The number of hectares where farmers used better management practices, decreasing the use of chemicals and improving yields per crop, was measured. Increased yields and efficiency also meant that less land was used, which prevented deforestation.

Sustainability is at the heart of all of the Netherlands’ development efforts in Ghana. This relates to yields, resilient production systems, deforestation, child labour and climate change. In the cocoa and palm oil sectors, resilient production systems promoted sustainability and prevented deforestation.

The Netherlands supported a programme for agricultural lending. The objective was to change the mind set of financial institutions, as banks are hesitant to lend to farms and agricultural businesses due to a lack of knowledge about agricultural production cycles and the perceived high risks. The programme resulted in:

Capacity building of six financial institutions to provide loans to agricultural businesses

Improved awareness of risks in lending to agribusinesses

Lending guidelines drafted

Provision of financial guarantees to lenders

Capacity building of government stakeholders

Stakeholder platform established

The result was achieved through knowledge sharing, capacity building and providing guarantees to banks to lower the risk of lending to small and medium-sized enterprises in agriculture.

Access to finance for farms and agricultural businesses is crucial for Ghana’s ongoing agricultural transformation.

The Netherlands has employed different approaches to ensure an increase in the productivity of Ghanaian farmers in the cocoa, palm oil and horticulture value chains. Productivity and yields increased significantly through private sector involvement in farm management and the marketing of products. In this model, small and medium-sized enterprises provide tailor-made services to farmers to increase their efficiency and productivity.

We have measured the increase in farms’ yields. Increased yields improve farmer’s opportunities to expand and improve the well-being of farmers and their families. In cocoa, for example, yield levels before the start of the project were 3.5kg/hectare but have now increased to 950kg/hectare of land cultivated.

The Netherlands has tried different approaches to increase the number of households in municipalities with improved sanitation facilities. These have included campaigns that promote change in sanitary behaviour, support for law enforcement and policy development, as well as supporting the supply of sanitation services. With an increased number of people with access to toilet facilities, the desired impact is a reduction of the practice of open defecation in Ghana, which is a major health risk. In total, the programme has recorded more than 141,000 people with access to improved sanitation, compared to the target of 126,000.

There has been a drastic increase in access to and use of improved sanitation services in urban communities in Ghana in recent years. This is proof that multiple combined approaches are needed to achieve access to sanitation in urban areas. The combination of sanitation promotion and campaigns that promote change in sanitary behaviour, suitable financing options, law enforcement and the full involvement of the national and municipal authorities contributed to the successful results.

The Netherlands was able to provide water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure to schools. In total, more than 9,000 children in 30 primary schools now have access to and use improved sanitation services in line with Ghana’s Education Service minimum standards. Capacity building and campaigns to change people’s behaviour were integrated to ensure sustainable operation and maintenance. This is being done as part of a comprehensive WASH in Schools programme targeted at improving school health.

The Netherlands seeks to give children access to water, sanitation and hygiene in schools, to improve their well-being and provide them with a clean and hygienic environment. The impact is better health and increased school attendance. We have achieved this by contributing to access to water, provision of sanitation and hand-washing facilities, and promotion of WASH behavioural change programmes. Following the successful completion of infrastructure works, the focus is now on sustainable operation and maintenance of facilities and the continuation of behavioural change programmes.

Support of The Netherlands has contributed to:

The development of an national urban sanitation model

Government capacity strengthened

Stakeholder platform for learning and sharing urban sanitation

With this intervention, the WASH sector in Ghana is equipped with the right tools and knowledge for urban sanitation. The capacity of local government has been strengthened for effective leadership and co-ordination of basic sanitation services. There has also been better dialogue and advocacy for WASH service delivery.