Effectiveness of foreign aid in agricultural development in the Adaklu District of Ghana: a case study of the Modernizing Agriculture in Ghana (MAG) Fund
Date
2024
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Cogent Social Sciences
Abstract
The debate on the effectiveness foreign aid in Africa continues to take center stage in
the development literature. To contribute to this debate, this research sought to
investigate the effectiveness of the Modernizing of Agriculture in Ghana (MAG) Fund, a
135 million Canadian dollars in foreign aid received by the Government of Ghana for
agricultural development. The study employed a qualitative research approach in
assessing the utilization effectiveness of the Fund in the Adaklu District of the Republic
of Ghana. The researchers purposefully selected sixteen (16) informants from the study
population and interviewed, using an interview guide. The informants selected for the
study consists of technical staff of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, key staff of the
Department of Agriculture of the Adaklu District, core staff of the Adaklu District
Assembly, and farmers. The study revealed poor and ineffective utilization of the Fund
resulting from cumbersome bureaucratic processes in accessing the Fund, weak
institutional collaboration and partnerships, inadequate resource allocation by the
Assembly to the Department of Agriculture for Agricultural Development in the district.
Consequently, agricultural development in the District is characterized by poor
agriculture extension service delivery, poor technological deployment, high cost of
inputs and low agricultural production. The study recommends strengthening the
institutional and personal capacities of those in charge of the utilization of foreign aid
to ensure that funds are applied for their intended purposes. Additionally, the
institutionalization of effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to track the
progress of fund to ensure that they meet their objectives is recommended.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Development policy, Modernizing Agriculture, foreign aid