Ghana District Profile series launched

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched the first-ever Ghana District Profile Series report in Accra.

This report is part of USAID’s work to support evidence-based decision making, and to bridge the data and information gap at the sub-national level in the implementation of Ghana’s local government decentralization policy.

The Ghana District Profile Series, arguably the most comprehensive report ever to be developed in Ghana, is designed to help stakeholders better understand the development progress and challenges being made in the districts where USAID works.

The 486-page report, which covers all 59 districts in the three northern regions and part of Brong Ahafo bounding the northern region, was launched at this year’s Feed the Future Implementing Partners Meeting in Accra.

It details each district’s demographic information, agricultural activities, women’s empowerment, education and nutrition, water, sanitation and health issues.

The annual meeting brings together USAID projects and partners working in the agriculture and nutrition sectors to report and discuss collective progress on realizing the goals of Feed the Future, the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative.

At the meeting, USAID/Ghana Economic Growth Office Deputy Director Brian Conklin launched the report.

“We always try to look for creative ways to take the information that we have available, and present it in a practical form that makes sense to people who use the data,” he said.

“This (district profile) is just an attempt to really zero in on what is happening in each district particularly on agriculture.”

Conklin said the report would enable USAID and its partners to more effectively increase food security, incomes, and nutrition.

“Some districts have high levels of poverty and others have low levels so this district profile will allow people to know what is really happening within a particular district and begin to ask some questions,” he said. “There is always a reason why some districts are doing better than others. But what we want to achieve with the District Profile Series is to zero in on those factors.”

Through Feed the Future, the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative, USAID works with the Ghana Government and development partners to improve the competitiveness of the maize, rice and soybean value chains. Ghana is one of Feed the Future’s priority countries.

In Ghana, Feed the Future works to increase agricultural competitiveness, with a focus on the three northern regions, by introducing farmers to new technologies and techniques that boost productivity, strengthening agricultural research, linking farmers and agribusinesses to markets, and stimulating private sector investment.