Oxfam's work in Ghana in depth

Oxfam first began working in the West Mamprusi District of Ghana in 1986 to tackle the chronic water and sanitation issues that affected thousands of people in the Kubori area.   Over the next 15 years we invested nearly £600,000 providing water and sanitation, micro finance, health and hygiene education facilities for about 700 farm families.  Oxfam has since grown to support activity across the country, with a particular focus on the three northern regions, led from a national office in Accra.

Oxfam’s overall approach in Ghana is to:

• Focus on advocacy and facilitation rather than service delivery
• Support Ghanaian civil society movements
• Support credible and natural movements
• Emphasise local to national links
• Ensure that Oxfam adds value in terms of expertise and linkages
• Work collaboratively
• Work with Oxfam International affiliates
• Support regional and global campaigns

Focus of our work in Ghana

Agriculture

Objectives:
Our long-term aim is to ensure that women and men living in three districts of rural Ghana secure agriculture policies, investment and services that respond to their interests and priorities through strong local and national civic movements, using targeted advocacy and campaigning.

In the shorter term, we aim to ensure that farmer platforms are unified and able to speak with one voice, increasing their influence over government to see an increase and effectiveness of investment.

We will focus especially on the shea sector and in the co-ordinated delivery of resources made available through the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA).

Activities:
Oxfam is supporting four farmer networks and associations in furthering their plans for a unified farmers platform.  We are working with the farmers’ platform, and its members, to help them be active and effective in speaking out on policy issues that are related to ensuring that the government meets its promises on levels of agriculture financial and technical investment.

We are supporting the farmers’ platforms, and Farmer Based Organisations (FBOs) from the three northern regions who are involved in the shea industry, to increase their clout in bringing about more favourable policies and market chains for pickers and producers.  This is being done with existing organisations that are already working in the shea sector (both Non Government Organisations and private sector).

Oxfam also supports organisations that are developing civil society “checks” on the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), to ensure that the agriculture components of this new initiative are contributing to other areas of investment set out within the agriculture policy and that this is focused on meeting the farmers’ needs.

Health

Objectives:
Our long-term aim is to ensure that Ghanaian citizens benefit from increased and equitable access to essential services as a result of strong local and national movements using targeted lobbying, campaigning research and monitoring to influence policy and spending.

In the shorter term, we aim to encourage increased debate between citizens and the state on the health delivery and financing approaches that are required to lead to greater coverage of health care for the poorest men, women and children in Ghana.

Activities:
New government proposals for all children under the age of 18 to have free access to health care after a one-time premium payment has initiated a broad debate around the affordability and purpose of these changes. Oxfam and its partners are producing a paper that will take advantage of the current opportunities to influence the development of Ghana’s health system in the direction of free, universal access to basic care.

The paper being developed aims to strengthen the case for reform, by pointing out the inequities and unfairness of the present system where the tax paid by the whole population pays for a scheme accessed by only those who have cards, the majority of which are not poor. 

The paper will acknowledge progress made, such as that in relation to health workers, but will argue that a system of free, universal care is the way to tackle these inequities and realise a social democratic vision of healthcare. It will also address doubts by providing realistic costing and policy options. This will include weighing up the extra costs of the loss of premiums and expansion of access, against the savings of dismantling the insurance bureaucracy.

Oxfam and the other two commissioning organisations have an overlapping interest in health sector reform, an area where we are committed to supporting these two and other Ghanaian organisations. This paper will fit into an ongoing programme of campaigning and lobbying for equitable, universal health services in Ghana and (in Oxfam’s case) elsewhere.

 

Last updated: May 09