Alhassan Hamidu, a lecturer in the Department of Animal Science and the brain behind this initiative, responded to a call in the Grand Challenge Canada on healthy living called “Stars in Global Health” from which he received a grant of CAD 112,000.00 to fund this project.

Outside Africa, people consume Omega 3 eggs and products but this comes at a high cost. Under this project, Dr. Hamidu seeks to find ways to make it more affordable and accessible to Ghanaian and African children at large. Flax oil and flax seed contain high levels of Omega 3 which is essential for brain development and helps reduce cardiovascular diseases in adults. With this in mind, he decided to focus on children with the argument that if we could dispense Omega 3 through

eggs compared to the practice of giving pills as nutrition intervention, we could increase its acceptability among rural people. The designer eggs would then be more acceptable; and accessibility and consumption would be increased since Ghanaian children love eggs.

The Street Foods Project

Dr. Kwasi Ohene-Yankyera

The Street Foods Project is a Danida-funded project titled “Enhancing the Performance and Growth Potential of Street Food Vending for Accelerated Socio-economic Development in Ghana”. It is a collaboration between KNUST, the University of Copenhagen and the Food Research Institute. The project is led by Dr. Kwasi Ohene-Yankyera of the Department of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension. The project’s overall objective is to generate research-based knowledge to support the development of small businesses in the urban street food vending subsector in Ghana, making them a viable engine for economic growth and development in Ghana.

The project has a strong component of human capacity building, which is central to growth and development and has integrated several training programmes for both students (PhDs, MScs), institutional staff (training courses) and key stakeholders particularly food vendors. Specifically, three PhD and three MSc students are being trained while 40-60 others have been trained in Social Science Research methods and food safety/quality


assessments. The project is also developing guidelines for addressing constraints in the food vending sector to make the sector more effective and productive and eventually contribute to an increase in employment opportunities and livelihood of urban dwellers.

Improved Yam Storage For Food Security and Incomes in Ghana

Dr. Robert Aidoo

This project aims at reducing post-harvest losses and increasing incomes and food security among the key actors in the yam value chain through improved yam storage systems. The project is being executed by the Department of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness & Extension of KNUST, led by Dr. Robert Aidoo; in partnership with the Crops Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

The project adopts a participatory approach to evaluating existing yam storage technologies and finding innovative solutions to the weaknesses and constraints associated with them. The team has designed and constructed two types of improved yam storage structures (round and rectangular shapes) in four districts using local materials for yam storage trials. Twenty-four improved structures in twelve communities and six on-station structures have been constructed. In addition, two novel yam products (Yammy Pops and Yam-Tiger Nut Pudding) and yam flour (used to prepare different types of pastries) have been produced. These improved technologies which are effective and cost efficient, will be introduced alongside farmers’ existing storage systems with the intention of gradually making farmers adopt new technologies from research.

This is a two-year project (2013-2015), supported by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) with a grant of Aus$375,400.00.

Safe Water For Food ProjectKwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in partnership with Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania, the University of Copenhagen and DHI, Denmark is conducting research in the use of low quality water for food production in peri-urban communities. The project, led by Prof. Robert Abaidoo, received funding of DKK 9.3million from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A Student on the Project Watering Seedlings

The overall objective of the project is to identify food safety and health hazards of using low quality water for food production by poor farmers in water scarce peri-urban communities in Ghana and Tanzania and to develop and apply research-based tools to manage these risks. The project aims at generating improved risk assessment models based on health hazards and exposure scenarios as well as describing the regulatory barriers for a sustainable use of low quality water for crop production. The project is collaborating with international organisations such as WHO, FAO and IWMI. The Safe Water for Food (SaWaFo) project aims to propose means of reducing health risks of farmers, consumers, animals and foods exposed to low quality water.


Sustainable Fish Feed Development in GhanaThe Department of Fisheries and Watershed Management has been awarded a three-year DANIDA grant to develop sustainable feed for fish in Ghana. This project, being implemented in collaboration with DTU Aqua in the Denmark Technical University, will build research capacity at KNUST towards state-of-the-art feed development based on locally available ingredients. The nutritional composition and quality of available potential local feed ingredients will be analysed and evaluated, and experimental feed formulations will be developed for testing in farm trials. The Principal Investigator is Prof. Stephen Amissah.

Project activities that have been undertaken include pre-treatment of selected ingredients to ascertain their effects on protein, amino acids and anti-nutritional profiles, digestibility trials and macro-analysis of all three local ingredients (groundnut husk, groundnut cake, cottonseed cake). Further, analyses of anti-nutritional factors and amino acid profiling of local ingredients are under way. Methods for testing nutrient discharges (tanks, cages, ponds) have been established and are being improved. In addition, a national survey of sources, quality, seasonality and quantities of local feed ingredients is ongoing. Utilizing the many potential local ingredients efficiently will not only strengthen the aquaculture sector in Ghana, but also contribute to conserve natural resources through alternative uses.

Aquaculture Development, and Its Impact on Food Supply, Nutrition and Health in Ghana and Tanzania

Prof. Stephen Amisah

KNUST through its Fisheries and Watershed Management Department is collaborating with seven other institutions in USA, Tanzania and Ghana on the AquaFish Collaborative Research Support Programme (AquaFish CRSP) funded by USAID. AquaFish CRSP is now known as the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Aquaculture & Fisheries (Aquafish Innovation Lab). The AquaFish Innovation Lab emphasizes sustainable solutions in aquaculture and fisheries for improving health, building wealth and conserving natural environments for future generations.

The Department is working with the University of Arkansas on improving the nutritional quality of farm-grown tilapia by feeding them with diets that contain local ingredients with high Omega-3 fatty acids. The Department is also working in collaboration with Virginia State University to research into what is termed ‘the Global Experiment’ which is about standardizing pond culture activities worldwide. Prof. Stephen Amisah is the Principal Investigator


Effects of Biochar and Legume Green Manuring on Green Water Conservation and Soil Fertility ImprovementThe Department of Agroforesty is collaborating with the Africa Rice Centre, Benin, in the implementation of a Global Rice Science funded project led by Dr Samuel T. Partey. This collaboration is on the effects of legume green manuring and biochar amendments on green water management and soil fertility improvement in Southern Benin.

Bamboo Agro Forestry for Food Security and Renewable Energy Production in AfricaDr Samuel T. Partey from the Department of Agroforestry is the lead KNUST researcher in a collaborative project on Bamboo Agro Forestry for Food Security and Renewable Energy Production in Africa. This project, being implemented in partnership with the University of Bonn in Germany and the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan, has funding support of 7.2 million Euro provided by the German government.

New Frog Species Identified in Three Forest Types in GhanaDr. Caleb Ofori Boateng of the Department of Wildlife and Range Management conducted a study to analyse the amphibian richness patterns and responses to anthropogenic impacts in three forest types of Ghana. This study revealed a frog species that is completely new to science. The new species (Phrynobatrachusintermedius sp. nov.) exhibits a combination of unique morphological and color characteristics including a compact body, short and pointed snout, a conspicuous dark face mask that covers the l’oreal and the tympanal area, and a relatively smooth dorsum with only very feebly developed dorsal ridges. Also, the new species genetically differs from other West African species of the genus by a minimum distance of 3.4% (16S rRNA). The study demonstrates

the importance of the auto ecological data of the species in wildlife management in altered habitats.

Analytical Support Services and Evaluations for Sustainable Systems in Agriculture, Environment, Energy and Trade Project (ASSESS-WA) 2014-2019.

This is a partnership programme between the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), two Land Grant Universities in United States of America (University of Rhode Island, URI, and Delaware State University, DSU) and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, (KNUST), Kumasi.

ASSESS-WA Project is responsible for evaluations of programmes in the US Government’s West Africa Regional Economic Growth (REG) portfolio. The broad objective of ASSESS is to ensure that systematic and meaningful feedback is expanded for evidence-based decision-making to advance Economic Growth and Environmental Resiliency in the West Africa region. The project is being implemented by the Bureau of Integrated Rural Development (BIRD) and led by Dr. Sarfo Mensah.

The ASSESS Programmes’ main pillar, service provision in performance and impact evaluation of commissioned activities of USAID in agriculture, environment, trade and energy in its West Africa Regional Economic Growth (REG) Portfolio, is consistent with several areas of teaching, research and development programmes of KNUST. For instance, the Faculties of Agriculture and Natural Resources, School of Business, the KNUST Energy Centre, School of Engineering, Department of Development Planning among others in the six Colleges of the University focus on contemporary research and development issues which are within the USAID Regional Economic Portfolio. The capacity building of KNUST staff directly and indirectly involved in the project will enhance future collaboration between KNUST and USAID.


Peak Investment Capital Invests into Dairy Research and Production at KNUST

KNUST Officials and some members of Peak Investment Capital

A social investment fund, Peak Investment Capital (PIC) has invested an amount of six hundred and fifty thousand cedis (GH¢650,000) to enhance the research and dairy production capabilities of KNUST’s Dairy Research Station of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR).

The partnership is based on KNUST’s extensive technical expertise to develop a sustainable dairy ecosystem. This initiative fulfils the institution’s objective of partnering industry and creating opportunities. The enterprise would make the presence of industry more visible on campus and create employment and internship opportunities for KNUST students. It will also inject new technology, build research capacity and improve economic activities in the University. The first phase of the partnership would focus on capacity building of staff, fixing production equipment and critical improvement in marketing, branding and packaging of dairy products.

The KNUST Dairy Research Station is a leading research institute, which has over the years developed dairy products and worked with local farmers to enhance dairy production.

Bureau of Integrated Rural Development (BIRD)The Bureau of Integrated Rural Development (BIRD) is a research centre at the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR). It was established to provide an interface between the university and rural communities. It aims at transferring innovations and other services available at the university to promote rural development to enhance quality of life in rural areas through extension, research, training and consultancy services. BIRD seeks to be a centre of excellence in Africa for rural development and research.

The centre offers expertise and services in different aspects of development including Research and Development Planning, Capacity Building and Institutional Development, Gender and Development, Rural Small-Scale Industries and Rural Entrepreneurial Development and Sustainable Natural Resource Management. BIRD has both national and international reputation

as the foremost University-based institution for development and offers comprehensive and inter-disciplinary research. It has a reputation for training, capacity building and rural institutional development. BIRD has worked in all the ten regions of Ghana and has thorough knowledge and excellent relationship with the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs). BIRD has an interdisciplinary team with diverse professional expertise to complement each other in solving complex developmental problems from different perspectives.

The BIRD research centre at CANR


Some Research Facilities in the College

Agroforestry Research Farm

Analytic Laboratory with State-of-the-Art Equipment


List of Research Projects in CANR

NAME OF PROJECT DEPARTMENT DONOR PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

West Africa Agricultural and Productivity Project (WAAPP)

Crop and Soil ScienceAlliance For A Green Revolution In Africa (AGRA)

Dr. Charles Kwoseh

AGRA PhD Project & Soil ScienceTheoretical and Applied Biology

Alliance For A Green Revolution In Africa (AGRA)

Prof. R. C Abaidoo

AGRA MPhil Cohort 4 & Cohort 5 Cultivar

Crop and Soil ScienceAlliance For A Green Revolution In Africa (AGRA)

Prof. Richard Akromah

Compro II Base LineTheoretical and Applied Biology

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

Prof. R. C Abaidoo

Africa Rising Key Farming Systems Animal ScienceThe International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

Prof. Okai

N2 Africa Phase IITheoretical and Applied Biology


Prof. R. C Abaidoo

IITA Cassava Value ChainTheoretical and Applied Biology


Prof. R. C Abaidoo

IITA MozambiqueTheoretical and Applied Biology


Prof. R. C Abaidoo

BSU Phase ITheoretical and Applied Biology

DANIDA Prof. R. C Abaidoo

BSU Outreach & PBLWildlife and Range Management

DANIDA Prof. W. Oduro

BSU Phase IITheoretical and Applied Biology


Sustainable Fish Feed Project Fisheries and Watershed DANIDA Prof. Steve Amisah

Sustainable Sanitation In Ghana Project (SUSA) Project

Theoretical and Applied Biology


Root & Tuber ProjectAgricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension

DANIDA Dr. Robert Aidoo

Street Food ProjectTheoretical and Applied Biology

DANIDA Dr. Ohene Yankyera

Safe Water For Food (SAWAFO)Theoretical and Applied Biology


University Of Arkansas Pine Bluff (UAPB PROJECT)

Fisheries and Watershed USAID through Virginia Technology Dr. Regina Edziyie

Aqua Fish Inovation Lab Fisheries and Watershed USAID through Virginia Technology

Prof. Steve Amisah



Food Policy ProjectAgricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension

International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington DC.

Dr. Ohene Yankyera

Promoting Nutritious Eggs consumption: A new paradigm in early childhood.

Animal ScienceGrand Challenges Canada, Saving Brains

Dr. Jacob Hamidu

Alliance For Food Security Crop and Soil Science Oklahoma State Dr. Enoch Osekre

Peanut And Mycotoxins Innovation Laboratory (PMIL) Project

Crop and Soil ScienceKNUST-North Carolina State University (NCSU)

Prof. Richard Akromah

Smallholder Agricultural Productivity Enhancement And Commercialization (SAPEC)

Crop and Soil Science African Development Bank through Liberia

Dr. Charles Kwoseh

Agribusiness In Sustainable Natural African Plant Products (ASNAPP)

Animal Science USAID Prof. A. Donkor

Yam Storage ProjectAgricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension

Australian Agency For International Development (AUSAID)

Dr. Robert Aidoo

Forest Island Project Crop and Soil Science Emperial College, UK Dr. Vincent Logah

ASSESS PROJECTBureau of Integrated Rural Development (BIRD)

USAID/UNDA Dr. Sarfo Mensah

Dateline Assessment of Local Raw Material sourcing of Cassava

Bureau of Integrated Rural Development (BIRD)

Guinness Ghana Brewery Ltd. Mr. Ebenezer O. Addo

Cage Culture in Northern Ghana Fisheries and WatershedASSESS PROJECT West African Agriculture Productivity Project (WAAPP) Ghana (World Bank)

Prof. Stephen Amisah


College of Art and Built Environment (CABE)

Message from the Provost, Professor Edward Badu

The College of Art and Built Environment (CABE) is barely Nine (9) months old! Before the restructuring of the College, the

former College of Architecture and Planning (CAP) was conducting research in Housing, Construction, Transportation, Climate Change, Land Governance, Property Financing and other research areas in Built Environment.

Examples of specific research in the construction sector include contract administration and performance, project risk factors, research on indigenous materials such as the study of the physical properties of palm kernel shells for concrete. There is also research into construction cost and consultancy pricing. The research intends to reduce the cost of construction in Ghana. Other research areas worth mentioning are in waste management, flooding and micro-financing.


The frontiers of research areas have broadened with the addition of the Faculty of Art to the former CAP. Members of staff in the Faculty of Art have scaled-up their research in Ceramics, Leather, Pottery and Visual Art Pedagogy. Another significant area of research has been the Intellectual History of Modern and Contemporary Art.

The Faculty of Art continues to hold Art Exhibitions, a very popular and potent medium through which artists bring out their research and innovations. The most recent exhibition had the theme “Silence between Lines: Anagrams of Emancipated Futures”. The exhibition featured 17 artists and it was well received both nationally and internationally.

“The Gown must go to Town: of Art and Philosophical Consciencism” another art exhibition was held from June 19 to July 17, 2015 at the Museum of Science and Technology, Accra. The exhibition featured over 50 artists and recorded over 800 visitors. The media – television, radio and the newspapers – gave the exhibition the prominence it deserved.

Since it is early days, the College expects close collaboration of senior members in the two faculties in research activities. The College also believes that when the re-established Institute of Land Management and Administration and its centres are fully operational, the research activities in the College would increase tremendously.

Another area of research that the College is pursuing vigorously is post-graduate research. Research by MSc/MPhil and PhD students has seen consistent growth. The College normally presents PhD graduands in the June and November Congregations.

The major constraint has been funding for research activities. The College is intensifying its hunt for grants. Dr. Rexford Assasie Oppong has succeeded in winning a £30,000 research grant in partnership with Dr. Lain Jackson of University of Liverpool, UK.


Highlights of Research Activities in the College

The Impact of Transport Investment on the Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals

Gifty Adom-Asamoah

Ms. Gifty Adom-Asamoah of the Department of Planning is researching into one of the critical areas in our society: the impact of transport investment on the achievement of the millennium development goals.

The Government of Ghana with support from the World Bank and other development partners, embarked on some road investment under the Road Sector Development Programme (RSDP) in 2005 to improve the socio-economic characteristics of the road users. This study therefore assesses the impact the road investment have had on the beneficiaries.

The results of the study show that the investment has had significant impact on lives of beneficiaries along the selected roads, which is seen in the diversification of the economy. This has resulted in higher gains in incomes from non–agricultural employment.

Unfortunately, those corridors that did not receive any investment are locked up in farming. The deplorable state of the road in those areas leads to high post-harvest losses and higher transaction cost particularly in the wet season. To improve the situation women usually have to undertake road maintenance, through spot improvement, to enable vehicles to carry their farm produce to urban markets to enjoy competitive

prices to increase their profit margins and improve their income. School children have to cover a distance of 7.1km on rehabilitated roads where maintenance has been neglected. This phenomenon has resulted in low school attendance, constraining effective education and completion of primary education, thus hindering the realisation of the MDGs. Access to health care was also found to be a luxury rather than a necessity. For instance, households spent nearly one and a half hours to cover 6.7km to get to a health facility. It is no wonder that people in such areas resort to self-medication which could be detrimental to their overall health.

The realisation of the Millennium Development Goals (1 – 6) will depend on such factors as the regular maintenance of feeder roads to reduce transportation costs and provide easy access to markets for farm produce to improve household incomes. Basic facilities (health and education) should be located in close proximity to the rural inhabitants to improve their welfare and reduce poverty among them.

Women farmers filling pot holes to enable transportation of their farm produce


Dampness in Walls of Residential Buildings in Ghana: Lead Source, Diagnosis and Proposed Treatments

Prof. Joshua Ayarkwa

In the Ghanaian tropical climate characterized by high rainfall with relatively high and even temperatures, dampness is a very common problem in many public and private buildings. It is against this background that the Department of Building Technology in collaboration with the Department of Architecture conducted a study on the lead source, diagnosis and proposed treatment of the situation. The researchers involved in the study were Kofi Agyekum, a PhD student supervised by Prof. Joshua Ayarkwa, Dr. Emmanuel Adinyira and Dr. Christian Koranteng. The study identified 5,800 buildings nationwide which had dampness in the walls. Three buildings suffering from the problem of dampness and located in different ground conditions in Kumasi were chosen to find out the lead source using the four-stage approach to the investigation of dampness: visual inspection, non-destructive testing, destructive testing and laboratory assessment studies.

Universal Moisture Meter: Used to non-destructively test for moisture

The probable sources include rising dampness, penetration dampness and condensation. The lead source of dampness was identified to be rising dampness. A laboratory diagnosis of the lead source of dampness in walls of selected residential buildings revealed that the buildings were associated with symptoms such as blistering of paints, flaking of mortar, surface efflorescence, and mould growth among others. The treatment mechanisms employed included the use of polyethylene damp proof courses, damp proof chemicals and dense concrete bases. On application to the test wall, the Epoxy and the Subend DPCs treatment performed most effectively.

