Committees

Changing nature of UK aid to Ghana inquiry launched

25 June 2020

Sub-Committee on the work of the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) is launching an inquiry to consider ICAI's first country portfolio review, The changing nature of UK aid in Ghana.

Summary

Ghana became a lower-middle income country in 2011. Its economy is changing and, as a result, so is the nature of the UK's aid portfolio. Despite the progress achieved, some development challenges remain.

The UK committed approximately £2.8 billion in bilateral aid to Ghana between 1998 and 2017. Lately, the UK has responded to Ghana's desire to move beyond aid by reorienting the UK's aid portfolio towards helping Ghana overcome its economic and governance challenges, and towards mobilising the resources to help Ghana finance its own development.

ICAI's review spans from 2011-2019 and covers a range of government actors involved in delivering UK aid to Ghana including the Department for International Development (DFID), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), the National Crime Agency (NCA), and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

In this inquiry, the Sub-Committee will consider the findings and recommendations of ICAI in its review and evaluate the changing nature of UK aid to Ghana over this period.

Chair's comments

ICAI Sub-Committee Chair, Theo Clarke MP, said:

“Ghana has long been known as one of the more developed West African nations, making major strides towards democracy becoming a lower-middle-income country and moving closer to its goal to transition away from aid. Over recent years, the UK has sought to support this progress by   reorienting its aid portfolio towards helping Ghana finance its own development.

“During this inquiry, we will be considering in detail how UK aid over the years has changed in Ghana, whether the UK's interests have contributed to the country's progress in helping the most vulnerable and set the foundations for sustainable development in Ghana.”

Scope of the inquiry – Terms of reference

  • What were ICAI's key recommendations and findings, and is the Government's response to those adequate?
  • Is the changing nature of UK aid beneficial to and coherent with Ghana's desire to go beyond aid?
  • How effective and transparent is UK aid in Ghana in helping to: meet Ghana's development needs whilst achieving UK strategic objectives, reducing inequalities and supporting a sustainable transition from aid?
  • - Do the UK's strategic objectives in Ghana reflect the needs of the most vulnerable, and the civil society and NGOs that work on the ground in Ghana?

Oral evidence sessions will be announced in due course.

Further information

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