Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) is a public University of Ghana that focuses on science and technology. The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology is the public university established in the country, as well as the largest university in the Kumasi Metropolis and in the Ashanti Region of Ghana .KNUST has its roots in the plans of Agyeman Prempeh I, a ruler of the Ashanti Kingdom, to establish a university in Kumasi as part of his drive towards modernization of his Ashanti kingdom. This plan never came to fruition due to the clash between British empire expansion and the desire for King Prempeh I to preserve his Ashanti kingdom's independence.However, his younger brother and successor, King Asantehene Agyeman Prempeh II, upon ascending to the Golden Stool in 1935, continued with this vision. Events in the Gold Coast in the 1940s played into his hands. First there was the establishment of the University College of the Gold Coast. Secondly, there were the 1948 Accra riots and the consequent Watson Commission report which recommended that a university of sciences be established in Kumasi. Thus, in 1949, the dream of the Prempehs became a reality when building started on what was to be called the Kumasi College of Technology.The Kumasi College of Technology offered admission to its first students to the engineering faculty in 1951 (however, those students started academic work in 1952), and an Act of Parliament gave the university its legal basis as the Kumasi College of Technology in 1952. The nucleus of the college was formed from 200 teacher training students transferred from Achimota College in the Greater Accra Region. The college was affiliated to the University of London. In 1961, the college was granted full university status.The university covers a total land area of 2512.96 acres. The main campus which is about seven square miles in area, is about eight miles (13 km) to the east of Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital.
Our study developed and tested a serial and moderated mediation model of green human resource management (GHRM) using data collected from hotel (Study 1) and restaurant (Study 2) employees. The results from the PROCESS macro suggest that GHRM fosters green voice behavior. As predicted, green job embeddedness (GJE) is a mediator between GHRM and green voice behavior. This is also true for green work engagement (GWENG). GJE and GWENG sequentially mediate the effect of GHRM on green voice behavior. Green self-efficacy strengthens the positive impact of GHRM on both GJE and GWENG in Study 2. However, the empirical data does not corroborate said sequential mediation effect in Study 1. Green self-efficacy strengthens the positive influence of GHRM on green voice behavior via GJE or GWENG in Study 2. Unexpectedly, such moderated mediation effects are not verified in Study 1. The abovementioned paths are novel and augment hospitality research on GHRM.
Urban green spaces (UGSs) in rapidly urbanizing African cities are increasingly threatened by weak governance systems and institutional inefficiencies. This study investigates how formal and informal institutional arrangements shape governance responsibilities, interagency coordination, and UGS management in the Greater Tamale Metropolitan Area, Ghana. Using an institutional theory framework, the research adopted a qualitative case study approach, involving 54 semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and field observations across selected communities: Sagnarigu, Nyohini, Gumbeheni, Taha, and Kukuo. The findings reveal that UGS governance in Tamale operates through a hybrid institutional system in which statutory planning frameworks coexist with customary land tenure systems. Traditional authorities, particularly chiefs, play a significant role in land allocation and initiating planning processes, while state institutions primarily provide regulatory oversight. Although this arrangement creates opportunities for legitimacy and local participation, it also generates ambiguities in authority, weak accountability, and poor coordination among stakeholders. Collaboration tends to be stronger within institutional groupings than between local actors and formal spatial planning institutions. The study further identifies critical institutional constraints, including overlapping mandates, limited public participation, and severe staffing shortages in planning and environmental agencies. Specifically, only one of the required five physical planning officers and one of the four required development control officers were available during the study period. These institutional weaknesses, compounded by rapid urbanization and increasing land-use pressures, contribute significantly to the decline of UGS. The study concludes that strengthening coordination, accountability, participation, and institutional capacity is essential for sustainable and inclusive UGS governance.
Illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) is a vital source of livelihood in Ghana. Its contribution to Ghana's national gold production is significant. However, galamsey is associated with many environmental challenges, posing serious threats to biodiversity and public health. Although extensive research has investigated the environmental impacts of galamsey, the scientific literature on potential remediation strategies remains relatively scarce. This study fills this gap in the literature by synthesising evidence of galamsey-related pollution pathways, pollutant profiles, and remediation techniques, including emerging low-cost and locally driven methods. The study found that galamsey has destroyed several hectares of forests, degraded land resources, caused biodiversity loss, reduced agricultural productivity, and polluted water bodies (including Pra, Birim, Ankobra, Tano, and Offin rivers) and soils, and rendered the air, especially in the mining areas, unsafe. The findings indicate that chemical pollution and high turbidity dominate water bodies in Southern Ghana, while Northern Ghana faces severe soil degradation and heightened desertification risks. This study explores various biological, physical, and chemical remediation techniques that can be applied, with recent advances highlighting phytoremediation and sorption as key approaches widely tested in galamsey-polluted environments over the past decades. To address the interwoven environmental challenges, this review highlights proposals for sustainable small-scale mining and ecological restoration. This paper is expected to advance environmental remediation strategies for addressing the galamsey challenge, in line with measures aligned with the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This study reports the fabrication and characterization of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based composite membranes incorporating activated clay (AC) and magnetite Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) for enhanced water treatment. The membranes were synthesized using a solution casting method and evaluated for structural, morphological, and functional properties using FTIR, ¹H-NMR, SEM-EDX, XRD, and zeta potential analyses. Performance testing involved the removal of methylene blue (MB) dye and divalent ions (Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺), as well as assessments of porosity, pure water flux, fouling resistance, and membrane reusability. Among the various formulations, the PVA/2AC:1Fe₃O₄ membrane demonstrated the highest porosity (84.8
Rapid urbanization across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is intensifying ecological stress and exposing cities to escalating climate risks. Yet, in many SSA cities, the integration of nature-based solutions such as Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) into urban planning frameworks remains limited and poorly understood. This study aimed to address this gap by answering the following research questions: (i) To what extent is BGI integrated into Kumasi’s urban planning frameworks? (ii) What barriers constrain its integration? and (iii) What planning and policy strategies can enhance BGI adoption for a more sustainable and climate-resilient urban future in Kumasi? We employed a mixed-methods approach that integrated document analysis, household surveys, and key informant interviews. We found that despite broad recognition of BGI’s benefits among respondents, planning frameworks rarely incorporated BGI in a substantive way and allocated only a small portion of development budgets to its implementation. Institutional fragmentation, weak inter-agency coordination, limited technical capacity, and complex land governance arrangements were found to hinder meaningful integration of BGI. References to BGI in Kumasi’s urban plans were found to be largely performative, reflecting donor-driven agendas rather than a sustained, locally led policy commitment. Its detailed unpacking of how donor-driven agendas lead to performative rather than substantive BGI integration constitutes the novel contribution. The study advances the argument that BGI should be repositioned within urban planning discourse in SSA cities as a critical component of urban infrastructure, not merely as a secondary or aesthetic addition. Recommendations include cross-sectoral governance platforms, participatory planning approaches, spatial equity indicators, and improved financing mechanisms.
