PROJECT EVALUATION Republic of Ghana Rural Enterprises Project, Phase II International Fund for Interim Evaluation Agricultural Development Via Paolo di Dono, 44 00142 Rome, Italy Tel: +39 06 54591 Fax: +39 06 54593048 October 2011 E-mail:
[email protected] www.ifad.org/evaluation Document of the International Fund for Agricultural Development Republic of Ghana Rural Enterprises Project, Phase II Interim Evaluation Report No. 2494-GH October 2011 Photo on cover page: Women‟s Gari Processing Association Source: Rural Enterprises Project, Phase II Project Coordination and Monitoring Unit Republic of Ghana Rural Enterprises Project – Phase II Loan No. 588-GH Interim Evaluation Table of Contents Currency Equivalents iii Weights and Measures iii Abbreviations and Acronyms iii Map of the Project Area v Acknowledgements vii Foreword ix Executive Summary xi Agreement at Completion Point xvii I. EVALUATION OBJECTIVES, METHODOLOGY AND PROCESS 1 II. COUNTRY AND SECTOR BACKGROUND 3 III. PROJECT BACKGROUND 6 IV. IMPLEMENTATION RESULTS 9 V. PROJECT PERFORMANCE 22 A. Relevance 22 B. Effectiveness 24 C. Efficiency 28 VI. RURAL POVERTY IMPACT 31 VII. SUSTAINABILITY, INNOVATIONS AND GENDER 37 A. Sustainability 37 B. Innovation 38 C. Gender 39 VIII. PERFORMANCE OF PARTNERS 40 IX. SUMMARY OF OVERALL PERFORMANCE 42 X. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 43 APPENDICES 1. Bibliography 49 2. Evaluation Framework 51 3. Evaluation Main Mission Itinerary 57 4. List of Persons Met during the Evaluation Mission 59 5. Mean Annual Per Capita Income by Region 71 6. Case Studies: Businesses That Have Grown 73 7. Brief on Trade/Business Associations 79 8. Rural Enterprises Project Data 83 9. Evaluation Criteria Used by the Independent Office of Evaluation 91 BOXES 1.