Welcome to UGSpace
UGSpace is the institutional repository of the University of Ghana. UGSpace is an open access electronic archive for the collection, preservation and distribution of digital materials to:
- facilitate the deposit of digital content of a scholarly or heritage nature
- and ultimately share, preserve and promote the intellectual output of the University in a managed environment.
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- Review books or articles provide a critical and constructive analysis of existing published literature in a field, through summary, analysis, and comparison, often identifying specific gaps or problems and providing recommendations for future research. These are considered as secondary literature since they generally do not present new data from the author's experimental work. Review articles can be of three types, broadly speaking: literature reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses. It also the researcher to stay abreast of new literature in the field.
- Grey literature consists of research and information produced outside conventional publishing channels, such as reports, policy briefs, working papers, and conference materials. It offers valuable insights and data that complement peer-reviewed sources, supporting research, policy, and practice.
- The J. H. Kwabena Nketia Archives preserve Ghanaian and African cultural heritage through music, oral traditions, photographs, and audiovisual collections. Guided by Professor Nketia’s vision that African traditional arts must be collected, preserved, practiced, and continually inspire creative expression, the Archives serve as a living resource for scholarship, teaching, and innovation
Recent Submissions
Item type:Item, Access status: Open Access , Thermal Remote Sensing and ECOSTRESS for Urban Agriculture: A Systematic Review of Cooling Benefits and Water Demand(The International Archives of the Photogrammetry Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, 2025-10-30) Gyan, D.T.; Twumasi, Y.A.; Ning, Z.H.; Dadzie, E.; et al.Urban agriculture (UA) contributes to food security, urban greening, and climate adaptation, yet its microclimatic and hydrological roles remain underexplored in cities worldwide. Thermal remote sensing provides critical insights into surface energy dynamics, evapotranspiration (ET), and localized cooling, with NASA’s ECOSTRESS mission offering unprecedented high-resolution measurements of land surface temperature (LST) and ET. This systematic review examines peer-reviewed studies published for decades that employ thermal remote sensing, with a focus on ECOSTRESS, to evaluate the cooling benefits and water demand of UA. Guided by PRISMA 2020 protocols, we identified and synthesized studies across Web of Science, Scopus, and AGRICOLA. The review classifies findings by geographic region, spatial resolution, crop type, and methodological approach, highlighting advances in modeling ET for irrigation management and quantifying UA’s contribution to mitigating the urban heat island effect. Evidence shows UA can lower localized LST by 1–5°C and that ECOSTRESS-derived ET provides robust estimates for optimizing irrigation. However, gaps remain in validation methods, integration with socio-economic dimensions, and multi-climate assessments. This review highlights the potential of thermal remote sensing, particularly ECOSTRESS, in guiding sustainable UA planning, water governance, and climate-resilient urban design.Item type:Item, Access status: Open Access , Sustainable Circular Value Chains: From Rural Waste To Feasible Urban Construction Materials Solutions(Developments in the Built Environment, 2021-03-17) Dodoo-Arhin, D.; Schmidt, W.; Commeh, M.; Olonade, K.; et al.Urban regions in sub-Saharan Africa are growing significantly more rapid than their also growing rural counterparts. However, the employment perspectives in rural areas are decreasing, and thus the urban growth can become a driver for enhanced livelihoods in the rural areas. Since urbanisation in Africa requires high amount of concrete, the conversion of agricultural waste materials to sustainable concrete constituents does not only create new rural and urban income possibilities, it can also help Africa’s construction industry to spearhead green concrete technologies, and thus to reduce carbon emission worldwide. From vegetable wastes chemical admixtures can be derived as well as reactive mineral cement substitutes, which help to use concrete more efficiently and reduce the ordinary Portland cement clinker in concrete, respectively. The authors of this paper discuss the potentials and shortcomings of using agricultural waste materials for construction materials and propose a synergistic three-step process chain to obtain polysaccharides, biochar, and a reactive ash. The process requires boiling, hydrolysis and vertical shaft kiln technology, respectively, to obtain maximum useable products with minimum generation of climate gases. Eventually, the process chain is discussed in conjunction with possible rural to urban circular economic potentials in the concrete construction business.Item type:Item, Access status: Open Access , Prevalence Of Group B Streptococcus Colonization In Pregnant Women And Serotype Specific Immunity Among Mother-Newborns Dyads In Ghana And Zimbabwe(Vaccine, 2026-04-26) Adjei, I.A.; Manu, A.; Opoku-Mensah, J.; et al.Background: Rectovaginal colonization with Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus; GBS) during