[ 2021-02-19 ]

UK pledges support to Ghana over COVID-19 impact
The United Kingdom (UK) government has said it
will continue to support Ghana on its development
agenda, particularly in addressing the impact of
the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy.
This will comprise both financial and technical
support in the social sector, such as health care
and education.



This was contained in the UK government’s
response to the report of its fact-finding
committee, the Independent Commission for Aid
Impact (ICAI), to assess whether the UK should
withhold its support to Ghana or not.

The response, which was released last Tuesday,
said the UK government was deeply concerned about
the impact COVID-19 was having on women and girls,
with evidence that gender-based violence, child
marriage and teen pregnancy were on the rise in
the country.

The report is titled: "The changing nature of UK
aid in Ghana."

Troubled economy



It said the UK government was also concerned about
the impact the pandemic was having on the economy,
“with economic growth in 2020 being reduced from
5.8 per cent to 0.9 per cent”.

It estimated that the deficit was likely to expand
to 16.4 per cent by the end of this year, making
it the highest in sub-Saharan Africa.

To help reduce the impact of the pandemic on the
socio-economic stability of the country, the UK
government said it would establish a new strategy
specifically for Ghana within the themes of the
seven global challenges, which included building
global health security and supporting girls’
education.


“The government acknowledges that UK aid is
making a difference in Ghana and will continue to
do so. Ghanaian citizens’ needs and preferences
should be included when assessing how fast to
reduce aid in key sectors such as health,
education and livelihoods and civil society
engagement,” it added.

The report further charged the Foreign,
Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), a
department under the UK government, to work
closely with civil society organisations in Ghana
and also focus on technical assistance to help
build the government’s capability to deliver
growth and development.



“The FCDO is reviewing how it uses aid to
deliver the greatest impact, which will require a
strategic effort with clear goals,” it said.

It also said the FCDO would engage with the
government to review the impact of the pandemic in
terms of quality education, adding that girls’
education remained a priority across UK aid
spending in Ghana.

Fragility

The Chairman of the ICAI Subcommittee, Mr Theo
Clarke (MP), said in the report that while Ghana
was transitioning to a country that could finance
its own development, the impact of the COVID-19
had highlighted the fragility of the country if
there was any reduction in UK aid.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is potentially setting
back progress in gender equality, with increased
instances of child marriage and gender-based
violence, while the country’s deficit will
likely increase to become one of the largest in
sub-Saharan Africa,” he said.

UK bilateral aid to Ghana has been dropping over
the years, with bilateral aid programming from the
Department for International Development (DFID)
Ghana Office (DFID Ghana) in social sectors such
as education and health seeing the greatest
reductions in Ghana’s budget.

Bilateral aid to Ghana fell from £86.5 million
($138.7 million) in 2011 to £56.4 million in
2017, according to data from the ICAI, which
monitors UK aid for effectiveness and value for
money.

The ICAI said as a result of the reduced aid,
there was a “considerable risk” of key areas
of progress being lost, and warned against
reducing bilateral aid too fast.

Background

In 2017, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
announced the government’s intention to develop
the economy “beyond aid”.

The call by the President coincided with the UK
government’s introduction of its first economic
development strategy which saw the reduction in
aid to some countries, including Ghana.

The ICAI’s Chief Commissioner, Dr Tamsyn Barton,
in a statement last year, said the committee was
concerned that the UK was winding down its
bilateral aid to Ghana too quickly.

“This risks reversing the good results that have
been achieved over the past 10 years,” he said.

Source - Graphic Online

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