1.
EminentPanelConference,Accra,August7th -9th,2020
COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF NON-
MONETARY INSTRUMENTS TO DETER CHILD
MARRIAGE IN GHANA
Abena D. Oduro
George Domfe
University of Ghana

2.
Why Child Marriage Must be Ended
• Child marriage compromises the education, health and bodily security
of the girl child. It cuts short their childhood.
• Domfe and Oduro (2018) using data from the 2014 Ghana
Demographic and Health Survey report a national incidence of 27.2%.
• Although the national incidence rate of child marriage has reduced in
Ghana over time, it has increased in the regions in the northern
sector, with an incidence of 33.6% in 2014 compared to 26.4% in 2011
(de Groot et al. 2018).
• The incidence is higher among the poorest population and
uneducated women (de Groot et al. 2018).
The incidence of child
marriage is higher in
rural Ghana at 34.3%
compared to the urban
rate of 19.4%

3.
More about the current state
• This presentation proposes three interventions that use non-
monetary instruments to deter child marriage in the five regions in
the northern sector of the country.
World Vision Ghana
(2017) identifies the
interplay of economic,
structural and social
factors as being the main
drivers of child marriage in
Ghana

4.
Community Dialogues
(1st solution of 3)
This involves educating and
sensitizing children, families
and communities about the
negative impacts of child
marriage on girls, their
children and the community.

5.
Overview of the intervention
• Target Group:
- The intervention targets approximately 123, 946 girls aged 15-17 who live in the
five regions of the northern sector of the country
We assume a 69% uptake rate, with 63,164 girls being exposed to the intervention
• Objective of Intervention:
- To create awareness of adverse consequences of child marriage.
• Method:
- Focus groups are formed based on:
Age, gender and stage in life, with separate groups for adolescents and adults.
These focus groups are targeted for peer-to-peer, mother-to-mother or house-to-house education
Frequency: 16 weeks in each community.
Implemented over a two-year period.

6.
Overview of the Intervention
• Benefits
6,131 girls will avoid child marriage.
This will avert health conditions and other
risks associated with adolescent pregnancy
• Delayed pregnancies – 4,108,
• Avoided maternal deaths - 3
• Avoided infant deaths -33
• Avoided abortions – 665
• Avoided Cesarean procedures -526
• Avoided cases of obstetric fistula - 2
• Avoided intimate partner violence – 249
• Productivity loss from intimate partner
violence
• Costs
- GHS 4.8 million each year for two
years
The cost of recruiting facilitators
The cost of holding community sensitization
events including materials, logistics and per
diems
The cost of developing the facilitator’s guide
Administrative costs

7.
Benefit-Cost Ratios
Discount Rate 5% 8% 14%
Discounted
Benefits
GHS 35.9 million GHS 32.8 million GHS 28.5 million
Discounted Costs GHS8.9 million GHS8.6 million GHS7.9 million
B/C Ratio 4.0 3.8 3.6

8.
Conditional Asset Transfer
(2nd solution of 3)

9.
Overview of the intervention
• Target Group
- 57,661 unmarried girls aged 15-17 years.
• Objective of Intervention
- Provide families of girls with an additional income source, which, it is hoped, would reduce the
financial incentives associated with child marriage.
• Method:
- Transfer an asset to parents of girls, provided the girls remain both unmarried and enrolled in
school.
- The asset is given at the end of the successful completion of an academic year.
- The asset could be a sheep or any livestock that is locally relevant.
In this analysis it is the equivalent to 3% of average annual income in 2019.
- Implemented for three years, modeled with one cohort of girls.
- The girls would be required to re-enroll annually.

10.
Overview of the intervention
Benefits
- 6,821 avoided child
marriages
This will avert health conditions and
other risks associated with adolescent
pregnancy and child marriage
- 4,551 girls remain in school
due to intervention
Income gain from JHS completion
GHS666
Costs
- The costs of providing asset to eligible girls for
three years.
Valued at GHS379 in 2018 cedis
Assume uptake rate of 63%
- Opportunity cost of schooling
- Government spending on education per girl

11.
Benefit-Cost Ratios
Discount Rate 5% 8% 14%
Discounted
Benefits
GHS149.0 million GHS107.4 million GHS75.4 million
Discounted Costs GHS41.2 million GHS40.1 million GHS38.2 million
B/C Ratio 3.6 2.7 2.0

12.
Education Support-Free School Uniforms
(3rd solution of 3)

13.
Overview of the intervention
• Target Group
- 63,959 unmarried girls in Junior High School
• Objective of Intervention
- Reduce the financial burden of sending girls to school, thus avoiding drop outs and likelihood of
early marriage.
• Method:
- Complements the Government’s existing policy by providing an additional school
uniform to each girl child at the start of every academic year.

14.
Overview of the intervention
Benefits
- Additional 3,471 girls in
school due to intervention.
Income gain from JHS completion
- 1,330 child marriages
avoided.
This will avert health conditions and other
risks associated with adolescent pregnancy
and child marriage
Costs
- The costs of providing the uniforms (GHS70 per
uniform)
- The costs to Government of JHS schooling, for
those who would otherwise have dropped out
after getting married:
- The opportunity cost of schooling

15.
Benefit-Cost Ratios
Discount Rate 5% 8% 14%
Discounted
Benefits
GHS87.6 million GHS56.4 million GHS32.5 million
Discounted Costs GHS20.0 million GHS19.5 million GHS18.5 million
B/C Ratio 4.4 2.9 1.8

16.
Thank You