Using Palm Kernel Shell Aggregates in Lightweight Reinforced Concrete

Dr. Alex Acheampong

Alex Acheampong, a postgraduate student under the supervision of Prof. J. Ayarkwa and Dr. M. Adom-Asamoah of the Department of Building Technology and Department of Civil Engineering respectively conducted a study on the structural properties of lightweight reinforced concrete made with palm kernel shell (PKS) aggregates. This was done to determine the physical properties of palm kernel shell aggregates that make it suitable for the production of lightweight concrete. This was determined by investigating the mechanical properties of PKS lightweight concrete and the behaviour of reinforced palm kernel shell concrete beams in shear, both analytically and experimentally. The research was to ascertain the effectiveness of the reinforced PKS concrete beams in terms of cracking and crack width, deflection, serviceability and the ultimate modes of failure. The study was also done to determine the effect of reinforced PKS concrete beams in flexure


and shear and the loading of reinforced PKS concrete beams on cracking and crack width, deflection, and serviceability and ultimate modes of failure of PKS beams. Comparison was also made with the provisions of BS 8110 (1997), ACI 318-05 and EC 2 to ensure the suitability or otherwise of the codes for predicting the shear capacity of reinforced PKS concrete beams.

Digital Compressometer for determining the modulus of elasticity of concrete

Crack Detection microscope for determining the size of cracks on the surface of the beams

Mechanical dial gauge for recording mid-span deflections in beams and span

Based on its physical properties, palm kernel shell (PKS) aggregate was found to be a potential construction material that could be used as a complete replacement for granite aggregates for low applied load situations. It was also found that Palm Kernel Shell aggregate concrete can be used to produce structural concrete with compressive strength of up to 24.87 N/mm2 using OPC with minimum cement content of 500 Kg/m3and water/cement ratio of 0.4. The three codes BS 8110-1, ACI 318 and EC 2, used to evaluate the performance of the beams underestimate the experimental shear capacity of reinforced PKS concrete beams, especially PKS beams without shear reinforcement and of a short span. The palm kernel shell concrete beams demonstrated higher deflection values at failure than that of the NWC beams indicating a high ductile behavior that gives enough warning before final collapse. The study established that palm kernel shells are potential aggregates for low cost construction purposes, especially where the oil palm mills are located.

Breaking Monotony: A Reflective Study of Teaching Decorative Pot Making

Dr. Samuel Nortey

In art, the idea of pots being circular and cylindrical is an intuitive proposition that defines why potters have, up to the present, made wonderful decorations in the round. It is believed that potters do not want to subvert or break away from their tradition, perhaps because the art started as family craft. The breaking of the notion that a pot must be cylindrical or round which has influenced many thoughts including art lovers was the motivation of a reflective study conducted by Ebenezer F. Okai, student artist and Dr. Samuel Nortey, a teaching artist.


The study presents a very concrete and specific example of studio practice on how to overcome monotony and poor creative abilities in design and form. In order to spur innovation in ceramic pot making, the student was taken through pushing past certain ideals in building blocks of inspirational designs. In one of the workshop activities, the class chanced on a moving millipede. The concept of a moving millipede was considered to be a great source of inspiration in decorative pot making.

A Moving Millipede: A source of inspiration

The student artist was taught to understand that the idea development required both subjective and objective consciousness and sketching out plans of ideas and thoughts provided a platform to free the mind from the bondage of expression. Combining form, symbols, functions, principles and elements of design, standards, abstractions and aesthetics, the student artist was encouraged to do some critical thinking. Through artistic processes, a decorative pot was produced based on the “Millipede Concept” and named 16th Chapter because the tergites of the millipede were developed into 16 individual pots but can be assembled as a big piece.

Pot made from ‘Afari’ clay, white slip, iron oxide, manganese oxide and glaze

One key output of the study was an argument in favor of a more assertive intervention – a push not towards a specific aesthetic approach, but towards an in-depth

exploration, analysis, spontaneous play and association, design development, and revision. The study has shown that Art students can go beyond the styles of producing pottery by using geometric forms other than the monotonous spherical shapes. The creative sensibilities of students can be developed through creative artistic experiences and imagination, and the creative breakthroughs of one student can motivate others. The significant experience gained through the building of the 16th Chapter teaches a model for pushing past certain design or psychological blocks in design innovation.

Researchers Expand Frontiers of Pottery Production in NanumbaThe history of pottery production in Nanumba South District, Ghana, is evidenced by the emergence and growth of pottery production by every family. The pots produced in Nanumba are simple round pots for domestic purposes. Although they are unique, the lack of aesthetic appeal leads to poor patronage.

The type of pots produced in Nanumba South District

Dr. Samuel Nortey, Naako Wumuaja and Ebenezer F. Okai, from the Department of Industrial Art with the active participation of the youth in the Nanumba South District of Ghana, have experimented on unravelling complexities in the designs of indigenous pottery and ceramics. This aims to help prevent pottery activity in Nanumba from becoming extinct; develop pottery to meet the expectations of tourists and art lovers; and facilitate socially sustainable pottery development, thus


expanding the frontiers of pottery production.Selected young potters were taken through a brainstorming and dialogue session, design development and pottery production. They guided their own learning in order to keep them interested in their chosen profession. The project created an opportunity for innovations and creative interpretation of pottery production.

The project team in a dialogue with the participants

They were asked to make pots but were left to explore their own methods for reaching that goal. This allowed them to design learning methods which best suited their style and interests, keeping them interested in the craft and encouraging success.

The project is expected to support future generations and to strengthen a healthy community and lead to a more sustainable society.

Samples of pottery products

“Multibrid Technology”A software for packaging and delivering instructional and learning materials in distance education named “Multibrid Technology” has been developed by Godfred Y. Annum, a lecturer in the Faculty of Art. This technology is intended to facilitate computer-based and web-based learning in education particularly for laboratory and studio-based programmes in tertiary institutions. The technology also offers the opportunity for the development of learning materials for both Basic and Senior High Schools. Mr. Annum is also involved in New Media Art in the areas of Digital Painting, Digital Sculpture and Digital Pottery.

Collaborations with Industry and Educational InstitutionsA collaboration between the Faculty of Art and Cape Peninsular University, South Africa led to a visit by Prof. Gronje from the Peninsular University to deliver two lectures on the topic ‘Promotion of Research and Publications’ in the College. The Department of Painting and Sculpture through its collaboration played host to the Director of Graduate Studies of Painting and Printmaking, Yale University School of Art, Dr. Rochelle Feinstein, who had a seminar with staff and students.


Research Centres

Centre For Settlement StudiesThe Centre for Settlement Studies is the only centre in Ghana that conducts research into human settlements and planning issues generally and devises interventions targeted primarily towards addressing the socio-economic and housing needs of the rural and urban poor. To achieve this goal, the Centre focuses on development-oriented research leading to the formulation of policy guidelines, extension services through demonstration units and problem-solving consultancy.

The Centre for Settlement Studies has successfully developed cost-saving local building materials and improved construction techniques sensitive to resource constraints of the urban and rural low income population. The Centre has also formulated policy guidelines to direct urban growth and land use in the broader field of human settlements, and has achieved a high level of understanding of housing supply and demand factors and the gender/development interface. A database of current sectoral issues (including prices, policy trends and institutional interventions) is also maintained at the Centre.

Development of Alternative Material Components, Tools and Techniques

The Centre through research has developed alternative materials, tools and techniques using mainly local resources. This initiative has resulted in the development of a hand-operated Soil Block Press, (popularly known as TEK-Block Press), TEK-Blocks (stabilized soil-cement blocks), TEK-louvres (wooden louvres), and other components (especially for doors and windows) which are currently applied especially in rural and peri-urban housing activities.

Recently, the Centre has unveiled the “Means of Escape Burglar Proof Window”, an innovation to allow occupants of a building to escape through at least one opening apart from doors in the event of an emergency, particularly, fire. The innovation addresses an important

requirement of the National Building Regulations (LI 1630).

Compressed Earth Blocks manually molded in a “TEK BLOCK” PRESS

Centre of Excellence for Housing Studies, Research and Professional DevelopmentThe College has established a Centre of Excellence for Housing Studies, Research and Professional Development which seeks to strike a good balance between delivering the theoretical underpinnings of housing provision and the transfer and acquisition of management and practical skills. This was achieved through the leadership and coordination of the Head of Department of Architecture. The Centre aims to promote the science and art of housing, its standards and ideals and the training and education of those engaged in the profession of housing practice.

The Centre hopes to achieve this through

• Producinggraduateswithmulti-disciplinarytraining in housing delivery and management.

• Trainingprofessionalswhoarehighlyspecializedinall the areas of the housing industry.

• Bridgingthegapbetweentheoryandpracticein housing education and training through the creation of partnership with industry.

• Enablingprofessionalstooutline,adoptandapplythe code of professional conduct of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH).


• Producingprofessionalhousingexpertswhoareresearch inclined, having the requisite knowledge in the areas of housing needs assessment, planning

of housing provision, financing and other delivery processes and management in a changing economy.

Faculty of Art

Faculty of Built Environment


ConferencesAnnual International Conference: College of Art and Built Environment

The College of Art and Built Environment, in a bid to help generate deeper awareness towards addressing the huge infrastructural deficit in Africa, instituted an annual International Conference on Infrastructure Development in Africa in 2012, to provide a platform for players in infrastructure development to deliberate on academic, theoretical and industrial matters for accelerated infrastructural development on the continent. The first Conference was held in KNUST from 22nd – 24th March 2012 under the theme “The State of Infrastructure Development in Africa: Current Issues and the Way Forward.” The Conference attracted five high profile keynote speakers namely Professor George Ofori (National University of Singapore, Singapore), Professor Akintola Akintoye (University of Central Lancashire, UK), Professor David Proverbs (University of West England, Bristol, UK), Professor David Edwards, (Birmingham City University, UK) and Professor Kwame Addo (Ministry of Transport, Accra, Ghana).

In collaboration with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, the second conference was hosted by the Department of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, University of Johannnesburg, South Africa from 14th to 16th March 2013 under the theme, ‘The Future of Africa Cities through Infrastructure Development’. The keynote speakers were Professor Angina Parekh (Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, University of Johannesburg), Professor Alfred Talukhaba, Research Professor of Tshwane University of Technology), Dr Rodney Milford (Programme Director of Construction

Industry Performance of the Construction Industry Development Board of South Africa), Professor Joshua Ayarkwa (KNUST, Kumasi), Professor Chris Landsberg (University of Johannesburg), Mr. Thanduxolo (CEO of Johannesburg Development Agency) and Mr. Jack van der Merwe (CEO, Gautrain Management Agency of South Africa).

Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria hosted the third conference from 17-19 March 2014 under the theme Environmental Sustainability, Safety and Health In Infrastructure Development in Africa. The keynote speakers were Professor Stephen Ogunlana of the Herriot–Watt University, UK, Engr. Ademola Olorunfemi, President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and a representative from the Boston Consulting Group. At this conference, the former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo called for a change in policies and techniques in order to adequately address Africa’s challenges of human insecurity. He opined that without adequate infrastructural base, efforts at socio-economic development, growth and progress will amount to futility.

The fourth conference, under the theme, Sustainable Infrastructure Development: The Nexus between Urbanization and Economic Growth was held from 25th to 26th March 2015 in KNUST, Kumasi. The Conference attracted keynote presentations from Mr. Rockson Dogbegah, Chairman of Berock Ventures, Ghana, Mr. Frank Tackie (Development Consultancies, Accra, Ghana), Professor David Edwards (University of Birmingham, UK) and Prof Chrisna Duplessis of the Department of Construction Economics, University of Pretoria, South Africa. The Conference attracted forty-seven (47) presentations.


Postgraduate Studies in Housing and Human settlements.

Department of Architecture Teaching and Learning Innovation Fund (TALIF)

Dr. Rexford Asassie Oppong

Architecture and Planning in the Tropics: From Imperial Gold Coast to tropical Ghana (International Partnership and Mobility 2015)

Department of Architecture British Academy Dr. Rexford Assasie Oppong


College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CoHSS)


Message from the Provost, Professor Imoro Braimah

From the College perspective, there are three types of research. These are students’ research, staff individual research and

research programmes.

Student research, undertaken by undergraduate, Masters and PhD students and supervised by their academic supervisors is mandatory and produces theses and publications. Staff individual research depends on staff interest and the College emphasizes on this

as it contributes to better College research output. The College has a research fund with the purpose of facilitating staff research in whichever areas they are interested in. When proposals are submitted, they are reviewed by a committee. If found commendable, funding is awarded. At the end of the research project, a journal publication is required. Individual staff research projects are encouraged in order to build capacity and grow into research projects that are big


enough to involve other staff members resulting in collaborative research.

The third type of research is conducted with externally-funded grants spanning three or five years. These grants are competitive and awarded through a response to a call for proposals. The output of such research projects ranges from publication and postgraduate qualifications including Masters and PhD Degrees. One of such research projects is the collaboration between the Department of Geography and the Department of Chemical Engineering in a DANIDA-funded project on Seaweed that will produce Master’s students and research publications. The Geography Department is collaborating with other departments of the University and that is the area where we should put in a lot of effort.

This is the direction that we want to go and we should all be aiming at it because it is in this area that we will get sufficient resources and appropriate skills in research to upgrade ourselves and build capacity to solve societal needs. We would also generate a lot of knowledge from this type of research and the benefit will be for both the teaching staff and the graduate students that we will produce.


Highlights of Research Activities in CoHSS

Partnership with World Cocoa FoundationThe World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) as part of its ongoing ECHOES Alliance programme selected the Department of Information Systems and Decision Sciences of the KNUST School of Business (KSB) to plan, develop and implement an Agricultural Logistics Skill Development Training Programme geared at post-secondary graduates.

The programmes was sponsored by WCF and its partners. KNUST as a partner served as the educational lead responsible for curriculum development, programmes hosting and training delivery.

Thirty students (30) were selected to participate in the first training programme which began in June 2011. The duration of the programme was seven (7) months comprising a four-month academic training period at KNUST and a three-month internship period with the programme sponsors (ADM and Safmarine) as well as other companies within the cocoa industry.

Phase I of the programme has successfully come to an end with the posting of the programme graduates to various companies for their internships. Programme partners are currently working on designing Phase II of the programme which will go beyond targeting just post-secondary graduates to include a wider target group including HND graduates and COCOBOD workers. This project fulfils KSB’s vision of impacting society.

The West African Institute of Supply Chain Leadership (WAISCL)This Centre, housed at the Department of Information Systems and Decision Sciences, aims to provide innovative, practical, and tailored Supply Chain Management (SCM) education, training and sector-specific research. WAISCL in collaboration with the Business School has designed 30 industry-based training modules to enhance Industry-Academia collaboration.


Conferences

International Conference: Centre for Cultural and African Studies (CeCast)

Participants at the CeCast Conference

The Centre for Cultural and African Studies (CeCast) formerly called Centre for Cultural Studies, was established by KNUST in 1974. Over the years, CeCASt has expanded, not only in space and infrastructure, but also in its vision through the fusion of excellence in teaching, learning and research activities in the performing arts and African cultural heritage.

The Centre has become indispensable in cultural music enterprise, producing good quality and durable musical instruments. The foremost beneficiaries have been undergraduate students of the University, the staff and the public – both local and foreign visitors on or off campus. In effect, the Centre has been an attraction to both veterans and novices of the performing artsnot only in Ghana, but throughout Africa and across the globe.

In an effort to step up the propagation of research findings in art and culture, CeCast organized an international conference to offer a platform for researchers and scientists to share their research findings and varied experiences.

The conference was held at the International Centre for Innovative Learning (ICIL), under the theme: The Relevance of Culture in Science and Technology Institutions from 18th to 20th March 2015. The Conference was the second to be organized by CeCast. In all, forty-nine (49) presentations were made across the disciplines in art and culture as well as other research areas. The keynote address titled “Promoting Science and Technology through the Creative Arts” was delivered by Prof. John Collins, SPA, University of Ghana, Legon. There were also stimulating exhibitions of creative artifacts.

Participants at the CeCast Conference


Facilitating the Development and Growth of the Culture & Arts Sector under EU-ECOWAS Economic Partnership Agreement.

Centre for Culture and African StudiesACP-EU Anthony A. Aidoo


College of Engineering (CoE)


Message from the Provost, Professor Samuel I. K. Ampadu

The College of Engineering has focus and competence in teaching, research and extension services in engineering. The College

and its predecessors, School and Faculty of Engineering, have over the past sixty years earned the enviable reputation of being the source of all the top-notch engineers who run the key engineering installations in the country. Many of the graduates of the College have gone on to occupy high positions in academia and research

as well as industry in almost all parts of the world. The College in brief focuses its energies on becoming a “Global College of Engineering but with a focus on National Industrial Development”.

The College executes its mandate through ten (10) academic departments and two Research Centres which are the Technology Consultancy Centre and The Energy Centre. Currently, the departments run


15 academic programmes at the undergraduate level and a similar number at the postgraduate levels. These programmes are Civil, Geomatic, Geological, Petroleum, Electrical and Electronic, Telecommunications, Biomedical, Computer, Mechanical, Aerospace, Agricultural, Chemical, Petrochemical, Materials and Metallurgical Engineering.

Research in the College is carried out in the departments and also at the two research centres. Over the years the College has attracted funds from institutions such as the World Bank, Welcome Trust, German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, DANIDA, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNIDO, African Union (AU), European Union (EU) among others. These grants have been used to conduct research in a broad range of thematic areas such as Renewable Energy, Solar Energy Projects, Biomass, Water Supply and Sanitation, Climate Change, Construction technology for poverty reduction among others. Some of the research projects currently on-going in the college include West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use – Climate Change and Land Use

(WASCAL-CCLU), Scientists Networked for Outcomes in Water and Sanitation (SNOWS), Water Sanitation and Hygiene Cost (WASHCost), Sanitation Knowledge Management Initiative (SKMI), 3rd generation biofuels research, Biobased electricity generation and fertilizer recirculation. Other projects include Biomass Gasification project, International Development Innovation Network and the Ghana Jatropha Project, AU-Grid Solar Project, Ghana Energy Access Project (GEDAP) and the Solar Export Potential Energy Project.

The College acknowledges the fact that among the three core functions of teaching, research and extension services, research is probably the most important of the core functions of a university. Therefore, recently the College has embarked upon a reorganization of its research function, with the objective of harmonizing and improving coordination of the research activities going on in all the departments and research centres.


Petroleum Engineering Building

WASCAL Project Building


Highlights of Research Activities in COE

West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL)

Prof. Samuel Nii Odai

The WASCAL project is designed to develop effective adaptation and mitigation measures to climate change. This large-scale research-focused programme, led by Prof S. N. Odai at KNUST is a collaborative effort between West African and German partners funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). A total amount of 1.9 Million Euro was awarded to enhance the resilience of human and environmental systems to climate change and increased climate variability. This initiative seeks to give support to West African universities to synergize their efforts on a regional basis and maximize their capabilities to improve the training in land use, climate change and geosciences for better overall results and increased benefit to West Africa.

Under the WASCAL-KNUST programme, 25 PhD students have graduated and two batches of students numbering 100 would be graduating by the end of 2015 and in March 2016.

The programme ultimately aims at strengthening the research, educational and policy capacity and competency of West African countries to deal with issues of climate change through adapted land use on a scientific basis in partnership with German institutions.

Scientists Networked for Outcomes from Water and Sanitation (SNOWS)The African SNOWS Consortium led by KNUST was awarded a 5-year grant of 1.2 Million Euro in August 2009 by the Wellcome Trust for capacity building. The project aims to build African capacity for interdisciplinary research in Water Supply, Sanitation and Environmental Health, bringing together universities from across the continent, with research-active universities in the North. The primary focus of the consortium is to build capacity in research that leads to improved public health. This consortium links nine universities (six African Universities and three European Universities) from seven countries.

