African Development Bank Executive Directors end visit

A group of Executive Directors of African Development Bank (AfDB) on Friday called on government to take steps to ensure that the high growth in the economy is translated to all sections of the Ghanaian society.

Ms Margit Thomsen, Spokesperson for the Ghana Consultation Mission, lauded the government for the good economic performance and urged it to promote inclusive growth.

“Ghana is a country on the move and we are happy with the discussions and what we saw on the field,” Ms Thomsen said at a press briefing to round up the visit.

The 10-member Executive Directors arrived in Ghana to review AfDB-fund projects and programmes, and consult with the Government, as part of an annual Africa-wide programme.

The delegation, which was in the country from the 3rd of March to the 9th, looked at five AfDB projects of special interest and importance that were also representative of the Bank’s overall strategy.

The projects are the Ghana-Togo-Benin Power Interconnection Project; the Nsawam by-pass road infrastructure project, the export marketing and quality awareness programme, the Kpong Irrigation Scheme, and the Senior High School Education project in the Eastern and Greater Accra Regions.

The visit also gave the Board Members the chance to talk to development partners and representatives from the private sector and civil society about various issues related to development assistance and its effectiveness.

Ms Thomsen said going forward; the bank was looking at deepening its collaboration with Ghana, in the areas of infrastructure such as roads, electricity and private sector development.

AfDB’s current portfolio in Ghana comprises 32 operations with a total value of $1.5 billion, and is mainly concentrated on infrastructure.

By sector, transport is the largest at 33 per cent, followed by multinational projects (24 per cent), agriculture (17 per cent), social sector (10 per cent), water and sanitation (10 per cent) and power (four per cent).

As at the end of 2011, the AfDB portfolio in Ghana amounted to a cumulative total of nearly $1.1 billion comprising 28 operations and projects.

This comprises concessional loans of $761.93 million (76.1 per cent) and grants of $239.30 million (23.9 per cent).

The Bank’s activities are focused in agriculture, infrastructure, the social sector (Education and Health) and General Budget Support, provided through the Multidonor Budget support Mechanism.

The Bank Group is in the process of finalising a new Country Strategy Paper (2012-2016) for Ghana, scheduled to be discussed at the Board meeting in April 2012.

The new strategy is aligned to the government’s national development strategy - the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda.