UK assistance to Ghana to reach £375m in 2015

The UK government has disclosed its intention to increase its development assistance to Ghana in the next four years (2011-2015) to an amount of £375 million.

In a presentation made by the Department for International Development (DFID) Country Director, Sally Taylor at a Media Open Day at the British High Commission in Accra on March 29, 2011, she told reporters that the aid will be focused on education, economic growth, health and governance as well as other relevant sectors of the economy.

A fact-sheet made available to journalists at the function, indicates that between 2011/2012, aid from UK to Ghana will be £85 million, 2012/2013 Ghana will receive £90 million and 2013-2014 it will receive £100 million.

Between 2014-2015, the sheet says Ghana shall get another £100 million assistance from the UK all totalling up to £375 million.

Danny Graymone, DFID Deputy Country Director, told ghanabusinessnews.com that the increase in assistance to Ghana by the UK government will create 144,000 new jobs.

Between 2009-2010, UK aid to Ghana was £89.9 million.

Ton Crowards, an official at DFID, said the agency wants to attract a £15 million private sector investment to the North through the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) by 2015 to bridge the gap between the North and the South.

Bilateral trade between the two countries was £579 million in 2010.

By Ekow Quandzie