Several training workshops have been held in all the African partner universities in Research Practice and Methods, Research Management, PhD Supervision and Proposal Writing. A multi-centre water point mapping training workshop was held in Sudan, following which each Southern partner was supported with £5,000 to carry out a mapping exercise on water points in their home countries. Also, several joint research proposals by the partners are being developed. A conference for early scientists was also held in South Africa in 2013.

The project is hosted at the Civil Engineering Department, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana under the directorship of Prof Samuel Nii Odai. Member institutions are Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Ghana), Egerton University (Kenya), London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (UK), Mbarara University of Science and Technology, (Uganda), Tshwane University of Technology (South Africa), University of Copenhagen (Denmark), University of East Anglia (UK), University of Gezira (Sudan) and University of Venda, (South Africa).


Bio-based Electricity Generation for Developing Countries

Dr. Moses Mensah

The Department of Chemical Engineering and the Centre for Bioprocess Engineering, DTU Denmark, have secured funds amounting to 500,000 USD from the DANIDA Fellowship Centre under the project name “Bio-based Electricity Generation for Developing Countries”. The Ghanaian team is led by Dr. Moses Mensah.

The project is aimed at developing a simple, efficient and sustainable electricity generation technology for use in rural and urban communities in developing countries. It focuses on developing microbial fuel cell technology to generate electricity and support wastewater treatment. This technology has the capacity to harness power from various wastewater sources which makes it a very efficient tool especially for wastewater treatment.

The project teams in Ghana and Denmark have been carrying out various experimental activities focused on substrate selection and development, electrode materials development and reconfiguration of various components. The findings of this project have been published in three articles with two more papers currently under review. The results are also being extended into the Seaweed Biorefinery in Ghana Project (SEABIOGHA) also funded by DANIDA. Its introduction into this new project is to support waste treatment and ensure the efficient use of its biomass residue.

Microbial fuel cells: Schematic diagram

Microbial fuel cells: The H-shaped microbial fuel cell.

Seaweed Biorefinery in GhanaThe Department of Chemical Engineering in collaboration with the Water Research Institute of CSIR and the Centre for Bioprocess Engineering, DTU Denmark, secured research and a development fund amounting to 2 Million USD from the DANIDA Fellowship Centre under the project name “Seaweed Biorefinery in Ghana”. Dr. Moses Mensah is the principal investigator for Ghana.

The project seeks to refine seaweed in Ghana for its highly-valued products, establish a demonstrative lab-scale processing plant for bioenergy generation


and establish local businesses for the growth of a green economy in Ghana.

The project will establish the cultivation of seaweed along Ghana’s 540 km of coastline and establish relevant technology, develop local know-how and new business opportunities for seaweed cultivation (i.e. farming) and processing of seaweed products in Ghana. The project will also develop bio-based enzymatic technologies to extract hydrocolloids such as carrageenan and alginate, or fucoidan from seaweed.

The development of selective enzyme-based extraction technologies for the target hydrocolloid products, avoiding the use of harsh extraction methods, will allow sustainable biorefinery processes for added value creation. The technology is fit for local, small-scale enterprise and growth development in Ghana. The residue of seaweed processing will be exploited for the production of bioethanol by fermentation and bioelectricity by microbial fuel cells. Local production of enzymes will be introduced to boost the seaweed biomass utilization efficiency.

It is expected that the project will enhance research in local technology which can be used as a basis for policy development and replication of the project on a broader basis in other rural settings and establish local enterprises for seaweed production which will serve as a source of employment and generate economic and political incentives from government and investors. The project will also ensure sustained and ecofriendly technologies that will benefit Ghana’s scientific community and local coastal inhabitants.

A sample of see-weed

Biofuel Production from Lignocellulosic MaterialsThe Technical University of Denmark in partnership with KNUST and Zoomlion Company Limited won a research grant from DANIDA in 2010 to undertake a development research project dubbed “Biofuel Production from Lignocellulosic Materials”. The project is aimed at developing sustainable technologies for production of 2G biofuels (biogas, bioethanol and biodiesel) from lignocellulosic waste materials in Ghana. The overall objective will be achieved through the following work activities:

• Assessmentandmappingofavailablelignocellulosic waste resources.

• Sorting,characterizationandpretreatmentofwasteresources for increased conversion to biofuels (bioethanol, biodiesel, and biogas).

• Developmentofsuitabletechnologiesforconversion of materials into biofuels.

• Sustainabilityassessmentsofvarious2Gtechnologyoptions and production models, and

• Hands-ontechnologydemonstrationinvolvingparticipatory research.

Under this research platform, a modern laboratory is being established at the College of Engineering to support advanced research in biomass pretreatment, acid/enzymatic hydrolysis, and ethanol fermentation. A pilot plant is also being designed. The project has enrolled four PhD students and eight MSc students from the Departments of Agricultural Engineering, Biological Science, and Chemical Engineering.

A team at a workshop on Biofuel production


A PhD student at work in DTU, Denmark

Sanitation for Urban Poor Project (SANIUP)

Dr. K. B. Nyarko

‘Stimulating Local Innovation on Sanitation for the Urban Poor in Sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia (Smart Sanitation), a collaboration with UNESCO-IHE is a five-year project. It is funded by a US$385,000 grant awarded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). Overall, the project aims to:

• Increasethenumberofsanitationprofessionalsindeveloping countries.

• Provideadequateresearcheducationandtraining for the new generation of “all-round” sanitary engineers.

• Makepost-graduateeducationinsanitationengineering more accessible to individuals from developing countries.

• Furtherstrengthenthepro-poorsanitationcomponent at the academic institutions involved.

These objectives are being achieved through a specially packaged research programme involving faculty members and the enrollment and successful graduation of three (3) PhD and fifteen (15) MSc students. The three (3) PhD students have already been selected through an internationally competitive process. Dr. Kwabena B. Nyarko of the Civil Engineering Department is the leader of the project.

Sanitation Knowledge Management Initiative (SKMI)The focus of this initiative is to improve policy and practice in sanitation and hygiene in Ghana through systematic knowledge management. It is under the Government of Ghana-UNICEF Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Programme. The Government is represented by the Environmental Health and Sanitation Directorate (EHSD). KNUST is a member of the consortium responsible for implementation and is responsible for operational research.

The research is led by Dr. K. B. Nyarko and is focusing on:

• Cost,effectivenessandsustainabilityofCommunityLed Total Sanitation (CLTS)

• ImpactofWASH in school activities

• AssessmentofLatrineTechnologies

WASHCost Sierra-Leone

The project seeks to use the life-cycle cost approach in determining the cost of providing sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in Sierra Leone for sector planning, implementation and monitoring of sustainable WASH service delivery. The project undertook scoping mission for WASHCost to expand into Sierra Leone and is researching into the life cycle costs of providing WASH services in rural and peri-urban areas. The project is led by Dr. K. B. Nyarko and is funded with a grant of GBP 199,000.


Improving Rural Water Service Delivery in Ghana Using Mobile Phone TechnologyDr. K. B. Nyarko won a Grand Challenges Canada grant of CAD 113,000 to research on improving rural water service delivery in Ghana using mobile phone technology. The project sought to address three main challenges.

These are the irregular monitoring of water services delivery, the lapses in the supply chain and the lack of funds for procuring the needed spare parts.

This project is making use of mobile phone technology to:

• Improvemonitoringofwaterservicesdelivery

• Enablecommunitiestomonitorsparepartssupplychain and place orders

• Establishapooledfundingmechanismsimilartoan insurance scheme to help increase the financial viability of water service delivery

Assessing the Health Risks of Heavy Metals and Polycyclic Aromatic HydrocarbonsThis is a collaborative research with cross-disciplinary input from Engineering, Science, Agriculture, Community Health and Sociology to assess the health risks of heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons through soils, water resources and food crops to inhabitants of the immediate environs of Suame Magazine, Ghana’s largest informal industrial area located in Kumasi.

Within the College of Engineering, the input of multi-disciplinary research groups include digitizing the terrain and using GIS as a tool to model the catchment area of the study by Geomatic Engineering, understanding of the geology and hydrogeological modelling of ground water flow by Geological Engineering and modelling of the surface drainage characteristics by Water Resources Engineering. The Geotechnical group is focusing on the soil components and is investigating the effect of

used motor oil on the index, engineering and electrical properties of soils of the study area. The study is led by Prof. Fred Boadu.

KNUST Mobile App

With the growing number of Smartphone users among students, staff, alumni and other members of the university community, two final year undergraduate students and their supervisor have developed a mobile app through which members of the university community can easily access any information about the school on their smart phones with ease. The students, Adnan Abdul-Aziz and Timothy Ayernor and their academic supervisor, Mr. Jephthah Yankey from the Computer Engineering Department have successfully tested the app at the department.

The app dubbed “KNUST Mobile” can provide users with news, past and upcoming events, a directory, photos, maps and library access, alerts and notices. Users can incorporate advertised events from the app into their own mobile calendars. Users can also have access to other information such as the university’s academic calendar, registration guidelines, a portal enabling students to check their results, access to information on admissions, information on halls and hostels and other student-related information.


Research Centres

The Energy Centre (TEC)

Prof. Ahmad Addo Director, TEC

The Energy Centre (TEC) was established in 2009. It provides a platform for the pursuit of multidisciplinary energy research and development activities at KNUST. The Centre pools resources of the College of Engineering (CoE) and other Colleges of the university and beyond. TEC currently has about sixty (60) fellows drawn from practically every College of KNUST and almost fifty (50) associates, a good number being graduate students in various disciplines in the university and other institutions.

The Centre has since its inception worked with several partners within Ghana and across the African continent and beyond, attracting funding of more than $7.1 million from the African Union (AU), the European Union (EU), the World Bank, GIZ, ECOWAS, IRENA, the Government of Ghana, etc., for its research and other activities. In pursuit of its vision to become a globally recognized centre of excellence, TEC continues to actively engage partners within Ghana, the ECOWAS region and Africa in particular, and with world-class centres of competence around the world.

The collaborative approach to TEC’s activities and its focus on national and regional energy priorities is reflected in the partners involved in a number of its projects. Examples include the World Bank-funded Solar Capacity Upgrading Project (2010 – 2012) which was implemented in collaboration with the International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering (2iE) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, the AU-funded Grid-Connected Solar PV in rural electrification projects

(ongoing) which is being implemented together with the University of Botswana, and the ECOWAS Renewable Energy and 20 Energy Efficiency Capacity Needs Project (2012 – 2013) which was implemented together with the University of Cape Verde (UNICV) and financed by the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE).

Locally, TEC has since its founding maintained active linkages with energy-sector players including the Energy Commission and the Ministry of Energy, etc. TEC has since 2009 trained over 300 people from 17 African countries in Solar Photovoltaic Systems, Biogas System Design and Construction, Biofuels Technology and Economics, Wind Energy, Renewable Energy Enterprise Development. Thanks to these activities TEC’s vision to become a globally-recognized centre of excellence for energy in Africa is fast becoming a reality. The following are some grant-awarded projects being implemented at the Centre:

Potential of Distributed Grid-connected Solar – PV Systems in Rural Electrification in Africa (AU Grid Solar)This project dubbed “Potential of distributed grid-connected solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems in rural electrification in Africa” is supported by the African Union with an amount of €934,056.60. The project seeks to demonstrate the potential of distributed grid-connected solar PV systems in rural electrification schemes/projects for improved affordability and sustainable energy access. As part of its activities, the project has installed an Automatic Weather Station in Walewale (Northern Ghana) for monitoring solar radiation and other parameters. The project will also install 30kWp grid-connected system in the same area. Mr Emmanuel Anto of the Department of Electrical Engineering is the coordinator of this project. Project partners are the University of Botswana and the University of Flensburg, Germany.


Development of a Cost-effective, Modular and Dry Concentrating Solar Power for Africa (CSP4Africa)The International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering (2iE) in Burkina Faso is collaborating with TEC and SireaEnergie, France to carry out a research project which seeks to undertake the following:

• PotentialassessmentandsitesrankingofCSP in West Africa

• Multi-scaledesignoptimizationofmulti-facetedheliostats

• Implementationandtestingofanoptimalmulti-faceted heliostat in Burkina Faso and in Ghana

• DesignandoptimizationofaturbineforawaterlessCSP

The AU-2iE CSP4Africa Project is supported by the African Union with an amount of €743,096 and focuses on technology development.

Solar Export Potential Study

Students working on a solar unit

The Ghana Solar Export Potential Study (SEPS) is one of the initiatives of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on Green Economy and Trade. The main objective of the study is to assess the export potential of solar power (including component manufacture/assembly) in Ghana.

The output of this study will facilitate an understanding of the opportunities, investment requirements and policy measures required to attain the objectives of Ghana’s Energy (RE) Law (Act 832). The study is supported by UNEP with an amount of US$50,000.The study is coordinated by Dr. Lena Mensah with support from Mr. David Ato Quansah both from the Mechanical Engineering Department.

Feasibility Study and Detailed Engineering of Small-scale Biomass Gasification Mini Grids for Electricity Services in Rural Communities in Ghana.The ECOWAS Renewable Energy Facility (EREF) Project with support from the ECOWAS Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) is being led by the Kumasi Institute of Technology, Energy and Environment (KITE) with support from TEC and Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Spain. The project is supported with an amount of €8,283 and seeks to carry out a feasibility study on Small Scale Biomass Gasification Mini Grids for Electricity.

Students testing a solar panel


Supporting Green Industrial Development in Ghana: Biogas Technology and Business for Sustainable GrowthThe United Nations International Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Korean Government are supporting the Ghana Government through TEC on the “Supporting Green Industrial Development in Ghana: Biogas Technology and Business for Sustainable Growth”. The project, which will build a pilot biogas plant at the Kumasi Abattoir is being supported with an amount of €1,280,000 and will last for three years. Prof. Ahmad Addo, the Acting Director of TEC, is the National Project Director and Mr. Edward Awafo is the Project Coordinator. The project partners include the ECOWAS Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Energy and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

Biofuel Production from Lignocellulosic Material (2GBIONRG) ProjectThe overall objective of the 2GBIONRG Project is to develop sustainable technologies for the production of 2nd generation biofuels (biogas, bioethanol and biodiesel) from lignocellulosic waste materials in developing countries in Africa. In addition, the project seeks to utilise the residue from the production as fertilizer to improve soil fertility and food security. The suggested technologies will make it possible to switch from a society depending more and more on fossil energy to a modern biomass-based society. Ghana will become a model country for developing and adopting sustainable biofuel production systems for three different types of communities: a rural villages, cooperatives and large towns. The project amount is €68,079 and it is being coordinated by Mr. Francis Kemausour.

Action-Oriented Monitoring and Evaluation of Energy Access in GhanaThe Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) project focuses on developing a participatory system for monitoring and evaluating energy access programmes in Ghana in ways that empower people at the grassroots to take appropriate action on a continuous basis. It will build on and sharpen the existing GIS-based Energy Access Review (GEAR) Toolkit, developed by the Energy Centre (TEC) of KNUST. This is an interactive computer-based decision support system for compiling, analysing and presenting data for energy access policy and planning using Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques. The project, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is coordinated by Miss Gifty Serwaa Mensah (PhD Student) on behalf of TEC and funded with an amount of US$ 139,700.

Energy Efficient Rural Food Processing Utilising Renewable Energy to Improve Rural LivelihoodsThis project aims to provide research which will support rural community business models for low and renewable energy input into optimised food processing which minimises loss and waste in the food value chains selected. The lead partner in this project is Newcastle University (UK) with The Energy Centre-KNUST (Ghana), Njala University (Sierra Leone), Jomo Kenyata University of Science and Technology (Kenya), Stellenbosch University (South Africa), Kassel University (Germany) as implementation partners. The project is supported with an amount of € 824,069.00 and is coordinated by Dr. Lena Dzifa Mensah of the Mechanical Engineering Department on behalf of TEC.


Support to the African Climate and Development Society Convening WorkshopThis project focuses on developing low emission development strategies and climate change resilience in Africa. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) sponsored a consultancy with TEC which provided support to the workshop of African Low Emission Development Strategies Partnership (Af LP). The workshop was organised in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in April 2014. The project cost was $37,099.

Consolidation of the ECOWREX GIS over ECOWAS Member States/ Development of Energy Access mapsThe project focuses on promoting sustainable energy access through the use of geospatial technologies in West Africa. The project is spearheaded by the ECOWAS Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE). It has the following partners: TEC-KNUST, NOLVETIS S.A.S, University of Geneva, and the Cape Verde Ministry of Energy. Mr. Daniel Ladzagla of Geomatic Engineering Department is coordinating this project on behalf of TEC. The project is supported with an amount of € 1,090,878.71 from the European Union.

Promotion of National Renewable Energy Policies and Incentive Schemes in ECOWAS Member Countries.The project was awarded to TEC and its consortium partners – RENAC Renewables Academy (Germany), 2iE (Burkina Faso) and IFOK (Germany) by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) following an international competitive bidding process. This contract was worth US$72,500 and was for the training of energy policy makers, regulators and utilities in the ECOWAS sub-region on instruments and mechanisms to strengthen renewable energy development and investments. The project coordinators

are Mr. David Ato Quansah (Department of Mechanical Engineering) and Dr. George Obeng (Technology Consultancy Centre).

Climate and Resource Protection for Sustainable Development in Ghana.This project is within the framework of the cooperation between the German State of North Rhine Westphalia (NRW) and Ghana, and it is aimed at supporting KNUST to become a centre of competence for climate and resource protection providing state-of-the-art studies, advisory services to public and private bodies and serving as a show – room for environmental technologies. GesellschaftfürInternationaleZusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH was contracted by the State Chancellery of NRW to facilitate this project. The cooperation involving WestfälischeHochschule Gelsenkirchen and TechnischeUniversität Dortmund focuses on renewable energy, energy efficiency, waste management and resource recovery. An amount of €34,041 was released by GIZ for the first phase of this cooperation which has just ended. This project has provided funds for state-of-the-art biogas testing equipment, sensors and other equipment for monitoring building energy consumption, biofuel generators, etc. In relation to this project, TEC is currently hosting Mr. Andreas Ahrenbog, a bioenergy expert as a Research Fellow. Work is currently underway for Phase 2 of the project. Prof Ahmad Addo coordinates this project.

Building a Reliable Energy Access Database to promote sustainable energy expansion in GhanaThe Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) in conjunction with Energy Commission, Ghana, funded this project which focuses on Energy Access in Ghana. TEC was awarded an amount of € 90,923 for the project. The main output of the project will be a database of collated systemized energy access data collected from Government agencies and energy distribution agencies (VRA/NED and ECG)


which will be handed over to the Energy Commission, the main beneficiary of this project. The project coordinator is Gifty Serwaa Mensah.

Agro-Processing and Sawmill Waste, a Biomass – Based Assessment for Grid Connected Electricity GenerationThe Ghana Energy Development and Access Project (GEDAP) is coordinated by Mr. John Ayer of the Department of Geomatic Engineering and is supported with an amount of GH¢ 136,887.50. The project aims to review previous studies, existing literature and existing data on the use of agro-processing and sawmill waste nationwide and a review of its use for on-site electricity power generation. TEC is the lead institution on the project and the partners include Trama Techno Ambiental, Avda, Meridiana, Barcelona, Spain and Centre TecnologicForestal de Catalunya (CTFC), Solsona, Spain.

