Savannah Partners: The Ghanaian Government
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Ghana is divided into 10 regions and 112 districts. Bagri village is located in the poorest region (Upper West Region) and one of the poorest districts (Lawra District). Clearly the Ghanaian government have significant problems to combat, but it is telling that they spend approximately 30% of their annual income on education.
A visit to the local Ghana Education Service offices, on the edge of Lawra, gives some insight into the struggle that local government faces. The offices are entered up a long staircase to the upper storey of a worn colonial-era building. Education officials share a number of dark offices, sitting behind desks full of paper but with no computers or telephones in sight. There are simply not enough resources to provide education for every child in the district. At the opening ceremony for Bagri School, the Director of Education commented that the villagers were “hardworking farmers and fishermen who have long asked the Education Office for the establishment of a school.” Without assistance from the Trust generations of children would face a future without an education.
The Trust’s policy has been to work alongside (although not through) government, and the government have warmly welcomed the presence of an educational charity in their district. They have agreed to fund the ongoing costs of teachers at schools if the building costs were met by the charity – making the school sustainable in the long term. They have fulfilled their promises. The representative of the District Commissioner (the head of the district local government) has described the Trust at as “a strategic partner who shares in our visions and dreams.”
Importantly, the Education Service are sympathetic to the school’s Christian ethos. Across Ghana, the government are used to working with charities and churches of various denominations.
On a continent where governments sometimes have a reputation for corruption, we are thankful that the local Ghana District Education office have been helpful partners.
