Rhetoric or Reality? The role of capacity development in poverty reduction in Ghana

Abstract

In recent years, the issue of poverty reduction in Ghana has become a central theme in major policy discourse. Despite the formulation and implementation of several policies to address poverty issues, poverty continues to persist and the living conditions of Ghanaians continue to deteriorate. Although capacity development is critical to poverty reduction, policy actors tend to overlook this important factor to address poverty in Ghana. Using a qualitative research approach, this study analysed the factors that militate against capacity development efforts towards poverty reduction, using Ghana as a case study. The article uses secondary data collected from government and conference reports, journal articles, newspapers, and books. The data was analysed using the content analysis method. It was found that poor leadership, lack of ownership of poverty reduction programmes, inadequate data, political corruption and inappropriate training militate against capacity development efforts. The study recommends pragmatic measures to address these capacity development weaknesses.