USAID/GHANA PARTNERSHIP FOR EDUCATION: FUNDING ACTIVITY QUARTERLY PROGRESS REPORT OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2016 (FY17, Q1)

The project is designed to support the Government of Ghana (GoG), Ministry of Education (MOE), and Ghana Education Service (GES) plans and systems to achieve this goal. The overall goal of the project is to ensure that funds provided by USAID to the GoG and local education organizations are utilized appropriately for their intended purposes. The project has two components: Ensuring financial management and fiscal transparency, and Enhancing financial management capacity. The first component involves tracking, verifying, validating, and recording liquidations of funds provided through agreements between USAID and eligible education entities of the GOG. The second component involves developing and maintaining financial reporting templates and producing accurate, transparent, and auditable records of expenditures. The Funding Activity, which is part of the PFEP, has made progress in meeting the agreed-upon deliverables. The project has completed the setup of the project head office in Accra, including the procurement of equipment, furniture, and office fixtures. The office is located at #22 4th Cantonments, Accra. The project has also established a bank account with Zenith Bank Ghana Limited to manage finances and payments. The project has recruited key personnel and submitted the first draft workplan to USAID. A draft Activity Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (AMEP) has been developed and is being finalized. The project has also held technical meetings with USAID and the GES, which have laid the foundation for the development of the Year 1 workplan. The project has also made progress in training IBI staff on project management protocols. The IBI Home Office VP/CFO is scheduled to carry out a second round of training with staff in Accra in the coming quarter. The project has also put on hold the setup of the Kumasi office, as recommended by USAID, due to limited requirements. The project has identified several challenges and issues, including the need to review the ministry's entities progress against previous assessments. The project intends to schedule follow-up meetings with stakeholders in the second quarter. The commencement of staff training on the Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) approach has been shifted to the second quarter to include technical staff scheduled to start in January. The project has made significant progress in its first quarter, with several deliverables achieved. The project has established a strong foundation for the development of the Year 1 workplan and has made progress in training IBI staff on project management protocols. The project continues to work towards its goals of improving financial management and fiscal transparency in the education sector in Ghana. The project's overall goal is to ensure that funds provided by USAID to the GoG and local education organizations are utilized appropriately for their intended purposes. The project has made significant progress in achieving this goal, with several deliverables achieved in the first quarter. The project continues to work towards its goals and is committed to improving financial management and fiscal transparency in the education sector in Ghana. The project has identified several key stakeholders, including the GES, MOE, and MOE's Administrative Department. The project has held meetings with these stakeholders, including technical meetings with USAID and the GES. The project has also established a bank account with Zenith Bank Ghana Limited to manage finances and payments. The project's financial management and fiscal transparency goals are critical to the success of the PFEP. The project has made significant progress in achieving these goals, with several deliverables achieved in the first quarter. The project continues to work towards its goals and is committed to improving financial management and fiscal transparency in the education sector in Ghana. The project's geographic focus is Ghana, with a specific focus on the education sector. The project's timeframes are quarterly, with the first quarter ending on December 31, 2016. The project's recommendations include the need to review the ministry's entities progress against previous assessments and to schedule follow-up meetings with stakeholders in the second quarter.