Partners: Ghana Netherlands Business and Culture Council (GNBCC); Period: 2025 – 2028 (Year 1 Pilot: September 2025 – June 2026) Country of Operation: Ghana Category: Agriculture, Capacity Building, Policy Analysis & Advocacy, Employment, Evidence Generation (MERL) Project Snapshot The Ghana–Netherlands Seed Partnership (GNSP) is a multi-stakeholder public–private partnership aimed at strengthening Ghana’s vegetable seed…
Partners: Agri-Impact Limited; Mastercard Foundation; Period: 2023 – 2027 Country of Operation: Ghana Category: Youth Welfare, Employment, Agriculture, Women’s Economic Empowerment, Evidence Generation (MERL), Policy Analysis & Advocacy Project Snapshot The Harnessing Agricultural Productivity and Prosperity for Youth (HAPPY) Program is a four year (2023–2027) multi stakeholder initiative funded by the Mastercard Foundation and…
Partners: Absa Bank Ghana; Mastercard Foundation Period: 2020 –2025 Country of Operation: Ghana Category: Employment, Women’s Economic Empowerment, Agriculture, Evidence Generation (MERL), Youth Welfare Project Snapshot Under the Young Africa Works Strategy, the Mastercard Foundation partnered with Absa Bank Ghana to implement the Absa Young Africa Works Program, a five-year initiative designed to expand…
CURRENT PROJECTS OUR PROJECTS
PDA led a team of 13 staff to conduct an impact evaluation of the RTIMP, executed by Ghana’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture from 2007 to 2014. Commissioned jointly by IFAD and the Ministry, the evaluation employed the Participatory Impact Assessment & Learning Approach (PIALA) using mixed methods across 300 communities in 30 districts. The project aimed to improve rural livelihoods by developing commodity chains for roots and tubers, focusing on products such as gari, high quality cassava flour, bonding cassava plywood, and fresh yam export.
PDA was part of the team that conducted the WAFF/SWAPP Ghana Mill Survey. The survey aimed to collect data from oil palm mills across Ghana to assess operational challenges and market conditions, contributing to the sustainability of the palm–oil sector.
PDA was commissioned by IUCN to follow up on the 2009 Poverty-Forest linkage analysis by reviewing livelihood dependency on forest resources in the Wassa Amenfi West District. The study aimed to assess how forest-dependent livelihoods influence the implementation of REDD+ initiatives and to further develop a socio-economic baseline for the district.
The iMPACT Project, funded by Mars Incorporated as part of the Mars Partnership for African Cocoa Communities of Tomorrow, targeted rural cocoa-dependent communities in Ghana. Piloted in 18 communities across two districts—Wasa Amenfi West (Asankrangwa) and Assin North (Assin Fosu)—the project aimed to demonstrate that an integrated approach combining agriculture, environment, education, and health can transform community incomes and welfare. By enhancing the capacity of cocoa farming communities to identify and improve their social, economic, and environmental conditions, the project sought to make cocoa farming a profitable, socially rewarding, and environmentally sustainable livelihood, while also positioning it as an attractive occupation for future generations.
This workshop addressed the challenges of integrating small-holders into commercial agriculture in Ghana. By assessing the pros and cons of large-scale farming and socially inclusive models, the workshop aimed to propose initial principles that would inform the design of a World Bank-financed commercial agriculture project geared toward avoiding enclave investments.
PDA serves as the Local Coordinating Agency for the “Yen Daakye” (‘Our Future’) Programme, a pilot initiative targeting the elimination of the worst forms of child labour and forced labour in cocoa production and marketing. This community-driven project is part of ICI’s broader effort to create sustainable and child-centred development in cocoa farming communities. The pilot runs in three districts—New Edubiase in the Ashanti Region, and Daboase and Asankrangwa in the Western Region—through district-based NGOs acting as Implementing Partners, supported by a PDA team comprising district facilitators, a field coordinator, and a community technical consultant.
