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United Nations Development Progra

ASSESSMENT OF DEVELOPMENT RESULTSE V A L U A T I O N O F U N D P C O N T R I B U T I O NGHANA

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ASSESSMENT OF DEVELOPMENT RESULTS: GHANA

Copyright UNDP 2011, all rights reserved.Manufactured in the United States of America.

The analysis and recommendations of this report do not necessarily reflect the views ofthe United Nations Development Programme, its Executive Board or the United NationsMember States. This is an independent publication by UNDP Evaluation Office.

Cover photos provided by UNDP Ghana and the ADR team.

Copy editing: Sanjay Upadhya

REPORTS PUBLISHED UNDER THE ADR SERIES

Afghanistan

Argentina

Bangladesh

Barbados and OECS

Benin

Bhutan

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Botswana

Bulgaria

Burkina Faso

Cambodia

Chile

China

Colombia

Republic of the Congo

Ecuador

El Salvador

Egypt

Ethiopia

Georgia

Guatemala

Guyana

Honduras

India

Indonesia

Jamaica

Jordan

Lao PDR

Maldives

Mongolia

Montenegro

Mozambique

Nicaragua

Nigeria

Peru

Philippines

Rwanda

Senegal

Serbia

Seychelles

Somalia

Sudan

Syrian Arab Republic

Tajikistan

Turkey

Uganda

Ukraine

Uzbekistan

Viet Nam

Yemen

Zambia

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A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S

This evaluation was carried out by a team of

independent evaluators: Angela Bester (teamleader), Jorgen Estrup (team specialist) andPatience Agyare-Kwabi (team specialist). Noha

Aboueldahab carried out research in the incep-tion and desk review phases. The EvaluationOffice task managers, Fabrizio Felloni and AzusaKubota, managed and oversaw the evaluationprocess, as members of the team. The EvaluationOffice is grateful to all of them for their valuablecontribution and particularly to Angela Bester forthe leadership she demonstrated in ably guiding

the evaluation team through design, data collec-tion, data analysis and reporting.

The Evaluation Office received excellent collab-oration from national partners throughout theevaluation process. During the scoping missionof the evaluation, a national reference group,representing the Government of Ghana and civilsociety was established. The reference groupmembers provided valuable inputs and enhancedthe quality of the evaluation by commenting onthe terms of reference, preparing a policy brief on

national development strategies used as an inputto the ADR, nominating an external reviewerfor the ADR, and commenting on the draftevaluation report. The Evaluation Office

would like to express its deep gratitude to themembers of the reference group: Mary-Anne

Addo (Director, External Resource Mobilization,Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning),

J. Tony Aidoo (Head, Policy and EconomicOversight Unit, Office of the Presidency),Samuel Zan Akologo (Country Director,

Send-Ghana), Herbert Antor (Principal RuralPlanning Officer, Ministry of Local Governmentand Rural Development), George L. Cann (Adviserto the Director-General, National DevelopmentPlanning Commission), Sylvester Gyamfie (Headof Unit, Ghana Statistical Services), AlhassanIddrisu (Acting Director, Economic PlanningDivision, Ministry of Finance and Economic

Planning), Robert Ossei (Institute of Statistical

Social and Economic Research, University ofGhana), and Stella Dede Williams (Head ofUnited Nations Unit, Ministry of Finance andEconomic Planning). In particular, we wouldlike to thank Mary-Anne Addo for guiding the

work of the reference group as chairperson andStella Dede Williams for providing excellentsecretariat support. The evaluation also benefitedgreatly from the guidance and advice providedby the external reviewer, Dzodzi Tsikata, SeniorResearch Fellow, Institute of Statistical, Socialand Economic Research, University of Ghana.

Our sincere gratitude is extended to stake-holders and partners of UNDP Ghana, includingmembers of the government, civil society,international development community, the UNfamily and members of the communities thatthe ADR team visited during the course of theevaluation. Special thanks go to partners whoparticipated in the end-of-mission briefing work-shop and the final stakeholder workshop heldin Accra. The Evaluation Office was particu-

larly pleased and proud that the final workshopwas co-hosted by the Ministry of Finance andEconomic Planning under the chairpersonshipof Effie Simpson-Ekuban, Chief Director of theMinistry of Finance and Economic Planning.

The evaluation would not have been pos-sible without the commitment and leadershipdemonstrated by UNDP Ghana seniormanagement: Daouda Tour and Ruby Sandhu-Rojon (Resident Coordinator and UNDP

Resident Representative), Kamil K Kamaluddeen(Country Director), Shigeki Komatsubara(Deputy Country Director - Programmes) andDenise Findley (Deputy Country Director -Operations). All programme and project staffin Accra and the field provided the ADR team

with invaluable support. The Evaluation Officewould like to also thank Louis Kuukpen and

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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Emmanuel Oduro-Boakye, who played a criticalrole as the ADR focal persons throughout theevaluation process. We would also like to thankthe UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa, inparticular, Tegegnework Gettu, Priya Gajraj,Suppiramaniam Nanthikesan and Patrick

Haverman, for their valuable support andcontribution to the ADR process.

The quality enhancement and administra-tive support provided by Evaluation Officecolleagues is critical to the successful conduct of allevaluations. As part of the quality enhancementprocess, Urs Nagel and Oscar Garcia reviewedthe inception report, as well as the draft evalua-tion report. Concepcion Cole and Thuy Hang

To provided valuable management and adminis-trative support to the evaluation process. AnishPradhan and Marina Blinova assisted in theediting and publication process with the help ofan external editor, Sanjay Upadhya.

It is our hope that this evaluation will helpUNDP further leverage their strategicpartnership with the Government of Ghana, asUNDP advances with its transformation processto become an ever more relevant and valuablepartner to the country.

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F O R E W O R D

This is the report of an independent country-

level evaluation called the Assessment ofDevelopment Results (ADR) in Ghana, con-ducted by the Evaluation Office of the UnitedNations Development Programme (UNDP).

This evaluation examined the relevance andstrategic positioning of UNDP support andits contributions to the countrys developmentresults from 2002 to 2010. It assessed UNDPsinterventions under the programme areas ofgovernance, poverty reduction and MillenniumDevelopment Goals achievement, and

environment and energy.

UNDP programmes in Ghana have beencharacterized by UNDPs long-standing part-nership with the Government of Ghana. Theevaluation illustrated how this positive relation-ship, based on shared goals and mutual trust,facilitated UNDPs privileged position andhow this favourable positioning became, overthe years, a major asset for UNDP programme.UNDP succeeded in targeting Ghanas majorchallenges, as the country strived towards thenational aspirations of wealth creation andpoverty reduction. Partners appreciatedUNDPs deliberate efforts to focus on mar-ginalized communities, vulnerable groups, anddeprived areas of Ghana, since these efforts ledto enhanced awareness and political action infavour of decentralization and inclusive growth.UNDP retained its relevance in relation tonational needs and priorities by being responsiveto changes in the political, economic and socialcontext. Notable examples of UNDPs respon-

siveness include, directing support to relevantinstitutions to ensure free and fair elections,supporting establishment of new institutionssuch as the Savannah Development Agency tofocus on the poorer north, and responding tonatural disasters. The evaluation also showedthat the UNDP programme has been effectiveboth at the policy and community level.

The evaluation found, however, that UNDPs

much-appreciated responsiveness resulted inits interventions becoming more vulnerable tochanges in political priorities. There is a riskthat UNDP becomes reactive and less strategic.Further, the evaluation highlighted the import-ance of partnership beyond the government:UNDP did not sufficiently engage non-governmental organizations or the privatesector to ensure broad national ownership ofthe development agenda. The evaluation alsodrew attention to challenges that are related

to sustainability across UNDP programmes,particularly evident in community-based inter-ventions. The absence, thus far, of a strongmarket-orientation in community-basedinterventions seriously hinders the prospectfor sustainability.

The evaluation concluded that, while UNDPGhana has been recognized for its substan-tive capacity and positive contribution toGhanas development agenda, its inefficient andineffective business processes and operationalconstraints may undermine the organizationsability to deliver. As Ghana prepares for atransition to middle-income status, UNDPneeds to bolster its advisory capacity andalign its portfolio with the realities of thedynamic environment in Ghana, particularly inthe areas of local economic development andfostering private-public sector partnerships fordevelopment. Such efforts must be coupled

with the strengthening of organizationalefficiency. UNDP Ghana has already embarked

on a number of initiatives to reinforce internalcapacity, both substantive and administrative,and the evaluation strongly endorsed thesenotable efforts.

This ADR generated a number of importantlessons. The findings and recommendations ofthis evaluation reminded UNDP of the need

FOREWORD

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to consistently link lessons from the com-munity-level work with the policy-level advisory

work, establish strong partnerships with andbeyond the government for the ownership ofdevelopment results, and continuously improveboth substantive and administrative capacity

of the organization. The Evaluation Officesincerely hopes that this evaluation will supportongoing and future efforts by UNDP in Ghana,and by corporate UNDP at large, as theycontinue to walk alongside the Government ofGhana and national partners on their journeytowards wealth creation and the achievement ofever-higher levels of human development forthe people of Ghana.

