How's It Going in Ghana? An on-the-ground perspective on the MCC

We've just posted Sarah Lucas' latest Report from the Field where she presents an on-the-ground perspective of how the MCC and the Government of Ghana are faring on pulling together what is soon to be the largest compact to date. This $500 million compact will be signed on July 28, 2006, which means the MCC Board is likely to be approving it in early June. Among the many interesting issues and questions raised throughout the Field Report is the extent to which the firm deadline (set perhaps as early as January, 2006) has impacted the content and quality of the proposal.

"Ghana's MCA process started slow, with inadequate commitment from the Ghanaian government and poor guidance and leadership from MCC. (These issues are consistent with other countries' early experiences, as described in the Mozambique and Malawi field reports.) In recent months, however, the process has been strengthened. Thanks largely to new teams in both Washington and Accra, and the MCC’s overall effort to staff up with a larger and more diverse set of experts, there is now stronger country engagement through Ghana's MCA team (MCAG) and more substantive feedback from Washington."