Research Fellows at the Centre are members of the following professions institutions: the Ghana Institute of Planning (GIP), Ghana Institute of Surveyors (GIS), Ghana Institute of Architecture (GIA), Ghana Institute of Construction (GIOC) and the Ghana Geographers Association (GGA). The others are the Association of South African Quantity Surveyors (ASAQS) and Chartered Institute of Housing (UK).
CSS has collaborated with both local and international institutions including the World Bank, Department of International Development (DFID), International Water Management Institute (IMWI), GIZ, Institute for Local Government and several Metropolitan, Municipals and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in Ghana.
The Bridge Project
There is an ongoing DAAD SDG partnership which involves four departments in RWTH Aachen University, Germany collaborating with two Departments from KNUST, that is, the Centre for Settlements Studies and the Department of Religious Studies, on Building Resilient Communities through Integrating Climate Adaptation with the Sustainable Development Goals in the University Education and Research (BRIDGE). It is a three-year project which commenced on 1st April, 2023 and expected to end on the 30th March, 2026.
African Urban Research Initiative Network
The CSS is a founding member of the African Urban Research Initiative (AURI), currently a network of 21 progressive academic urban research centres in Africa, seeking to promote of an African Urban Research Advocacy. The objective of the AURI is to develop an African research think tank on urban research in Africa and create an advocacy for African governments to align the urban agenda using cites and urbanisation as an anchor for development in the global south. The Headquarters of the AURI is situated in the African Centre of Cities, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Department of Planning, KNUST
In 2013, the Centre designed and sought approval to run an MPhil programme in Urban Management Studies. Approval was given for the department to run the programme in 2014, in conjunction with the Department of Planning (KNUST). Within the past six years, over 30 candidates have graduated and are in various positions helping to shape Urban Management in Ghana and abroad.
Department of Civil and Geo Engineering, KNUST
Since 2018, the Centre has collaborated with the Department of Civil and Geo Engineering to design an MPhil and PhD programme to train professionals who will be well versed in the research and practice of disaster risk assessment, response and recovery towards an integrated disaster prevention, management and resilience in urban Ghana and beyond. Approval has been given and the MPhil and PhD programme will soon be rolled out.
Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa (NELGA)
In February 2019, CSS in collaboration with NELGA organised the 5-day NELGA scholarship holders meeting and research development workshop (New Year School) for the scholarship programme of DAAD and KNUST. The aim of the workshop was to provide a platform to present and discuss theory, research design, methodological approaches and specific tools in social sciences while also sharpening communication and presentation skills of graduate students.
Drawing on its flood research experience, the Centre is currently providing leadership in collaborating with five West African Universities on a 60, 000 Euro grant under the Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa (NELGA) project, in furthering flood research on infrastructure development in flood plains in the sub-region.
SHEATE Project
Sheathe is a DANIDA-funded research collaboration between Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana and Aarhus University in Denmark. Sheathe focuses on research work relating to xenobiotic substances and heavy metals which serves as a threat to the health, ecosystem and development. The overall objective of the project is to contribute to a more sustainable management of natural resources, both in the extraction of natural resources such as gold, and in the management of soil, water and air through pollution prevention and control. Prof. King supervised 2 out of the 6 PhD candidates for this project.
- Management of Artisanal Small-scale Mining in Ghana: An Assessment of Knowledge, Formalisation and Receptivity to Alternatives, by Rejoice Selorm Wireko-Gyebi
- Local Knowledge and Urban Planning Response to the Health and Environmental Risks of Informal Electronic Waste Recycling in Ghana, by Michael Osei Asibey
Technical University of Munich (TUM)
Prof. Divine Ahadzie is currently the KNUST contact on the flood Induced Malaria Interdisciplinary Initiation Project as part of the KNUST/Technical University of Munich (TUM) Global Incentive Scheme Award. “In this context, a malaria research initiative is being conducted at the TUM Chair of Hydrology and River Basin Management, aiming to build a wider partnership between TUM, KNUST, the University of Tübingen, Stellenbosch University, and the Centre of Medical Research Lambaréné. The goal of the joint project is to develop a mathematical model for the whole life cycle of malaria induced by hydrological events” (KNUST/TUM Partnership Report). Prof. Ahadzie collaborated with Prof. Dr. Jorge Leondro of TUM in co-supervising master’s thesis on flood resilience modelling of Accra. Three master’s thesis have been completed:
- Flood Resilience Modelling of Accra, Ghana’s Transportation Network
- Risks of infection following exposure to floodwater contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms: a case study for cholera in Accra, Ghana.
- Flood Resilience Modelling of Accra, Ghana
Sepe Buokrom Flood CityLab Project
The one-year Flood CityLab Project was initiated in 2017 and was funded by the African Urban Research Initiative (AURI) with support from the Ford Foundation. The aim of the project was to facilitate the co-production of policy-relevant knowledge to reduce flood risks, through the engagement of researchers, government officials and civil society.
The Sepe Buokrom Flood CityLab was coordinated by the Centre for Settlements Studies. The CityLab consisted of data collection through Focus Group Discussions with Men, Women, Children and Opinion Leaders. In addition, two seminars on various issues relating to flooding in Sepe Buokrom and Kumasi were held. The project involved working closely with City officials and community groups to understand the various perspectives of the causes of, and potential solutions to, flooding and how to overcome obstacles to proactive flood risk management.