Technology Consultancy Centre

Dr. George Obeng Director, TCC

The Technology Consultancy Centre (TCC) of the College of Engineering was established in 1972 with a mandate to work in collaboration with KNUST’s academic departments to research, develop and transfer sustainable technologies to support small and medium-scale industries in Ghana.

To realise this objective, the TCC operates the following programme units:

• SuameIntermediateTechnologyandTransferUnit(ITTU)

• Food,AgricultureandNaturalResourcesDevelopment (FAND) Unit

• AppliedIndustrialCeramicsandRuralEnterpriseDevelopment (AIC-RED) Unit

• EntrepreneurshipDevelopmentUnit

• CookstoveTestingandExpertiseLaboratory(C-Lab)

• Consultancy

The TCC’s main activities are field-based research, development and transfer of sustainable technologies aimed at enterprise development and wealth creation. The TCC units are a unique resource for transitioning research from university laboratories to the field. The TCC has provided hands-on training to over 6000 entrepreneurs, students and apprentices in Ghana, Malawi, Togo, Sierra Leone, Cote D’Ivoire and Cameroon.

The Centre has both national and international experience working with the World Bank/Government of Malawi, FAO, European Commission, CIDA, UNESCO, DFID, GIZ, USAID, MIT-USA, University of Pennsylvania, and Olin College, USA. For the greater part of its 42-year existence, the TCC has sought to fulfill its role through the development and transfer of relevant expertise and equipment, a process which has led to the proliferation of small engineering enterprises in Kumasi and Ghana.

To demonstrate the commercial viability of setting up and running of small engineering enterprises, the TCC established the Intermediate Technology Transfer Unit (ITTU) in 1980, strategically located in the midst of the Kumasi Suame Magazine, Africa’s largest light engineering manufacturing cluster of about 80,000 entrepreneurs.


Research and DevelopmentSuame Intermediate Technology Transfer Unit (ITTU)

The ITTU continues to provide technological expertise and equipment through prototyping and product development. The ITTU also provides workshop facilities for KNUST students to apply classroom learning in the workshop during their final year project work.

TCC workshop site

Food Agriculture and Natural Resource Development (FAND) Unit

In collaboration with students and faculty members of the Departments of Chemistry, Agricultural Engineering and Agricultural Economics and Extension the FAND Unit continues to work in various research areas including:

• Oilextraction

• Bio-charringunit

• Briquettesdevelopment

• Studyofbeekeepingtechnologyatthe10-hiveapiary (bee-farm)

Applied Industrial Ceramics and Rural Enterprise Development (AIC-RED) Unit

Researchers at the AIC-RED Unit carry out research and development activities on household ceramic water filters, facing and insulating brick production, bio-briquettes and bio-char for clean smokeless stoves, plastic to fuel (PTF) research and clean energy development technologies for high efficiency cook stoves. Other activities are the transfer of improved institutional cook stoves. The unit is using the Vice Chancellor’s Impact Programme to promote the improved institutional cook stoves in some communities.

A sample of ceramic water filter

TCC-Energy Commission Stove Testing and Expertise Lab

The TCC won a competitive bid organized by the Energy Commission of Ghana to establish a Testing and Expertise Lab for improved stoves and heat retention devices at KNUST. The US$ 90,000 facility which includes supply of equipment, installation and training is sponsored by UNDP.


The Testing and Expertise Lab will carry out efficiency, performance, technical and emission level tests on cook stoves produced locally or imported into Ghana. This will facilitate the successful and effective implementation of standards. With standards and labels in place, cook stoves will be labelled as “improved” to differentiate them from ordinary cook stoves. The Testing and Expertise Lab will also create an avenue for Research and Date (R&D) to facilitate continuous technological improvement and innovation in the design and manufacture of improved cook stoves in Ghana and Africa.

Community Assessment Work at Chirano Goldmine Catchment Communities

The TCC was commissioned by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct a community needs assessment within the Chirano Goldmine catchment communities in the Western Region. This was due to a major challenge facing the National Liaison Group (NLG) in apportioning and utilising funds accrued for future developmental projects in these communities.

A total of 20 communities were surveyed for needs prioritisation and apportionment. To determine the criteria for apportionment, the team of experts carried out risk assessment, which was based on factors including social, economic, health, environmental, bird’s flight distance and population.

A 130-page report was presented to the EPA and this was followed by a stakeholders’ workshop which was attended by representatives of Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai and Sefwi Wiawso District Assemblies, Traditional Council and Community Chiefs, EPA, NLG, Forestry Commission, Ghana Chamber of Commerce, etc.

TCC-MIT International Development Innovation Network (IDIN) Project

The International Development Innovation Network (IDIN) is a five-year USAID-funded cooperative agreement which aims “to create and build a global network of change makers that enable the design,

development and dissemination of innovations that address key developmental challenges associated with poverty, while building capacity in communities for local innovation and creative problem-solving”.

IDIN is structured as a consortium of universities including MIT, USA; Olin College of Engineering, USA; Colorado State University, USA; University of California-Davis, USA; University of São Paulo, Brazil; and TCC, KNUST, Ghana. The total project grant is about US$ 15 million with varying USAID support and institutional cost sharing. In implementing the programme, TCC will set up Innovation Centres at the ITTU and a rural community in Ghana. Furthermore, undergraduate and graduate students of cognate departments of KNUST will be engaged and financially supported in innovative technology development and entrepreneurship.

IDIN has supported final-year projects of one (1) female post-graduate student and three (3) undergraduate students of the Department of Agricultural Engineering, KNUST, to undertake research projects that will improve the lives and livelihoods of people living in poverty. IDIN-MIT also provided US$8100 to support the Ghana Engineering Students Association (GESA) and Creativity Group in the College, to organise an Engineering Students Competition in September 2014.

TCC-University of Pennsylvania (UPENN) International Development Summer Institute Africa Program (IDSI-AP)

In collaboration with Penn-Engineering and the Africa Center of University of Pennsylvania (PENN), the TCC co-hosted for the fourth (4th) time the International Development Summer Institute (IDSI) class of 2013 from May 13 to June 9, 2013. In this programme, seven (7) KNUST undergraduate students (5 females and 2 males) were competitively selected and given stipends to join 14 UPENN undergraduate students.

Since its inception, about 30 KNUST students have been provided with the opportunity to apply classroom learning and cross-cultural experience in the field of international development for 4 weeks on KNUST campus.


Conferences

International Conference on Engineering Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship

Participants seated at the conference

The College of Engineering held its first international conference on Engineering, Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship on 6th and 7th August 2015 at the IDL Conference Centre, KNUST. The Conference had participants from Nigeria, USA, and other sister institutions within the country. The theme of the conference was ‘Promoting, Creating and Innovating through Engineering, Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship for Development’. The Conference brought together special guests of honour such as Hon. Mahama Ayariga, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation. Ms. Adelaide Asantewaa Asante, the Acting Deputy Director of STI Directorate of the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ghana and Ing. Wise Ametefe, Registrar of the Engineering Council of Ghana. Professor Dr. Kamal Kant Dwivedi, President of the Global Academy of Doctorates, who is also the former Vice-Chancellor of ApeejayStya University in India was the keynote speaker.

Prof. Dr. Dwivedi spoke on the topic ‘Building Research and Innovation Eco-system in Higher Education’. In his presentation, he called for more investment in engineering, science, technology and mathematics. He also advocated for more support for research uptake and improvements in doctoral programmes, while paying closer attention to quality service delivery. He reiterated the fact that “Transdisciplinary research holds

the potential to stimulate innovation in a broad range of disciplines,” and therefore urged African leaders to team up with their universities to embrace science and technology to help accelerate development.

The Hon. Minister, Mahama Ayariga, on his part, stressed the fact that science and technology were needed in all aspects of our lives and in solving most of our developmental problems and that was the reason for government’s continued investment in science education. He further stated that government would continue to invest in research infrastructure to help in solving national developmental challenges. He lamented the importation of technology all over and called for the use of indigenous technology and the mobilization of local resources for national development.

The Pro Vice-Chancellor, Professor Samuel Nii Odai, who represented the Vice-Chancellor called on academia to engage with indigenous knowledge and culture for national development. Prof Odai said that it was time for the Universities to build strong collaboration with industry and people in the informal sector to solve our societal challenges. He urged scientists, engineers and experts to team up with artisans, practitioners of herbal medicine, and craftsmen among others to transform their operations for national development.

Mr Tony Oteng Gyasi, the Managing Director of Tropical Cable and Conductor Limited challenged scientists in Ghana to find solutions to the ever-growing plastic waste menace in the country.

Participants at the Conference


List of Research Projects in CoE

NAME OF PROJECT DEPARTMENT / UNIT DONOR/ SPONSOR PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

AU-Gridsolar Project The Energy Centre African Union Mr. Emmanuel Kwaku Anto

AU-2iE CSP4 Africa The Energy Centre African Union Dr. Emmanuel Ramde

Renewable Energy Facility EREF-ECREE Project

The Energy Centre ECOWAS Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE)

Dr. Lawrence Darkwah

Building a Reliable Energy Access Data Base for Sustainable Energy Expansion in Ghana

The Energy Centre REEP Gifty Serwaa Mensah

UNDP SE4All The Energy Centre UNDP Gifty Serwaa Mensah

UNIDO – Korea – Ghana Biogas Project – The Energy CentreUNIDO and Korean Government

Mr. Edward Awafo

Biofuel Production from Lignocellulosic Material (2GBIONRG) Project

The Energy Centre DANIDA Mr. Francis Kemausour

Solar Export Potential Study (SEPS) The Energy Centre UNEP Dr. Lena Dzifa Mensah

Gambia Renewable EnergyTraining The Energy Centre UNIDO Dr. Lawrence Darkwah

IRENA Training Project The Energy Centre IRENA Mr. David Ato Quansah

Ghana Energy Development Access Project (GEDAP )

The Energy Centre World Bank Mr. John Ayer

Climate and Resource Protection for Sustainable Economic Development in Ghana

The Energy Centre Germany State of NRW Prof. Ahmad Addo

Energy Efficient Rural Food Processing Utilizing Renewable Energy to Improve Rural Livelihoods (RE4Food)

The Energy Centre Newcastle University Mr. Joseph Akowuah

Low Carbon Climate Resilience Development

The Energy Centre NREL Mr. Edward Awafo

Energy Efficient Rural Food Processing Utilizing Renewable Energy to Improve Rural Livelihoods (RE4Food)

The Energy Centre Newcastle University Dr. Lena Dzifa Mensah

Upgrading Education and Research Capacity in Renewable Energy Technologies (UPERC-RET) (NMBU-KNUST)

The Energy CentreNorwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD)

Dr. Lena Dzifa Mensah

Ghana Energy Development and Access Project (GEDAP)

The Energy Centre World Bank Prof. Ahmad Addo



Promoting Sustainable Energy Access through the use of Geospatial Technologies in West Africa

The Energy Centre ACP-EU Dr. Francis Kemausour

WASCAL-CCLU-Climate Change and Land USE

Civil Engineering Germany Federal Ministry of Education and Research

Dr. W. A Agyare

Ghana Jatropha ProjectTechnology Consultancy Centre

European Commission EuropeAid/126201/C/ACT/Multi

Dr. Michael K. Adjaloo

International Development Innovation Network (IDIN)

TCC USAID Dr. George Y. Obeng

KNUST Cookstove Testing and Expertise Lab.

TCC UNDP Mr. Michael K. Commeh

International Development Summer Institute (IDSI)

TCCUniversity of Pennsylvania, USA

Mr. Donald Amrago

Training in Beekeeping and Honey Processing Technology

TCC COTVET-SDF Dr. Michael K. Adjaloo

International Development Design Summit (IDDS) 2015

TCC USAID/MIT/IDIN Mr. Donald Amrago

20kw Biomass Gasification Power Plant Project

TCC SNV Ghana Mr. Michael K. Commeh

Engineering Students Competition/GESA Makers Fair

TCC MIT/TCC Mr. Johnson Asante

ACE-Africa Centre of Excellence Civil Engineering World Bank Prof. S. N Odai

WASCAL-CCLU-Climate Change and Land Use

Civil EngineeringGerman Federal Ministry of Education and Research

Prof. S. N Odai

Sanitation Knowledge Management Initiative (SKMI)

Civil Engineering UNICEF Dr. Kwabena B. Nyarko

WASHcost Sierra Leone Civil Engineering Bill Gate Dr. Kwabena B. Nyarko

Grand Challenge Civil Engineering Grand Challenge Dr. Kwabena B. Nyarko

Sanitation for the Urban Poor (SANI – UP) Civil EngineeringBill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)

Dr. Kwabena B. Nyarko

Scientists Networked for Outcomes in Water and Sanitation (SNOWS)

Civil Engineering Wellcome Trust Prof. S. N. Odai

Capacity Needs Assessment for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

The Energy CentreECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

Mr. David Ato Quansah



Solar Capacity Upgrading Project (SolarCUP) The Energy Centre The World Bank Mr. David Ato Quansah

Energy Access for the Urban Poor (EAfUP) The Energy Centre ESMAP Dr. Rudith King

Addressing Gaps in data on Energy access for Rural and Urban areas in Ghana

The Energy Centre UNDP Dr. Rudith King

Potential of distributed grid-connected solar – PV systems in rural electrification in Africa (AU Grid Solar)

The Energy Centre African Union Mr. Emmanuel kwaku Anto

Consolidation of ECOWREX GIS The Energy Centre European Union Mr. Daniel Ladzagla

Promotion of National Renewable Energy Policies and Incentive Schemes in ECOWAS Member Countries

The Energy CentreInternational Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

Dr. George Obeng

Jatropha Energy FacilityTechnology Consultancy Centre

European Commission ACP-EU Energy Facility Reference: 129-364

Dr. George Y. Obeng


Equipment at the Petroleum Laboratory


College of Health Sciences (CHS)


Message from Provost, Professor Tsiri Agbenyega

Research in the health sector is fundamental to the development of a healthy nation. It is only by doing research to

support the Ghana Health Service and health-related institutions that we can ensure the health of the people.

I urge you to continue doing the good work you have been doing over the years and to also ensure that your findings are disseminated by publishing not just for promotion but to help solve problems.


Highlight of Research Activities

The role of Aflatoxin B1 in Modulating Type I Interferon Response

Dr. Mohamed Mutocheluh presenting his research findings

The Department of Clinical Microbiology is involved in a major collaborative research with partners from the University of Surrey, UK on “The role of Aflatoxin B1 in Modulating Type I Interferon Response”. This is being implemented with an award from the Leverhulme Royal Society Africa Award Scheme. The principal investigator is Dr. Mohamed Mutocheluh.

This research sought to determine the molecular mechanisms by which aflatoxins cause cancer. Aflatoxins are known carcinogens.

Dr Mutocheluh’s team of researchers cultured human liver cells (hepatocytes) in the presence or absence of aflatoxin B1 for comparison in vitro. Next, the type I interferon response pathway or the cells’ immediate immune defense system was activated using recombinant interferon alpha (rIFN-α). The type I interferon pathway has both anti-cancer and anti-viral response activities.

Dr Mutocheluh’s team of researchers found out the cells’ immediate immune defense system was compromised by aflatoxin B1 as shown by their reporter gene assay results. These results suggest aflatoxin B1 compromises the immune system of humans; this could result in carcinogenesis in some individuals. Work to unravel the mechanistic actions of aflatoxin B1 on the type I antiviral and or anti-cancer response pathway is ongoing.

These results are relevant to Ghanaians because our diet is largely dependent on cereals, which are prone to aflatoxins contamination as a result of sub-standard farm and storage practices of many of our farmers. More so, liver cancer is reported as the third cause of cancer mortality in Ghanaian men.

As part of the award, workshops on virus culture and other molecular biology techniques led by Dr. Mutocheluh with support from Professor David Blackburn (University of Surrey, UK) were held in the Virus Research Unit of the Department of Clinical Microbiology of the School of Medical Sciences.

Establishment of Virus Research and Molecular Biology LaboratoryThe Department of Clinical Microbiology, with support from the university and the Leverhulme-Royal Society Africa Award has upgraded its research laboratory to include a vibrant tissue culture and molecular biology laboratories. The tissue culture laboratory is equipped with a CO2 incubator, Category II laminar flow hoods, water bath, Inverted microscopes, freezers, microfuges, gadgets for casting gels, thermal cyclers for PCR, digital pH meters, digital weighing balances, liquid nitrogen storage facility etc. It is understood this laboratory is one of two laboratories in Ghana that performs virus culture and Western blot assays.

Currently, students are thought how to perform tissue culture, which also allows them to perform the reporter gene assays i.e. to transfect (infect) the cells with


exogenous (foreign) DNA with particular characteristics and to measure the expression the exogenous DNA in the host cells.

Some of the mammalian cells cultured in the lab include monkey kidney cells, human embryonic kidney cells, human hepatoma cells and mouse fibroblast cells and mouse macrophage cells. Weak viruses such as Chandipura viruses are also cultured for both research and training of students in virus culture skills.

Multi-Purpose Dental Chair For Low Resource Settings

Dr. A. A. Oti Acheampong

In Ghana, many of the procedural chairs used for dental care in low-resource settings are originally designed for high-resource settings. These chairs rely heavily on electricity which is unstable in our part of the world hence they are difficult and expensive to maintain. This often leads to the use of improper alternatives such as kitchen chairs, which can result in a lower standard of care.

It is against this background that Dr. Alexander Akwasi Oti Acheampong, a lecturer at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sciences with sponsorship from Global Health Design Specialization, University of Michigan mentored the development of a chair specifically for low-resource areas that is low-cost, easy to use and maintain and that does not require electrical energy to adjust. The chair is designed to be placed in villages in low-resource areas and can be used by travelling doctors for dental, maxillofacial, eye, ear, nose and throat procedures.

Overhead Light

Adjustable Backrest

Foot Pump for Vertical Adjustment

Storage for Electronics

Foot Pedal for Locking Mechanism

Adjustable Leg rest

A sample of the newly designed Dental Chair

Capacity Development and Adaptation to Climate Change on Human Health Vulnerability in Ghana

Climate change variability risk indices

This project was led by Prof. Francis Agyemang-Yeboah of the Department of Molecular Medicine. The focus of the project was to formulate, develop and implement


sustainable measures that will reduce the burden of climate-related diseases, promote public capacity development, educate the community on preventative measures, and build the capacity of health practitioners in early detection and treatment. The project targeted vulnerable groups in urban, peri-urban and poor rural communities. It was demonstrated that spreading awareness of climate risks required a committed group of people to train trainers, with a medium and long-term strategic plan which should involve the community, opinion leaders, traditional rulers and various stakeholders working in synergy and harmony to achieve desirable effects.

Task Shifting for Blood Pressure Control in Ghana; A Cluster-randomized Trial (TASSH Study)

Prof. Jacob Plange-Rhule

Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are experiencing an epidemic of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) propelled by rapidly increasing rates of hypertension. Barriers to hypertension control in SSA include poor access to care and high out-of-pocket costs. The goal of this study is to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of the World Health Organization Package targeted at Cardiovascular (CV) risk assessment and hypertension control delivered by Community Health Nurses as part of Ghana’s Community-based Health Planning and Services Programme, versus provision of health insurance coverage, on blood pressure reduction. Findings from this study will provide policy makers and other stakeholders needed information to recommend efficient cost-effective policy with regard to comprehensive CV risk reduction in patients with hypertension in low resource settings. This project is led by Prof. Jacob Plange-Rhule of the Department of

Physiology and is being implemented in collaboration with the New York University School of Medicine and the USA National Institute of Health.

