Promoting good governance for a resilient democracy

Context

Ghana is considered a stable democracy with a committed civil society that demands accountability from state institutions. However, high levels of debt, the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine are exacerbating social and regional inequalities. Neither the government nor the district assemblies are currently generating sufficient revenue to finance social, gender-equitable, as well as environmentally and climate-friendly development measures in the long term. In addition, administrations lack the knowledge and expertise to plan their expenditure based on data and public land-use in a participatory manner.

At the same time, corruption remains a challenge for the country. In order to curb it, a better coordination between state institutions responsible for combating corruption is required and the role of civil society as a watchdog needs to be strengthened.

Objective

Public institutions in Ghana are better equipped to effectively implement citizen-centred governance with integrity and accountability, both nationally and locally.

Approach

The programme works on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supports public institutions in the following areas:

• It helps make the tax system and expenditure management more transparent, fairer and more effective.
• It supports district administrations through further training and technical consultancy on data-based and inclusive planning.
• It promotes digitalisation of work processes and cooperation mechanisms at partner institutions, such as the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Corruption and the judicial service, in order to strengthen their supervisory function against corruption.
• It works together with civil society organisations that serve as watchdog for state institutions and raise public awareness of legal compliance and integrity in government action.

Last update: January 2024