The project highlighted a Community-based Flood Risk Management agenda, which emphasizes the focal role of the local government elected representatives (Assemblyman) to engender community empowerment and involvement towards building community resilience and adaptation. The outputs of the project include a book chapter entitled ‘Weathering the Storm: reflections on a community-based approach to flood risks management in Kumasi’ published by Routledge in its series on Cities and Development. In addition, there are a further journal articles still in the process of being finalized for publication, and a few more conference presentations are planned. Through these workshops and through the dissemination of the research findings, the project helped broaden the perspectives of key stakeholders and make them more proactive in collaborating with others.
Occupant behaviour on energy consumption for air-conditioners in public institution buildings
Air conditioning contributes immensely to the energy consumption of public institutional buildings. In 2019, a CSS team obtained a grant from the KNUST Research Fund (Kref) to undertake a study in assessing the behaviour of occupants in public institutional buildings which was to serve as project management guidelines to energy saving. The completion of the project led to the award of an MPhil to a student at the Department of Construction Technology and Management as part of capacity building. Five research objectives were set: 1) to ascertain occupants’ perception on the cooling effect of air-conditioners at their workplace; 2) to determine the strength of relationship between switching off air-conditioners and the efficient use of air-conditioners; 3) to determine the strength of positive relationship between window opening and the efficient use of air-conditioners; 4) to determine the strength of positive relationship between the type of clothing worn whether light or heavy and the efficient use of air-conditioners; and 5) to determine the strength of positive relationship between switching on fan(s) as an alternative to air-conditioners and the efficient use of air-conditioners. The output has been published in the Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, published by Emerald. (please see current publications from CSS)
Institutional and Workplace Behaviour on the Use of Air conditioners in Public Buildings in Kumasi
In 2016, with funding from the Energy Commission, CSS conducted an audit of air-conditioner usage in public institutional buildings in the Kumasi Metropolis. Employing a purely quantitative approach, the study sought to ascertain occupants’ perception on the cooling effect of air-conditioners at their workplace; the type of ACs in common use, the policy issues relating to their use in the workplace. The study found that, there was generally no policy-guidelines guiding the use of ACs in public institutions and made recommendations to that effect. The final report has seen been submitted to the Energy Commission of Ghana.
Homelessness in Developing Countries- Department for International Development (DFID)
The Centre for Settlements Studies was engaged by Centre for Architectural Research and Development Overseas (CARDO) at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne to undertake the study, “strategies to combat homelessness”. Funded by DFID, the main aim was to establish the nature and extent of homelessness in developing countries; to formulate workable definitions of homelessness suitable for developing country situations, to identify innovative practice in eradicating homelessness; to disseminate the findings. The Centre for Settlements Studies was subcontracted to gain the understanding of the Ghanaian situation. The major components of the subcontract services included literature review and data collection on the housing supply characteristics, categories of homelessness, number of people involved in homelessness, systematic issues causing homelessness, characteristics of homeless people and response to homelessness.
Ghana Land Administration Project- Rights and Vulnerability Study-Department for International Development (DFID)
Based on the need for improved land administration in Ghana towards eradicating the persisting problems in the sector which hinder land utilisation, DFID undertook the Land Administration Project (LAP) as way for improving land administration in Ghana. As part of the implementation support studies for LAP, the Centre was contracted to undertake a study entitled; “Strengthening of Customary Land Secretariats”. The project assessed land rights arrangements and associated vulnerability in selected sites. The major activities of the project included a rapid baseline survey which provided the systematic patterning and range of rights and claims to land, consequences of different forms of land rights and procedures for allocating rights, in terms of the implications for vulnerability, poverty and livelihoods security. The study also provided baseline data on the access of different social groups to land and the nature of those access rights in terms of implications for vulnerability, poverty and livelihoods security.
Livelihood Impact Study of the Affected Communities in the Bui Dam Catchment- International Water Management Institute (IMWI)
This project was part of the preparations towards the implementation of the Bui Hydro Dam construction. To assess the project impact, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) sought to undertake an Environmental Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) of the project. The socio-economic study component of the Bui ESIA quantified the livelihoods of the communities that were affected by the construction of the Bui Dam to develop measures to minimize their loss. Although the Bui Power Authority (BPA) commissioned an earlier study covering three communities with urgent attention, a more comprehensive analysis to evaluate the changes that had taken place after the earlier study was warranted and including completely newly resettled communities. The immediate expected output was a framework to champion the livelihood aspirations of the resettled communities. The Centre for Settlements Studies was commissioned to undertake this study of which the objectives and expectations included:
- Establishing a retrospective baseline which would allow longitudinal monitoring of changes in livelihoods and a post-construction livelihood impact assessment of the Bui Dam.
- Engaging tentative changes to livelihoods in those communities which have already been resettled
- Characterizing the livelihood aspirations of the communities that have been or would be resettled, and
- Recommending ways in which these can be further buttressed through a livelihood’s enhancement programme or its equivalent.
World Bank Urban Flood Risk Management Handbook for Developing Countries
Based on earlier works done on flood risk management, GHK Consulting (UK), an urban development consultant in the UK extended an invitation to the CSS to participate and facilitate an African Regional Workshop on the World Bank’s Urban Flood Risk Management Handbook project for Developing Countries. The Workshop was held in Accra, Ghana in May 2011. Prof. Divine Ahadzie and Prof. Romanus Dinye, presented papers at this workshop.
The final version of the Handbook is now published and can be found on https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/.../667990PUB0Box30d0Flooding0Guidebook.p.