Friends of the Earth-Ghana

Water Vision 2000 declared: “Water crises are not about too little water... but about managing water badly such that billions of people and the environment suffer badly.” Good leadership and governance are therefore needed to bring about investments through innovation in the water sector. However, the ubiquitous nature of investments in water services makes it less attractive for the private finance sector. Agricultural groundwater development has particularly begun offering incentives for private investors. This study foresees a high potential in the integration of recent developments of information and communication technologies (ICT) with existing hydraulic technologies to sustain cropping and food production in African drylands. A case is given for the blending of the Bhungroo, Grundfos Lifelink and M-Pesa technologies to make an integrated BGM-P technology for agricultural groundwater supply. This will enable water users have access to the service at the “right” time, in the “right” quantities, at the “right” places. This is a pathway to sustainable agriculture intensification.

Research institutions in Ghana are facing various challenges. It is the contention that viable research and development institutions are needed for achieving sustainable change in areas of national importance. A key aspect of institutional viability is strong performance management. This implies clear and workable approaches to performance measurement. This paper looks at the initial experiences in a collaborative effort to develop a performance measurement framework for the Food Research Institute (FRI) and the application of the Balanced Score Card (BSC) at institutional level. The process of diagnosing and analysing institutional monitoring and evaluation capacity and systems is described using a mix of diagnostic tools. Stages in applying the BSC approach are documented and the added value of the scorecard perspectives in highlighting focal areas for performance measurement and management within FRI. These are placed in the context of ongoing changes in the external environment posing both threats and opportunities. Changes implied by the introduction of the concept are discussed in the context of current constraints and the way forward is mapped out in terms of enhancing FRIs' impact orientation through the application of improved performance measurement and management.