Saraswathi MenonDirector, UNDP Evaluation Office

F O R E W O R D

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C O N T E N T S

CONTENTS

Acronyms and Abbreviations ix

Executive Summary xi

Chapter 1. Introduction 1

1.1 Objectives, Scope and Methodology 1

Chapter 2. National Development Context 5

2.1 Country Context and Development Challengest 52.2 National Development Strategies 102.3 International Cooperation in Ghana 132.4 Development Issues at the Regional Level 15

Chapter 3. UNDP Response and Strategies 17

3.1 UNDPs Strategy and Coordination with the United Nations System 173.2 UNDPs Programmes and Office Organization 18

Chapter 4. Contribution of UNDP to Development Results 27

4.1 Fostering Democratic Governance 274.2 Achieving the MDGs and Reducing Human Poverty 354.3 Energy and Environment for Sustainable Development 444.4 Efficiency of UNDP Ghana Country Office 484.5 Sustainability 49

4.6 Strategic Relevance and Responsiveness 504.7 Exploiting Comparative Strengths 514.8 Promoting United Nations Values 52

Chapter 5. Conclusions and Recommendations 57

5.1 Conclusions 575.2 Recommendations 60

Annexes

Annex 1. Terms of Reference 63Annex 2. Tables and Figures on Ghana 75

Annex 3. Ghana Assessment of Development Results Interview Protocol 79Annex 4. Ghana CPD 20062010 Outcome Mapping 85Annex 5. People Consulted 87Annex 6. Documents Consulted 95

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Boxes

Box 1. Summary of Findings on UNDP Country Office 25Box 2. Examples of Gender Mainstreaming in UNDP Programme Ghana 54Box 3. Summary of the Main Findings in Chapter 4 56

Tables

Table 1. Evaluation Criteria 1Table 2. Evaluation of Effectiveness 3Table 3. An Overview of Data and Information Collection Techniques 4Table 4. Ghanas Key Economic Indicators 20002008 8Table 5. Ghana Human Development Index 2000 and 2007 9Table 6. Ghanas Progress Towards the MDGs 10Table 7. Ghanas Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategies 19942009 11Table 8. UNDP Ghana Planning Instruments 18Table 9. UNDP Ghana Human Resources by Area 19Table 10. UNDP Ghana Annual Work Plans 20062010 20Table 11. UNDP Development Projects by Thematic Area 21Table 12. UNDP Ghana Execution and Management Expenditures 23Table 13. External Funds Mobilized by UNDP Ghana 23Table 14. Outcome 6: Access to Justice and Human Rights 30Table 15. Outcome 10: Conflict Prevention and Small Arms Control 32Table 16. Outcome 7: Enhancing Representation and Participation

in Decentralized Governance 34Table 17. Information and Communication Technologies for Development 35Table 18. Outcome 4: Wealth Creation and Sustainable Livelihoods 39Table 19. Outcome 5: Private Sector Competitiveness 41Table 20. Outcomes 2 and 3: Achieving the MDGs - National Planning Frameworks

and the Millennium Development Goals 42Table 21. Outcome 1: Improved Statistics and M&E Systems 44

Table 22. Outcome 8: Environmental Regulatory Framework 45Table 23. Outcome 10: Conflict Prevention and Disaster Risk Reduction 46Table 24. Outcome 9: Access to Sustainable Energy Sources for Poor People 47Table A1. Key Thematic Areas and Expected Results of UNDP 20062010 65Table A2. Overview of Data and Information Collection Techniques 68Table A3. Tentative Time-frame for the Evaluation Process 72Table A4. Selected Sample of Projects for ADR Review 73Table A5. Trends in Poverty Reduction Expenditure 20062009 76Table A6. Progress with Achievement of Millennium Development Goals 77

Figures

Figure 1. Project Portfolio Per Programme Period and Mode of Execution 21Figure 2. Distribution of Total Programme Expenses by UNDP Thematic Area 20062009 22Figure A1. Simplified Scheme of UNDP Results Chains 69Figure A2. Ghana Macro-Economic Trends 19902008 75Figure A3. Release of Resources for GPRS II 20072008 75Figure A4. Government Poverty Reduction Expenditure 2009 76Figure A5. Net Overseas Development Aid Disbursements to Ghana 19902008 78

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ADR Assessment of Development Results

APRM African Peer Review MechanismAWP Annual Work PlanCCF Country Cooperation FrameworkCCP Cadbury Cocoa PartnershipCEPA Centre for Policy AnalysisCHRAJ Commission on Human Rights and Administrative JusticeCMC Community Mediation CentreCPAP Country Programme Action PlanCPD Country Programme DocumentCSO Civil society organizationDFID Department for International Development (UK)ECOWAS Economic Community of West African StatesEPA Environmental Protection AgencyEPRAP Energy for Poverty Reduction PlanERC Evaluation Resource CentreERMP Environmental Resource Management ProjectFAO Food and Agriculture OrganizationGAPVOD Ghana Association of Private Voluntary Organizations in DevelopmentGDP Gross Domestic ProductGECCA Ghana Environmental Conventions Coordinating AuthorityGEF Global Environment FacilityGHAMFIN Ghana Microfinance Institutions NetworkGIF Governance Issues Forum

G-JAS Ghana Joint Assistance StrategyGLSS Ghana Living Standards SurveyGNACSA Ghana National Commission on Small ArmsGNI Gross National IncomeGoG Government of GhanaGPRS I Ghana Poverty Reduction StrategyGPRS II Growth and Poverty Reduction StrategyHDR Human Development ReportICT Information and Communication TechnologyISSER Institute of Statistical Social and Economic ResearchLED Local economic development

M&E Monitoring and EvaluationMDBS Multi-Donor Budget SupportMDG Millennium Development GoalMLRD Ministry of Local Government and Rural DevelopmentMoFEP Ministry of Finance and Economic PlanningMoJAG Ministry of Justice and Attorney GeneralMoWAC Ministry of Women and Childrens AffairsMSME Medium, Small and Micro Enterprise

ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

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NADMO National Disaster Management OrganizationNCCE National Commission for Civic EducationNDPC National Development Planning CommissionNEPAD New Partnership for Africas DevelopmentNGO Non-governmental organizationNSDI Northern Savannah Development Initiative

ODA Official Development AssistanceODI Overseas Development InstitutePEF Private Enterprise FoundationSADA Savannah Accelerated Development AuthoritySLAM Sustainable Land ManagementSNEP Strategic National Energy PlanSRLP Sustainable Rural Livelihoods ProjectUNAIDS Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDSUNCDF United Nations Capital Development FundUNDAF United Nations Development Assistance FrameworkUNDP United Nations Development ProgrammeUNFPA United Nations Population FundUNICEF United Nations Children's FundUNIDO United Nations Industrial Development OrganizationUNIFEM United Nations Development Fund for WomenUNU United Nations UniversityUNV United Nations Volunteers

WFP World Food ProgrammeWHO World Health Organization

A C R O N Y M S A N D A B B R E V I A T I O N S

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INTRODUCTION

Assessments of Development Results (ADRs)provide an independent evaluation of thecontribution of UNDP to development results incountries where it operates. The purpose of the

ADR is to report on and to learn lessons from theUNDP strategy and operations in the countrybased on the evidence collected and for program-ming future activities.

The objectives of this ADR are: (i) to identifyprogress made towards the anticipated develop-

ment results of the documents of the past twoUNDP programming cycles; (ii) to analyse howUNDP in Ghana added value to the countrysefforts to promote its development; (iii) to presentconclusions and lessons learned with a view to theorganizations future positioning in Ghana.

The ADR covers the period 20022010, thusincluding the two approved UNDP programmecycles 20022005 and 20062010 (extended to2011). It will provide input into the next UNDP

strategic document for Ghana. It looks at develop-ment results at two levels: (i) by thematic area and(ii) by assessing UNDPs strategic position. Withinthe thematic area analysis, the following criteriahave been considered: thematic relevance, effect-iveness, efficiency and sustainability. In the case ofthe strategic position, the following criteria havebeen applied: strategic relevance and responsive-ness; UNDPs use of networks; and comparativestrengths and promotion of United Nations valuesfrom a human development perspective.

In order to carry out the evaluation, threemissions were conducted: a preparatory mis-sion (February 2009); a scoping mission (early

February 2010); and the main mission in March

2010.1

The ADR was structured to engage thegovernment more actively in the evaluation.

