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Copenhagen Consensus Center

Eminent Panel Findings

Given the range of challenges facing Ghana, what should be the top priorities for policy-makers, civil society, donors and businesses? With limited resources and time, it is crucial that focus is informed by what will do the most good for each cedi spent. 

Ghana Priorities is a partnership between the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) and Copenhagen Consensus to conduct cost-benefit research and prioritization across a comprehensive agenda of responses to challenges. The prioritization is being undertaken and guided by an Eminent Panel of economists.

The Ghana Priorities Eminent Panel comprises:

Mr Ken Ofori-Atta
Prof. George Gyan-Baffour
Prof. Kwesi Botchwey
Prof. Sister Euginia Amporfu
Prof. Augustin Fosu
Prof. Ernest Aryeetey
Prof. Finn E. Kydland

Eminent Panel approach

The Eminent Panel sought to address the research proposals with a view to answering the question: On which initiatives should additional resources be spent first?

The Eminent Panel intends these findings to be informative not just to the Government of Ghana, but also to others, including NGOs and charitable organizations. 

The panel examined the proposals in detail. Each proposal was discussed with its principal author. The panel was informed by Sector Expert Commentaries, and by Panel members’ own critical appraisals and discussions on assumptions and methodology.

Prof. Samuel Kobina Annim, Government Statistician was the moderator of the Eminent Panel Conference, a three-day conference with the attendance of all panel members, except Prof. Kydland who participated virtually, hearing and discussing the evidence with all 28 teams of economists.

In ordering the proposals, the Eminent Panel was guided predominantly by consideration of social, economic and environmental costs and benefits.

The Eminent Panel acknowledged the difficulties that cost‐benefit analysis must overcome, both in principle and as a practical matter, but agreed that the cost‐benefit approach was a very important organizing method.

Each Eminent Panel member assigned his own ranking to proposals. The Eminent Panel’s ranking was calculated by taking the median of individual rankings. 

The Eminent Panel jointly endorses the median ordering as representing their agreed view. In due course, the Eminent Panel’s individual commentaries shall be published in book form.

Download the Eminent Panel's signed ranking.

Ranking of Proposals

The Eminent Panel considers and prioritizes specific proposals to respond to challenges. This is different from ranking the challenges themselves. A low ranking of a proposal does not mean that the problem it addresses should be considered unimportant. In setting priorities, the Eminent Panel has taken into account the strengths and weaknesses of the specific cost‐benefit appraisals under review, and has given weight both to the institutional preconditions for success and to the demands of ethical or humanitarian importance. 

In ordering the proposals, the Eminent Panel was guided predominantly by consideration of social, economic and environmental costs and benefits. The Eminent Panel acknowledged the difficulties that cost‐benefit analysis must overcome, both in principle and as a practical matter, but agreed that the cost‐benefit approach was a very important organizing method.

Based on the costs and benefits of the solutions and their own assessment, the panel ranked the proposals, in descending order of desirability, as follows:

 

Rank Intervention Benefit-cost ratio
1 Digitized property and business fees 9
2 Universal malaria testing and health facility treatment 133
3 Strengthen community health system (GEHIP) 38
4 Land titling program 91
5 TB patient education for adherence 190
6 Logistics for faster and more accurate TB testing 166
7 Active TB case finding in high-risk groups 38
8 Ambulance maintenance in rural areas 21
9 Preventive malaria medicine for children in Guinea Savannah 14
10 Complimentary infant feeding promotion 36
11 Breastfeeding promotion 24
12 Micronutrients and calcium in pregnancy 18
13 Management training for medium-sized firms 10
14 Incentive schemes for health workers in remote areas 21
15 Health worker home visits for pregnant and newborn 28
16 Doubled R&D spending 1.5
17 Build warehouses to reduce post-harvest losses 1.8
18 Vocational education 1.3
19 Revamp irrigation schemes 1.5
20 Increase mechanization through tractor services 2.8
21 Extend fertilizer subsidies 4.4
22 Hybrid maize seed subsidies 3.6
23 Enforcement by-laws and latrine subsidies in urban areas 4.2
24 OPV maize seed subsidies 2.3
25 Organize all 1-3 graders according to the learning level 8
26 Depression screening and treatment 7
27 Apprenticeships 2.4
28 Community dialogues on schooling & early marriage 3.8
29 Support weaker 1-3 graders with teaching assistants 6
30 Raise and sustain coverage of malaria bed nets 44
31 Monitoring devices on trawl ships 21
32 Expand school feeding 4.8
33 Management consultants for large manufacturers 6
34 Emergency obstetric and neonatal care (EmONC) 6
35 Electricity grid for less remote communities 4.5
36 Family planning for married women 34
37 Capital grants for micro-enterprises 7
38 Biogas to energy plants 4.7
39 Anxiety disorders screening and treatment 4.6
40 Replacement of illegal gears 5
41 Improved cookstoves promotion to reduce urban air pollution 8
42 Credit reference bureau 12
43 Subsidize urban toilet constructions 5
44 Expanded rural LPG distribution for cooking 2.1
45 Conditional asset transfer for girls enrolled in school 2.7
46 Revamp rail network for rural transport 1.5
47 Solar microgrids for more remote communities 1.7
48 Feeder roads for rural transport 1.2
49 Family planning for unmarried women 29
50 Electricity grid for more remote communities 1.1
51 Poverty graduation 1.8
52 Sludge to energy plants 5
53 Mass screening and treatment of hypertension 3.3
54 Comprehensive fecal sludge treatment plants 2.9
55 Improved cookstoves promotion to reduce rural air pollution 9
56 Stabilization ponds for remote areas 4.4
57 Compulsory SRH education for high school boys and girls 2.2
58 Fishing Licenses and Aquaculture 1.2
59 Subsidize private senior high schools to increase seats 1.5
60 Eliminate NHIS premiums for the poor 2.1
61 Increased cash transfers (LEAP) 1.6
62 Diesel microgrids for more remote communities 1.8
63 Reduced LPG tax for cooking 1.9
64 Reduced industrial electricity tariff 1.9
65 Storm drain widening 1.8
66 Rural community-led total sanitation with latrine subsidies 1.7
67 Rural community-led total sanitation 1.3
68 Formalize mining co-operatives 1.2
69 Increased microfinance 1.6
70 Free school uniforms for girls 2.9
71 Urban bus rapid transport system 1.5
72 Schizophrenia screening and treatment 1.6
73 Home garden and poultry training 1.4
74 Retention ponds in Accra 1.3
75 Localized solid waste management by community members 1.1
76 Social housing construction 1.0
77 Ferries and ports on Volta 1.2
78 State-sponsored alumina industry 1.1
79 Special Economic Zones <1