Title: Development of Community-Based Monitoring System in Ghana DESIGN PAPER BY Wilhemina Quaye Paul Boadu Adelaide Agyeman Mavis Akufobea Nana Yamoah Asafu-Adjaye CSIR-Science and Technology Policy Research Institute P.O Box CT 519 Accra-Ghana August 2018 This work was carried out with financial and scientific support from the Partnership for Economic Policy (PEP), with funding from the Department for International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom (or UK Aid), and the Government of Canada through the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). 1 Contents List of Tables and Figures ...................................................................................................................... 3 List of Acronyms ................................................................................................................................... 3 1. Background and Rationale ............................................................................................................ 4 2. Review of Related Literature......................................................................................................... 5 2.1 Review of Existing Monitoring Systems ...................................................................................... 6 3. Features of the CBMS Design/Methodology ................................................................................. 7 3.1 Key Features ............................................................................................................................... 7 3.1.1 It involves a census of all households in a community ......................................................... 7 3.1.2 Local government unit (LGU)-based while promoting community participation ................. 7 3.1.3 Taps existing LGU-personnel/community members as monitors......................................... 9 3.1.4 Generates a core set of indicators that are being measured to determine the welfare status of the population. ............................................................................................................... 9 3.1.5 Uses freeware customized for CBMS-data collection, processing and poverty mapping ... 10 3.1.6 Establishes database at each geopolitical level .................................................................. 10 3.2 Core Indicators of poverty, SDG monitoring, and Other Data generated............................ 10 3.3 Data Collection .......................................................................................................................... 12 3.3.1 Process/Steps for CBMS Field Data collection in Ghana ........................................................ 12 3.3.2 Selected Sites covered by CBMS ............................................................................................ 13 3.3.3 Data collection Instruments/Designing Questionnaires ......................................................... 17 3.3.4 Training and Data Collection using the Community-Based Monitoring System in Ghana ...... 18 3.4 Data Processing ......................................................................................................................... 20 3.5 Data Validation ......................................................................................................................... 20 3.6 Establishment of Database ....................................................................................................... 21 3.7 Dissemination ........................................................................................................................... 21 4. Recommendations for Scaling Up and Institutionalization of CBMS in Ghana ............................... 24 References .......................................................................................................................................... 25 Annex A.1 CBMS Core Indicators ........................................................................................................ 27 Annex A.2 SDG Indicators using CBMS Data ....................................................................................... 32 Annex B.1. Ghana Household Profile Questionnaire........................................................................... 38 Annex B.2. Rider Questionnaire on C:AVA Programme and Women Empowerment ......................... 50 Annex B.3. Community Profile Questionnaire .................................................................................... 55 Annex C.1. Enumerator’s Manual on the HPQ and Rider Questionnaire ............................................ 62 2 List of Tables and Figures Table 1: Core Poverty Indicators ......................................................................................................... 11 Table 2: Timelines for Data Collection ................................................................................................ 13 Table 3: Communities covered by the CBMS implementation in Atebubu District ............................. 14 Figure 1: Map of Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana Showing the Study District ......................................... 5 Figure 2: Planning Structure in Ghana showing the stage of CBMS Application ................................... 9 Figure 3: Project Team and Responsibilities ....................................................................................... 12 List of Acronyms BMGF Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation C:AVA Cassava: Adding Value for Africa CBMS Community-Based Monitoring System FASDEP Food and Agriculture Sector Development Policy GPS Global Positioning System GSS Ghana Statistical Services MOFA Ministry of Food and Agriculture QGIS. Geographic Information System SDGs Sustainable Development Goals WAAPP West Africa Agricultural Productivity Improvement Project 3 1. Background and Rationale Ghana has a population size of approximately 29 million as of 2017 with estimated population growth rate of 2.2%. In 2016, the GDP was estimated at GHC 36, 072.3Million (ISSER 2017). Although Ghana is a lower-middle income country is still battling with issues of poverty, unemployment, housing deficit, inequalities, equity and inclusive growth among others. About 57% of the Ghanaian population are under the age of 25 years and the unemployment rate was estimated at 5.2% with more than a third of the working population underemployed (GSS 2014). Cooke et al (2016) reported that inequality worsened in Ghana as evidenced in rise in Gini coefficient of 42.3 in 2013 as compared to 37 in 1992. From the 6th Ghana Living Standards Survey Report (GSS 2014), about 56.3% of the adult population in Ghana was literate in English but 20% of the adult population had never attended school. About 60.6% of the households in Ghana lived in compound houses. In the current project, the overall objective was to design and implement the CBMS in the Ghanaian context (Research Paper 1). Additionally, the project also aims to showcase the different uses of the CBMS data. Some of the uses include drafting the SDG report in which the CBMS was used to localize the SDGs (Research Paper 2) as well as to assessing the effectiveness of The Cassava: Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA) project using the CBMS methodology as an assessment tool (Research Paper 3). A rider questionnaire was used for research paper 3 which include issues to address gender gaps, women empowerment and livelihoods of C:AVA beneficiaries vis-à-vis non C:AVA beneficiaries. The C:AVA project seeks to reduce poverty and improve access to markets by cassava value chain actors. The C:AVA project targets farmers and processors of cassava and consciously empowering women in selected communities in the Brong Ahafo and Volta Regions of Ghana. Implementation of C:AVA in the Brong Ahafo Region started in 2009-2014 (Phase 1) and 2015-2018 (Phase 2) covering 112 communities and total of 70 active groups. C:AVA project is funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and has strong relevance for the Agriculture sector in Ghana. The agriculture sector employs about two thirds of its population but the sector is challenged with issues of low productivity levels, post-harvest losses and low value addition along the commodity value chains (FASDEP II, 2013). Undoubtedly, women play very significant roles in the Ghanaian Agriculture Sector but receive little attention in the provision of agricultural services and inputs (Quaye et al 2014, MOFA/WAAPP 2014). The Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) was implemented in selected communities in a planning unit in Atebubu-Amantin District in the Brong Ahafo Region (see Figure 1). 20 communities were covered in the 2018 CBMS and had a total population of 10647 with males constituting 50.2% and Females 49.8%. The average household size was approximately 5.2. Only 1 out of the 20 communities covered was considered to be peri- urban as per definition of urban location in Ghana. Majority of the population (71.4%) were Christians, Muslims (21.3%) and Traditionalist and other religion (7.3%). Regarding ethnicity, about 59% of the population were Akans and Kokombas constituted 21%. Majority (74.5%) of the working population were into agriculture. Crops cultivated include cassava, maize, yam, rice, groundnut and cowpea. Some of the livestock reared include goat, cattle and chicken. 4 Overall, the expected outcomes from the implementation of the current CBMS methodology are capacity improvements at the district and planning unit levels in data collection, processing and analysis for effective planning of programs