Oxfam in Ghana, has invested GHC 14.5 million, in its work for the financial year ending April, 2017 to March, 2018.

The investments are spread in three key areas: Extractive Industry Governance; Economic Justice and Food Security; and Addressing Inequality in Education and Health.

This was made known by Oxfam in Ghana in a statement issued at the end of a day’s engagement with its partners and the media.

Mr Tijani Hamza, the Country Manager of Oxfam in Ghana, said in 2015 Oxfam designed a new country strategy, which was expected to run from 2015 to 2020, dubbed: “A Ghana with an improve quality of life, characterised by active citizenship, shared, pro poor and sustainable growth in a just and democratic environment.”

He said Oxfam in Ghana’s activities cover Promoting Economic Justice, Food Security and Agriculture; supporting the Extractive Industry Governance through civil society organisations (CSOs) strengthening engagement. Others are addressing Inequalities in Ghana through enhancing access to quality services in education and health for the poor.

He cited Governance and Active Citizenship, Gender and Humanitarian Emergencies across cutting. He explained that the meeting aimed at enhancing transparency around the organisation’s relationship with its partners especially CSOs.

He said it would afford Oxfam in Ghana the opportunity to learn from the CSOs about their experiences in partnerships with like-minded organisations. Around the globe, Oxfam works to find practical and innovative ways for people to lift themselves of poverty and thrive.

“We save lives and help rebuild livelihoods when crisis strikes. And we campaign so that the voices of the poor influence the local and global decisions that affect them,” the statement said. It noted that Oxfam’s Extractive Industry work would invest a little over GHC 200 this financial year.

It said investments in this pillar would focus on improving accountability and transparency of oil and mining revenues and its implications for national development, community rights and environmental protection. It observed that Oxfam was developing policies and strategies for improving gender issues in the extractive sector and promoting public financial management and social accountability in line with regional and national initiatives such as the African Mining Vision.

It pointed out that addressing Inequality in Health and Education sectors was one key pillar of its country programme as part of its firm belief in a world free of poverty and injustice.

The statement said this year, more than GHC 4, 447, 000 would go into these areas.

It explained that this investment would spread across advocacy for inclusive health department and also policy campaign to increase financing in health sector to improve effectiveness and efficiency in the National Health Insurance Scheme.

The statement said another key area was making maternal health accessible to at least 12 rural communities in the Upper East Region.

It said the education strand of the Inequality Pillar on the other hand would generally work on national advocacy for quality education and support for girls’ education especially in northern Ghana.

It said the Economic Justice and Food Security pillar of Oxfam’s work would invest a little more than GHC 4.2 million this year.

“This investment will be spread on agriculture advocacy for investment in small scale farming, governance in the fisheries industry through a consortium with other partners and system innovation of women economic empowerment in the cocoa value chain in Ghana,” it said.

“The other focus area will be our climate change adaptation project in northern Ghana.

The statement said: “Oxfam believes in accountable governance and places gender at the heart of all its work.” “Hence, our gender and governance programme will invest approximately GHC 3.7 million in its work,” it added.

It said special focus of work would be on strengthening accountability and gender justice through campaigns on local government decentralisation, tax advocacy for pro poor programmes, women empowerment and democracy participation as well as erasing negative stereotypes. It observed that, in all these, Oxfam in Ghana works with CSOs, coalitions and networks from local to national level.