Ghana - Women's Role in Improved Economic Performance

The Government of Ghana's program
to develop a gender strategy has been supported by the World
Bank. This article is based on a Bank-assisted sector study,
Ghana: gender analysis and policymaking for development. The
Bank team worked closely with Ghanaian Ministries of
Agriculture, Micro-finance, Education, and Health to
identify gender issues and study feasible recommendations.
Along with the government, a broad range of stakeholders
participated in the study, including academic institutions,
non-governmental organizations, and women's groups.
Through workshops and mission visits, four points of focus
were identified for the study: agriculture,
micro-enterprises, education, and health. Many of the
stakeholders also emphasized the importance of strengthening
Ghana's institutional capacity to develop and implement
policies that adequately address gender concerns. The study
focuses on two broad areas of gender-based differences and
inequalities: the links between gender and economic
productivity, and the development of human capital. In
addition to the study described here, the Ghanaian
government produced two policy documents from this study;
both are now under final review within the government.