Vitamin D Ancillary Study (ViDA)The project aims to determine the association of serum Vitamin D levels and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) levels at baseline with latitude, diet, physical activity, adiposity, blood pressure (BP), and biochemical risk factors for Cardiovascular diseases (eg, insulin, glucose, adiponectin, leptin, cholesterol) in 500 adults in each of the study sites of the five countries.

The study also examines the association between baseline serum Vitamin and iPTH levels and changes in body composition and blood pressure over 5.5 years of follow-up and to determine the relationship between serum Vitamin D and iPTH and bone strength.

This project is led by Prof. Jacob Plange-Rhule of the Department of Physiology and is being implemented in collaboration with the Loyola University and the USA National Institute of Health.

Epigenetic Mechanisms, Stunting and Poor Growth: Targets for Interventions (Epigenetic Study)The project aims to identify nutritionally sensitive pathways and markers of intra-uterine growth retardation and infant and childhood stunting in developing countries. The research team is testing whether intrauterine growth retardation and childhood stunting, which are commonly seen in developing countries, are caused by epigenetic changes that can be corrected in pregnancy and infancy by modifying nutrition. Stunting is associated with many negative outcomes including decreased cognitive ability and immune function. Using epigenetic analyses and clinical and epidemiological approaches to study stunted children from Ghana, researchers will identify underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of stunting that can act as targets for intervention. The long-term goal is to prevent infant stunting and its associated adverse consequences.


The study is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation under the Grand Challenges in Global Health grant programme and implemented in partnership with the University of Auckland, New Zealand. The principal investigator is Prof. Jacob Plange-Rhule, Department of Physiology.

H3Africa Kidney Disease Research StudyProf. Jacob Plange Rhule is a member of the H3Africa Kidney Disease Research Network, a collaborative research effort involving investigators based in 10 institutions in five African countries and four countries outside Africa.

The aim of the H3 Africa Kidney Disease Project is to establish the first ever kidney disease cohort of 4,000 cases and 4,000 controls (from a target population of 312 million) in 4 African countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria) for a comprehensive phenotypic characterization and study of interacting environmental factors. Using genomic technologies, researchers will find whether those genes are associated with kidney disorders in Africans and whether there are genes that are uniquely associated with kidney disorders in Africans. The disease cohort will have a prospective follow-up to enable the team define both the kidney disease phenotypes and the kidney disease progression phenotypes and develop a genome science training and career development programme for African scientists. . The project is also establishing two genomic research laboratories in West Africa using a sustainable, low capital-intensity laboratory technology platform.

Improving Childhood Nutrition in Ghana, Kenya and Zambia to prevent Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)Changes in nutrition in Africa have been identified as one of the main causes of the rising epidemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) This research project will assess the food consumption patterns and nutrition status of children to set the stage for an intervention research project to address the problem. The nutrition

transition in many African countries is characterized by the increased consumption of foods that are low in nutrients but high in fat, sugar, and salt. More evidence is needed to define the characteristics and determinants of this transition among different population groups. This research will therefore determine food consumption patterns in school-aged children, how these patterns may lead to NCDs later in life and what interventions are needed to influence diet behaviour in that population. This project will assess the food consumption patterns and nutrition status of children aged 6 to 14 years in primary schools in urban areas in Ghana, Kenya and Zambia.

This project, funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), is co-led by Prof. Jacob Plange-Rhule, Department of Physiology and implemented in partnership with University of Zambia and the African Institute for Health and Development.

Doxa Hand SanitiserA hand sanitizer with the brand name “Doxa” has been prepared with the support of the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry by post graduate students, led by Miss Abenaa Adu. Doxa as a brand was conceived in response to several challenges that face the health and hygiene industry in Ghana, as the country battles the spread of communicable diseases such as Typhoid Fever and Cholera among others. The Department plans to help reduce the incidence of such diseases through the preparation of good quality products for use by the general public and contribute to behavioural change through intensive public education on good hygiene. “Our vision is to make the brand a household name within the next five (5) years and to change the image of the health and hygiene industry in Ghana in a remarkable way in the next ten (10) years” said the Head of the Department.

Doxa hand sanitizer


Polyalthia Longifolia: Potential Malaria Phytomedicine in GhanaDr Stephen Y. Gbedema of the Department of Pharmaceutics undertook a research on Polyalthia longifolia popularly known as the “Rich man’s tree” to ascertain the potency of this plant against malaria parasite for his PhD studies. He initially screened ten different plants for antimalarial activity against multi drug-resistant malaria parasites. The selected plants were reported to be regularly used by local herbal practitioners in treating malaria and all forms of fever.

Potent antimalarial activity was displayed by 80% of the plants with Polyalthia longifolia being the most active. He then isolated and tested compounds from this most active plant. All the compounds exhibited good antimalarial activity. Dr. Gbedema’s research also showed that the plant extracts and the compounds isolated possess very good antimicrobial property against both bacteria and fungi. Usually, the Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites produce a lot of free radicals in the blood. This subjects the body to severe stress, lowering the patients’ immunological functions and predisposing them to other secondary microbial infections. This research finding means that one can treat malaria and other secondary bacteria or fungi infections at the same time. Dr Gbedema is now developing formulations of this plant, P. longifolia, into suitable and efficacious herbal medicine dosage forms for treatment of malaria and other microbial infections.

Dr S. Y. Gbedema with the Polyathia longifolia plant

Creation of Africa Collaborative Hepatitis Network (HEPNET)A multi-disciplinary structured “hepatitis network” that will enhance the collective ability to address the fundamental questions surrounding the hepatitis epidemics in West Africa has been established. The Africa Collaborative Hepatitis Network (HEPNET) was created through collaborative effort between the Department of Medicine in the School of Medical Sciences at KNUST and Loyola University in Chicago, USA. Dr. Richard Odame Phillips, Dr. Fred Stephen Sarfo and Prof. Ohene Opare-Sem have been leading this effort.

Medical research laboratory for immunological testing for Hepnet study

Following its establishment, three multidisciplinary approach studies – the Kumasi Blood Bank Study, Obuasi and Daboya HCV/HBV Population study and the HBV vertical transmission pilot study were initiated with the establishment of a research laboratory with facilities for immunological testing at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi.

Obuasi Population study


Anti-Diabetic Activity of Myrianthusarboreus and Chrysophyllumsubnudum

Dr. Robert Ngala

A Diabetes Research Group from the College of Health Sciences has researched into the anti-diabetic activity of Myrianthusarboreus and Chrysophyllumsubnudum, two (2) medicinal plants used in the treatment of diabetes by Traditional Medicine Practitioners in Ghana. The team is led by Dr. Robert Ngala from the Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medical Sciences and Prof. T.C. Fleischer from the Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, KNUST.

The research sought to validate the claims of herbalists that aqueous extracts of stem barks of Myrianthusarboreus and Chrysophyllumsubnudum obtained by boiling, can be used in the treatment of diabetes. Using streptozotocin, diabetes was induced in male Sprague Dawley rats and extracts of the stem bark of Myrianthusarboreus and Chrysophyllumsubnudum were orally administered and monitored for their blood glucose-lowering capabilities. All the extracts showed ability to lower blood glucose levels in the diabetic rats. Work is in progress to isolate the constituents of the plants responsible for this activity.

The quest to build a database on useful medicinal plants with clear scientific evidence on their uses triggered the proposal for this research which won an internal award of twenty thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢20,000.00) from KNUST. This grant was used to support the training of one (1) MPhil student who graduated in July 2015, and one (1) PhD student who is currently in his third year of training.

Capacity Building Activities and Research into Buruli UlcerMycobacterium ulcerans disease (Buruli Ulcer) is endemic in several districts in the Ashanti and Central Regions. Through longstanding collaborative work between the Department of Medicine, School of Medical Sciences at KNUST and St George’s Hospital in London, Buruli Ulcer treatment centres have been set up at Nkawie, Dunkwa, Tepa and Agogo Government Hospitals with recent expansion to the St. Peter’s Hospital, Jacobu in the Amansie Central District in the Ashanti Region.

Dr. Richard Odame Phillips interacting with district health personnel during a training session

These activities are also supported by institutions such as the Neglected Tropical Diseases Department of the World Health Organisation and the American Leprosy Mission. These treatment centres are maintained and supervised by physicians from the Department of Medicine. These are done through weekly visits to the clinics to strengthen local capacity to clinically diagnose, take sample, deal with difficult cases and provide advice on treatment while carrying out research to find better treatment for the disease. Current ongoing research to provide oral antibiotic therapy and shorter antibiotics are supported by funding from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Medical Research Council/DFID Research Leader award to Dr. Richard Odame Phillips who leads this collaboration.


Dr Phillips has recently received the 2015 Impact Grant Award from the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) co-sponsored by UNICEF, UNDP, the World Bank and WHO to train district laboratory technicians and to evaluate a new simple fluorescent thin layer chromatography (fTLC) diagnostic test aimed for implementation as a point of care test at the district.

Dr Phillips interacting with district health personnel during a training session

Research, Establishment and Maintenance of HIV ClinicPhysicians in the Department of Medicine, School of Medical Sciences have been instrumental in the establishment and maintenance of the second largest HIV clinic in Ghana providing care for adolescent and adult HIV patients and training personnel in optimal care of patients with the disease. The team, made up of Dr. Betty Norman, Dr. Fred Stephen Sarfo and Dr. Richard Phillips collaborated with colleagues from institutions like Brown University USA, University of Liverpool UK, and South Tee’s Hospital in the UK on several research and training endeavours. These partnerships have:

• Transferredknowledge&expertiseinresearch methodologies.

• Enabledlocalresearchthatinformspolicy&practice.

• Inspired,promoted&supportedthedevelopmentof local researchers at different levels of experience from the medical & scientific field.

• Involvedjuniorscientistsinhigh-standardresearch activities.

• Createdexpertiseinserology&molecularvirology.

• Createdexpertiseintheevaluationofmarkersofliver disease.

• Builtaregionalevidencebaseidentifyinghighratesof undiagnosed & poorly controlled co-infections, with consequent potential spread of drug resistant & other viral escape mutants.

Participants at the HIV training programme

Establishment of a Cardiology Laboratory and Research into Cardiac Diseases

The Cardiology laboratory at KATH

Cardiac diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa including Ghana. Cardiologists at the Department of Medicine spearheaded the establishment of the first non-


invasive cardiac laboratory at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. Through this initiative, there is ongoing capacity strengthening activities in the area of 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG), Ambulatory ECG monitoring (HOLTER), Stress ECG, Echocardiography, Pacemaker interrogation and programming. The Centre provides training for residents training to be physicians as well as senior specialists.

The Centre attracts research which the Department conducts with local and international collaborators. Local collaborators include the Departments of Molecular Medicine, Community Health and Clinical and Social Pharmacy as well as the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR). International partnerships have also been established with Cardiostart International (cardiac surgery and pacemaker implantation), Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Michigan Health System, USA, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Utah, USA, and Medtronic Global Health Initiative.

A patient being examined

Stroke Investigative Research & Education (SIREN)Kumasi is a key site among eight (8) sites in Ghana and Nigeria working on the NIH-funded Stroke Investigative Research & Education (SIREN) study currently running till November 2017. SIREN is the largest study of Stroke in Africa to date and aims to characterize the novel and emerging vascular and genetic risk factors for stroke among Africans. 6,000 case-control pairs

are to be recruited from the eight sites. Recruitment of stroke cases and controls are underway and samples for DNA extraction for genotyping are processed in the Neurological Research Facility established at the Department of Medicine, KATH. This study is in collaboration with the University of Ibadan and the Kumasi site principal investigator is Dr. Fred Stephen Sarfo.

Medicine Research Laboratory where DNA extraction for SIREN study is conducted

Phone-based Interventions under Nurse Guide after Stroke (PINGS)

Underlying hypothesis for the PINGS Study

PINGS aims to demonstrate that a theoretical-model-based, m-Health technology-centered, multi-level integrated approach is effective in improving sustained BP control among 60 recent Ghanaian stroke patients


within one month of symptom onset. The project is also building capacity in Ghana for longer term testing of m-Health technology for chronic disease management in this resource limited setting. This study funded by the NIH is in collaboration with Prof. Bruce Ovbiagele of Medical University of South Carolina and the Kumasi site principal investigator is Dr. Fred Stephen Sarfo.

Parkinson’s Disease ResearchIn collaboration with Parkinson’s Institute in Milan, Italy, the Department of Medicine is investigating the genetics of predisposition to Parkinson’s disease. The Department currently provides Levodopa/Benserazide free of charge to patients with Parkinson’s disease who otherwise could not afford these medications.

Neurology Clinical Care and Education

Dr. Michael Ke ( Neurology faculty of Stanford Stroke Centre) at a training session.

The Department of Medicine, through the collaboration with the Universities of Utah and Stanford in the United States, have faculty visit every year for 2-3 weeks to provide neurology training for medical students and residents. Dr. Fred Stephen Sarfo, KNUST has teamed up with Dr. David Renner and Prof. Suzanne Stenasas to develop a comprehensive curriculum in neurology for medical students with courses on the most pertinent topics in clinical neurology.

A stroke unit has also been set up in collaboration with Stanford Stroke Centre to help improve the outcomes of stroke at the KATH. Nurses and doctors have been re-trained on stroke management and protocols to standardize stroke care are being implemented.

Research Centres

Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR)

Dr. Ellis Owusu Dabo Director, KCCR

The Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR) is an international platform for biomedical research borne out of a close collaboration between KNUST School of Medical Sciences, Ghana, the Benhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany and the Ministry of Health, Ghana. The main objective of the centre is to develop world standard research programmes through the acquisition of research grants, development of training facilities and educational programmes for scientists. Over the past 18 years, KCCR has facilitated a network of scientists to conduct research in tropical diseases. The Centre has done research in NTDs including filariasis, Buruli ulcer and onchocerciasis, among many other interdisciplinary research. In 2011, KCCR was given an award as a centre for excellence for African Network for Diagnosis and Drug Discovery Innovation for applied biomedical research.

There are a number of working groups in KCCR involved in various projects. These include Medicine in Tropics,


Onchocerciasis Lymphatic, Filariasis Research, Buruli Ulcer Research, and Coronaviral Zoonoses groups. Others include the Paediatric Fevers Group, the Haematology Group and the Virology Group.

KCCR can boast of 5 standard laboratories (parasitology, virology, bacteriology, immunology and entomology) covering over 300m2 and which host different research groups. These laboratories are well-equipped with microscopes, autoclaves, bio-safety hoods, incubators, cooled centrifuges, ELISA readers, thermal cyclers, Real-Time PCR machines, automatic nuclear acid isolation system, agarose gel electrophoresis documentation system, flow cytometer (FACS Calibur), ultra-low temperature facilities, and a liquid nitrogen supply. KCCR also hosts a newly furnished Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory, one of only two in the country. KCCR has a number of well-equipped off-site laboratory units installed at the district hospitals at Agogo, Dunkwa, Dixcove, Essiama and Pramso in the Ashanti and Western Regions.

Conferences

College of Health Sciences Scientific ConferenceThe College of Health Sciences instituted an Annual Scientific Conference in 2008 to disseminate staff research findings and discuss topical health-related issues. The College has since organized five (5) conferences. The 5th conference was held at the auditorium of the School of Business, KNUST in August 2015 under the theme: Non-Communicable Diseases: The Significance of Nutrition. The objective of the conference was to showcase the various research activities on the theme by the College. The keynote address was given by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. William Otoo Ellis. Other guest lecturers were Prof. Frederick Kwaku Addai, University of Ghana College of Health Sciences; Dr William Blankson Amanfu, Chairman of Veterinary Council of Ghana; Mr Ben Nuako, a private medical practitioner; Dr. Alexis Nang-Beifubah, the Ashanti Regional Director of Health Services; Miss Alice Ziyaaba, a senior nutrition officer of the Diet Therapy Unit of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and Dr. (Mrs.) Vivian Paintsil, Pediatrician Specialist, Department of Child Health, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. A total of twenty-Four (24) presentations were made at the conference.

In his opening address, Professor Yaw Adu Sarkodie, Dean of the School of Medical Sciences, who deputized for the Provost of the College, observed that the increasing incidence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has become a worry to the nation and so the College deemed it necessary to undertake research to help deal with the problem. He explained that many people have moved from our traditional diets that prevented us from acquiring these diseases to eating fast foods containing fats and sugar among others. He mentioned that the College has established a Career Development Centre which he hoped would be a centre offering advice and training to Junior Faculty in the area of teaching, research and community engagement. Additionally, a research newsletter called “Research Gong-Gong”, published by the College will publicize research activities of the College to stakeholders and the general community.


Dr. Alexis Nang-Beifubah, the Ashanti Regional Director of Health Services observed that according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) there were five high risk factors for NCDs: raised blood pressure, raised cholesterol, tobacco use, alcohol consumption and overweight. The other factors associated with non-communicable diseases include a person’s economic and social conditions, known as the social determinants

of health. He estimated that up to 80% of all heart diseases, stroke and diabetic cases and 40% of the cancer burden could be prevented through increased consumption of fruits and vegetables and a reductions in the consumption of fat, sugar and salt, cessation of the use of tobacco and harmful drugs, avoidance of excessive alcohol consumption, regular physical activity and exercise and regular medical check-ups.

List of Research Projects in CHS

NAME OF PROJECT UNIT DONOR/ SPONSOR PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Medical Education Partnership Initiative – Ghana Emergency Medicine Collaborative Training Programme

Office of the Provost National Institute of Health Prof. Peter Donkor

Building Stronger Universities I Office of the Provost DANIDAProf. E. T. Agbenyega

Modeling Epidemiology Transition (METS)

Physiology National Institute of Health Prof. J. Plange-Rhule

Severe Malaria in African Children (SMAC) Physiology National Institute of HealthProf. E. T. Agbenyega

MALARIAGEN PhysiologyProf. E. T. Agbenyega

Task Shifting Study for Hypertension (TASSH)

PhysiologyNational Institute of Health / New York University

Prof. J. Plange-Rhule

Epigenetics Mechanisms, Stunting & Poor Growth; Targets for interventions (EPIGENETICS)

PhysiologyBill and Melinda Gates Foundation / Auckland University


Vitamin D Ancillary Study (ViDA) PhysiologyNational Institutes of Health/Loyola University


Malaria Capacity Development Consortium (MCDC)

Community HealthWellcome Trust / London School of Hygiene

Dr. Harry Tagbor

SMS Partnership for Mental Development Allied Health Sciences College of NigeriaRev. Prof. J. Appiah-Poku

Most At Risk Population Study (MARP) Clinical Microbiology Boston University Prof. Y. Adu-Sarkodie

The role of Aflatoxin B1 in Modulating the Type I Interferon Response

Clinical Microbiology Leverhulme Royal SocietyDr. Mohammed Mutocheluh

H3 Africa Kidney Disease Study PhysiologyNational Institutes of Health/University of Ghana


UUICA Child Health University of Utah Dr. Daniel Ansong


NAME OF PROJECT UNIT DONOR/ SPONSOR PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Artesunate European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP)

Physiology University of TuebingenProf. E. T. Agbenyega

Committee on Human Research and Publication Ethics (CHRPE)

Allied Health SciencesBill and Melinda Gates Foundation /AMANET Grant

Rev. Prof. J. Appiah-Poku

Improving Child Nutrition in Ghana to prevent Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)

PhysiologyInternational Development Research Centre, Canada


Injury Control Training in Ghana SurgeryFogarty International Center, NIH / University of Washington

Prof. Peter Donkor

Stroke Investigative Research and Education (SIREN)

MedicineNational Institutes of Health/ Ibadan University

Dr. Fred Stephen Sarfo

Performance Monitoring and Accountability (PMA) 2020

Community HealthBill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Dr. Easmon Otupiri


School of Medical Sciences


College of Science (CoS)


Message from the Provost, Professor Kwasi Obiri-Danso

The College has over the years built a high reputation as a centre of excellence for the training of basic and applied

scientists and has produced a large number of graduates to contribute to the manpower requirements of Ghana. The products of the College are found all over the world occupying various positions in the scientific field.

