On October 30, the Swiss Ambassador Philipp Stalder, the Minister of Finance, Hon. Ken Ofori Atta and the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hon. Hajia Alimah Mahama (MP) signed an agreement on a new decentralized budget support operation for 18 million US Dollars (equivalent to 100 million Ghana Cedis) for the years 2019 to 2021. The operation will support Ghana’s ongoing public financial management and decentralization reforms. It is part of Switzerland’s economic development cooperation program with Ghana.
In his remarks, Ambassador Stalder, called the new decentralized budget support a testimony of Switzerland’s strong commitment to the partnership between Ghana and Switzerland. He highlighted that "decentralization is a powerful instrument for development" and stressed that the support is expected to "bring governance closer to the needs of the citizens and ultimately contribute to local economic development and the reduction of disparities".
Switzerland’s decentralized budget support will be channelled through the District Assemblies Common Fund Responsiveness Factor Grant (which replaced the District Development Facility). The operation will provide performance linked grants to all 260 districts in Ghana to help them improve their public financial management practices and finance much needed basic social and economic infrastructure.
Switzerland has been providing decentralized budget support through the District Development Facility since 2013. Over this period, more than 6’480 small-scale infrastructure projects ranging from basic school blocks, markets, health, and water and sanitation projects were financed which contribute to local economic development and the reduction of disparities.
Contacts for further enquiries:
Matthias Feldmann, Deputy Head of Mission / Head of Cooperation, Embassy of Switzerland, matthias.feldmann@eda.admin.ch
Hamza Bukari Zakaria, National Program Officer,
Embassy of Switzerland, Tel: +233 302 225 008 / +233 302 232 377
(hamza.bukari-zakaria@eda.admin.ch)
Ministry of Finance, Tel.: +233 302 274 7197
About Switzerland’s economic development cooperation with Ghana
Switzerland’s economic development cooperation in Ghana financed through the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) focuses on supporting inclusive and sustainable economic development in Ghana through strengthening public institutions and public services and improving the competitiveness and diversification of Ghana’s economy. The overall budget envelope for Ghana for the period 2017 to 2020 is 75 million Swiss Francs. The Embassy of Switzerland in Ghana is responsible for the management and implementation of Switzerland’s development cooperation with Ghana.