preg nancy is a major risk factor for neonatal invasive GBS disease and adverse birth outcomes. We investigated the prevalence of maternal GBS colonization, serotype-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) immunity in mother- newborn dyads, and GBS associated stillbirths in Ghana and Zimbabwe. Methods: A prospective cohort of 1238 pregnant women and their infants was enrolled (2018–2020). Recto- vaginal swabs collected at ≥36 weeks gestation or prior to delivery and chest aspirates from stillbirths were cultured for GBS. Isolates were serotyped using latex agglutination. Maternal and cord blood samples were analysed for GBS serotype-specific IgG using a multiplex bead-based immunoassay. Results: The prevalence of recto-vaginal GBS colonization was 15.6% (68/437) in Ghana and 15.2% (50/329) in Zimbabwe. GBS was detected in 33.3% (3/9) of stillbirths. Dominant colonizing serotypes were Ia (25%), III (32%), and V (27%). Maternal IgG concentrations were significantly higher in Ghana than in Zimbabwe for serotypes Ib (0.11 vs 0.02 μg/mL; p =0.0001), II (0.24 vs 0.06 μg/mL; p =0.0001), and IV (0.03 vs 0.006 μg/mL; p <0.0001). Transplacental IgG transfer ratios ranged from 0.81 to 1.08; highest for serotype II and lowest for Ia. Newborns with IgG above the serological thresholds for risk reduction for serotype Ia and III were 25.6% (Ia) and 38.4% (III) in Ghana; and 34.1% (Ia) and 26.8% (III) in Zimbabwe. Conclusions: The predominant GBS serotypes distribution in Ghana and Zimbabwe aligns with global epidemiological patterns. Despite evidence of natural maternal IgG immunity and efficient transplacental transfer, most newborns lacked protective antibody levels against GBS. A maternal GBS vaccine targeting dominant serotypes may reduce the risk of GBS neonatal invasive disease and GBS-associated stillbirths.Item type:Item, Access status: Open Access , Probabilistic Methane Source Attribution In Greater Accra: A Hierarchical Bayesian Dual-Isotope Approach(Science of the Total Environment, 2026-05-06) Asare, E.A.; Abdul-Wahab, D.Methane is a potent greenhouse gas requiring accurate source apportionment to inform targeted mitigation, particularly in rapidly urbanizing regions where emissions arise from multiple overlapping sectors. This study aimed to quantify the methane source mix in Greater Accra, Ghana, using a hierarchical Bayesian mixing model constrained by methane mole fractions and dual stable isotope signatures (δ 13 C-CH 4 2 and δ H-CH 4 ). Atmospheric methane was characterised using mobile cavity ring-down spectroscopy across 26 localities during March 2023, with observations apportioned among four aggregated source classes: Biogenic, Fossil Gas Leaks, Combustion/ Transport, and Industrial/Enriched. Results were reported as posterior distributions to transparently represent attribution uncertainty. The posterior indicated Fossil Gas Leaks as the dominant contributor, with a mean contribution of 34.2% (95% HDI: 10.5–56.6%) and a 62.9% probability of being the maximal source, followed by Biogenic sources at 26.7% (95% HDI: 11.7–43.5%). Combustion/Transport and Industrial/Enriched showed substantial posterior overlap, reflecting weak separability between these anthropogenic categories. Locality-level classifications revealed high-confidence biogenic attribution at documented landfill sites (Ada West, Adenta, Ga South), while mixed-source localities exhibited lower posterior confidence. Cross-validation with Keeling- derived attributions yielded 62% agreement, with strongest consistency for Biogenic and Fossil Gas Leaks cat egories. This study demonstrates that dual-isotope Bayesian source apportionment can provide actionable, uncertainty-aware guidance for methane mitigation prioritization in data-limited urban environments,Item type:Item, Access status: Open Access , Prioritising Indicators for Large-scale Monitoring and Assessment of Food Environments for Public Health(Current Obesity Reports, 2026-04-22) Vanderlee, L.; Garton, K.; Ahmed, M.; Laar, A.; et al.Purpose of Review: This study aimed to prioritise key indicators for monitoring and assessing the healthiness of food envi ronments, including at the country level. We conducted a literature review and engaged a consortium of researchers from the International Network for Food environments Research, Monitoring and Action Support (INFORMAS) as part of a prioritisation process. Recent Findings: We identified 375 existing indicators that had been used to measure food environments. Researchers were consulted on priorities and implementation considerations through a series of interviews, focus groups and an online survey. Sixteen indicators were short-listed for prioritisation, and five indicators were identified as key priorities: proportion of pack aged food and drinks products classified as unhealthy; frequency of exposure to unhealthy food promotion; price of a healthy diet and the price of the current diet as a proportion of income; proportion of schools in which unhealthy foods are provided or available for sale regularly; and application of back of package and front of package food labelling. Summary: This study lays the groundwork for standardised and scalable food environment monitoring that can drive policy action to support healthier food environments globally. Future areas for inquiry include tools to classify healthy foods and outlets, which could be adapted across policy areas, and the establishment of evidence-informed benchmarks for assessment of each indicator.