The Government of Ghana (GoG) establisheda National Reference Group chaired by theMinistry of Finance and Economic Planningand comprising senior representation from keycentral government departments as well as a civilsociety organization. The Reference Group com-mented on the Terms of Reference for the ADR,provided inputs at critical stages of the evaluationprocess and nominated an external independent

reviewer.2

At the end of the main mission, UNDP Ghanacountry office received feedback and preliminaryfindings were shared with the country office andstakeholders. The main report drew on the com-ments of the UNDP country office, the RegionalBureau for Africa (RBA) and the NationalReference Group. A final stakeholders' workshop

was organized on 2 December 2010 in Accraand the report was then finalized by UNDPEvaluation Office in December 2010.

UNDP IN GHANA

Over the two programme cycles evaluated inthis ADR, UNDP in Ghana has overall consist-ently grounded its programmes in the nationalpriorities of the country. These national pri-orities are reflected in the Ghana PovertyReduction Strategy (GPRS I) 20032005 andthe Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy(GPRS II) 20062009, with the overarching goalof achieving middle-income status by 2015. Thecontent of UNDP programmes has remainedconsistent over the two programme cycles, with

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1 The ADR had to be postponed from 2009 to 2010, following the extension of the UNDP country programme.2 Dr. Dzodzi Tsikata, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research, University of

Ghana.

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some small shifts in emphasis. In the 20062010 programme, there is greater emphasis onsupporting upstream policy and planning andan attempt to connect this with downstreamprojects. Programme expenditure of UNDPhas increased since 2004, alongside an increase

in execution rates, thus indicating improve-ments in efficiencies of the programme. UNDPGhana has streamlined some of its business andplanning processes, but deferred implementationof substantive proposals of its transformationplan.3 Some of the momentum for change hasbeen lost and there are matters that requireurgent attention. Notable among these are the

weak M&E, weak knowledge management,and gaps in communication with the broaderstakeholder groups outside the government.

THEMATIC RELEVANCE

Overall, the objectives of UNDP interventionshave been relevant to the needs of the organ-izations it has supported, and to the needs ofthe ultimate beneficiaries in the communities.Strengthening existing institutions and supportto the establishment of new institutions hasbeen relevant in the context of strengtheningdemocratic governance in Ghana as an important

pillar for growth and prosperity in the country.In the area of poverty reduction, the objective ofbuilding social and economic capacity in com-munities and districts, reaching out to the most

vulnerable and deprived, is relevant and in linewith the drive for decentralization, agriculturaldevelopment and poverty reduction objectives ofGPRS I and II. Institutional capacity in the gov-ernment environmental and energy agencies ofGhana has historically been weak and UNDPsinterventions to strengthen these capacities aremost relevant. While project design is broadlycompliant with good practice, there are somegaps in UNDPs approach. Insufficient use is

made of studies to complement the CommonCountry Assessment (CCA), when designingprogrammes or projects.

EFFECTIVENESS

The UNDP programme is effective and makinga good contribution to development results inGhana. UNDP has managed to retain its rel-evance to national needs and priorities and hasbeen responsive to changes in the political, eco-nomic and social context over the two programmecycles. UNDP can demonstrate achievements in asignificant number of its programmes.

In the area of governance, UNDP has strengthenedimportant institutions for democratic governance,

for example, the Electoral Commission. It has alsohelped to establish new institutions for conflictprevention, namely, the National Peace Counciland Regional Peace Advisory Councils, and theGhana National Commission on Small Arms.

These institutions have played an important rolein the successful Presidential and Parliamentaryelections held in 2008 and UNDPs contributionto the success of the elections is widely acknow-ledged. Improving access to justice for poor peoplehas proven to be more challenging and UNDPs

success here is moderate. Its support has certainlystrengthened institutions in the justice sector andhas been instrumental in the establishment of ahigh-level forum in the government to addressthe challenges in the justice sector. The challengesin the justice sector are significant and requiresubstantial resources. Collaboration betweenthe government, development partners and civilsociety are essential in addressing these challenges.

In the area of poverty reduction and the MDGs,UNDP has had notable success in some projects,and less in others. UNDP support for community-based interventions has resulted in improvements

3 In order to embark on a transformation process that would reposition UNDP Ghana as a provider of high-quality tech-nical expertise and advice in support of strengthening national capacities for sustainable human development, a trans-formation plan was developed in 2009. It proposed changes to the structure of the country office and the reengineeringof business processes.

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in lives of poor people, especially women in thepoorest regions of Ghana. There is evidence ofenhancement of basic human and social capitalof community beneficiaries in the sustainablerural livelihoods projects and in the MillenniumVillages Project. A striking achievement in the

Bonsaaso Cluster of the Millennium VillagesProject is the zero rate of maternal mortalityand large increases in health facility deliveries.Community-based interventions have a strongemphasis on building human and social capital,and insufficient emphasis on economic aspects,such as access to microcredit and markets, thuslimiting the potential impact of initiatives. Also,community members are empowered and capableof mobilizing themselves into action, but this isnot matched by an equally strong advocacy ontheir behalf by officials in local government.

UNDP support to microfinance institutions hascreated a market for microfinance and increasedearnings of microbusinesses. Gains from UNDPsupport to private sector advocacy, however, havebeen modest.

Developing capacity at central government levelfor pro-poor planning and budgeting, M&E,and statistical capacity are beginning to showpositive results, though there still is some way

to go. Human Development Reports (HDRs)are good vehicles for advocacy and are seen asan important source of information for policy.

The contents and quality of the District HDRsalready published raise doubts, however, aboutthe value of future publications in view ofUNDPs limited resources.

UNDP is a significant partner in environmentaland energy issues, and its support has contrib-uted to establishing national policy frameworks

that will assist Ghana in its efforts to promoteenvironmental sustainability within the con-text of climate change. Support to the Ghana

Environmental Conventions CoordinatingAuthority (GECCA) has assisted the govern-ment to coordinate its efforts with regard toimportant protocols including the United NationsFramework Convention on Climate Change andthe Kyoto Protocol, as well as the Convention

on International Trade in Endangered Species.UNDP support has also contributed to thestrengthening national capacity for disaster risk,and its effective response to the national emer-gency following the floods of 20072008 isnoteworthy. There are also signs of success inpilot projects on improving poor peoples accessto sustainable energy. Pilot projects in sustainableland management, however, are not anchoredinstitutionally and hence there is limited supportfrom the government to scale these up.

PROGRAMME EFFICIENCY

While UNDP Ghana has made efforts toimprove its efficiency, its programme efficiencyis not at the level required to achieve its vision ofbeing a knowledge-based development partnerthat provides high-quality advice and effectivetechnical support. For most of the 20062010programme cycles, Annual Work Plans (AWP)4

were approved in the second quarter of the

financial year, thus leaving between six and ninemonths for implementation. The amalgama-tion of AWPs, partly in response to corporatetrends, has reduced the delays, but has notnecessarily improved the quality of planning inthe absence of detailed programme documents.UNDP Ghana has made a concerted effort toreduce the number of small projects and this hasnot been easy in a climate of limited resources.In trying to be responsive to new requests fromthe government, UNDP continues to run the

risk of spreading its resources too thinly. Someprogramme inefficiencies stem from limited syn-ergies between interventions.

4 Annual Work Plans set out the activities and budgets for a collection of related projects and serve as the basis foragrement between UNDP and the implementing partner (in most instances, the Government of Ghana).

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SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability is a challenge across UNDPGhanas programme portfolio, though it playsitself out slightly differently in the various the-matic areas and across different types of projects.

Although all AWPs contain details of threats to

sustainability, the risk-mitigation strategies areseldom in place or followed consistently. Explicitexit strategies are the exception rather than therule.

The governance portfolio deals with issues of apolitical nature and the sustainability of UNDPinterventions are to a large extent dependentupon political will to drive reforms and cooper-ation among national institutions, as well ason a willingness to commit requisite human

and financial resources. Initiatives such as theNational Peace Architecture and CommunityMediation Centres require legislation to enablethem to appropriate sustainable funding from thegovernment.

Sustainability problems are inherent in com-munity-based interventions. Communities mustown new initiatives and this takes time. Weaklocal governance and local government cap-acity compound the sustainability challenges in

community-based interventions, such as thoseseen in northern Ghana. The absence so far of astrong market orientation of community-basedinterventions seriously limits the prospect forsustainability.

Prospects for sustainability are enhanced wherethere is strong government ownership, suchas the Multi-Media Incubator Centre and theCommunity Information Centres projects.Sustainability considerations were built into thedesign of the projects and the government hasbeen the main funder and driver. By contrast,government ownership of the sustainable landmanagement projects is weak given that pri-mary funding and programme implementationremain outside the government and there are noclear plans for their integration into governmentprogrammes.

STRATEGIC POSITION

In terms of strategic relevance and responsive-ness, the ADR found that UNDPs programmeover the two cycles evaluated has been responsiveto the national priorities of Ghana at the broadlevel. UNDP has also been responsive to changes

in the national context and emergencies, forexample, directing support to relevant institutionsto ensure peaceful elections, supporting establish-ment of new institutions such as the SavannahDevelopment Agency to focus on the poorernorth, and responding to natural disasters suchas the floods. Many government and non-gov-ernment partners experience UNDP as a flexiblepartner and this is laudable. However, there is arisk that UNDP reacts to ad hoc demands andthat strategic issues are deferred.

