Dissemination of findings from

constituency monitoring

CDD-Ghana IPEP Tracker Project

September 16, 2020
 CDD-Ghana IPEP Tracker Project: Overview and

project objectives

OUTLINE
IPEP Tracker Monitoring: Methodology and

approach

Key findings from IPEP constituency field

monitoring

Conclusion: CDD-Ghana policy recommendations

 THE IPEP INTERVENTION

Background, policy objective

and goal.
 The NPP promised in its 2016 election manifesto to

Background implement a policy intervention dubbed:

Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programmme

(IPEP).

The programme seeks to allocate the Ghana Cedi

equivalent of $1 million  to each of the 275

constituencies in Ghana every year.

Policy goal To enhance the provision of capital infrastructure

and objective at the district/constituency level to accelerate

growth, create jobs and reduce poverty,

particularly in rural and deprived communities

Since President Akufo Addo was voted into power in 2016, the NPP government has taken a
number of steps to actualize the IPEP policy/promise:
Set-up the ministry for special development initiative to provide policy

guidelines and guidance in the implementation of the IPEP

Regional consultations to identify constituency specific infrastructural and

development needs

Undertaken and implemented a set of government priority infrastructure

project in all the 275 constituencies. The projects include toilet facilities,

community water system, warehouses, dams and ambulances

Initiated and set-up development authorities for the 3 ecological zones:

Northern-Belt Development Authority (NBDA ), Middle-Belt Development

(MDA), and the Coastal-Belt Development Authority (CDA).

Set-up inter-ministerial committee for IPEP comprising seven ministries and

two agencies
 CDD-GHANA IPEP TRACKER
PROJECT

Overview, objective, and

goals
 CDD-Ghana launched in 2017 “ the IPEP Tracker” project to monitor the
implementation of the IPEP intervention.

Policy
The management and performance record of

development interventions in Ghana is mostly

rationale characterized by mismanagement, misapplication of

funds and allegations of corruption, which inevitably

contribute to failure of the intervention to impact

positively on the livelihoods of Ghanaians

Most recent example is the failure of the SADA in the

2000s, CEDECOM in the 1990s, and RDAs in the 1970s

CDD-Ghana’s IPEP Tracker project seeks to monitor

the implementation of the IPEP intervention to ensure

that the mistakes of the past are not repeated

IPEP tracker project objectives
Strengthen the framework and performance of

institutions set up to govern and manage the IPEP

Eliminate corruption and misuse of public resources

by ensuring transparency and accountability in

allocation, disbursement, expenditure, accounting

and auditing of public funds allocated and disbursed

to IPEP

Ensure efficient and good corporate management of

public funds allocated to the IPEP through sustained

monitoring of the implementation of the IPEP

 CDD-GHANA IPEP TRACKER
MONITORING

Methodology and approach

 Twenty constituencies were purposively selected –

Methodology
two each from the erstwhile 10 regions based on the

following indicators:

Poverty profile of the districts based on the 2015

poverty mapping report

A mix of urban and rural districts based on Ghana

Statistical Service classifications

The presence of local media and civil society

organizations

Key informant interviews and direct observations in

gathering data/information

Interviews involved state and non-state actors at

national, regional and constituency levels

Approach
Using key informant guide, CDD-Ghana researchers

interviewed 150 key stakeholders at the Regional and

District/ Constituency levels between November 27 and

December 11, 2017 in developing the maiden report

The maiden report of the ‘IPEP Tracker’ which was

released in February 2018: 

Assessed the preliminary processes for the

implementation of IPEP

Level of stakeholder and public awareness about the

IPEP policy intervention

 Between October 29 to November 8, 2018, CDD-Ghana

undertook a second regional and constituency monitoring

Approach exercise across all the erstwhile 10 regions in Ghana in

developing the second report published in December,

2018.

Focus:

Operational set-up of the DAs

level of inter-agency/sectoral collaborations

status of implementation of the government’s priority

infrastructure projects in 20 constituencies in all the

ten regions
 Between February 18 to 25, 2020, CDD-Ghana undertook the

third field monitoring in the 20 selected project

constituencies. 

