A project audit report published by IMANI Africa shows that a $2.4 million initiative aimed at building climate resilience in Ghana’s cassava sector failed to deliver key objectives despite nearly fully utilizing its budget, leading to questions about the management of donor funds.
The findings were disclosed at a report presentation on “Enhancing Governance and Accountability for Climate Adaptation and Energy Transition in Ghana’s Mining Industry,” held at Tang Palace. The lead researcher, Dennis Asare, Senior Research Associate & Independent Consultant, presented the expenditure verification and outcome assessment of the PROVACCA Project.
The project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), was designed to reduce climate-induced risks to food security. It ran from November 2012 to December 2017.
According to the financial records, the GEF disbursed $2,394,283 of its $2.5 million grant, a 95.77% utilization rate. In contrast, the Government of Ghana’s counterpart funding saw a significant shortfall, contributing only $66,722 of its pledged $315,000, or 21.18%.
The report highlights a direct link between this financial expenditure and project failures. Several high-budget components were either abandoned or delivered late with non-functional results.
A core objective was to construct a biogas and gasification plant to convert cassava waste into energy, reducing wood fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions. The report states the biogas plant was abandoned, and funds were re-allocated to a gasification plant. That plant was also delivered late, and the supplied equipment did not meet project specifications.
“For instance, instead of a 3.6-meter mechanized roaster as indicated in the design, the vendor supplied a 2.0-meter roaster,” the report noted. The gasification plant has been non-operational and abandoned since 2017.
Other gaps were identified. A planned vulnerability assessment, an important criterion for mapping climate risks, was never conducted. The project also failed to procure and install water-harvesting equipment in two planned pilot areas. An initiative to promote community agroforestry did not materialize.
The project delivered some successful climate-resilient cassava varieties, supporting adaptation to climate change in cassava production, as beneficiaries noted improvements in yield and livelihoods. Beneficiaries remarked that; “Previously, we could harvest about one tricycle per acre, but the varieties provided under the PROVACCA project give more than twice the output of the previous variety. In the past, we were not earning much from cassava farming because of the low farm output, but today, I can confidently say that any farmer who follows the improved farming practices testifies that the output is better than the previous yield.”
“The new variety provided under the PROVACCA project is better than the previous one we were planting. For instance, we used to harvest about 10 bags per acre using the previous variety, but the new variety we received from the PROVACCA project delivers about 22 bags per acre on the same land. This is a significant improvement and the most beneficial aspect of the PROVACCA project, in my opinion. Let me also add that the improved farming practices we learnt at the demonstration farms also helped us a lot,” another beneficiary, who is the leader of Cassava Farmers in Techiman said.
While the project succeeded in distributing climate-resilient cassava varieties and training farmers, these successes were overshadowed by the high-cost failures. The report concludes that the state lost the value of the $2.4 million donor investment in several key areas, as the funds were spent without achieving the intended, lasting environmental and energy transition benefits.
