ASSESSMENT OF DEVELOPMENT RESULTS EVALUATION OF UNDP CONTRIBUTION GHANA Evaluation Office, March 2011 United Nations Development Programme REPORTS PUBLISHED UNDER THE ADR SERIES Afghanistan Egypt Peru Argentina Ethiopia Philippines Bangladesh Georgia Rwanda Barbados and OECS Guatemala Serbia Benin Guyana Seychelles Bhutan Honduras Somalia Bosnia & Herzegovina India Sudan Botswana Indonesia Syrian Arab Republic Bulgaria Jamaica Tajikistan Burkina Faso Jordan Turkey Cambodia Lao PDR Uganda Chile Maldives Ukraine China Montenegro Uzbekistan Colombia Mozambique Viet Nam Republic of the Congo Nicaragua Yemen Ecuador Nigeria Zambia 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 of the United Nations Development Programme, its Executive Board or the United Nations Member States. This is an independent publication by UNDP Evaluation Office. Cover photos provided by © UNDP Ghana and the ADR team. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This evaluation was carried out by a team of Division, Ministry of Finance and Economic independent evaluators: Angela Bester (team Planning), Robert Ossei (Institute of Statistical leader), Jorgen Estrup (team specialist) and Social and Economic Research, University of Patience Agyare-Kwabi (team specialist). Noha Ghana), and Stella Dede Williams (Head of Aboueldahab carried out research in the incep- United Nations Unit, Ministry of Finance and tion and desk review phases. The Evaluation Economic Planning). In particular, we would Office task managers, Fabrizio Felloni and Azusa like to thank Mary-Anne Addo for guiding the Kubota, managed and oversaw the evaluation work of the reference group as chairperson and process, as members of the team. The Evaluation Stella Dede Williams for providing excellent Office is grateful to all of them for their valuable secretariat support. The evaluation also benefited contribution and particularly to Angela Bester for greatly from the guidance and advice provided the leadership she demonstrated in ably guiding by the external reviewer, Dzodzi Tsikata, Senior the evaluation team through design, data collec- Research Fellow, Institute of Statistical, Social tion, data analysis and reporting. and Economic Research, University of Ghana. The Evaluation Office received excellent collab- Our sincere gratitude is extended to stake- oration from national partners throughout the holders and partners of UNDP Ghana, including evaluation process. During the scoping mission members of the government, civil society, of the evaluation, a national reference group, international development community, the UN representing the Government of Ghana and civil family and members of the communities that society was established. The reference group the ADR team visited during the course of the members provided valuable inputs and enhanced evaluation. Special thanks go to partners who the quality of the evaluation by commenting on participated in the end-of-mission briefing work- the terms of reference, preparing a policy brief on shop and the final stakeholder workshop held national development strategies used as an input in Accra. The Evaluation Office was particu- to the ADR, nominating an external reviewer larly pleased and proud that the final workshop for the ADR, and commenting on the draft was co-hosted by the Ministry of Finance and evaluation report. The Evaluation Office Economic Planning under the chairpersonship would like to express its deep gratitude to the of Effie Simpson-Ekuban, Chief Director of the members of the reference group: Mary-Anne Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. Addo (Director, External Resource Mobilization, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning), The evaluation would not have been pos- J. Tony Aidoo (Head, Policy and Economic sible without the commitment and leadership Oversight Unit, Office of the Presidency ), demonstrated by UNDP Ghana senior Samuel Zan Akologo (Country Director, management: Daouda Touré and Ruby Sandhu- Send-Ghana), Herbert Antor (Principal Rural Rojon (Resident Coordinator and UNDP Planning Officer, Ministry of Local Government Resident Representative), Kamil K Kamaluddeen and Rural Development), George L. Cann (Adviser (Country Director), Shigeki Komatsubara to the Director-General, National Development (Deputy Country Director - Programmes) and Planning Commission), Sylvester Gyamfie (Head Denise Findley (Deputy Country Director - of Unit, Ghana Statistical Services), Alhassan Operations). All programme and project staff Iddrisu (Acting Director, Economic Planning in Accra and the field provided the ADR team ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii with invaluable support. The Evaluation