According to the Bank’s website, the objective of this project is to expand access to, and improve the quality and relevance of, secondary education in Ghana.        

The project aims to strengthen Ghana's secondary education system by expanding equitable access through strategic infrastructure investments that eliminate double-tracking, improving quality and relevance through enhanced teaching, STEM/TVET programming, and digital skills development, and building robust systems for data-driven planning, monitoring, and sustainable service delivery to ensure secondary graduates acquire the foundational and practical skills needed for productive employment and higher education.

The project will be implemented over a four-year period. Project activities are organized under four components, designed to support the government in expanding access and improving the quality and relevance of secondary education.

a) Component 1: Increase equitable access to secondary education
b) Component 2: Improve quality and relevance of programs in secondary schools
c) Component 3: Strengthen systems, communications, and evidence-based decision-making
d) Component 4: Contingency Emergency Response Component

The project’s environmental and social risks are assessed as Substantial. Construction of new schools, and expansion and rehabilitation of existing schools poses potential environmental risks. Constructing new schools in rural/ peri-urban areas may lead to soil erosion, land degradation from site clearance and excavation, temporary air pollution, dust and noise from civil works, machinery and material transport, water and soil pollution from improper handling of runoff, waste or chemicals, localized biodiversity or vegetation disturbance depending on the site conditions, and increased demand on water, sanitation and school electricity systems where school capacities are expanded. The rehabilitation of E-blocks—abandoned since 2017—also raises structural integrity concerns, which further heightens occupational health and safety (OHS) risks for workers and community members. Social risks are driven primarily by the high likelihood of land acquisition and associated economic or physical displacement linked to expansion of infrastructure in existing schools and construction of new schools. Particularly in areas governed by customary land tenure, boundaries are largely indeterminate, documentation is limited, and legacy issues – including incomplete compensation for past state acquisitions – remain unresolved. These factors increase the potential for land disputes, grievances, and delays where school expansion or construction of new schools trigger new land acquisitions. The project’s presence in active school environments heightens community health and safety risks, especially for children exposed to construction activities. Labor-related risks include weak contractor oversight, potential use of child labor, inconsistent OHS compliance, potential labor influx due to the relatively compressed implementation timelines, and poor housing arrangements for contracted workers. The project’s focus on adolescents, including girls and students with special needs, combined with contractor presence across multiple sites elevates GBV, sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) and sexual harrassment (SH) risks, particularly where school-level safeguarding and supervision systems are limited. In addition, increased internet connectivity in beneficiary schools, without commensurate supervision or digital safeguarding measures, may heighten exposure to harmful online content and peer-to-peer GBV/SEA/SH risks.

Total Project Cost: US$ 331.00 million
IDA Credit: US$ 300.00 million
Borrower/Recipient: US$ 31.00 million

CONTACT POINT - World Bank

Task Team Leader: Eunice Yaa Brimfah Ackwerh
Title: Senior Education Specialist
Email: edapaah@worldbank.org

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

To submit an information request for project information, you will have to create an account to access the Access to Information request form. You can learn more about this process at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/access-to-information/request-submission

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF THE WORLD BANK

The World Bank Inspection Panel is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by a World Bank-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the Inspection Panel, they may investigate to assess whether the World Bank is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. You can contact the Inspection Panel or submit a complaint by emailing ipanel@worldbank.org. Information on how to file a complaint and a complaint request form are available at: https://www.inspectionpanel.org/how-to-file-complaint