Ghana Country Assistance Review : A Study of Development Effectiveness Book

This country assistance review (CAR) on Ghana is the first in a new series of OED studies. These studies will, for each country concerned, evaluate the relevance and efficacy of the Bank's overall country assistance strategy and the effectiveness of the various instruments of Bank assistance, with a view to drawing lessons from expreience. Ghana was selected for the study in part because of its sustained adjustment and resumed growth. Poverty in Ghana has decreased and the gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate has averaged nearly 5 percent over the past decade - higher than in any African country except Botswana and Mauritius. At the same time, there remain questions regarding the extent, depth, and sustainability of Ghana's economic recovery. The study cautions that progress will not be sustained unless Ghana speeds up implementation of a large unfinished agenda of reforms designed to stimulate private sector development and enhance the prospects for sustainable agricultural growth. Accordingly, the Bank's country assistance strategy will give central importance to the nexus of declining agricultural productivity, high population growth, and environmental degradation, as well as to economic governance and institutional development issues.