The College consists of eight (8) departments: Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Food Science

and Technology, Theoretical and Applied Biology, Optometry and Visual Science, Chemistry, Mathematics, Computer Science and Physics. These departments assist the College with teaching, research and service which remain the core business of the College. In the area of research, the College boasts of an enviable performance over the years. The College continues to submit proposals and win grants to carry out the research agenda of the University.


In highlighting a few, the Department of Chemistry has won two out of five awards of up to £1,243,000 each, slated for Sub-Saharan Africa in the first round of the Royal Society-DFID Africa Capacity Building Initiative. The Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology has collaborated with the Menzies School of Health Policy, University of Sydney, Australia to undertake an evaluation of Ghana’s health/trade policy on fatty meat importation. The Department of Food Science and Technology also records extensive research work on Mycotoxin (Aflatoxin) which has resulted in its laboratory being selected as one of the research laboratories under the “Feed the Future’s Peanut and Mycotosin Innovation Lab (PMIL)” under USAID sponsorship from 2014-2017. The College also received a grant from the Grand Challenges Canada Rising Stars in Global Health Initiative to develop filters for low cost point-of-use drinking water treatment in Ghana.

The College recognizes the need to further strengthen the research capacity of its staff by providing an enabling environment for multi-disciplinary research through basic and applied science. The College will continue to foster close relationship and collaboration with research institutions in Ghana and beyond to advance knowledge in science to solve societal problems.


Highlight of Research Activities in the CoS

Global System For Mobile (GSM) Balloting System Developed

Dr. Reuben Yao Tamakloe

The current wide availability of broadband internet, smart phones and tablets presents an opportunity to improve elections in Ghana. Continuing the use of ballot papers in our electioneering processes will eventually become counter-productive. Dr. Reuben Yao Tamakloe a senior lecturer at the Department of Physics and his team of researchers have developed a GSM voting system using PHP, MySQL, WAMP and Frontline SMS. This system receives votes from the electorate via text messages. In the light of numerous reported deficiencies in the Ghanaian voting system, this project aims to provide an automated, transparent and cost-effective voting system that can replace the traditional ballot paper system. This development is capitalizing on the significant increase in mobile phone usage in Ghana (116% of the population). This system has the capability of significantly reducing the occurrence of invalid votes and multiple voting as well as enabling the immediate display of election results. One of the features of this system is that only one vote is recorded even if a voter texts more than once. It is expected that this system can be used to ensure efficient and fair election processes in Ghana.

Generating Electricity from Microbes found in Waste WaterA team of researchers at the Department of Physics is conducting a study on generating electricity from microbes found in wastewater. The study explores the performance of ion exchange partition (local clays) and its viable candidature in power production. As part of this project, an attempt has been made to fabricate single and double chamber membrane-Less-microbial-fuel-cells (MLMFCs) which are capable of producing a COD reduction greater than 93 percent, with maximum power production of more than 6 W/m2. This research is led by Dr. Reuben Yao Tamakoe.

Mini-Hydro Power from Waste WaterDr. Reuben Yao Tamakloe and his team of researchers have developed a mini-turbine using bicycle tires, spokes and chains, which generates at least 5 kW power. Mini-hydro power can produce up to 100 kW of electricity using naturally flowing water. This can be accomplished with a pelton wheel and a high head, low flow water supply from a small dammed pool or a waterfall.

The simplicity and relatively low cost of mini hydro systems open up new opportunities for some isolated communities in need of electricity. With only a small stream, remote areas can have access to power and provide lighting and communication systems for clinics, schools and other facilities. It can even provide power for operating some machinery and hence support small businesses.


Synthesis And Characterization Of Semi-Conducting Thin Films For Solar Cell Device Fabrication

Prof. R. K. Nkum

The provision of clean and sustainable energy supplies is one of the most critical challenges currently facing mankind. At present, our primary energy sources are dominated by non-renewable fossil fuels. Traditional fossil energy resources are not only rapidly depleting, but also contributing to unpredictable and possibly irreversible climate changes in the near future. Renewable energy sources seem to provide an optional solution to the global energy problem. Among renewable energy sources, solar energy is an exciting alternative to fossil fuels. Solar energy is the most abundant, inexhaustible and clean of all the renewable energy resources.

Silicon Solar Cell

The Solid State Physics Research Group comprising Prof. R. K. Nkum, Lead Researcher, Prof. F. Boakye, Dr. F. K. Ampong and Mr. I. Nkrumah all of the Department of Physics in collaboration with the Energy and Materials Research group of the Department of

Chemistry, KNUST focuses on using a simple and cost-effective Chemical Bath Deposition Technique to synthesize binary and ternary thin film compound semiconductor materials, for harnessing solar energy.

The objective of this research is to complement the efforts being made in many parts of the world to make more extensive use of solar energy by using different technologies.

Thin film solar cell

Though silicon remains the traditional solar cell material of choice, interest is beginning to shift towards thin film solar cells especially PbSe, PbS and their ternary due to their technological importance and future prospects in various solar cell and optoelectronic device applications.

New Areas For Exploring Oil and Gas in Ghana

Prof. S. K. Danuor

Ghana is currently exploring and producing oil from its offshore fields. A team of researchers led by Prof. S. K. Danuor, Department of Physics is researching into other sedimentary basins in Ghana. The team is undertaking a project titled “Evaluation and Assessment of the Hydrocarbon Potential of Some Parts of the Saltpond


and Tano Basins of Ghana” assessing the potential for oil and gas accumulations in these areas for possible development and production.

This study is expected to make a significant impact on the oil industry in Ghana as new areas of hydrocarbon potential in the country will be discovered and explored

further for development and production. Also, students pursuing various degrees in Geophysics and Petroleum Geophysics will receive career-focused training and to fit them better into the oil and gas industry after their training.

Map showing the location of the offshore Oil Fields in the Saltpond and Tano Basins. Source: Ghana National Petroleum Corporation

Energy and Materials Research to Develop Solar Energy and Bioenergy

Team Leader, Dr. Johannes A. M. Awudza (center) with some International Collaborators

A large proportion of Ghana’s energy needs are met from petroleum which is non-renewable. In the attempt to meet the energy needs of the country, the College of Science has put in place an Energy and Materials Research Group in the Department of Chemistry, KNUST which works closely with the Department of Physics and the TEK Energy Centre. The objective of the group is to develop solar energy and bioenergy through the application of Chemistry and Physics and also carry out renewable energy programmes in the three areas of renewable energy and in the area of polymer science and technology.

This venture has been made possible by the active collaboration of local and foreign researchers. Notable


among them are Prof. Paul O’Brien FRS, School of Chemistry, School of Materials, University of Manchester, UK; Prof. Stephen Yeates, School of Chemistry, University of Manchester, UK; Prof. Peter Budd, School of Chemistry, University of Manchester, UK; Dr. Mohammad Azad Malik; School of Chemistry, University of Manchester, UK; Dr. John Thomas Prabhakar, School of Chemistry, University of Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales, UK; Prof. Peter Skabara, University of Starthclyde, Glasgow, UK; Prof. Neerish Revaprasadu, University of Zululand, South Africa; Prof. Peter Ndifon, University of Yaounde, Yaounde, Cameroon and Mr. Sulemana Issah (Agronomist), TRAGRIMACS Sunflower Ghana Ltd, Tema. The KNUST team is led by Dr. Johannes A. M. Awudza, Department of Chemistry. Other members of the team include Dr. Noah Kwame Asare-Donkor, Dr. Nathaniel Owusu Boadi, Dr. Francis Kofi Ampong, Miss Selina Ama Saah and the Energy Centre.

Dr. Francis Kofi Ampong

The group is also concerned with developing innovative technologies for managing plastic waste in Ghana and is involved in different aspects of development and application of polymer science and technology. The core aim is to develop solar cell materials (semiconducting nanocrystals, quantum dots, nanoparticles, and thin films of metal chalcogenides) used for fabricating solar cells, producing biofuels (biodiesel and bioethanol) from indigenous materials, converting plastic waste into useful materials (blending with bitumen for road construction, producing liquid fuel, concrete and wood composite materials) and development of biodegradable plastics.

According to the National Renewable Energy Policy of Ghana, the national objective is to substitute 10% of the national energy mix with renewable energy by 2020 and 20 % by 2030. Solar energy and bioenergy are among the most promising alternative sources of renewable energy to supplement or reduce the over dependence on petroleum and the group is working assiduously to meet this need by identifying and exploring suitable local materials (vegetable oils and agricultural crop residues) for the production of biofuels and using nanotechnology techniques to tune the sizes of semiconducting materials suitable for fabricating solar cells.

The group, as a long term measure, will develop a Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy to lead the development and fabrication of solar cells and production and commercialization of biofuels in Ghana and incorporate plastic waste management techniques into the waste management systems in Ghana. Studies are also under way on different resins found in the forests of Ghana to develop colloidal systems that can be suitable for drug delivery.

(a) Schematic structure of a hybrid solar cell. (b) Picture of a test solar cell, fabricated cell (c) Working principle hybrid solar cells.

Solar and Bioenergy research team


Determinants of Aflatoxin Levels in Ghanaian FoodsAflatoxin (AFs) are naturally occurring toxins found in most staple foods in Ghana including maize, millet, sorghum, groundnut, rice, etc. The toxins found in AFs are relatively stable and not destroyed by processing, hence can be present in most Ghanaian foods. AFs are known to contribute to diseases like immune-suppression, Kwashiorkor, impairment of liver function and reduced growth rate in humans and animals.

In one of two collaborative research projects, scientists from the University of Alabama, Birmingham led by Prof. Pauline Jolly and KNUST, led by Prof. Richard T. Awuah and Prof. William Otoo Ellis explored the determinants of aflatoxin levels in Ghanaians. They considered socio-demographic factors, public knowledge of aflatoxin and food handling and consumption practices. They discovered that people who consumed high levels of contaminated maize and groundnuts tested positive to AFs. The study also revealed that most participants had neither heard of aflatoxins nor of its harmful effects.

The outcome of a follow-up study titled, ‘Association between Aflatoxin B1 Albumin Adducts in Plasma and Health Characteristics, Liver Function, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Malaria in Ghanaians’, also revealed that persons with high levels of Aflatoxins in their blood had a higher risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma. The study results are useful for planning mitigation measures against Aflatoxin contamination of foods in Ghana.

The extensive research work on Aflatoxin by the Department of Food Science and Technology has resulted in its laboratory being selected as one of the research laboratories under the “Feed the Future’s Peanut and Mycotoxin Innovation Lab (PMIL)” under USAID sponsorship from 2014 – 2017.

The Impact of Trade Policy on Diets and Health in GhanaIn the year 2000, in order to protect human health, the Government of Ghana implemented a policy to

limit the amount of fat in imported meat products. The Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology in collaboration with the Menzies School of Health Policy, University of Sydney, Australia led by Dr. Reginald Annan and Dr. Anne Marie Thow, is evaluating this innovative trade policy.

This study aims to analyse the possible role of trade policies in the emerging nutrition transition in West Africa, and to evaluate the effectiveness of this innovative trade policy intervention in improving diets. It also intends to identify contextual factors in policy development, to inform development of healthy trade policies in other jurisdictions.

This study indicates that the use of standards can reduce availability of high-fat meat in national food supply, though the main challenge is effective enforcement. The researchers noted that the Government of Ghana appears to have developed a functional and flexible application of the policy, involving collaboration at every stage between the Ministries of Trade and Health, considerations relating to compliance with international trade law, strategic enforcement of the policy, and the importance of public awareness efforts.

Zeolite Water Filter

Dr. Bright Kwakye-Awuah

Dr. Bright Kwakye-Awuah from the Physics Department received a grant of $113,000.00 from Grand Challenges Canada – Rising Stars in Global Health for the project “Ceramic-Silver Zeolite impregnated filters for Low Cost Point-of-Use Drinking Water Treatment in Ghana”. The research applies the ‘Waste to Wealth’ concept through which industrial waste is converted into different types of valuable products, minimizing its


negative environmental impact. Dr. Kwakye-Awuah has successfully produced synthetic zeolites from low grade bauxite waste and kaolin. This product has commercial value and several industrial applications. Zeolites are used as catalysts in crude oil refinement, ion exchangers, fertilizers and fertilizer additives. They are also used in waste water treatment and ammonia removal among others. Dr. Kwakye-Awuah has also developed a hybrid product called the zeolite water filter, a product that purifies drinking water from contaminants including microorganisms. Phase Two of the project will fine-tune the water filter to enhance its effectiveness and its marketability.

Meteorology and Climate Science Research

Dr. L. K. Amekudzi

KNUST, in responding to environmental change concerns, is undertaking varied research in the Meteorology and Climate Science Unit of the Department of Physics. These include:

• Thedevelopmentofahighresolutionclimatedatabase for Ghana using two different spatial interpolation techniques to reconstruct rainfall and temperature, after which the dataset will be gridded to provide a higher resolved (0.25°X0.25°) climate data for Ghana

.• Determinationoftemperatureandprecipitationtrend as well as rainy season onset: This information is needed by agricultural services in order to advise farmers on best farming practices in different locations.

• AssessmentoftheannualvariabilityoftheWest African Monsoon and its relationship with other climatic elements using the Wavelet Based Empirical Orthogonal Function Analysis (WEOF) and Wavelet Independent Component Analysis. This addresses the limitation when domain multivariate statistics such as harmonic analysis, Fourier analysis, linear regressions, and cross correlation are used which works on the assumption that climate data is stationary and linear.

• Determinationoftheimpactofclimatechangeon land use/cover changes: This study is assessing the contribution of climate change as well as land use change to rising temperature in the major cities in Ghana as the distinction between effects due to climate change and land use change is often not obvious.

• Assessment of the variability in malaria transmission over the four ecological zones in Ghana using the VECTRI model. The regional-scale dynamical malaria model (VECTRI) has been used to assess the influence of climate on the spatio-temporal variability in malaria transmission over the four agro-ecological zones in Ghana. The results reveal that the VECTRI model possesses the potential to predict malaria transmission dynamics across the ecological zones and in addition demonstrate useful skills for local scale seasonal and intraseasonal variability in malaria transmission. Thus VECTRI model could provide valuable information to support malaria control operations in Ghana.

All these research projects are being undertaken with postgraduate students at the Department and led by Dr. L. K. Amekudzi. KNUST has partnered with other institutions around the world to initiate climate change programmes including Bachelors and post graduate degree programmes in Meteorology and Climate Science. In 2008, the Department of Physics, organised and hosted a biennial summer school in meteorology and climate science, funded by the British Council and the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Italy which attracted students and lecturers from Africa, Europe and America.


Plastic Waste Management

Plastic waste

The College of Science has reused plastic waste to modify bitumen for road construction which will help in building long-lasting roads. This was done through research in which plastic waste in the seven (7) residential halls in KNUST and six (6) hostels around KNUST and Santasi, a suburb of Kumasi, were quantified. The research showed that about 20 % of the solid waste generated was plastic waste.

Plastics have been used extensively in packaging because of their unique properties such as low bulk density and inertness and low risk contaminants. Also their relative low cost, ease of manufacture and versatility further increases their applications. Despite their versatile usage, they cause major problems such as choking drainage systems in the country, polluting the land and water bodies. There is therefore the need to train skilled personnel and develop technologies to properly manage plastic wastes. Currently, the college is researching into replacing cement in concrete with waste plastic bottles, converting sachet water plastic into fuel, etc.

Pyrolysis of Plastic Waste to Liquid FuelDr. S. N. A. Dodoo of the Physics Department, and his research team which includes a PhD student Sam Frank Junior (Physics Department), an MPhil student Joseph Owusu-Ansah (Chemistry Department) and some undergraduates have successfully built a reactor which converts plastic waste into liquid fuel like methane gas, diesel, petrol, kerosene, aviation fuel and bitumen through the process of pyrolysis at different fractionation temperatures (150°C – 600°C).

Different grades of kerosene and aviation fuel produced and tested at the Centralized Laboratory of KNUST and the Ghana Standard Authority in Accra.

The project is aimed at solving the environmental problem of plastic waste on the university campus. The next stage of the project is to collect municipal plastic waste at the landfill sites in and around the campus to scale up and increase the current conversion capacity of 7 litres from 10 kg of plastic waste per cycle.

Plastics are non-biodegradable and last for ages. Burning of plastic waste in incinerators should not be encouraged because toxic gases which can be harmful to human health may escape into the atmosphere causing air pollution.


List of Active Projects in Cos

NAME OF PROJECT DEPARTMENT/UNIT DONOR/LEAD COLLABORATOR

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Environmental Health Benefit & Risk of Mosquito Coil for Malaria Control in Ghana


World Health Organization (WHO)

Dr. J. N. Horgah

Dynamics Aerosol Chemistry-Cloud Interaction in West Africa

Physics EU – DACCIWADr. Amekudzi & Prof. Danuor

Malnutrition E-Learning Evaluation ProjectBiochemistry and Biotechnology

University of Southampton Dr. Reginald Adjetey

Molecular Modelling for Energy EfficiencyChemistry

Leverhulme Trust – Royal Society / University College of London

Dr. Evans Adei & Dr. Richard Tia

New Materials For a Sustainable Energy Future: Linking Computation With Experiment

ChemistryRoyal Society – DFID / Cardiff University

Dr. Evans Adei

Developing Materials for Applications in Solar Cells

ChemistryRoyal Society – DFID / University of Manchester

Dr. J. A. M Awudza

Developing Internationally Competitive Research on Solar Cell Materials at KNUST

ChemistryLeverhulme Trust – Royal Society / University of Manchester

Dr. J. A. M Awudza

Biodiversity Conservation through Bio-prospecting for Novel Anti-plasmodial Compounds from Africa’s Rich Flora

ChemistryInternational Funds for Science (IFS)

Dr. Lawrence S. Borquaye

Vulnerability and Adaptation of Ghana’s Food Production Systems to Climate Variability and Change


International Funds for Science (IFS)

Philip Antwi Adjei

PACN MS Training Workshop Chemistry Royal Society of Chemistry, UK Mr. Nathaniel Boadi

Intra ACP Academic Mobility PhysicsEU Africa Caribbean Pacific Mobility Scheme

Dr. Francis Kofi Ampong

Impact of Trade Policy on Nutritional Health in Ghana

Biochemistry and Biotechnology

University of Sydney Australia Dr. R. Annan

Develop MPHil Programme in Polyma Science and Technology

Chemistry Delphe Project Dr. J.A.M Awudza

Malnutrition eLearning Evaluation ProjectBiochemistry and Biotechnology

MeLP Grant Dr. Reginald Annan

Sample and Data for Cleft Lip and Palate Research

Biochemistry State University of Iowa Lord Jojo Gowan

Ceramic Silver-Zeolite Impregnated Filters for Low Cost Point of Use Drinking Water Treatment in Ghana

Physics Grand Challenge Canada Dr. Kwakye Awuah

Council for Scientific And Industrial Research CSIR-SARI-KNUST


CSIR-SARI Prof. R. C Abaidoo


Major Grants


Building Stronger Universities (BSU) in Developing Countries Initiative

Participants at a BSU workshop

Building Stronger Universities in Developing Countries (BSU) is an initiative funded by DANIDA and it is a partnership between research institutions of higher education in developing countries and Danish universities. It is a capacity-building programme with the objective of strengthening the research capacity of universities in selected DANIDA priority countries. The first phase of the project which spanned two years and ended in December 2013 was implemented under three (3) thematic platforms at KNUST. These were the Environment and Climate, Growth and Employment and Human Health platforms. All the platforms focused on institutional research capacity-building including strengthening the capacity and quality of PhD programmes to undertake and disseminate research findings to stakeholders. The Environment and Climate platform received DKK 753,745.49, the Growth and Employment platform received DKK 1,818,589.49 and the Human Health platform received DKK 1,100,167.00.

