Ghana
Country overview
Macro-economic and population profile[1]
| GDP per capita (USD) (2016) | 1,513.50 |
| Inflation, GDP deflator (annual %) (2016) | 17.4 |
| Agriculture, value added (% of GDP) (2016) | 20 |
| Industry value added (% of GDP) (2016) | 28 |
| Services value added (% of GDP) (2016) | 52 |
| Foreign Direct Investment, net inflows (Balance of Payments, current USD) (millions) (2016) | 3,485 |
| Country population (2016) | 28.8 million |
| Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) (2016) | 24.2 (2010) |
| Urban population growth (annual %) (2016) | 3.4 |
| World Bank ease of doing business ranking (out of 190 countries)[2] | 120 |
Malaria burden and funding profile[3]
| Estimated number of malaria cases (2016) | 8,060,000 |
| Malaria incidence/1,000 population at risk (2015) | 60 |
| Key national malaria control targets | Reduce malaria morbidity and mortality by 75% by 2020 compared to 2012 levels. |
| Total need (essential commodities + supporting interventions) (2018-2020) (USD) | Not available[4] |
| Total committed (essential commodities + supporting interventions) (2018-2020) (USD) | Not available |
| Total gap in funding (essential commodities + supporting interventions) (2018-2020)(USD) | Not available |
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Sources of funding:
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Overview of country economy and private sector landscape
Ghana gained independence from Britain in 1957 and is considered one of the more stable countries in West Africa since its transition to multi-party democracy in 1992. Ghana’s economy is one of the strongest on the continent, with agriculture, mining, and the services sectors being the most important contributors to GDP. Ghana has the world’s fifth worst malaria burden.[5] A study by Nonvignon et al. (2016) into the economic burden of malaria on businesses in Ghana in 2016 found that across the agriculture, services, and mining industries, there were 3,913 workdays and USD 6.58m lost between 2012-14 due to staff falling ill with malaria.[6]
In 2000 the Government established a Ministry for Private Sector Development and a public-private partnership known as the President’s Special Initiative with the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) to strengthen engagement and private sector-friendly policies.[7] Ghana today is considered to have a vibrant private sector, particularly in large-scale manufacturing, telecommunications, and the mining sectors. These industries have been important in the development of CSR activity in Ghana. Though the private sector development agenda is primarily focused on poverty reduction, there have also been efforts to mobilise private sector funds for health.
Ghana’s National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) has developed strategies for engaging Ghana’s private sector in malaria control efforts. Ghana’s 2014-2020 National Strategic Plan faces a resource gap of around USD320 million in terms of implementation capacity; encouraging the private sector to contribute up to 20% of this gap for malaria financing is a strategic priority for this period. To facilitate this, the NMCP have supported the creation of the Ghana Malaria Foundation, a private sector-led entity aimed at raising domestic funds for prevention, treatment, and research.[8] Through this foundation, companies engaged in malaria control can share experiences and engage with other firms so as to encourage commitment from other companies.
The Private Sector Malaria Prevention (PSMP) project, operated by the Johns Hopkins Centre for Communication Programs and funded by the UK Department of International Development, is a three-year pilot program established in 2017, intended to facilitate a functioning supply chain and competitive market for LLINs in Ghana. PSMP’s focus is to engage with the private sector on three main areas: retail supply chain and demand creation, workplace programs, and advocacy.
[1] Sources: World Bank Development Indicators, accessed at: http://databank.worldbank.org/data/embed-int/CountryProfile/id/b450fd57 on 17th June 2018; and World Bank Doing Business Reports, accessed at http://www.doingbusiness.org/reports on 17th June 2018.
[2] A ranking of 1 would equate to the highest ease of doing business, with a regulatory environment conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.
[3] Sources: World Malaria Report 2017, accessed at http://www.who.int/malaria/publications/world-malaria-report-2017/en/ on 5th June 2018; and Roll Back Malaria Funding Gap Analysis 2017, accessed at on https://rollbackmalaria.com/news/gap-analysis-shows-us10-billion-is-required-by-2020-to-fully-implement-national-malaria-plans-in-35-countries/ on 5th June 2018.
[4] Funding data and projections for Ghana were not available in the RBM gap analysis data, accessed at: https://rollbackmalaria.com/news/gap-analysis-shows-us10-billion-is-required-by-2020-to-fully-implement-national-malaria-plans-in-35-countries/ on 15th June 2018.
[5] WHO. World Malaria Report. 2017.
[6] Nonvignon, J. et al. Economic Burden of malaria on businesses in Ghana: a case for private sector investment in malaria control. 2016. Malaria Journal. 15:454. Accessed at: https://malariajournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12936-016-1506-0 on June 7th 2018.
[7] Asem F., et al. Private sector and development and governance in Ghana. 2013. International Growth Centre Working Paper. Accessed at https://www.theigc.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Asem-Et-Al-2013-Working-Paper.pdf on June 7th 2018.
[8] Pallares, G. How is Ghana engaging corporations in malaria control? 11 June 2018. Devex News. Accessed at: https://www.devex.com/news/q-a-how-is-ghana-engaging-corporations-in-malaria-control-92743 on 13th June 2018.