Skip to main content

Christian Aid has exited Ghana as part of a change programme to deliver greater impact globally.

To reach those most in need, address the root causes of poverty, speak truth to power and raise the voices of the world’s most marginalised people, we are refocusing our work.

In line with our new global strategy, Standing Together, we are deepening our interventions in fewer countries.

Ghana Learning review

This report celebrates the work of the Ghana programme, focusing on tax justice and market development, two areas in which the Ghana programme innovated. It also reflects on the evolution of Christian Aid Ghana's partnerships with national associations and institutions. 

Read the report

Our work in Ghana

Christian Aid has worked in Ghana for over 30 years. Our work has focused on tackling the structural causes for poverty, conflict management, rights-based advocacy, tax justice and gender equality. Working with strategic partners, we have been able to deliver meaningful change at scale and speed. Our approach has been to empower Ghanaians by supporting the growth of social movements, networks and coalitions to promote transparency, accountability and pro-poor development.

Our achievements

  1. Contributed to policy reforms.
  2. Enabled active citizenship.
  3. Created and strengthened civil society networks.
  4. Increased incomes for producer and processor groups and families.
  5. Strengthened CSOs and NGOs.
  6. Improved access to quality social services.
  7. Set up enterprises for inclusive markets and economic development.
  8. Actively contributed to the INGO Forum development space.

In Ghana we worked on...

Governance

We helped Ghanaian citizens to be empowered to participate effectively in decision-making and demand accountability.

Market access

We worked with poor farmers to improve their access to services, assets and markets they need for a resilient livelihood.

Equality

We improved integration of women and other marginalised into governance and economic policies and increased their participation in formal and informal decision-making structures.

Gender and governance

ABANTU for Development worked to change women’s lives by helping them to become more involved in governance. ABANTU worked across six districts in Ghana to complement efforts to support women to be represented and participate effectively at local government levels and other decision-making spaces.

Approaches adopted included the creation of a favourable socio-cultural and gender sensitive environment supportive of women’s participation. Activities also included increasing women’s knowledge and understanding of the electoral governance.

Tax justice

We worked with our partner, Ghana Integrity Initiative, to promote an equitable and transparent tax system in Ghana. Focusing on issues such as the role of tax incentives in Ghana’s development process and the enforcement of national tax laws, we made the links between taxation and good governance visible, and fostered conversations and actions that led to change.

Technology for markets

The Youth Harvest Foundation launched the My Price pilot project, which used mobile phones to give poor smallholder farmers access to market information, including commodity prices by crop and market, wholesale and retail prices, and goods available for sale.

This was scaled up to other districts in the My Pharm project, where farmers are being enabled to have an empowered and inclusive role in the market systems.

Our incomes have increased significantly as a result of access to price and market information.

- Mary Anne Akunduya, Smallholder farmer.

Our Programmes

Improve

The Improving Maternal Health Service Delivery through Participatory Governance project (IMPROVE) was a three-year EU-funded project, which was implemented across 30 districts in the three Northern Regions of Ghana by Christian Aid and SEND Ghana.

The overall objective of this project was to influence and ensure effective delivery of maternal health services in Ghana and progress towards the achievement of Millennium Development Goal five: improve maternal health. 

Grow

The Growing Rice Market Opportunities for Women (GROW) in northern Ghana was a two-year project that sought to promote Ghana to become completely self-sufficient in rice production by 2018.

The project contributed to poverty reduction and economic development by improving household incomes, food security and employment of beneficiaries across the rice value chain, especially women entrepreneurs who carry out parboiling processing of rice. 

Markets

Maximising Rice and Key Enterprises in Target Sites (Markets) was a five-year project that sought to capitalise on the rapidly expanding domestic rice market. It targeted an estimated 6,782 beneficiaries (rice farmers and processors as well as vegetable farmers) in the Upper East Region (UER) of Ghana.

Northern Ghana Green Market

The Northern Ghana Green Market (NGGM) project aimed to increase incomes of vegetable farmers through an inclusive ‘green’ vegetable market system. Christian Aid partnered with a local partner (CAOF) to implement this project in the Northern, Upper East, and Upper West regions, working with 3,000 producers.

Women in Governance (WIG – Faith based)

Christian Aid Ghana worked with the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) to implement the Women in Governance Project (WIG). This three-year project sought to address the issue of low representation of women and girls at the decision-making levels of the church by developing their capacity for leadership, promoting gender-friendly biblical teachings as well as facilitating the creation of an enabling environment. The project was implemented in the Greater Accra, Northern and Ashanti regions of Ghana.

Reports and resources

List articles by location - Particle

Tax abuse

Tax abuses robs poor countries of more than $400bn a year

Christian Aid launches €947,000 project

5 May 2017: Christian Aid in partnership with the Ellembelle District Assembly, GRATIS Foundation, Ghanaian Institute of Welding (GIW), and United Civil Society for National Development (UCSOND) held a national media launch of the GEOP Project.

EC Chair challenges women to be confident

Electoral Commission (EC) chairperson Charlotte Osei has urged Ghanaian women to be confident in dedicating themselves to a higher cause.

Read more on graphic.com.gh

Follow our global work

The latest news, photos and programme updates from around the world. Sharing resources and knowledge with development and humanitarian practitioners.