The Steering Committee of the Post COVID 19 Skills Development and Productivity Enhancement Project (PSDPEP) has called on implementing agencies and key stakeholders to deepen their commitment as the project prepares to deliver stronger outcomes in 2026.
The appeal was made during the project’s second and final Steering Committee meeting for the year, held at Peduase in the Eastern Region, where members approved the 2026 budget, work plan, audit reports and other statutory documents. The meeting also reviewed implementation challenges and proposed measures to ensure smoother delivery in the year ahead.
Chairman of the Steering Committee, Mr David Klottey Collison, described the overall progress of PSDPEP as encouraging, despite initial administrative setbacks. He expressed optimism that implementation would significantly improve in 2026, provided stakeholders remained fully engaged.
“The project has barely two years to conclude. That means a lot of hard work has to be done next year so that by 2027, we are simply rounding off on a strong and successful note,” Mr Collison said.
PSDPEP is a five year development initiative funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB), with additional support from the Government of Ghana. The project aims to support Ghana’s socio economic recovery from the COVID 19 pandemic by building human capital, restoring livelihoods, boosting productivity and promoting private sector growth. It commenced in 2023 and is expected to end in 2027.
Mr Collison, who serves as Coordinating Director with oversight responsibility over the External Resource Mobilisation Division at the Ministry of Finance, emphasized that 2026 would be a critical year for achieving the project’s core objectives. He urged all implementing agencies to prioritize timely execution of approved activities and maintain transparency in financial management.
Mr Abbas Nurudeen, Chief Executive Officer of the Social Investment Fund (SIF), the implementing agency, said the project had reached an appreciable level of implementation. He cited progress in infrastructure rehabilitation and capacity building interventions across several beneficiary institutions.
He added that contracts had been awarded for the development of research centers at the University of Ghana, and that scholarships had been provided in biomedical and biotechnology fields. The project’s microcredit component supporting micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs), he said, had also begun disbursing funds through participating financial institutions.
In March 2025, seventeen postgraduate students received research grants under PSDPEP to support innovative healthcare research in Ghana. The students, ten MPhil and seven PhD candidates from Ghana and the West African sub region, were selected by the Department of Medical Microbiology at the University of Ghana Medical School. Their research focuses on combating infectious diseases using synthetic peptides, monoclonal antibodies and natural products.
Mr Nurudeen stressed that approval of the 2026 budget was critical to maintaining momentum. “Now that the budget has been approved, all the major hurdles are out of the way to take the project to even greater heights next year,” he said, urging stakeholders to give due attention to their respective components.
The CEO noted that while initial delays affected some components, steady progress had been made throughout 2025. He highlighted improvements in coordination among implementing agencies, including the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Service, the Ghana Enterprise Agency (GEA), and the University of Ghana’s Schools of Nursing, Biotechnology and Microbiology.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of ARB Apex Bank, Mr Alex Awuah, commended PSDPEP’s impact on small and medium sized businesses. He disclosed that GH¢52 million had so far been disbursed to beneficiaries through rural banks and participating financial institutions.
Mr Awuah said measures had been put in place to improve loan recovery following initial challenges, adding that recovery rates had reached nearly 70 percent, against a target of 90 percent. He explained that the bank had intensified monitoring of loan utilization and provided technical support to borrowers to ensure proper deployment of funds.
The ARB Apex Bank Managing Director expressed confidence that recovery rates would improve significantly as businesses stabilize and begin generating returns from their investments. He encouraged beneficiaries to honor their repayment obligations to ensure the sustainability of the credit facility and enable more entrepreneurs to access funding.
PSDPEP was funded through a grant facility totaling US$31.3 million, comprising US$28.5 million from the African Development Bank and US$2.8 million from the Government of Ghana. The project seeks to build health related skills in higher education, restore livelihoods, strengthen public communication and create jobs among youth and women.
The project addresses critical gaps exposed during the COVID 19 pandemic, particularly in the health sector and among MSMEs that were severely impacted by lockdowns and economic disruptions. According to data from a post COVID 19 research cited at the project’s launch in January 2023, jobs in approximately 70 percent of establishments within the informal sector were affected. Three months after the pandemic’s peak, recovery was occurring but at a slower rate.
Beneficiary institutions include the Ghana News Agency, Social Investment Fund, MASLOC, the University of Ghana School of Nursing and Midwifery, the Department of Medical Microbiology Centre, the Biotechnology Centre, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Vocational Training Institute and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.
The project is being implemented in seven regions: Greater Accra, Ashanti, Eastern, Bono, Northern, Central and Upper West. About US$4 million of PSDPEP’s grant has been allocated to MSMEs as loans at reduced interest rates to enable them to withstand the impacts of the pandemic. The credit and entrepreneurship component is expected to benefit at least 24,800 people directly and 50,000 indirectly through the Bank’s Youth Entrepreneurship and Investment Fund.
Dr Ekoh Patience Ugonma, AfDB’s Principal Social Economist and Task Manager of the Project, explained at the project’s launch that the COVID 19 pandemic disrupted many sectors of the economy, especially health and small and medium enterprises, hence the focus on skills development in those areas.
The Ghana News Agency is the first news organization to benefit from such support from the Bank, with staff training, office renovations and provision of modern equipment included in the grant package. The project also includes infrastructure improvements in higher education for the health sector, technical and entrepreneurial skills development, and public communication on health and MSMEs.
At the first quarter technical committee meeting held in Aburi in April 2025, Mr Nurudeen assured stakeholders of his unwavering support for the project. He expressed gratitude to the then outgoing project coordinator, Emmanuel Fordjour, for the experience and guidance provided during the transition period.
“I came into office as a new CEO and within the shortest possible time, the experience I have gathered from the project coordinator and the staff around indicates that the institution will have a brighter future. The lessons, the work ethics I have acquired from you will be a guiding light to me as I discharge my duties. PSDPEP will be a success under my leadership,” Mr Nurudeen stated at the time.
Mr Fordjour emphasized at that meeting the need to ensure the success of the project, noting that PSDPEP continues to play a vital role in supporting Ghana’s economic recovery efforts by promoting sustainable livelihoods, improving employability and increasing productivity across sectors.
As PSDPEP enters its critical third year of implementation in 2026, stakeholders have expressed confidence that with the approved budget, resolved administrative challenges and strengthened coordination mechanisms, the project will achieve its objectives of transforming the lives of thousands of Ghanaians affected by the pandemic while building long term resilience in the health and MSME sectors.