Approach Purpose:

Assess  the operational/functional set-up of the DAs, in all

the 3 ecological zones

Assess the level of inter-agency/sectoral collaborations in

the implementation of projects under the IPEP at the

regional and districts levels

 Assess the status of implementation of the government’s

priority infrastructure projects in the 20 constituencies in

all the ten regions

Conduct value for money and performance audits of the

IPEP government priority projects implemented in the

constituencies
KEY FINDINGS FROM IPEP
TRACKER CONSTITUENCY
MONITORING
 Key findings from IPEP constituency monitoring

Four key Set-up and operational function of the DA

findings
Inter-agency collaboration  and coordination

Community involvement and transparency in project

implementation 

Status of project implementation

 All the DAs are fully set-up with operational Office and functioning
boards selected based on the criteria specified in the constitutive DA’s
Act
1. Operational and
functional set-up of
the 3 Zonal Except for the NDA, none of the other two (2) DAs have developed any
Development work/activity program towards the implementation of IPEP programs
Authorities (DAs) and activities

The DAs have started to award contract for the provision of

constituency-specific infrastructure such as building of market stores,
building of culverts etc.
 The DA maintains a relationship with the MMDAs, albeit largely
informal

Increased level of awareness among key staff of the MMDAs

However, information asymmetry is very high
2. Inter-agency
collaboration and
coordination Weak collaboration among the MSDI, DAs and the MMDAs in the
implementation of IPEP projects

Bureaucrats are largely ignored in the selection of project sites and

supervision of the projects. The process appears to be captured by
politicians

Lack of transparency in contract information and other technical

documents
 Low community engagement in project selection and prioritization.
Decisions are usually taken at the national level and the district level by
few officials such as  the MP and MCE
3. Community
Minimal or no community involvement in project initiation and
involvement and
implementation at the district  level
transparency in
project
implementation Low awareness and lack of publicity on IPEP projects: no information at
IPEP project sites

Lack of local content in in IPEP implementation

 List of government priority projects monitored:
10-seater water closet Institutional toilets with mechanized
boreholes
4. Government IPEP
Community-based mechanized solar powered water systems
priority projects in the
Construction of prefabricated grains warehouse
constituency
Small earth dams
Ambulances
 Government priority projects under IPEP such as water and sanitation
infrastructure are consistent with the medium term development plans
of the District Assemblies

While some projects have either been fully completed or in advanced

4. Government IPEP
stage of completion others have not taken off or appears stalled
priority projects in the
constituency Most of the completed projects have not been Commissioned for use
by the community/beneficiaries

There is very limited information on IPEP projects at the project

location sites

Poor siting of projects in the constituencies

STATUS OF GOVERNMENT IPEP
PRIORITY PROJECTS IN THE
CONSTITUENCY
 10-seater water closet institutional toilets with mechanized boreholes at
Anyinansuso, Ashanti Region

November, 2018 February, 2020

 Warehouse and ancillary facility at Bogrigo, Bongo Constituency,
Upper East

November, 2018 February, 2020

 10-seater water closet institutional toilets with mechanized
boreholes at Bonakye, Nkwanta South, Oti Region

November, 2018 February, 2020

 10-seater water closet institutional toilets with mechanized boreholes
at Bonakye, Nkwanta Day SHS, Nkwanta South, Oti Region

November, 2018 February, 2020

 10-seater water closet institutional toilets with mechanized boreholes
at Adoagyiri Presby Basic School, Nsawam Adoagyiri, Eastern Region

November, 2018 February, 2020

Community-based mechanized solar powered water system at
Otukwadwokrom, Nsawam Adoagyiri

February, 2020
Community-based mechanized solar powered water system at Obo,
Kwahu South, Eastern Region

February, 2020
Community-based mechanized solar powered water system at
Bepong, Kwahu South, Eastern Region

February, 2020
10-seater water closet institutional toilets with mechanized boreholes
at Atuobikrom, Kwahu South, Eastern Region

February, 2020
 10-seater water closet institutional toilets with mechanized boreholes
at Adoagyiri Presby Basic School, Nsawam Adoagyiri, Eastern Region

November, 2018 February, 2020

CONCLUSION AND POLICY
RECOMMENDATIONS
 Conclusion
IPEPprojects are in line with the districts development plan

The absence of clearly defined roles for the MMDAs and beneficiary communities affects the effective
monitoring and supervision of the projects

The lack of operational guidelines to guide the implementation of IPEP affects coordination of the
execution of the programme

Inadequate information about the ongoing IPEP projects limits community awareness, involvement and
ownership of IPEP projects
 Key policy recommendations
The need for the involvement of the District Assembly and other key stakeholder to enhance the accountability,
responsiveness and supervision of IPEP projects

Ensure  involvement of citizens in the execution, monitoring and maintenance of IPEP projects for the success and
sustainability of the project

Pressure to commission for use some of the completed IPEP projects and collect citizen feedback to inform decision-
making

The need for the District Assembly to work with MDA, media houses, NGOs and community-based organizations to
sensitize citizens about the IPEP projects and their role in ensuring their effective use

Collaborate with the DA to establish effective management and maintenance of IPEP facilities (including the collection of
user fees)

Prioritize projects for needy communities for faced completion of the projects

Ensure that the DAs are not used as a political party vehicle to dispense patronage to individual party financiers,
communities and organizations in a manner that distracts them from their mandate and set them up to fail
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