UNDP is less agile in responding to strategic shiftsor emerging issues. For example, its programmefor 20062010 does not adequately reflect theshift in the governments emphasis to growth inthe GPRS II. UNDP poverty reduction interven-tions remain rooted in a poverty paradigm ratherthan a growth paradigm. UNDP is in the processof fully articulating its response to the oil and gasissue. It has commissioned a HDR for the WesternRegion where oil has been discovered and will use

this as the basis for its response. A well-consideredapproach to such an important issue is commend-able, but timing is also important. The pace at

which UNDP is developing its response could beaccelerated without compromising on the quality,relevance and integrity of the response.

UNDP Ghana has a comparative strength indeveloping catalytic and innovative interventions

with limited financial resources. Its challenge is tomake the benefits of these interventions sustain-able. UNDP officials are valued for their technicalexpertise. In the area of governance, UNDPsnon-partisan role in politically sensitive issues hasearned respect for the organization. There areareas of comparative strength that are relativelyunderexploited. For example, UNDPs collabora-tion with the rest of the United Nations system isgood but there are missed opportunities such as

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in the Access to Justice programme. Facilitationof South-South cooperation by UNDP has beengood and the organization has provided elec-tronic support to the government for ratificationand domestication of the Economic Communityof West African States protocols. Government

partners believe that UNDP could do more infacilitating South-South cooperation.

Promoting United Nations values has beenprominent in UNDP Ghanas programmes andactivities. UNDP has provided extensive supportto Ghanas efforts to achieve the MDGs, throughadvocacy work and through strengthening cen-tral bodies such as the National DevelopmentPlanning Commission and Ghana StatisticalServices. UNDP Ghana has maintained the

empowerment of women and gender equity as anotably high priority in its programming, espe-cially in the governance thematic area. The veryevident programming and support to achievegender equity is something that deserves highpraise for the country office. UNDPs program-ming has focused explicitly on poor people anddisadvantaged groups, especially those living inthe poorer regions of the country. In promotingaccess to human rights, UNDP has focused on

vulnerable groups such as women and children.Importantly, UNDP has paid attention to mar-

ginalized groups, namely, prisoners. However,there is a gap in targeting other marginalizedgroups such as people with disabilities.

The assessment of UNDP as a partner forpolicy dialogue is unambiguously positive withrepresentatives of the government, whetherfrom the present or previous administration.UNDP has the position of trusted adviser anda highly esteemed partner not rivalled by anyother multilateral organization. UNDP has not

leveraged this privileged position sufficiently tobuild national ownership of the developmentagenda with a broader range of stakeholders.For a number of years UNDP provided sup-port to develop capacity of civil society to engagethe government on substantive policy issues andfunded innovations such as the GovernanceIssues Forums. However, the nature of UNDPs

engagement with civil society over the past twoyears has changed. Some civil society organiza-tions perceive a reluctance by UNDP to engagein substantive policy dialogue. It has been a chal-lenge for UNDP to engage with a civil societysector as there are major internal issues within

the umbrella organization. UNDP has begunto build strategic partnerships with the privatesector and this area of the organizations workholds promise. UNDPs engagement with otherdevelopment partners is mostly on programmaticissues and there is limited dialogue on substan-tive policy issues.

CONCLUSIONS

The objective of this evaluation is to analyse how

UNDP positioned itself in Ghana to add value tothe countrys development efforts, and to identifyprogress towards development. The evaluationarrives at the following conclusions:

Conclusion 1: UNDP has made a substantialcontribution towards Ghanas development. Itis regarded by both past and present governmentadministrations as a highly valuable develop-ment partner, willing to walk alongside thegovernment to achieve Ghanas developmentambitions. UNDP has engaged significantly atthe policy advisory and community level, butthere are gaps with local governments.

UNDP interventions throughout the program-ming periods targeted the major challengesof the national agenda of wealth creation andpoverty reduction. The concentration on prob-lems of marginalized communities, gender,

vulnerable groups and deprived areas of Ghana in particular the North-South divide hascontributed to creating awareness and polit-

ical action in favour of decentralization andequitable development. An important achieve-ment is the mainstreaming of the MDGs intoGhanas national planning system. ContinuousUNDP advocacy for the MDGs and focus ontheir attainment in downstream interventionshave contributed successfully to passing thismilestone.

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UNDP initiatives were instrumental in theestablishment of new institutions and in thestrengthening of existing ones. The National

Architecture for Peace, in particular the NationalPeace Council, represents one of the most sig-nificant contributions of UNDP. The quality of

UNDPs advisory work in the area of conflictresolution is noteworthy and the establishment ofthe Ghana National Commission on Small Armsis another example. In the area of environmentand energy, UNDP support has been instrumentalin the development of national policy frameworksand the mainstreaming of environmental issuesinto planning. UNDP has maintained a con-sistent development focus on developing capacityfor the implementation of policies, strategies andplans in environment and energy.

In addition to its work at the policy level,UNDP has nurtured a valuable portfolio ofactivities at the field and grassroots levels,notably in the thematic areas of energy andenvironment (sustainable land management,alternative sources of energy) and sustainablelivelihoods (Millennium Development Village,shea butter, microfinance, micro, small andmedium enterprises).

UNDP has a sound track record at the upstream

and downstream levels, with perhaps a gap atthe middle level, that is, support to the processof decentralization and local economic govern-ance. While punctual support may have beengiven to local governments, support to their cap-acity development has not, so far, been central tothe UNDP programme, although new initiativesare planned. UNDP piloted the preparation ofDistrict HDRs in three districts. The intentionto expand to 12 districts inspires a note of cau-tion. In view of their current format, contents,

and in the absence of a strategy for diffusion andstocktaking, it is not granted that these reportswill provide a solid basis for planning develop-ment activities or institutional strengthening atthe district level.

Conclusion 2: UNDP has a strong partnershipwith the Government of Ghana and state actors

and is recognized for its substantive policydialogue contribution. It is regarded by thegovernment as a trusted adviser. UNDP, how-ever, has not leveraged this privileged positionsufficiently to enhance national ownership ofthe development agenda by a broader range

of stakeholders. Its narrow engagement withother development partners limits opportun-ities for dialogue on substantive policy issuesthat could benefit the government.

Engagement with civil society has been afeature of UNDP programmes over the twoprogramme cycles, but the nature of theengagement has changed over time. UNDPspartnership with civil society over the last two

years of the current programming period hasbeen low key in contrast to previous years.

There are a number of civil society organiza-tions involved in UNDP projects, particularlythe community-based interventions in sustain-able livelihoods and in environment and energyprojects. However, the policy dialogue andadvocacy that were characteristic of UNDPsengagement with civil society in the first pro-gramme cycle, is no longer evident. The lack ofclarity regarding the status of the Civil SocietyResource Centre has reinforced perceptions ofcivil society that UNDP is not supportive of

their capacity development and does not engagesufficiently with civil society on policy or advo-cacy matters.

UNDP is steadily building partnerships with theprivate sector, both as financial contributors todevelopment interventions, and as beneficiariesof UNDP capacity development interventions.

The strategic partnerships with the privatesector are primarily partnerships with inter-national companies such as the MTN Ghana

Foundation, Cadbury and IBM. UNDP doesnot engage them in policy dialogue. UNDP hassupported the Private Enterprise Foundationto engage in dialogue with the governmenton the Private Sector Development Strategyand the business regulatory environment butthe foundation has limited membership andrepresentation.

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UNDP cooperates with other development part-ners on a number of projects. These partnersappear to have limited in-depth knowledgeabout what UNDP does, a matter that couldbe rectified with improved communication byUNDP. This is partly a reflection of UNDP

not consistently communicating the contentsof its programmes and its successes. Limitedresources for communication also contribute tothe problem and not being able to as adequatelyfund post-launch activities for the HDR is amatter of concern. The engagement with otherdevelopment partners, including emerging part-ners for Ghana, could be made more substantial

with assistance from the Ministry of Financeand Economic Development to create space forsuch dialogue.

UNDPs good relationship with the governmentis essential for its effectiveness in the countryand must be preserved. The country office strivesto maintain a balance in its relationship withthe government and stakeholders with diver-gent interests and this is not an easy task. Theevaluation showed that UNDPs high respon-siveness resulted in its interventions becomingmore vulnerable to shifting government backingand changes in political priorities. For instance,UNDPs agreement to support the newly estab-lished Constitutional Review Commission hasmeant a reduction in support to other projects inthe governance portfolio.

Conclusion 3: UNDP promoted a number ofpilot initiatives, particularly in the domain ofrural livelihoods and energy and sustainableenvironment. While promising, these pilotactivities have reached a limited number ofcommunity and final users and served them fora limited time. Access to market and pro-poor

growth initiatives are not sufficiently empha-sized and constrain sustainability. Withoutan explicit strategy that includes measuresfor national ownership, capacity buildingand lessons learning from pilot activities, theGovernment of Ghana and other national andinternational partners will not be able to expand

and sustain these pilot activities, and coveragewill remain scant.

