Ghana : Evaluation of the Bank's Country Strategy and Program 2002-2015

The African Development Bank Country Strategy and Program Evaluation (CSPE) in Ghana was initiated as part of IDEV’s Comprehensive Evaluation of the Bank's Development Results (CEDR), among 15 other countries over the period of 2004-2014. The Bank’s operations in Ghana represent a significant part of the Bank’s portfolio. Cumulative operations as of end 2014 (the total value of loans and grants approved between 1967 and 2014) stood at about UA 1.8 billion, making Ghana the thirteenth largest recipient of Bank assistance, and the third largest in West Africa, after Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire. This evaluation covers projects approved between 2002 and 2014 - 59 domestic operations amounting to approximately UA 1,019 million and 12 multinational operations with activities in Ghana amounting to UA 94.9 million.

The Ghana CSPE has three main goals: to provide credible evaluative information on the development results of the Bank’s engagement in Ghana; to generate lessons and recommendations from the performance of the Bank’s support to Ghana over this period to inform the implementation of future strategies and operations, including the Bank’s Ten Year Strategy; and to provide credible, independent and evidence‐based information to stakeholders outside the Bank to inform future development strategies and initiatives.

Two types of interventions can be distinguished in the Bank’s portfolio in Ghana: lending operations, which involve investments in projects and programs; and non‐lending operations, which include studies (referred to as economic and sector work), training and capacity development, partnership, and policy dialogue.

The evaluation was primarily guided by the OECD‐DAC Criteria for International Development Evaluation, focusing on the issues of: (i) relevance; (ii) effectiveness; (iii) efficiency; and (iv) sustainability. In order to allow for an assessment of the Bank’s organizational effectiveness, this evaluation will also assess the Bank’s management and operating practices, including the adoption of (v) cross-cutting themes, (vi) design and delivery mechanisms, and (vii) management for results, and how these have contributed to the achievement of results.

The evaluation used a broad range of data collection including project document reviews, interviews with key informants, and visits to selected projects sites.