Gov’t develops capacity to handle PPP projects

Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Cassiel Ato Forson has said developing the capacity of Ghana’s human capital and institutions to engage with the rest of the world on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) is critical in promoting and implementing effective policies and projects in the country.

Mr. Forson was speaking at the first training course in PPP programmes at the Civil Service Training Centre (CSTC) in Accra from March 18-20.

“The Ministry of Finance will continue to engage with the Civil Service Training Centre and other institutions of learning to ensure that we fully develop the capacity we need. Government has decided to adopt the PPP approach to get the private sector to invest some of its financial, human and technical resources in the development of public infrastructure and services.”

The training programme was part of a capacity-building initiative by the Public Investment Division of the Ministry of Finance to deliver the vision of a capable cadre of trainers, educators, transaction mangers and managers of Ghana’s PPP programme.

The programme’s aim was to develop trainers of the centre in the basics of PPPs, and was designed to explain the fundamentals of the project concepts to trainers.

The course contents included Foundational Concepts in PPPs; Making PPPs Work -- Tools and Techniques; Making PPPs Work -- Environmental Elements of a PPP Project; and Identifying the Actions that Enhance PPPs.

Mrs. Magdalene Appenteng, Director of the Public Investment Division at the Finance Ministry, said there will be at least four follow-up training courses for the participants as well as online courses.

She said there are also plans for the Ghana PPP programme to collaborate with business schools and the Ghana Law School to develop curricula over the next two years for academic programmes on PPP education in Ghana.

The country's PPP programme has adopted a number of capacity-building strategies to enable the public sector confidently engage the private sector in developing infrastructure.

The strategies include workshops, in-field and out-field training programmes, attachment programmes, expert shadowing, study tours in some of the relevant sectors; as well as identifying and working with training and academic institutions to develop curricula and programmes for training and education in PPP.

Mrs. Dora Gyawa Dei-Tumi, the Principal at CSTC, said the institute was pleased to partner with the Ministry of Finance to train civil and public servants for successful implementation of the PPP programme.

She applauded the work done in developing a comprehensive course to build the capacity of the civil service with CSTC as a major partner.

“Public institutions and agencies as well as private sector entities must develop and operate systems which make it easy for them to work together effectively and efficiently,” she said.