The support provided by UNDP has givenspace to the government to test new and innov-ative solutions to development challenges.

The Multi-Media Incubator Centre and theenergy projects are some examples of innova-tive approaches to development. The ambitiousagenda of community-based interventions suchas the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods Programmeand the Millennium Village Project have pro-

vided space for testing alternative approachesto development in the most deprived areas ofthe country. UNDP has, through these inter-

ventions, created the potential for achieving thegoals set for sustainable development.

Yet, due to the exploratory nature of theseactivities and limited resources, coverage of bene-ficiaries is still very limited. Two emerging issuesare how to ensure sustainability of the bene-fits and how to increase coverage. Strategiesfor sustainability are not always in place or arenot clear. In several cases, grassroots initiativeshad been incubated through the involvementof academia and non-governmental organiza-tions but with limited involvement of publicentities. Not in all cases was commitment clearfrom the Government of Ghana or from otherinternational development partners to supportand expand these experiences with the risk thatthey be confined to individual micro showcases.Involvement of local governments may be a keyelement. While scaling up of these pilot inter-

ventions is not the responsibility of UNDP, itshould build into the design of catalytic or pilotprojects how these can be scaled up and madesustainable.

Some design flaws need to be addressed suchas the limited or belated focus on income gen-eration, cost recovery, micro and small businessgrowth and access to markets. There is no doubtthat addressing basic human capital (health, lit-eracy) is essential and laudable. Yet waiting,as in the Millennium Village Project, three or

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more years before working on concrete economicopportunities for which demand is high frombeneficiaries can be a serious limitation. Notenough attention is paid to economic fundamen-tals such as enterprise budgets, profitability, andaccess to financial services and to markets for

final products.

Conclusion 4: UNDP Ghana is recognized forits substantive capacity and positive contribu-tion to Ghanas development agenda. There areinefficient and ineffective business processesand operational issues in the country officethat, if left unattended, could de-motivate staffand undermine the achievements of UNDPGhana.

The quality of planning in the country office isan area of concern and has an impact on the exe-cution of projects, both in terms of the rate at

which funds are spent, and also on the quality ofthe spending. Delays in finalizing annual plansreduce the time available for project execution.

The challenges of UNDPs financial manage-ment system, Atlas, are noted and can onlyaccount for part of the delays in payments to

vendors or cash transfers to implementing part-ners. With the majority of projects requiring

direct payment to vendors, there is a significantadministrative burden placed on the office.

The country office transformation plan iden-tified ways to steer the office in the directionof its new vision. The office has made someimprovements in administrative processes, buthas deferred implementation of the more sub-stantive initiatives. Delays in fully implementingthe transformation plan are understandable tosome extent, but the effect is that the office has

been in limbo on these critical issues.

Conclusion 5: Knowledge management, informa-tion management and M&E in the country officeare not effective. M&E is weak, thus limitingopportunity for UNDP to benefit from lessonslearned and make the necessary improvements orchanges to a programme or project.

Robust M&E is a prerequisite for codifying les-sons and generating knowledge from pilots anddownstream work to influence upstream policy

work. The weakness in M&E in the country officeis not merely a reflection of the offices capacityconstraints in this area. It is also a reflection of the

serious limitations in M&E capacity of nationalpartners. The quality of reporting from nationalpartners is in many instances inadequate and thecountry office lacks the capacity to provide thenecessary support and guidance. Related to theM&E challenge is the poor state of knowledgemanagement in the country office. It is difficult tocommunicate consistently and effectively if infor-mation needed is not immediately available, butdispersed in the minds and computers of individualstaff members. Knowledge and information are asmuch country office assets as are funds, and mustbe managed better for UNDP to perform its func-tions effectively.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommendation 1: UNDP Ghana should bol-ster its advisory capacity to support Ghanastransition to middle-income status. It shouldensure that its portfolio reflects the dynamicenvironment in Ghana as the country continuesits journey of building an inclusive society and

prosperous nation. Central to this is UNDPscontinued advocacy for a human developmentapproach to Ghanas growth and developmentagenda.

In practice, this means UNDP should be pos-itioned to provide the government with highquality advice and access expertise to deal withcomplex challenges. The economic opportunitiesand challenges associated with oil and gas are a casein point. In keeping with its human development

agenda, UNDP Ghana should focus advising onpolicies that benefit poor people and women, andaddress the inequalities in the country.

The portfolio of work could include advisory workon local economic development and fostering pri-

vate-public sector partnership for development.UNDP strategic policy advice should draw on

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practical experience at the grassroots level andUNDP should retain a portfolio of catalytic pro-

jects. UNDP should place a higher priority on themarket-oriented economic activities in catalyticcommunity-based projects to enhance their pros-pects of sustainability.

UNDP should also intensify its support for South-South cooperation and support Ghanas role as anincreasingly important player in regional politicaland development agenda.Recommendation 2: UNDP Ghana shouldcontinue its efforts to strengthen democraticgovernance, focusing on providing advice tostrengthen the knowledge and skills base ofnational partners. It should also continue to

advocate for appropriate resourcing of gov-ernance institutions that are essential formaintaining the positive trajectory for demo-cratic governance in Ghana.

Strengthening of democratic governance shouldbe done in the context of the governmentspolicy on decentralization. UNDP should extendits efforts at strengthening governance institu-tions to the district level of government. In thisregard, UNDP should evaluate the effectivenessof District HDRs as a means of strengthening

local governance.

Recommendation 3: UNDP Ghana shouldfocus its efforts on strengthening the capacityof the government to respond to climate changein the national, regional and global arena.

This means strengthening the governments cap-acity to negotiate agreements and enforce policiesand regulations. While the emphasis of UNDPefforts should shift towards policy advice, it is

recommended that grassroots projects be used toinform policy.

Recommendation 4: UNDP Ghana shouldsupport building national capacity for M&Ein Ghana. This should be done in partnershipwith other United Nations organizations inGhana.

UNDP should plan jointly with other UnitedNations organizations to build national capacity forM&E, taking into consideration initiatives that arealready being implemented by the various agencies.In this regard, UNDPs current support to buildingnational statistical capacity and supporting cen-

tral planning and oversight should be taken intoconsideration. While the focus of UNDPs effortsshould be on building capacity in the government,it should also consider how it can contribute tobuilding capacity in non-government institutions.

Recommendation 5: UNDP Ghana shouldimprove its dialogue with a broad range ofstakeholders, in particular, civil society andthe private sector, to enhance partnershipsand foster national ownership of UNDPs

interventions.

UNDP should create space for strategic dia-logue with civil society and the private sector ondevelopment issues and so deepen the quality ofits partnership with these stakeholders. UNDPshould also leverage its position as trusted adviserof the government to engage other develop-ment partners in substantial policy dialogue onimportant development issues.

Recommendation 6: UNDP Ghana should

transform itself into a knowledge-basedadvisory organization. UNDP needs to improveits knowledge and information management inall areas of its work, strengthen its internalM&E systems and improve its communication.

The knowledge and information managementsystem should ensure not only the basic availabilityand tracking of key electronic documentation onthe portfolio, but also identify roles and respon-sibilities of UNDP officials and implementing

partners for ensuring that information is accurate,reliable and that knowledge sharing takes place.

UNDP should ensure that it builds the requisiteinternal capacity for effective M&E. This includesensuring that it has the requisite staff complementand skills to perform this important function; thatthe evaluation plan is implemented rigorously; and

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that lessons emerging from evaluations are docu-mented and disseminated internally and to relevantstakeholders and partners.

UNDP should upgrade its communication strategyand communication skills of UNDP staff in order

to communicate its work more effectively. Itshould pay particular attention to disseminating itspublications as these provide useful opportunitiesto exchange ideas with external stakeholders aboutUNDPs work.

Recommendation 7: UNDP Ghana shouldexpedite implementation of improvements toits business processes and operational capacity,and align these with the new strategic directionof the country office.

Actions taken to date to streamline processesand restructure the country office for improvedoperational capacity should serve as a basis forimproving the overall efficiency of UNDP Ghana.

Particular attention should be given to dealing

with the challenge of varied quality of plan-

ning and reporting. Formats for programme and

project plans and progress reports should be stan-

dardized and quality assured more rigorously.

Recommendation 8: As part of its transitionto a restructured portfolio, UNDP Ghana

should develop sustainability plans and exit

strategies in key areas of its programme. This

should be done in agreement with the Ministry

of Finance and Economic Planning, imple-

menting partners and responsible parties, and

other critical development partners in Ghana.

The sustainability plans and exit strategies

should be explicit about how sustainability will

be achieved, who will be responsible for ensuring

implementation of the plans and strategies, and

should provide a time frame for UNDPs gradual

disengagement.

