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World Bank Support for Ghana. Challenges and Opportunities August 2004. Context. The Bank and Ghana are beginning a very important period in their partnership
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World Bank Support for Ghana Challenges and Opportunities August 2004
Context • The Bank and Ghana are beginning a very important period in their partnership • Over the last 18 months (since the launch of the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) the Bank has developed an US$ 725 million program, with projects in areas ranging from education and health, to power, land administration, water and sanitation
Context • In addition, there is a substantial amount of donor funds being made available to Ghana, most of them through direct budget support along with the Bank’s PRSC projects • Finally, budgetary savings from the HIPC debt relief will make available around 2 percent of GDP over the next 5 years for poverty reduction expenditure programs
World Bank Program for Ghana (since GPRS) • PRSC 1 128 • PRSC 2 127 • Health Sector 90 • Education Sector 78 • Power Distribution (restructuring) 15 • Community-Based Rural Development 60 • Small Town Water and Sanitation 26 • Urban Water 103 • Urban Environmental Sanitation 62 • Partnerships with Traditional Authorities 5 • GEF Community Nat Resources Mgmt 1 • HIV/AIDS Treatment Acceleration Plan 10 • Land Administration 20 Total US$ 725 million
Poverty Reduction Support Credits (PRSCs) • Accounts for 40% of the Bank program in Ghana • US$ 250 million from the Bank in 2003 and 2004, plus another US$ 300 from the other donors • Provides funding for overall government operations, supporting wide-ranging reforms in areas such as education, health, public financial management, energy, forestry, water and sanitation
Poverty Reduction Support Credits (PRSCs) Expected results • Allow the Government to increase total poverty-related expenditures by 3 percent annually through 2007
Poverty Reduction Support Credits (PRSCs) Challenges • Budget support requires fiscal discipline and ability to control how funds are spent Opportunities • PRSCs provide direct budget support, placing the government in the driver’s seat of the development process
Health Sector Program • The health sector SWAp accounts for 40 percent of overall expenditure on health, or over 500 billion cedis per annum • In addition, the Ghana AIDS Response Fund provides support to programs aimed at reducing the spread of HIV infection, and impact of AIDS on those infected and their families • The Ghana AIDS strategy involves working with over 1,000 community based organizations in implementing these programs
Health Sector Program Expected results • Reduce regional, socio-economic and gender inequalities in health outcomes • Keep the prevalence of HIV among pregnant women below 5 percent
Health Sector Program Challenges • Retain qualified health care professional in the deprived areas • Reduce recent increase in infant and under five mortality rates • Cross sectoral issues that affect health outcomes, such as child malnutrition and access to safe water and sanitation
Health Sector Program Opportunities • New formula based budget allocation should provide additional resources to deprived areas • It should also increase local control of available resources and allow closer management of human resources
Education Sector Program • Education sector projects account for almost one-quarter of Bank lending to Ghana, including untied budget support • Programs supported include the National Functional Literacy project, the education component of the Partnership with Traditional Authorities project, and the recently approved Education Sector Project
Education Sector Program Challenges • Retain qualified teachers in the deprived areas • Deliver core text books to primary pupils in deprived • Increase resources for non-salary expenditures, since most of the resources (90 percent) goes for teachers salaries
Education Sector Program Opportunities • Elimination of school fees in deprived areas should increase enrollment rates • New budget allocation formula should increase funding available for deprived areas and ensure predictability of funding for everyone
Water Supply and Sanitation • Water Supply and Sanitation is a major area of emphasis for the World Bank • Lending in 2003-04 alone will reach US$206 million, accounting for almost 30% of the Bank’s program • Projects provide complete coverage, ranging from large and small towns to rural communities
Water Supply and Sanitation Expected Results: People Gaining Access
Water Supply and Sanitation Challenges • Overall weak public sector capacity • Lack of expertise in managing water companies Opportunities • Private Sector Partnerships Private Sector Investment • Increase local control over these basic services
Conclusion • Ghana and the World Bank are beginning a very important moment of their partnership • The new Bank program provides substantial resources both from the Bank and from donors
Conclusion • These resources combined with budgetary savings from the HIPC debt relief should provide opportunities to deal with some of the country’s development challenges • The greatest opportunity is building partnerships in implementing this program