Budgetary impact of non-project assistance in the education sector : a review of Benin, Ghana, Guinea, and Malawi

Though reform programs assisted by USAID in Africa cover a range of education sector issues, this paper examines only the financial and budgetary aspects of education sector reform. The paper discusses the general context of education in sub-Saharan Africa with attention to problems relating to the availability and use of resources. This discussion is followed by a brief presentation of USAID"s overall strategy as formulated under the Development Fund for Africa. Next the authors describe the application of NPA to the education sector, including a more precise examination of the budgetary implications of this type of assistance. The final section presents some preliminary observations about the implementation of NPA programs in education and their impact on education finance. (Author abstract)