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C H A P T E R 1 . I N T R O D U C T I O N

1.1. OBJECTIVE, SCOPE ANDMETHODOLOGY

Assessments of Development Results (ADRs)provide an independent appreciation of the con-tribution of UNDP to the development of thecountries where it operates. The purpose of the

ADR is to report on and to learn lessons from theUNDP strategy and operations in the countrybased on the evidence collected and for the pro-gramming of its future activities.

The present ADR, approved by the UNDPExecutive Board, evaluates two programmingcycles contained in the strategic documents forthe periods 20022005 and 20062010 (extendedto 2011). This period has seen the tenure of threepresidencies, two led by President John Kofi

Agyekum Kufuor (20012005 and 20052009)and one by President John Evans Atta Mills(2009 to present). UNDP has had two residentrepresentatives in this period.5

The objectives of this ADR are: (i) to identifyprogress made towards the anticipated develop-ment results of the documents of the past twoUNDP programming cycles; (ii) to analyse howUNDP in Ghana has been positioned to add

value to the countrys efforts to promote itsdevelopment; (iii) to present conclusions and les-sons learned with a view to the organizationsfuture positioning in Ghana.

THE EVALUATION PROCESS

Following the guidelines set by the UNDPEvaluation Office, a team of three independentconsultants and an Evaluation Office task manager

conducted the evaluation. The new ADR MethodManual has been applied. An initial preparatorymission was fielded in February 2009 and fullterms of reference and evaluation methodologydeveloped. Due to the one-year extension ofthe Country Programme Document (CPD), the

ADR process had to be postponed. Consultationmeetings were held in New York in September2009 with the Regional Bureau for Africa (RBA)and Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery

of UNDP, the Department of Political Affairs ofthe United Nations, and the Permanent Missionof Ghana to the United Nations.

A scoping mission was held in Ghana in earlyFebruary 2010 that allowed for a refinement ofthe evaluation methodology. During this mis-sion, options were discussed with representativesof the Government of Ghana to play an enhancedrole in the evaluation process while respectingthe independent character of the evaluation. Inagreement with government representatives, aNational Reference Group was established. It waschaired by the Ministry of Finance and EconomicPlanning (MoFEP) and comprised the NationalDevelopment Planning Commission (NDPC),the Policy Evaluation and Oversight Unit ofthe Office of the President, the Ministry ofEnvironment and Science, the Ministry of LocalGovernment and Rural Development (MLRD),the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) and a civilsociety organization, Send-Ghana.

The National Reference Group commented onthe terms of reference and prepared a policy briefon national development strategies that was usedas an input in the ADR. It nominated a can-didate for the role of the external independent

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

5 A new Resident Coordinator took office on 2 July 2010, after the main mission of the ADR had been completed.

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reviewer for the ADR and provided commentson the main draft report and throughout theevaluation process.

The main four-week mission took place from 28February to 26 March 2010. Numerous inter-

views were organized in the capital Accra, as werefield trips. At the close of the mission, feedbackmeetings were held with UNDP Ghana countryoffice senior management and with the officestaff. A workshop on the emerging findings wasorganized on 26 March, 2010. More than 50 par-ticipants attended, including representatives ofthe UNDP country office, the National ReferenceGroup, as well as non-government organiza-tions (NGOs) involved in the implementation ofUNDP initiatives.

According to UNDP Evaluation Office proced-ures, the draft report was reviewed by the UNDPEvaluation Office and an external reviewer.

The main report drew on the comments of theUNDP country office, the RBA and the NationalReference Group. A final stakeholders workshop

was held on 2 December 2010 in Accra and thereport was then finalized by the Evaluation Officein December 2010.

KEY CRITERIA

The ADR looks at development results at twolevels: (i) by thematic area and (ii) by assessing theUNDP strategic position. Within the thematic

area analysis, the following criteria have beenconsidered: thematic relevance, effectiveness, effi-ciency and sustainability. In the case of thestrategic position, the following criteria havebeen applied: strategic relevance and responsive-ness, UNDPs use of networks and comparative

strengths and promotion of United Nations valuesfrom a human development perspective (Table1). These are criteria established in the ADRMethod Manual. Aspects relating to manage-ment have been are considered to the extent theyhave influenced the development results and stra-tegic positioning.

Assessing UNDP contribution. Several actorscooperate in UNDP projects and programmes,such as national public institutions, civil society,

international organizations. Other exogenous fac-tors may determine certain development results,for example, an economic downturn or a majornatural event. How, then, to identify UNDPscontribution? Realistically, in an ADR context,the following approaches can be considered:

i. Understanding the nature of UNDP inter-ventions (what did it do exactly?) anddocumenting the type of the value added byUNDP interventions (for example, technical

skills and expertise, conceptual frameworksand methods that were not available before);

ii. Applying the before and after criterion(which situation prevailed before the UNDP

Table 1.Evaluation Criteria

Assessment by Thematic Area

Thematic relevance

Effectiveness

Efficiency

Sustainability Managerial items*

Assessment of UNDP Strategic Position

Relevance and responsiveness

UNDPs use of networks and comparative strengths

Promoting United Nations values from a human development perspective

* Considered to the extent that they help explain development results and strategic positioning

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}

intervention and how has it changed up todate?) and check through interviews anddocumental evidence whether alternativeexplanations can be invoked;

iii. Considering, when realistically feasible,a without UNDP intervention case that

can be compared against a with UNDPintervention.

Assessing long-term results within a short timeframe. UNDP outcomes are often expressed aslong-term development objectives, while evalu-ators may come at an earlier stage when suchobjectives cannot (yet) be observed. This is shownin Table 2 which epitomizes the chain of expectedeffects of many UNDP interventions. Projects(step 1) generate direct outputs often in the short

term (step 2). Such outputs, in turn, foster inter-mediate results and change processes (step 3).Such intermediate results, in addition to otherexternal factors, may lead to the achievement ofthe final results (step 4) in the medium term.

While, according to the strict definitions,assessing the development results would meanassessing long-term results, in several instances,the ADR team may only be able to observe inter-mediate processes (step 3). If that is the case, the

ADR team explained in their analysis that certainlonger-term development results require a longergestation period. They presented the intermediateresults that can already be observed (medium-term effectiveness), explain how the latter areconnected to the long-term results and identify

the factors that may contribute to or thwart theachievement of long-term results (this may in partbe treated under the sustainability criterion).

DATA-COLLECTION AND PROCESSING

The ADR draws conclusions based on triangu-lation of evidence from different methods andsources (secondary and primary). After a deskreview of the available documentation, primaryinformation and data have been collected ex novoby the current ADR through: (i) individual inter-

view with key informants6; (ii) focus groups onselected topics; and (iii) field observations.

An initial sample of 15 projects out of a total of86 projects supported by UNDP in the 2002

2009 period was extracted and subjected toin-depth desk review and later interviews andfield visits (for five of them). Selection of projectsresponded to the following criteria: (i) coverageof outcomes as per UNDP programming docu-ments (Country Cooperation Framework, orCCF, CPD); (ii) keeping a balance betweenprojects that relate to upstream support to policydialogue and projects that are implemented atthe grassroots (community/village level); (iii)coverage of both national execution and directexecution projects; (iv) representativeness ofthe main stakeholders of UNDP. During thecourse of the main mission, additional projects

were reviewed by the evaluation team. The listof sampled projects is presented in Annex 1 ofthis report.

6 Standardized checklists for interviews and summary sheets have been used.

Table 2.Evaluation of Effectiveness

National/local context, external factors

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4

UNDP projects/ initiatives Products (outputs) Intermediate results Expected final results

Effectiveness

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Table 3. Overview of Data and Information Collection Techniques

Level Method of data

collection

Sources

Strategic level Individual

interviews/

Focus groups

UNDP, selected United Nations organizations, government institu-

tions (particularly at central level, bilateral and multilateral donors,

civil society and sectoral specialists conversant with Ghanas history

and country context).

Programmatic level

Project activities

Desk review Projects from 2006 to 2010A sample of 15 projects was selected for in-depth desk review. The

sample was representative of the main UNDP thematic areas and

sub-areas in which the UNDP is involved.

Individual

interviews

Interviews in the capital were conducted for the sampled projects

with project funding agencies, executing agencies and project users.

The objective of the interviews was to follow up on the desk review,

collect further information and elicit perceptions from stakeholders

that have been engaged at different stages and with different roles

in UNDP interventions.

Field visits A smaller sub-sample of five projects was selected for field visits

to two regions in areas of high concentration of UNDP activities,

for example, Northern Region and Ashanti Region. Field activities

represent a further step to validate preliminary analysis and add

information and content to the triangulation processes. Field visits

mainly concerned local offices of government agencies (for example,

the Environment Protection Agency), local offices of partner NGOs

and civil society organizations, villages and final project users.7

Programmatic level

Non-project activities

Interviews Non-project activities included initiatives such as stakehold-

ers consultation, advocacy, networking, resource mobilization

and coordination). Primary data was collected mainly throughinterviews. Many of the stakeholders interviewed coincided with

those involved at the programmatic and project level and were

interviewed only once.