Strengthening PhD EducationSeveral courses and training workshops were held for PhD students aimed at building their research capacity. These courses included Research Methodology, Proposal Writing, Scientific Writing, Adaptive Management, Globalization and Value Chain Analysis, Qualitative Research Methodologies and Fund Raising. 134 PhD students were trained across all the platforms.

20 PhD students were further selected and trained in PhD supervision using the training of trainer model (TOT) to help them in the future training of other staff across the university. An introductory workshop on supervision was also held for 23 members of the academic staff.

A PhD Seminar Day for the College of Health Sciences was organized which gave opportunities to PhD students to make oral and poster presentations. It was attended by 19 PhD students. This was aimed at enabling peer-learning and eliciting faculty inputs.

Strengthening the Capacity to Undertake Research

Participants at the BSU II launch

Efforts to boost the research capacity of KNUST included increasing the number of academic staff with PhD qualifications. Under this initiative, seven (7) PhD scholarships were awarded in various disciplines across the university (2 from Environment and Climate and 4 from Growth and Employment, 1 from PHH). These studies were based at KNUST and the beneficiaries received co-supervision from faculty in both KNUST and Universities in Denmark. The BSU PhD candidates are expected to complete their studies in November 2015. Capacity building in writing proposals and implementing research projects was also carried out. Other activities included a mentorship programme and the award of proposal development grants to researchers and research groups.


Strengthening the Capacity to Disseminate Research KnowledgeThe project also put in place the necessary mechanism to position researchers for knowledge dissemination. Two workshops in “Strategic Communication” and “Knowledge Sharing, Research Dissemination and Communication” were held in this regard in 2013 and 2014 respectively. A total of 27 members of staff and PhD students from the College of Health Sciences benefitted from these workshops.

Participants at the BSU research disseminating workshop

E-learning and PBLAs part of efforts to encourage the adoption of E-Learning and Problem Based Learning (PBL) techniques at KNUST three Training of Trainers workshops were organized for 30 staff members of KNUST. Based on the results of a mapping exercise, the level and adoption of these techniques of teaching have been captured. Six courses have been designed along these methods to be rolled out at KNUST. A total of DKK 962,171 was received for the project.

Phase II of the BSU InitiativeFollowing the success of the first phase of the initiative, Phase II was launched in 2014. This second phase aims to build on the lessons learned and results achieved during the first phase as well as the continuation of activities under Phase I. The organization and management of this phase, however, have been strengthened to enhance the needs and priorities identified by our institutions. KNUST is one of seven awardee institutions selected

from Africa and Asia. The university received an award of DKK 15,000,000 for Phase II and leads the collaboration with a consortium of Danish universities led by University of Copenhagen. This phase focuses on strengthening research capacity, processes and environment.

Development Research Uptake in Sub-Saharan Africa (DRUSSA)KNUST is one of 24 participating universities in Development Research Uptake in Sub-Saharan Africa, code-named DRUSSA Project. DRUSSA is a DFID-funded capacity building programme and it is a five-year programme (2011-2016). DFID is working with 24 Sub-Saharan African universities to improve capacity to manage the uptake of research, using specifically research communication and stakeholder engagement strategies to provide evidence for policy makers and practitioners.

DRUSSA provides direct support to universities at individual, institutional and systems levels to improve participation in and impact on policy and practice. The programme has been designed to consolidate and strengthen existing capacity that can be sustained in the long-term by the universities themselves. It provides a digital resource platform – DRUSSA online – to engage with and support all segments of its audiences, principally located in Sub-Saharan Africa, and also internationally.

Participants at a DRUSSA workshop

As part of the work plan for individual and institutional capacity strengthening, KNUST is benefiting from a continuing professional development sponsorship package for two online certificate awards in Science


Communication, two postgraduate certificate awards, three M.Phil awards in Research Uptake Management and one PhD, all based at the Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST), University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Organizational and institutional strengthening are being undertaken via a programme of leadership events, which include benchmarking exercises and on-campus assessment and learning workshops at each of the 24 universities. This programme area is led by the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU).

In addition, insights gained through capacity building programmes and participation in the various events are actively and consciously being used to impact research and innovation towards enhancing the performance of the University and Research Uptake in particular.

Africa Centre of Excellence (ACE) in Water and Environmental SanitationKNUST has won one of the African Centres of Excellence Awards to establish a Regional Water and Environmental Sanitation Centre in Kumasi. The project is hosted by the Department of Civil Engineering and seeks to offer post graduate training and research programmes for the public and private sectors in the West African Sub-Region. The project is supported by national, regional and international partners and KNUST Departments of Mathematics, Planning and Theoretical and Applied Biology. This is a four-year project funded with eight million dollars (US$ 8,000,000) by the World Bank. The main aim of the Centre is to achieve excellence through training and research in water and environmental sanitation to create the needed critical mass of human resource and knowledge for influencing and directing national and regional policies. The project is led by Prof. S. N. Odai. The activities of the Centre include the following:

• EstablishingasecretariatfortheRegionalWaterand Environmental Sanitation Centre in Kumasi (RWESCK).

• Developingnewpostgraduateprogrammesin collaboration with national, regional and international partners.

• Developingandbuildingcapacityforresearchand innovative technology development in collaboration with national, regional and international partners.

• Buildingindustryandacademicpartnershipsfor outreach through students/faculty exchange, networking, conferences and workshops to bridge the gap between academia and industry to solve developmental challenges

• PositioningtheCentreofExcellencetobefinancially sustainable beyond the project duration.

The Centre will train over 40 PhDs, 120 MScs and 650 short course participants within the four years.

Kumasi Business Incubator

Kumasi Business Incubator

The Kumasi Business Incubator (KBI) Project is an outcome of a consortium between KNUST and the National Board of Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) with funding from the Ministry of Communications through the ITES/eGhana Project. The partnership seeks to establish a Business Incubator Centre at KNUST with the goal of establishing innovative start-up companies in the field of ICT that would create economic development, through employment generation and technology commercialization. KBI was selected through a competitive bidding process. KNUST matched the grant of $460,370 with the provision of physical infrastructure and human capital while NBSSI provided Business Assistance support.

The Incubator has taken in tenants through a competitive screening process based on ICT-Innovativeness, commercial viability and evidence of


commitment among others. 28 business ideas out of 58 competitive applications were selected into the incubator. The tenants have been taken through entrepreneurship training, business plan development and introduction to research and development processes by a team from NBSSI. The incubator provided free office space for tenants, shared secretarial services, conference rooms, etc. In addition, incubatees have been introduced to sources of funding and mentorship.

Some products and services developed in the KBI which are market-ready include Customer Relationship Management software called Intelligence Marketing, Book Keeping Software (Total Accounting) for SMEs, an online payment system which uses Vouchers (Cediline), Hostel Booking System (Roombook) and Online Kente Product Shop (Kente Master). Other companies that have launched their products include Pixil Motions, a multimedia company, Busbo, a bus-booking mobile platform, and Easy Hostel, a Hostel Management platform. KBI is in the process of integrating the rest of the companies into the market through various strategies and networks.

Malaria Capacity Development Consortium (MCDC)

The Malaria Capacity Development Consortium (MCDC) is a collaboration of four European and five African partners including KNUST, which is supporting able and motivated African scientists to undertake high-quality malaria research that will enhance the research capacity of their home institutions.

The programme, launched in 2008, is led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and supported with £7.3m from the Wellcome Trust and $5m from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Its aim is to develop capacity in African universities that will not only lead to improvements in the malaria control measures available in Africa, but also stimulate research into the development of new ways to control the disease. This is to be achieved by providing young African scientists with new technical skills, developing their critical abilities through a well supervised doctoral programme, exposure to a group of critical but supportive scientists and by providing them with continuing support after

graduation. The KNUST project is led by Dr. Harry Tagbor

The achievements of the project include the following:

PhD programme:

• PhD fellowships awarded to five successful candidates who have completed their theses and waiting to be examined.

• Competitivepost-doctoralgrantsgiventooneofthe above candidates.

• Careerdevelopmentsupportviapersonaldevelopment planning (PDP).

• AhandbookforPhDstudentsandsupervisorsdeveloped, published and in use.

• Studentsupervisionandprogressmonitoringtoolsdeveloped and in use.

• Graduateskillstrainingprogramme(180credits)instituted.

Support for MSc & MPH

• MCDC has provided funding to support nine (9) students to complete their MSc and MPH programmes

Institutional support

• Baselineneedsassessmentdonetoinformactionstaken to strengthen graduate training.

• Theconsortiumprovidedfundingforworkshopson postgraduate supervision for senior members at KNUST.

• Seed funding for the establishment of a Career Development Centre in the College of Health Sciences to facilitate the integration of capacity strengthening activities into the University’s general programmes.The African partners in the Consortium include KNUST (Ghana), University of Malawi (Malawi), Makerere University (Uganda), University of Dakar (Senegal) and the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical College (Tanzania). The European partners include the University of Copenhagen and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. The programme will end in December 2015.



Awards & Achievements

Gold Award for Water, Environment and Sanitation

Prof. Samuel Nii Odai

Professor Samuel Nii Odai is the recipient of the prestigious National Best Research Scientist Gold Award for water, environment and sanitation in recognition of his outstanding research contribution to the sector. Prof. Odai is a Commonwealth Academic Fellow, a Professor of Water Resources Engineering in the Department of Civil Engineering, a Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences and the African Scientific Institute. He is currently the Pro Vice-Chancellor of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

Professor Odai’s strength is in computational hydraulics with application to the sub-critical regimes of Open Channel Hydraulics, Urban Drainage and Flood Modeling and Integrated Water Resources Management. He is the developer of two internationally accepted approximate models for open-channel flow analysis: the Burger’s equation model and the non-linear kinematic wave model. These models have helped to better explain the physics of open-channel flow analysis. He has some 70 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers to his credit.

As a capacity building expert in water and sanitation in Ghana for the past 15 years, he and his team have

brought several grants to KNUST including a 1.5 million Euro Dutch-Government grant to establish the postgraduate Water Resources Engineering and Management programme and a 1.9 million Euro German Government grant for the regional PhD programme in Climate Change and Land Use. He is the Director of the 1.2 million Pound Wellcome Trust-sponsored SNOWS consortium. He is also the Lead Academic for the eight million US Dollar World Bank/Ghana Government-supported African Centre of Excellence in Water and Sanitation, currently being established at KNUST.

William Shakespeare Research Award

Rev. J. E. T. Kuwornu-Adjaottor

Rev. J. E. T. Kuwornu-Adjaottor of the Department of Religious Studies has been declared one of the 500 Most Influential Philosophers on Earth for the Year 2015 and awarded the world’s prestigious William Shakespeare Research Award 2015 in Religious Studies.

His research paper: “A Reading of Hudōrzōn [living water] and its Relationship with Pistuō [believe] in John 4:1-15 through the Lens of some Ghanaian Mother-tongue Translations of the New Testament


and a Practice in Ghanaian Traditional Shrines” which was published in The Journal of Humanities and Social Science, won the prize in a worldwide meritorious competition. It was reviewed by an international panel of eight from the USA, Canada, Germany, France, UK, Venezuela, Japan and Australia. This award is an open door for discipleship in academia and paves the way for Ghanaian/African Biblical scholars to follow. It is expected that under the leadership of Rev. Kuwornu-Adjaottor, millions of emerging intellectuals around the world would be inspired.

Ghana Academy of Arts and Science Silver Award

Dr. (Mrs.) Mavis Osei

Dr. (Mrs.) Mavis Osei, a Senior Lecturer of the Department of General Art Studies received “The Academy’s 2010 Silver Award in the Humanities” from the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences. The award was in recognition of her outstanding PhD dissertation titled: “The Influence of Temperament on the Artwork of Children”. The rationale for her study was to explore how temperament can be seen in the art of children in

order to get to know their emotional personalities and subsequently ensure effective teaching and learning (Read, 1964).

The intended impact on the society is that when teachers are able to adjust their methodologies to suit the temperament of their learners it enhances teaching and learning. The citation received as part of the award indicates the importance of her work:

Your work clearly shows the importance of art in nurturing the personality of children and infusing imaginative inquisitiveness into the mental faculties of growing children. This is indeed an innovation by Ghanaian standards. Your research would certainly be invaluable information to psychiatrists, social welfare organizations, school teachers, medical doctors, and all organizations that deal with children.

Dr (Mrs) Mavis Osei is one of the young professionals who have excelled in their various fields and the award should spur her on to greater heights in her field of study. She is a Young Scientist Fellow at the Ghana Young Academy, a Fellowship that the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences instituted to reward the works of young professionals who are excelling in their various fields. She is also a member of the American Art Therapy Association.

ANDI Centre of Excellence AwardThe Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR) received an award as an African network for diagnosis and drug discovery innovation centre of excellence for applied biomedical research. KCCR, a research centre under the College of Health Sciences, has over the past 18 years, facilitated a network of scientists to conduct research in tropical diseases.


Royal Bank-CASS Award

Dr. (Mrs.) Lydia Apori Nkansah

Dr. (Mrs.) Lydia Apori Nkansah from the Faculty of Law received the Royal Bank-CASS Researcher Award for the 2013/2014 Academic Year. Her expertise is in Comparative Politics, International Relations and Comparative Democratization.

Postgraduate Student wins African Nutrition Society Award

Ishawn Iddrisu receiving an award

Ishawn Iddrisu, an MPhil student of Human Nutrition and Dietetics has received an African Nutrition Society Award. He won this award for his presentations at the 6th African Nutritional Epidemiology Conference (ANEC VI) in July 2014. He presented two abstracts: an oral presentation on “Assessing the Nutritional and Health Status of Children Under Five (5) Years whose Parent(s) are Street Beggars in the Tamale Metropolis” and posters on “Anti-Diabetic Effect of Dandelion Leaves and Root Powder in Type 2 Diabetic Patients – A Systematic Review”. As part of his award, his work has been published in the Africa Nutrition Matters Newsletter.


1st Engineering Excellence Award

Awardees of the first Engineering Excellence Awards

The Ghana Institution of Engineers (GhIE) has given Excellence Awards in Engineering to some distinguished personalities and institutions in the field.

Professor Emmanuel Y. H. Bobobee received a Public Sector Individual Award from the Ghana Institution of Engineers for the development of a device used for mechanical harvesting of cassava, yam and other tuber crops for which a patent is currently under consideration by the African Intellectual Property Organization for commercial purposes. The use of the device has resulted in significant savings in time and generated higher incomes. The device has been successfully employed by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture after commissioning of the first generation of commercial harvesters produced at KNUST and exported to South Africa.

Professor Bobobee has been a member of Ghana Institution of Engineers since 1987, a member of the Ghana Society of Agriculture Engineers, past General Secretary of the West Africa Society of Agriculture Engineers and a Fellow of the South African Institute of Engineers. He is also a consultant to several local and international organizations including MOFA, FAO and the World Bank.

The External/Associate Award went to Dr. Richard Akwasi Buamah of the Department of Civil Engineering for his important contribution to the cause of public benefit engineering. The KNUST College of Engineering won the Academic/Research Institution Award as the leading engineering centre of excellence over the years.


Research Supporting Units


University Relations Office (URO)

Vincent A. Ankamah-Lomotey, Deputy Registrar, University Relations Office (URO)

One way by which universities establish their relevance is to positively affect the communities in which they are located through its activities, especially its research. Society in general and the communities surrounding universities look up to the university to, at least, provide solutions to their challenges. Governments also expect to see developmental issues addressed by these institutions of higher learning. In addition to teaching and research, most universities have Service to Community as part of their mission statements. This third leg of the university’s role is in direct response to national expectations. Universities are not,

therefore, established only as knowledge producing and disseminating institutions, but are also, expected to have impact on the surrounding communities, play a role in the national developmental agenda and contribute to industrial innovation.

With a mission to produce cutting edge research for the socio-economic development of Ghana and Africa as a whole, KNUST encourages its faculties and departments to engage in research aimed at addressing practical issues of life. That notwithstanding, it is common knowledge that despite the large amount of research produced relatively little is disseminated and taken up or applied in practice. A chunk of our research evidence has failed to effectively come through the subsequent steps of the knowledge transfer process and so remains unknown to the general public, and thus not utilized, except perhaps to benefit peers and the elite.

The current approach to research goes beyond publications in high impact journals for the benefit of peers and the elite, but rather seeks to address day-to-day challenges faced by ordinary people and goes further to address developmental needs and policy issues. In view of this trend we wish to bring to the attention of our stakeholders some of the innovations arising from research carried out by academics, researchers and research teams of the university. As a first step towards knowledge utilization, research must move from the laboratory into the public domain and this is what the URO seeks to do.


Quality Assurance and Planning Unit (QAPU)

Prof. Eric Woode, Head of QAPU

The Quality Assurance and Planning Unit has a mandate to promote and facilitate Institutional Planning and Quality Assurance policies and processes that will engender decisions and actions aimed at achieving sustainable levels of effectiveness in teaching and learning, research, service to community, and management of the university and its resources.

At the College level, QAPU’s responsibilities include the coordination of activities of the University Colleges, Colleges, Faculties and Departments regarding the preparation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of strategic planning, as well as quality service delivery

in respect of teaching, research, administration and other services in order to ensure the University attains academic and service excellence.

The Unit continues to deliver on its research mandate through regular surveys of lecturers’ research output. QAPU also provides information for researchers through publications on all aspects of university life. Regular research capacity building workshops are organized by the Unit to help boost the university’s overall ranking. Over the past few years the unit has been organizing annual Summer Schools on topical issues for all categories of staff.


International Programmes Office (IPO)

Prof. William Oduro, Dean of IPO

The International Programmes Office (IPO) was established to help bring under a common office all exchange programmes and external relations that the departments had with other institutions in and outside of the country. The major objective was to help in the effective organisation, management and recording of the inflow of benefactor and collaborator institutions and individuals as spelt out in the Statutes of the University.

In order to achieve this goal, the IPO carries out the following duties:

• Establishcollaborationswithinternationalinstitutions in collaboration with the Provosts of Colleges and Deans of Faculties

• RegularlyupdatethedatabaseontheUniversity’scollaborators or partners in respect of international academic programmes and

• Handlemattersinvolvingbothstaffandstudentvisits and exchange programmes.

• IPO also handles all agreements involving the University and its collaborators or partners in respect of external academic programmes in conjunction with the Registrar’s Office.

The IPO solicits research linkages with non African Institutions, African Institutions as well as other Ghanaian Institutions for staff and students.

The International Programmes Office


University Library

K. Agyen - Gyasi, Ag. Head of Library

KNUST Library provides information in electronic and print formats to staff and students mainly to support teaching, learning and research in science and technology for national development. As the library of the maiden university of science and technology in the country, it hosts the 1st Open Access Institutional Repository, KNUST Space in Ghana. This can be accessed through www.knustdspace.edu.gh.

