The governance programme aimed to respond to the assessed root causes of Ghana’s identified governance and peacebuilding gaps and deficits.104 These included: (i) ineffective processes and institutions; (ii) increased signs of corruption; (iii) inequitable access to basic services for the marginalized; (iv) inadequate inclusion of vulnerable groups; and (v) increased political polarization and contestation over resources. The government programme has four priority areas: (i) Institutional strengthening; (ii) Peace and social cohesion; (iii) Social mobilization; and (iv) Rights protection. The governance component comprises 21 projects of varying sizes (some are very small) for a total envelope of around $5.6 million of expenditure mobilized mainly through UNDP core resources with some contributions from other partners including Japan, Sweden, the Multi‑Partner Trust Fund, the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs and others. The above four priority areas were translated into the following areas of intervention: (i) cost‑effectiveness, and efficiency in institutions related to access to justice, conflict prevention and resolution, electoral processes and national development planning and accountability; (ii) support for democratic governance reforms and parliamentary oversight; (iii) legal assistance and protection of rights; (iv) effective planning and implementation of the SDGs and the African Union’s Agenda 2063; (v) inclusive participation in decision‑making; (vi) citizen demand for responsive service delivery; (vii) civil society, women and youth platforms for more coordinated and innovative action on the SDGs; (viii) prevention of small arms and light weapons proliferation; (ix) prevention and mediation of existing and emerging conflicts; and (x) inclusion of women and youth in peacebuilding.
FIGURE 3. Evolution of expenditure and budget in the area of governance (2018‑2021) million US$
Budget
Expenditure
3.0 2.9 2.3
2.0
2.0 1.5
1.5
1.0
1.5
1.4 0.7
0
2018
2019
2020
2021
Note: Data for 2021 are only up to early October. In addition to the expenditure of $0.7 million, an additional $0.3 million has been committed to be spent in the year. Source: Atlas Project data, Power Bi, October 2021
Finding 9. Governance: UNDP works with a range of institutions to support good governance aimed at improving government accountability and transparency as well as inducing desired policy reforms. This is a time‑consuming and sensitive process, and while many planned activities were delivered, the larger political and governance reforms were not yet realized.
104
UNDP Ghana, 2018. Governance Concept Note. Governance and Peacebuilding Cluster.
Findings
34