In addition to the sampled projects, duringthe course of the evaluation, other projects andactivities were more briefly reviewed. UNDPactivities are not limited to projects but alsoinclude other initiatives such as stakeholdersconsultation, advocacy, networking, resourcemobilization and coordination. Relatedinformation was collected through indi-

vidual interviews and focus group discussions(see Table 3).

Processing and analysis of the information col-lected via desk review, interviews, discussiongroups and field visits started towards the end ofthe field mission. At the end of the mission, theevaluation team tabulated its initial findings andthe related sources of the findings, criterion bycriterion, so that reliability of sources and con-sistency between sources and methods could bebriefly inspected, discussed and validated by theteam and the task manager.

7 While the team operated under time constraints, it was suggested that it briefly visit communities in the same agro-ecological zones that have not benefited from UNDP interventions to compare differences.

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2.1 COUNTRY CONTEXT ANDDEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES

This chapter is not expected to provide an exhaustiveaccount of development issues in Ghana. It focuseson themes of relevance for UNDP. Some sup-porting figures and tables have been placed in

Annex 2.

GEOGRAPHIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC

BACKGROUNDGhana is situated in West Africa, bordered by

Togo in the east, Burkina Faso in the north, CteDIvoire in the west and the Gulf of Guinea in thesouth. The country covers 227,540 square kilo-metres, with tropical vegetation dominating thesouth and savannah vegetation being typical in thenorth. The eastern part of the country contains theexpansive Volta river system and the Volta hydro-electric scheme, which provides an estimated 70percent of Ghanas power.

Just over 18 percent of the land is arable8, with a sig-nificant proportion of the countrys food producedin the northern regions. Cocoa is Ghanas maincash crop and grows predominantly in the southernhalf of the country. Mining activities, illegal loggingand use of outdated farming methods are depletingGhanas indigenous forests. The percentage ofland covered by forest declined from 32.7 percentin 1990 to 23.2 percent in 2007.9 Situated onthe Atlantic Ocean, Ghana has access to fishing

resources, but fish stocks are diminishing.10

Ghana is endowed with abundant mineralresources in the form of gold concentrated inthe Ashanti Region and the Western Region,diamonds, manganese and bauxite. Illegal small-scale gold mining is rife, leading to environmentaldegradation and posing a safety risk to individ-uals engaged in such activities. The discovery ofoil and gas deposits off the coast of the WesternRegion is expected to generate substantial rev-enues for the government. The Jubilee Oilfieldthat is expected to go into production in 2011has confirmed reserves of 490 million barrels andrevenues from oil are estimated at 6 percent to7 percent of Ghanas Gross Domestic Product(GDP).11

Ghanas population in 2008 stood at 23,350,927and the growth rate is declining. World Bank fig-ures indicate that the annual population growth

was 3.12 percent in 1960, with definite signs ofa downward trend from 1980 onwards (2.42 per-cent) to 2.17 percent in 2008. This slowing down

is associated with the decline in the fertility rate.The fertility declined from 6.75 in 1960 to 4.68in 2000 and was 4.0 in 2008. The demographicprofile of Ghana reflects a youthful population,

with 38.7 percent being under the age of 15years in 2008. The percentage of the population65 years and above has been increasing grad-ually since 1980 (2.83 percent) to 3.31 percentin 2000 and 3.59 percent in 2008. The propor-tion of females in the population has remainedconstant since 1960, at an average of 49.5 per-

cent over the period.12 There has been a steady

CHAPTER 2

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONTEXT

8 World Bank Indicators 2009.9 Ibid.10 Seventeen fish species were identified as threatened in 2008: World Bank Indicators.11 IMF Article IV Consultation, August 2009.12 Ibid.

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process of urbanization in 1980, 68.8 percent ofthe population was rural, compared to 49.8 per-cent in 2008.

POLITICAL AND INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT

Ghana gained independence from Great Britainin 1957 and was the first country in sub-Saharan

Africa to achieve independence. The countrysimmediate post-independence democracy wasfragile and interspersed with military interven-tions between 1966 and 1992. Ghana has madeprogress in democratic governance since theadoption of multiparty democracy and prom-ulgation of the 1992 Constitution. From 1992to 2008, the country has been through five suc-cessful elections and handing over of power to

another political party on two occasions. The2008 election brought a very close result and thepeaceful change of power from one political partyto another is evidence of an increasingly stabledemocracy. Ghana was the first country to vol-unteer for the African Peer Review Mechanism(APRM) of the New Partnership for AfricasDevelopment (NEPAD) in 2003.

Ghana has an executive president elected byuniversal suffrage every four years who serves a

maximum of two terms. The President appointsthe Cabinet and these appointments are approvedby the legislature, which is a single chamber

with 230 parliamentary seats. The three mainarms of government are the executive, the legis-lature and the judiciary. Institutions aimed atstrengthening democracy include the ElectoralCommission, the Commission for Human Rightsand Administrative Justice and the NationalCommission for Civic Education (NCCE).Ghana also has a National Media Commission

for promoting responsible political journalismamong the free press. The country is divided into10 administrative regions and the 10 Regional

Coordinating Councils, each headed by a RegionalMinister, are responsible for coordination of ser-

vices from the centre. Regional CoordinatingCouncils do not have service delivery functions.

The next level of government is at the districtlevel where District Assemblies are elected every

four years. There are 170 districts in the country.

Civil society. Ghana has an active civil societywith widespread participation of citizens at thecommunity level. Organized civil society, how-ever, has weak structures and operates withlimited financial and technological resources at itsdisposal. Many organizations are dependent onforeign funding. Although civil society operatesin a free political environment and increasinglyhas access to the government, it is severely con-

strained by its limited resources. Civil societyorganizations (CSOs) tend to be concentrated inurban areas where infrastructure is better. Civilsociety has managed to influence policy issues,for example, the privatization of water, and playan important role in the provision of basic servicesto poor communities. They have been less influ-ential in holding the government and the privatesector to account.13 Draft legislation governingNGOs has been developed but finalization of thebill has stalled.

Challenges for democratic governance. WhileGhana has made progress in the area of govern-ance over the past 15 years, there are challenges,

which, if not addressed, could undermine thegains made.

There are a number of local conflicts ordisputes relating to issues of chieftaincy, land,access to and distribution of resources suchas gold, diamonds and timber, and inter-and intra-religious intolerance. Over the past

ten years, there have been about 23 seriousand complex conflicts14, the most prom-inent of these being the Dagbon Chieftaincy

13 Akosua Darkwa, Nicholas Amponsah and Evans Gyampoh, Civil Society in a Changing Ghana: An Assessment of theCurrent State of Civil Society in Ghana, CIVICUS/GAPVOD, Accra, June 2006.

14 UNDP Ghana, Draft Evaluation Report of the Conflict Prevention and Resolution Portfolio, November 2009.

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crisis. Localized disputes have the potential toescalate into larger conflicts.

Ghana has experienced a proliferation insmall arms over the past 15 years. This pro-liferation has a number of sources, includingleakages from government stocks accrued

during the coup dtats experienced by thecountry, smuggling from neighbouringcountries in the West African Region, andthe illegal manufacturing of guns by localblacksmiths across Ghana. A baseline studycommissioned by UNDP in 2002 foundthat there were an estimated 220,000 small

weapons held by civilians in Ghana, of which57 percent were not registered. Local black-smiths produce one third of these weapons.15

Access to justice remains a major challenge

for poor people in Ghana. There are seriousdelays in the justice system as evidencedby the large number of remand prisoners

whose warrants have expired.16 Not onlyis justice unduly delayed, but also, prisonsare congested and conditions are inhumane.Historically, coordination among key institu-tions in the justice system has been weak.

The Ghanaian public sector has undergonea series of reforms over the past ten years.

While there have been improvements in

areas such public financial management, thereforms to date fall short of what is requiredif Ghana is to achieve its goal of becominga middle-income country. Capacity ofministries, departments and agencies forconsistently planning and implementing the

vision for development is a serious challenge.There is a lack of comprehensive and reliablestatistical data production on all levels.

There have been steady gains in women inadministrative leadership positions in the

judiciary, for example: the Chief Justice isa woman; women constitute 29 percent ofSupreme Court Judges and 25 percent ofHigh Court Judges; and 24 percent of Chief

Directors are women. The percentage ofwomen in Parliament, however, declinedfrom 11 percent to 9 percent following the2008 elections.17 Gender disparities persistin many areas of social and economic activity.

Corruption continues to be a challengethough the Corruption Perception Index(CPI) for Ghana has improved since 2003. 18

ECONOMIC CONTEXT

Macro-economic performance. Ghanas eco-nomic reform commenced with the EconomicReform Programme (ERP) in 1983, with theobjective of shifting Ghana from a state-con-trolled economy to a market-driven economy.

