Sustaining Rural Livelihood: An Evaluation of the Microprojects Programme in Ghana

Abstract

After independence, the sustenance of rural livelihoods through increased agricultural production, industrial and rural infrastructure development received priority attention in Ghana. However, in the mid-seventies inappropriate micro and macroeconomic policies, urban bias development strategies, economic mismanagement and a series of adverse external circumstances resulted in widespread rural poverty and deprivation, which together increased rural-urban migration. In April 1983, the government adopted the Economic Recovery and Structural Adjustment Programmes (ERP/SAP) to reverse the decline in the economy. However, the socio-economic hardships could not be adequately addressed by the ERP and other programmes such as the programme of Action to Mitigate the Social Cost of Adjustment (PAMSCAD). Recent attempts to sustain rural livelihoods have been sought through the decentralisation and community-based small-scale projects. In some districts, the Microprojects Programme (MPP) has become the development strategy. This paper examines past rural development strategies and the Microproject Programme in the context of rural development in Ghana.