Office would like to also thank Louis Kuukpen and Emmanuel Oduro-Boakye, who played a critical role as the ADR focal persons throughout the evaluation process. We would also like to thank the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa, in particular, Tegegnework Gettu, Priya Gajraj, Suppiramaniam Nanthikesan and Patrick Haverman, for their valuable support and contribution to the ADR process. The quality enhancement and administra- tive support provided by Evaluation Office colleagues is critical to the successful conduct of all evaluations. As part of the quality enhancement process, Urs Nagel and Oscar Garcia reviewed the 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. Anish Pradhan and Marina Blinova assisted in the editing and publication process with the help of an external editor, Sanjay Upadhya. It is our hope that this evaluation will help UNDP further leverage their strategic partnership with the Government of Ghana, as UNDP advances with its transformation process to become an ever more relevant and valuable partner to the country. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS FOREWORD This is the report of an independent country- The evaluation found, however, that UNDP’s level evaluation called the Assessment of much-appreciated responsiveness resulted in Development Results (ADR) in Ghana, con- its interventions becoming more vulnerable to ducted by the Evaluation Office of the United changes in political priorities. There is a risk Nations Development Programme (UNDP). that UNDP becomes reactive and less strategic. This evaluation examined the relevance and Further, the evaluation highlighted the import- strategic positioning of UNDP support and ance of partnership beyond the government: its contributions to the country’s development UNDP did not sufficiently engage non- results from 2002 to 2010. It assessed UNDP’s governmental organizations or the private interventions under the programme areas of sector to ensure broad national ownership of governance, poverty reduction and Millennium the development agenda. The evaluation also Development Goals achievement, and drew attention to challenges that are related environment and energy. to sustainability across UNDP programmes, particularly evident in community-based inter- UNDP programmes in Ghana have been ventions. The absence, thus far, of a strong characterized by UNDP’s long-standing part- market-orientation in community-based nership with the Government of Ghana. The interventions seriously hinders the prospect evaluation illustrated how this positive relation- for sustainability. ship, based on shared goals and mutual trust, facilitated UNDP’s privileged position and The evaluation concluded that, while UNDP how this favourable positioning became, over Ghana has been recognized for its substan- the years, a major asset for UNDP programme. tive capacity and positive contribution to UNDP succeeded in targeting Ghana’s major Ghana’s development agenda, its inefficient and challenges, as the country strived towards the ineffective business processes and operational national aspirations of wealth creation and constraints may undermine the organization’s poverty reduction. Partners appreciated ability to deliver. As Ghana prepares for a UNDP’s deliberate efforts to focus on mar- transition to middle-income status, UNDP ginalized communities, vulnerable groups, and needs to bolster its advisory capacity and deprived areas of Ghana, since these efforts led align its portfolio with the realities of the to enhanced awareness and political action in dynamic environment in Ghana, particularly in favour of decentralization and inclusive growth. the areas of local economic development and UNDP retained its relevance in relation to fostering private-public sector partnerships for national needs and priorities by being responsive development. Such efforts must be coupled to changes in the political, economic and social with the strengthening of organizational context. Notable examples of UNDP’s respon- efficiency. UNDP Ghana has already embarked siveness include, directing support to relevant on a number of initiatives to reinforce internal institutions to ensure free and fair elections, capacity, both substantive and administrative, supporting establishment of new institutions and the evaluation strongly endorsed these such as the Savannah Development Agency to notable efforts. focus on the poorer north, and responding to natural disasters. The evaluation also showed This ADR generated a number of important that the UNDP programme has been effective lessons. The findings and recommendations of both at the policy and community level. this evaluation reminded UNDP