This was followed by structural adjustment pro-grammes and Vision 2020, the latter settingthe framework for Ghana to become a middle-income country. Ghanas GDP growth fluctuatedin the 1990s, and shows signs of stability from2000 onwards. The annual growth rate for 2008,

at 7.3 percent, is the highest in nearly two dec-ades. The government has, however, revised itsgrowth forecast for 2009 to 4.7 percent to takeinto account the effect of the global financial crisisand high international oil and food prices. Theagriculture sector, which contributes about a thirdof GDP, has historically been the major sourceof GDP growth. The government has madeefforts to reduce inflation and it has gone down

15 Santuah, Niaga F.,Progress Report on the UNDP Small Arms and Light Weapons and the Armed Violence, SmallArms Reduction and Human Security Projects, September 2007.

16 According to a report submitted to the High Level Dialogue, on 31 January 2010, there were 13,586 prisoners, ofwhom 3,654 were on remand. A total of 1,643 (or 45 percent) of those on remand have expired warrants. Eight hun-dred eighty-three prisoners have spent three years or more in custody.

17 Government of Ghana, Implementation of the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy 2006 2009, 2008 AnnualProgress Report, National Planning and Development Commission, September 2009.

18 Transparency International 2009 measures Ghanas CPI as 3.9; it was 3.3 in 2003.19 IMF Article IV Consultation, Ghana, August 2009.

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20 Government of Ghana, Implementation of the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy 20062009, Annual ProgressReport, National Planning and Development Commission, September 2009.

21 IMF Article IV Consultation, Ghana, August 2009.22 According to IMF Article IV Consultation, August 2009, the Jubilee Oil Field has proven reserves of 490 million bar-

rels and other oil fields have projected reserves of 1.5 billion barrels. There is no definitive information on quantities ofgas for export. Revenue from oil to government is estimated at six to seven percent of GDP.

since 2000. In 2008, however, inflation increased,partly due to the high crude oil and internationalfood prices. The 2008 inflation rate of just over 16percent is well outside the target range of 6 to 8percent set in the 2008 National Budget (Table 4;see also Figure A2, Annex 2).20 The need to sta-

bilize the economy challenged by high inflation in2008 may also have been a factor in the revision ofthe growth forecast.

Poverty reduction and growth facility is renewed.Confident with the direction of the countrys eco-nomic performance, the government decided notto renew the IMF Poverty Reduction and GrowthFacility when it expired in 2006. Although Ghanarecorded steady growth in GDP over nearly twodecades, the budget deficit increased since 2005and was as high as 14.9 percent of GDP in 2008.

The deficit is largely attributed to significantincreases in public spending for capital investmentin thermal energy, power subsidies and salaries forpublic servants, and on the other hand, reducedrevenue because of the global economic recession.

The IMF approved the governments request

for a three-year arrangement under the PovertyReduction and Growth Facility in 2009 to restoremacro-economic stability with conditionalityfocusing on tax policy, revenue administration,public finance management and a comprehensivepublic sector reform programme to modernize the

public service and reforms to the energy sector,especially in the underpricing of electricity andpetroleum products.21

Revenues from oil production. Ghana standsto benefit from oil production that will com-mence in 2011. Production from the Jubileefield is projected to peak over a five to six yearperiod and then decline. The government rec-ognizes that oil production and consequentlyoil revenues will have a limited life span.21

The challenges associated with natural resourcessuch as oil in developing countries are well docu-mented. In Ghana, there is evidence of very highexpectations by the public, in particular by youngpeople, that they will benefit directly or indirectlyfrom the revenues and opportunities gener-ated by the oil industry. The challenges for the

Table 4.Ghanas Key Economic Indicators 20002008

Economic indicators 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

GDP growth (% annual) 3.7 4 4.5 5.2 5.6 5.9 6.4 5.7 7.3

GDP (current $) millions 4,978 5,310 6,160 7,625 8,872 10,721 12,723 14,943 16,654

GDP per capita ($) 254.8 265.4 300.8 363.8 413.8 489.1 568.1 653.3 713.1

GNI per capita (current $) 900 940 980 1030 1090 1180 1290 1330 1320

Inflation, consumer (average

annual)

25.2 32.9 14.8 26.6 12.6 15.1 10.9 10.7 16.5

External debt, total (current

$ million)*

.. .. .. .. .. 6,347.8 2,176.5 3,590.4 3,982.6

Budget deficit (as % GDP)* .. .. .. .. .. 2.7 4.9 9.3 14.9

Military spending (% of GDP) 1.02 0.60 0.59 0.69 0.63 0.59 0.59 0.84 0.68

Source: World Bank Indicators 2009; *Source: GPRS II Progress Report 2008, Government of Ghana

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government are: how to manage the expectations

of Ghanaians; sound economic governance of

oil revenues; ensuring that oil does not displaceinvestment in other development priorities; and

preventing conflicts in the Western Region. The

government is developing policies and legislation

to ensure transparency in the collection and useof oil revenues. The government has developed a

draft policy on local content and local participa-tion to ensure that Ghanaians benefit through

employment or provision of services to foreign

companies in the oil and gas sector and has been

consulting local communities in the coastal dis-tricts of the Western Region. The government

has also released the proposal document that

serves as the basis for the Ghana PetroleumRevenue Management Bill and has requested

inputs on the document from citizens. Part ofthe motivation for the Poverty Reduction and

Growth Facility renewal is to create space for

the government to dedicate oil revenues to pov-erty reduction, rather than have these revenues

diverted to unproductive recurrent spending.

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT CONTEXT AND

MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Ghana is categorized as a medium development

country with a Human Development Index of

0.526 and ranked 152 out of 182 countries meas-ured. This represents an improvement over

the HDI of 0.495 in 2000. GDP per capita,

improved gross school enrolments and increasesin the adult literacy rate are reflected in theimproved HDI of Ghana. Life expectancy at

birth declined slightly between 2000 and 2007.Ghanas HDI is the second highest in the West

Africa region. Cape Verde (HDI at 0.708) andNigeria (HDI at 0.511) are only other West

African countries in the medium developmentcategory. Table 5 presents Ghanas HDI-relateddata for 2000 and 2007.

Progress on achieving the MDGs.The MDGsare well integrated into Ghanas overarching

national strategy GPRS II and the govern-ment has made a concerted effort to achieve them.

One of the challenges in assessing overall progressin attaining the MDGs is the accuracy andtimeliness of data, a matter that is receiving atten-

tion from the government, with support fromUNDP. Ghanas progress towards attainment of

the MDGs is on a positive trajectory, with areasfor improvement. There has been good progresson goals relating to poverty and primary educa-

tion, while progress on the goal of maternal healthhas been slow. There are still disparities between

regions and gender. In the case of halving extreme

poverty, although there have been significantreductions in the proportion of people in extremepoverty, there are large regional disparities, withthe northern regions having higher proportions of

people living in extreme poverty.

Table 5. Ghana Human Development Index 2000 and 2007

2000 2007

Human Development Index 0.495 0.526

GDP per capita, Purchasing Power Parity (constant 2007 international $) 1075 1334Life expectancy at birth (years) 57.9 56.5

Adult literacy rate (%) 57.9 65.0

Gross school enrolment (%) 46.2 56.5

Source: UNDP HDI Update 2008

23 UNDP, Human Development Report, 2009.

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The global recession that, among other things,reduced remittances to Ghana, and the increasein the price of food and oil imports have sloweddown progress in poverty reduction. Ghanasprogress with achievement of the MDGs isdiscussed in greater detail in Annex 2, while

Table 6 provides the status of progress at aglance, based on the MDG reports prepared bythe Government of Ghana with the support ofUNDP.

2.2 NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

STRATEGIES

Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategies.

Ghana has been striving since independence to

achieve national prosperity. Starting with Vision

2020 in 1994, Ghana embarked on the roadtowards middle-income status. Table 7 shows the

national strategies pursued by the Government of

Ghana since 1994. Goals of the various strategies

24 The 2008 MDG report was finalized in April 2010. Most of the assessment is based on 2008 data, but includes 2009and 2010 data where available.

Table 6. Ghanas Progress Towards the MDGs

Goals Goal description 2006

Assessment

2008

Assessment

Goal 1

Extreme poverty

and hunger

Halve the proportion of people below the national

poverty line by 2015

Achieved Achieved

Halve the proportion of people who suffer hunger Potentially Potentially

Goal 2

Universal

primary

education

Achieve universal access to primary education by

2015

Probably Potentially

Goal 3

Gender equality

Eliminate gender disparity in primary and junior

secondary education by 2015

Probably Probably

Achieve equal access for boys and girls to senior

secondary education by 2015

Probably Probably

Goal 4

Under-five

mortality

Reduce under-five mortality by two thirds by 2015 Unlikely Probably

Goal 5

Maternal health

Reduce maternal mortality by three quarters by

201