Ghana wants to be fully developed by 2057 — how can it get there?

Ghana would like to be a fully developed country by 2057,100 years after its independence.

To reach this target, the National Development Planning Commission produced the Ghana Infrastructure Plan (GIP).

The plan sets out Ghana’s vision for infrastructure, breaking it down into key sectors such as energy, transport, and water and sanitation.

It also includes guidance on how to fund infrastructure to deliver benefits for society and the economy.

There’s a long-term infrastructure plan – what’s the catch?

While the GIP outlines a clear overview of what’s needed per sector, it hasn’t been actioned as planned.

For example, many of the high-impact projects haven’t been delivered due to shifting priorities and funding.

We recently spoke with Finlo Paish, the ICE country representative for Ghana and a project management specialist for China Harbour Engineering (Ghana), to find out more.

What are the major challenges?

The following three challenges have emerged when actioning the plan.

1. A stop-start approach:

In Ghana, infrastructure projects usually start in the last year of an elected government’s term, and work on them may stop once a new party gains power.

This often means new infrastructure projects are developed without finishing projects that have already been started. Examples include Beach Road and the Palace Mall to East Legon Flyover.

2. Different priorities:

National spending doesn’t always align with the GIP or areas in need of development that would benefit the entire population, such as electricity and water.

This has led to inequalities in where and how services are delivered, impacting Ghana’s ability to provide benefits to society and the economy.

3. Misaligned ambitions:

It’s difficult to ensure that all stakeholders are on board with what needs to be developed to deliver on people’s needs.

For example, partnerships with some private providers don’t always align with what should be delivered in the GIP but focus more on political priorities.

The result is that not all high-impact or essential projects have been delivered.

What should Ghana be focusing on?

The following sectors provide opportunities to be more cohesive when planning infrastructure with a long-term view in mind.

In all cases, it’s essential to take steps to build buy-in from all stakeholders.

Delivering clean energy:

There are many power outages across Ghana, which are resolved by using diesel fuelled power barges.

Looking forward, Ghana could build natural gas facilities to deliver on its social and environmental needs.

This will help reduce the cost of generating power and ensure that the population’s power needs are met.

Ensuring clean and safe water for all:

Lack of maintenance is the leading contributor to water and environmental pollution in Ghana. This is most noticeable at wastewater treatment plants.

With its growing population, Ghana could benefit from building and maintaining more treatment plants to ensure cleaner and safer water for everyone.

Easing commuting:

The roads across cities and towns cannot support all traffic.

The construction of dual carriage roads could help carry more vehicles, including trucking containers that transport supplies needed for the development of infrastructure across Ghana.

How can EBI help?

Ghana has taken the right steps by introducing a national plan that outlines its infrastructure needs.

They have also shown that they are able to build partnerships with private companies to finance infrastructure.

To ensure that infrastructure needs are considered at the planning stage, stakeholders can use principle 1 of the Enabling Better Infrastructure (EBI) guidance.

This principle explains how having a clear vision can help a country achieve economic, social, and environmental outcomes.

This also includes obtaining buy-in from the entire government and country.

Following this principle will support Ghana in planning and delivering priority infrastructure projects, enabling the country to achieve its 2057 target.