The Library is a Depository Library for all materials published in Ghana and also for international institutions and organisations like the World Bank and other United Nations Agencies. Thus, it is a research library for the general public and a library of last resort for the public in Ashanti and other neighbouring regions in Ghana.

The KNUST Library system is made up of the Main Library and the six College Libraries. The Library contains approximately 290,000 volumes and holds 600 journal titles with over 180 on current subscription to support teaching and research. Collections in the

Library ranges from Archeology to Zoology. These are supplemented by collections in six Colleges and seven Faculty and School Libraries. All the collections in the KNUST Library system can be accessed through the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) which can also be accessed off campus. It offers a wide range of information in searchable online databases and journals, e-books, e-magazines, images, audios and maps free of charge to members of the University community to aid teaching and research.

KNUST Research and Knowledge Commons

As part of KNUST institutional strategies to support research collaboration, the university library has established the KNUST Research and Knowledge Commons for faculty and postgraduate researchers to share knowledge and engage in research dialogue. This dedicated space provides a conducive environment for reading, using online resources, writing and working with minimal distractions.

The Research and Knowledge Commons creates networks across disciplines and Colleges and stimulates dialogue about current developments in science and technology innovation. The Research and Knowledge Commons aims to:

• Strengthenresearchandinnovationnetworks

• Promotebestpracticesinresearchandinnovationmanagement

• CreateKNUST-relevant science and research dialogue

• Stimulatecollaboration,reflectionandjointinitiatives

• ShowcaseKNUST science and research output and impact

• BuildtheKNUST research identity and strategic research agenda


• Nurtureinterdisciplinaryandinter-departmentalconnectedness

• ProvidespaceforPhDstudentsandfacultytoeffectively use the online academic databases the Department subscribes.

The Library also provides the following additional services:

• Internetaccess

• PhotocopyingandscanningServices

• InformationLiteracytraining

• SelectiveDisseminationofInformation(SDI) services

• IFLA/DANIDA Inter Library Loan and Document Delivery (ILL/DD) Services

A section of the Main Library

The E-Resources Centre at the Main Library


The Central Laboratory

Central Laboratory Network

The KNUST Central Laboratory is a shared research facility that brings state-of-the-art equipment to the doorsteps of scientists of varied backgrounds.

It includes the main central laboratory, a Green House and three (3) satellite laboratories at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science, School of Medical Science and Faculty of Agriculture. The expertise and support of the laboratory are available to universities, government and other research organizations. The laboratory is equally open to the pharmaceutical, biotech, agrochemical and chemical industries in Ghana and abroad.

Beyond making available state-of-the-art equipment, user friendly facilities and services, the laboratory enables education, method development and new application developments designed to meet rapidly evolving needs.The NMR Spectroscopy has relevance to the following research disciplines:

Superconducting Fourier NMR Spectrometer Avance III HD 500MHz

• Chemicalresearchanddevelopment:organic,inorganic and physical chemistry

• Biologicalandbiochemicalresearch

• Foodindustry


• Pharmaceuticaldevelopmentandproduction

• Agrochemicaldevelopmentandproduction

• Polymerindustry

Common applications of NMR spectroscopy include:

• Structureelucidation

• Chemicalcompositiondetermination

• Rawmaterialfingerprinting

• QualityAssuranceandQualityControl,etc.

For HPLC and UHPLC applications in the following areas:

A satellite laboratory at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

• ApplicationsofLC/MCinclinicalbiochemistry;Biochemical screening for genetic disorders, Therapeutic drug monitoring and toxicology, vitamins and related metabolites, Steroid hormones

• ApplicationsofLC/MSinforensicsciences:Drugsof abuse, Doping, Biological and Chemical agents and Gunshot residue

• ApplicationsofLC/MSinDrugdevelopment;Proteomics/ metabolomics, pharmacokinetics

Flexar SQ 300MS coupled with an AxION 2 TOF MS

The facility’s expertise and support are open to KNUST researchers and students as well as users from other universities, public research institutes, laboratories and private industries. Students from University of Ghana, University of Cape Coast and University of Development Studies as well as students from other countries including Nigeria request to use these facilities. In addition, external companies and agencies including Goldfields Limited, Environmental Protection Agency, Food and Drugs Board and the Ghana Standard Authority have used this laboratory.


A researcher working with the Gas Chromatograph – Electron Ionization-Mass Spectrometer (GC-EI-MS) at the Central Laboratory

Flow Cytometer Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy

Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatograph (UHPLC-) Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy


Office of Grants and Research

Nadia Tagoe, Grants and Research Manager

The University established the Office of Grants & Research (OGR) in February 2013 under the Office of the Vice Chancellor to facilitate and coordinate grants and research activities and support efforts to advance the conduct of research in the university. The OGR provides research and grant administration support services to faculty, staff and students through facilitating sponsored research, good stewardship, compliance, valuable collaborations and helping build an outstanding global reputation.

The main responsibilities of the Office include:

• SupportingtheimplementationoftheUniversity’sresearch agenda

• BuildingresearchmanagementexpertiseintheUniversity

• Standardizingpolicy,proceduresandpracticesinresearch activities across the institution

• Providingtheneededsupportforresearchersthroughout the research process

• Managingtheinstitutionalresearchfundingprocesses

• Facilitatingaccesstoexternalresearchfundingopportunities

• Maintainingupdatedinstitutionalregistrationwithfunding agencies

• Providingsupporttoproposalwritingeffortsoffaculty

• Providinggrantsmanagementsupportandensuring accountability to funding agencies

• Providingadviceandmonitoringcompliancewith policies and procedures, as well as clarifying administrative and financial regulations and requirements

• Ensuringprotectionoftheuniversity’sinterestsinresearch-related matters

• Providingtrainingonresearchandgrant-relatedcompetencies

• Facilitatingvaluablepartnershipsthatwillenhancethe institution’s research agenda

• Facilitatingdisseminationoftheuniversity’sresearch activities


OGR Personnel

Florence A. Aboh Principal Administrative Assistant

Bernard A. BarnieProject Research Administrator

Hannah Yeboah AppiahProject Administrative Assistant

College Research Office, CoE

Barabara Gyapong-KorsahResearch Manager, CoE

The OGR is made up of a central office and a network of College offices. The Office supports staff and students in the areas of identifying and disseminating funding opportunities, proposal development, grants management and training. The following are highlights of some of its activities.

Initiative on Research Innovation and Management Initiative (iRIM)

KNUST won a grant award of $300,000 under the Initiative on Research and Innovation Management (iRIM) from the Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, USA to facilitate the improvement of research management capacity in the University. This was a supplement of the Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) at the university. This initiative was implemented in collaboration with the University of Michigan and Texas State University from the United States of America and the University of Ibadan from Nigeria. Activities under this award included the establishment of the Office of Grants and Research, development of training modules and materials for researchers and research administrators, training workshops and the development of other research support resources.

Proposal and Grant Management Support

The Office provides support to researchers and research teams from all the Colleges in proposal development and grants management. Research Administrators at the office also review proposals and offer advice on grantsmanship and compliance. The office also processes awards and sub-awards and provides grants management support.

Capacity Building

The Office has provided training for researchers, research administrators and accountants across the university in various research and grant-related topics. These include Proposal Writing, Research Administration and Management, Budgeting, Grant Management, Overview on Pre – and Post-Award Support, Building


Your Research Portfolio and Proposal Writing for Postgraduate Research Funding. The OGR continues to build capacity in the management of research across the university.

Collaborations

The OGR has built a network of collaborating institutions including the University of Michigan and Texas State University in USA, Stellenbosch University in South Africa, University of Botswana and University of Ibadan in Nigeria. The Office has also established a relationship with the Office of Research Innovation and Development (ORID) at the University of Ghana and the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC) at the University of Cape Coast

(UCC). OGR has also hosted other universities including the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria (FUNAAB) and the Garden City University College (GCUC), Kumasi. Officials of GCUC visited the office to explore collaboration opportunities.

Institutional Registration with Major Funding Agencies

The University maintains active registration with major funding agencies to enable the electronic processing of proposals and grants by applicants. KNUST maintains active accounts with the following institutions and systems.

Funding Agency System

National Science Foundation (NSF) NSF Fastlane

USA National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS)

Grants.gov

sam.gov (formerly CCR)

eRA Commons

Wellcome Trust eGrant System

Research Councils UK Joint Electronic Submission (Je-S) system

European Commission Potential Applicant Data Online Registration (PADOR)

European Commission Participant Identification Code (PIC)

Active registrations with major funding agencies


Grants management training for researchers fascilitated by Dr. Eme Owoaje, University of Ibadan

Research training session for postgraduate students


Research Output


Summary of Research Output For 2012/2013 and 2013/2014

College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Refereed Journals

Published Conference Papers

Unpublished Conference Papers

Books Published

Book ChaptersTotal Publications

12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14

Department of Animal Science

20 42 45 5 4 8 - - - - 69 55

Department of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension

30 27 - - 3 12 - 2 - 1 33 42

Department of Fisheries and Watershed Management

8 26 - - 1 - - 1 - - 9 27

Department of Crop and Soil Sciences

31 18 3 - 8 5 - - - - 42 23

Department of Horticulture

13 8 13 1 2 6 - - - - 28 15

Department of Wood Processing and Marketing

- 5 - 5 - 2 - - - - - 12

Department of Wood Science and Technology

3 8 - 2 - - - - - - 3 10

Department of Silviculture and Forest Management

2 2 - - 2 3 1 - 3 - 7 5

Department of Social Forestry

- 3 - 1 - - - - - - - 4

Department of Ecotourism and Forest Recreation

- - - - - 3 - - - - - 3


College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Refereed Journals



Books Published


12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14

Department of Land Reclamation and Rehabilitation

- 1 - - - - - - - - - 1

Department of Agroforestry

5 - 1 - - - - - - - 6 -

Total 112 140 62 14 20 39 1 3 3 1 197 197

College of Architecture and Planning

Refereed Journals



Books Published


12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14

Department of Planning

- 22 - 3 - - - 3 - 15 - 43

Department of Building Technology

24 17 20 19 - 1 2 - - - 44 37

Department of Architecture

9 13 15 12 - - 3 - 1 - 28 25

Department of Land Economy

- 11 - 1 - 6 - - - - - 18

Centre for Settlement Studies

- 8 - 6 - - - - - - - 14

Total 33 71 35 41 - 7 5 3 1 15 72 137


College of Art and Social Sciences

Refereed JournalsPublished Conference Papers


Books Published Book Chapters Total Publications

12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14

Department of Religious Studies

16 23 1 1 17 14 5 7 - 7 39 52

Department of Integrated Rural Art and Industry

5 27 - 6 3 - - - - - 8 33

Department of General Art Studies

10 21 1 - - 6 - - - - 11 27

Department of Geography and Rural Development

19 22 - 3 6 - - - - - 25 25

Department of Information Systems and Decision Sciences

2 17 - 5 - - - 1 - - 2 23

Department of History and Political Studies

5 19 - - 10 - 1 4 6 - 22 23

Department of Accounting and Finance

- 21 - 1 - - - - - - - 22

Department of Economics

9 20 - - 1 - - - - 1 10 21

DepartmentofCommunication Design

5 3 - 13 - - - - - - 5 16

Department of Painting and Sculpture

2 6 - 2 - 6 - - - - 2 14

Department ofModern Languages

2 3 - - 3 9 - - - - 5 12

Centre for Cultural and African Studies

- - - 7 - - - 4 - - - 11

Department of Industrial

16 11 1 - - - - - - - 17 11

Department of Marketing and Corporate Strategy

16 8 1 - 17 - 5 - - - 39 8

Department of Commercial Law

1 2 - - 1 3 - - - - 2 5


Department of Public Law

- 1 - - - - 1 3 - - 1 4

Department of English

- 4 - - - 4

Department of Sociology and Social Work

3 1 - - 5 1 1 - 5 2 14 4

Department of Managerial Science

4 2 - - 5 - - - - 1 9 3

Department of Publishing

- 3 - - - - - - - - - 3

Department of Private Law

1 1 - - - - - - - 1 1 2

Total 116 211 4 42 68 39 13 19 11 12 212 323

College of Engineering

Refereed Journals



Books Published


12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14

Department of Civil Engineering

17 35 4 5 - 5 - - - - 21 45

Department of Agricultural Engineering

- 19 - - - - - - - - - 19

Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

4 14 - - - 1 - 1 - - 4 16

Department of Computer Engineering

10 11 - 4 11 - - - - - 21 15

Department of Geological Engineering

- 13 - - - - - - - - - 13

Technology Consultancy Centre

4 4 - - 13 4 - - - 1 17 9

Department of Mechanical Engineering

2 - 1 - - - 1 - - - 4 -

Department of Geomatic Engineering

11 - 4 - - - 1 - - - 19 -

Total 48 96 9 9 24 10 2 1 - 1 86 117


College of Health Sciences




12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14

Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research

- 48 - - - - - - - - - 48

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

- 17 - 1 - 16 - 1 - 9 - 44

Department of Pharmacology

46 32 - - - - - - - - 46 32

Department of Molecular Medicine

16 26 - - - - - - - 6 16 32

Department of Surgery

19 19 - 5 2 3 - - - 2 21 29

Department of Child Health

10 12 - 4 7 - - - - - 17 16

Department of Medical Laboratory Technology

5 10 - 3 - 3 - - - - 5 16

Department of Pharmaceutics

10 16 - - - - - - - - 10 16

Department of Clinical Microbiology

16 16 - - - - - - - - 16 16

School of Verterinary Medicine

- 11 - 4 - - - - - - - 15

Department of Clinical and Social Pharmacy

3 9 6 - 5 4 - - 1 - 15 13

Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry

1 12 - - - - - - - - 1 12

Department of Herbal Medicine

5 10 3 - - 1 - - - - 8 11

Department of Pharmacognosy

8 10 6 - - - - - - - 14 10

Department of Physiology

3 10 - - - - - - 1 - 4 10

Department of Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat

- 4 - - - - - - - - - 4


Department of Medicine

15 3 - - - - - - 1 - 16 3

Department of Community Dentistry

- 1 - - - 1 - - - - - 2

Department of Nursing

1 1 2 - - - - - - - 3 1

Department of Anatomy

8 - - - 2 - - - - - 10 -

Department of Basic and Diagnostic Oral Sciences

3 - - - - - - - - - 3 -

Department of Community Health

5 - - - - - - - - - 5 -

Total 174 267 17 17 16 28 - 1 3 17 205 330

College of Science




12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14

Department of Physics

13 39 - 14 2 - - - - - 15 53

Department of Mathematics

- 41 - - - - - 2 - - - 43

Department of Chemistry

30 27 4 5 - - 2 - - - 36 32


Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology and Environmental Science

14 29 - 1 - 1 - - 2 - 16 31

Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology

9 13 - 3 9 12 - 1 1 - 19 29

Department of Food Science and Technology

9 13 - - 2 12 - - - - 11 25

Department of Computer Science

- 7 - 3 - 2 - - - - - 12

Department of Optometry and Visual Science

5 5 - - 3 - - - - - 8 5

Total 80 174 4 26 16 27 2 3 3 - 105 230

Aggregate Totals

563 959 131 149 144 150 23 30 21 46 877 1334

OTHER UNITS




12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14

Institute of Distance Learning

3 5 3 - 17 15 3 1 - 9 25 30

Quality Assurance and Planning Unit

5 - - 4 5 - - - - - 10 4

University Library

- 4 - - - - - - - 4 - 4

Overall Aggregate

571 968 134 155 166 165 26 31 21 59 912 1372


A Pie Chart Showing Staff Publications For The Year 2013/2014

Staff Publication Ratio For Colleges (2013/2014)

COLLEGETotal Number of Publications

Total Number of Lecturers

Staff Publication Ratio

Agriculture and Natural Resources 197 80 2.4625

Art and Social Sciences 323 215 1.5023

Architecture and Planning 137 63 2.1746

Engineering 117 125 0.936

Health Sciences 330 175 1.8857

Science 230 135 1.7037

Total 1334 793 1.7775

University Average: 1.7775

Staff Publication Ratio (SPR): Total Number of Publications / Total Number of Lecturers

Source: QAPU


Research Output in the Last Two Years

OTHER INSTITUTIONS

Refereed Journals



Books Published


12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14 12/13 13/14

CANR

CABE

CHSS

COE

CHS

COS

Institute of Distance Learning

3 5 3 - 17 15 3 1 - 9 25 30

Quality Assurance and Planning Unit

5 - - 4 5 - - - - - 10 4

University Library

- 4 - - - - - - - 4 - 4

Overall Aggregate

571 968 134 155 166 165 26 31 21 59 912 1372


A Pie Chart Showing Staff Publications For The Year 2013/2014

Five Year Trend Analysis Of Research Output (2009/2010 to 2013/2014)

2009/2010 2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014

R C T R C T R C T R C T R C T

Agriculture and Natural Resources

16 9 25 41 25 66 110 23 133 112 62 174 144 53 197

Architecture and Planning

14 12 26 28 40 68 60 39 99 33 35 68 89 48 137

Art and Social Sciences

8 13 21 25 37 62 87 16 103 116 4 120 242 81 323

Engineering 13 18 31 42 36 78 55 24 79 48 9 57 98 19 117

Health Sciences

47 22 69 144 49 193 173 37 210 174 17 191 285 45 330

Science 50 73 123 82 17 99 48 39 87 80 4 84 177 53 230

Others

Total 148 147 295 362 204 566 538 184 722 566 134 700 995 146 1334

R: Refereed Journals, Books Published and Book chapters

C: Published and Unpublished Conference Papers

T: Total


Time Series Plot For Research Output (2009/2010 to 2013/2014)


Five Year Trend Analysis Of Research Output (2009/2010 to 2013/2014)

2009/2010 2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014

R C T R C T R C T R C T R C T

Agriculture and Natural Resources

16 9 25 41 25 66 110 23 133 112 62 174 144 53 197

Architecture and Planning

14 12 26 28 40 68 60 39 99 33 35 68 89 48 137

Art and Social Sciences

8 13 21 25 37 62 87 16 103 116 4 120 242 81 323

Engineering 13 18 31 42 36 78 55 24 79 48 9 57 98 19 117

Health Sciences

47 22 69 144 49 193 173 37 210 174 17 191 285 45 330

Science 50 73 123 82 17 99 48 39 87 80 4 84 177 53 230

Total 148 147 295 362 204 566 538 184 722 566 134 700 995 146 1334

R: Refereed Journals, Books Published and Book chapters

C: Published and Unpublished Conference Papers

T: Total

Time Series Plot for Research Output (2009/2010 to 2013/2014)

Note: These outputs represent the collegiate system as at 2014/2015 academic year.


CREDITSEditorial Team

Professor Peter Donkor

Dr. John Anning

Dr. Opoku Amankwah

Vincent A. Ankamah-Lomotey

Nadia Tagoe

Editorial AssistantsBernard A. Barnie

Florence A. Aboh

Barbara Gyapong Korsah

Irene Sakyiwaa-Siaw

Rejoice S. Ametepeh

Hannah Adom Eyison

Layout ConsultantsFrancis K. N. Nunoo

Frank Boadu

Design & Layout TeamBenjamin Prempeh

Percy Quansah

Fletcher Frimpong

Isaac Marfo

PhotographyJean Rivel Fondjo

Oscar Baffoe Bonnie

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & TechnologyPrivate Mail BagUniversity Post O�ceKNUST - KumasiGhana.

Phone: +233 -3220- 60331Fax: +233-3220- 60137Email: [email protected]

© Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, 2015.

knust research report 2015

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