Ghana: Agenda for Growth

 

In October 2003, the Government of Ghana and Columbia University entered into a joint project entitled Ghana: Agenda for Growth.  The agreement followed a visit by Earth Institute Director Jeffrey Sachs to Ghana, and a visit by President Kufuor of Ghana to Columbia.

 

President John Kufuor of Ghana with Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University.

 

The Agenda for Growth project is being implemented by the Earth Institute and Ghana's Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, with the cooperation of the United Nations Development Program in Ghana.  The project is funded by the Open Society Institute, and its goals are to assist Ghana in achieving an overall growth rate of 6% per annum, and to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

 

Specific project components include overall macroeconomic planning under the direction of Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute; urban planning led by Dr. Roberta Balstad Miller, Director of CIESIN; energy policy led by Dr. Vijay Modi, Professor and Chair of Columbia's Department of Mechanical Engineering; water policy led by Prof. Upmanu Lall, Head of the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering; agricultural technology led by Dr. Pedro Sanchez, Director of the Tropical Agriculture Program at the Earth Institute; and health interventions led by Dr. Awash Teklehaimanot, of the Center for Global Health and Economic Development.  Initial activities in each program area are detailed below.

 

A drainage ditch in Accra, the capital city of Ghana

 

Urban Planning

Accra is the first city to be included in the 21st Century Cities Project of the Earth Institute.  One of the first activities will be an Urban Studio in Accra in early 2004 planned jointly though the Department of Urban Planning at Columbia University and the Ministry for Tourism and Modernization of the Capital City in Ghana.  They will conduct an in-depth analysis of the current and potential tourism industry of Accra.

 

Water

Key water issues for consideration include design and costing of the water supply networks and treatment methods in Accra-Tema and other urban centers; exploration of integrated watershed management and urban design/planning approaches for water supply and flood control; and assessment of rural livelihoods and their relation to water availability for purposes other than human consumption.

 

Energy

In the energy component of the Agenda for Growth project, Earth Institute scientists will analyze the current and future electricity needs and supply options for both urban and rural areas, and develop policy guidelines and recommendations for implementation strategies in four areas: Urban Grids, Rural Electrification, Natural Gas Pipelines, and Hydroelectric Pricing.

 

Agriculture

To help the agricultural sector contribute to project goals, Columbia scientists will convene a country workshop in early 2004.  The goal will be to assist Ghanaians to develop their national plan for attaining the MDG goal of having hunger by 2015, including a plan for implementing community activities to increase agricultural production, developing school lunch programs using locally produced foods, and developing rural agricultural markets. 

 

Health

In the health sector, Columbia scientists will work closely with Ghana's Ministry of Health on their highest priority public health issues, providing particular technical support on malaria control and prevention.

 

 

For additional information on the Agenda for Growth project, please contact:

Dr. Cheryl Palm (cpalm@iri.columbia.edu), Associate Director of CGSD