The document summarizes a symposium on public sector service provision and policy making in Ghana. It discusses a participatory forum reviewing Ghana's agricultural extension policy, where stakeholders identified priority recommendations through group exercises and discussions. These included targeting resources to women providers and beneficiaries, adequately funding public extension services, clarifying extension capacity development funding, updating emerging issues in extension policy, and revising the farmer-based organizations policy and strategy. Next steps involve revising Ghana's agricultural extension policy to reflect the recommendations.

1. MEAS Symposium 2015
June 4
“Public Sector Service
Provision, Policy Making,
and Enabling
Environment”
Along the Policy Path:
Reviewing Ghana’s Agricultural Extension Policy
Vickie Sigman
Sr. Agricultural Extension Policy Specialist
MEAS, University of Illinois

2. What & Why
Participants: Ghana Agricultural Extension Policy Forum

3. HOW
• Background and input
• Forum itself: highly participatory
– Small Groups, Themes, and Exercises
Review
Summarize
Report Out
Analyze
Progress,
Constraints,
Gaps, &
Changes
Report Out
Develop
prioritized
recom-
mendations
Report Out
Group Exercises by Policy Theme

4. Outcomes
• Highest Priority Recommendations
– Target resources to women providers & beneficiaries
– Fund public extension services adequately
– Clarify extension capacity development funding
– Update extension policy on emerging issues
– Update Farmer-Based Organizations Policy and
Strategy
• Groups to support the policy process forward
– Extension Policy Standing Committee and Champions
• Next Step
– Revise the agricultural extension policy to reflect
recommendations

5. What was learned along the path?
Review is but one step:
ALSO NEED
• Companion costed & timed plan for
carrying-out revisions
• Finance and political will for
implementation & monitoring of revised
policy
• Greater involvement in and awareness of
process by farmers

6. Disclaimer
This presentation was made possible by the generous support of the American
people through the United States Agency for International Development, USAID. The
contents are the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the
views of USAID or the United States Government.