Accra: The African Development Bank (AfDB) has conducted a performance review of its US$850 million project portfolio in Ghana to improve delivery and ensure alignment with national development goals. The Country Portfolio Performance Review (CPPR), held jointly with government officials, evaluated investments in the social, agriculture, transport, energy, water, sanitation, and multi-sector domains, aimed at supporting industrialisation, private sector growth, and regional integration.
According to Ghana News Agency, key projects reviewed included the Post-COVID-19 Skills Development and Productivity Enhancement Project (PSDPEP), which involves the rehabilitation of the Ghana News Agency's head office and two regional offices. In the agricultural sector, the Savanna Agriculture Value Chain Development Project (SADEP)-focusing on large-scale production and value addition of three crops-and the Savanna Investment Project (SIP) were assessed. Other projects appraised included Phase One of the Eastern Corridor Road Development Programme, the Mini Grid and Solar PV Net Metering Project, and the Greater Accra Sustainable Sanitation and Livelihoods Improvement Project (GASSLIP).
Multi-sector initiatives evaluated comprised the Ghana Cocoa Sector Institutional Support Project, Strengthening Institutional Capacity for Domestic Resource Mobilisation and Economic Management, Fiscal Consolidation and Economic Recovery Programme, Enhancing Regional Financial Hub, and the Institutional Support Project for AfCFTA implementation.
Ms. Eyerusalem Fasika, AfDB Country Director, stated that the joint review aimed to track progress, identify operational bottlenecks, and introduce corrective measures to improve impact. She emphasized the importance of delivering results with a focus on time value of money through timely spending on projects to achieve objectives and greater outcomes. 'The Steering Committees must demonstrate timely results to help mobilise more resources from other partners,' she encouraged.
Ms. Fasika reaffirmed the Bank's commitment to engaging the private sector in project delivery, stating, 'The Bank is open to business every day.' She also expressed the AfDB's dedication to supporting Ghana's development aspirations by fostering inclusive growth, building resilience, and creating opportunities for all, aiming to translate their partnership and resources into lasting, positive change for the people of Ghana.
Ms. Theresa Fynn, National Project Coordinator for SADEP and SIP, commended the AfDB's agricultural investment, citing increased production in maize, rice, soybean, and poultry. 'The SADEP and SIP projects have demonstrated that commercial production is possible. In the northern savannah ecological zone where we support farmers to develop their lands and provide subsidies and technical support, we've increased production to meet human consumption,' she said.
Mr. David Klotey Collison, Coordinating Director at the Ministry of Finance, welcomed recommendations from the review and pledged the government's commitment to work with the AfDB and project implementers to accelerate outcomes.
