Abstract:
Ghana depends heavily on foreign aid to implement its foreign policy goals. However,
the aid regime has a myriad repercussions on the country. There is the need for
pragmatic foreign policies and programmes to extricate the state from its overreliance
on aid. The thrust of the study was therefore to analyse Ghana Beyond Aid
within the scope of aid-dependency and strategies for independent foreign policy
decision making in the Fourth Republic. The study employed the qualitative research
approach. The study used a semi-structured interview guide to collect data from state
actors and non-state actors in Ghana’s foreign policy decision making. The state
actors included Members of the Ghana Beyond Aid Committee, the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Parliament’s Select Committte on Foreign Affairs while the nonstate
actors comprised of CSOs, Experts in foreign poilicy analysis, the media and
Diplomatic Missions. Data was analysed using themetic analysis. Findings show that
continuity and change in Ghana’s foreign policy goals are determined by past policies
and experiences, national interest, public opinion, natural resources and global factors.
The study also finds that Ghana heavily depends on aid for economic growth and
national development due to factors not excluding the fragility of its economy, aid
conditionality, rented political institutions and policies and show of opulence in policy
execution in the midst of crisis. It emerged from the findings that foreign aid plays
significant role in the development of critical sectors of the economy. These include
democratic consolidation and governance, education, energy, health, agriculture and
transportation. The study also finds that the pursuit of pragmatic foreign policies and
programmes such as low profile international relations, promotion of Pan-Africanist
ideals, active role in African integration to enhance regional and national security,
bilateral relations with new and emerging economies, and restructuring of the status
of diplomatic missions and ambassadorial roles as part of Ghana’s foreign policy
goals, namely, economic diplomacy, good neighbourliness policy and promotion of
world peace, would move Ghana beyond aid.
Description:
A thesis in the Department of Political Science Education Faculty of Social Science Education, submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Master of Philosophy (Political Science)
in the University of Education, Winneba
AUGUST, 2022