Dr. Apaak praises IDP Foundation for 18 years of education support in Ghana

Deputy Education Minister Dr. Clement Abas Apaak has praised the IDP Foundation for supporting education in Ghana through a model that places local school proprietors, lenders and trainers at the centre of implementation.

He said the foundation’s 18 years of work in the country demonstrated how philanthropic support could strengthen local capacity rather than make external organisations the primary drivers of development interventions.

Speaking at the African Philanthropy Network (APN) Biennial Assembly and fireside conversation with the founder and chair of the IDP Foundation, Irene Pritzker, in Accra, Dr. Apaak highlighted the importance of locally rooted partnerships in improving education.

He noted that Ghanaian school proprietors, lenders and trainers had played leading roles in the foundation’s work, with philanthropy providing backing support.

“Ghanaian proprietors, Ghanaian lenders, and Ghanaian trainers carry the work, with philanthropy in a backing role. That is what locally rooted giving looks like,” Dr. Apaak said.

He expressed appreciation to the foundation for its support to learners and the country, describing its approach as an important lesson for other philanthropic organisations operating in Ghana.

Dr. Apaak also encouraged other philanthropists and development partners to structure their interventions around national education priorities and work closely with local institutions.

He said philanthropic support would have greater impact when it complements government plans, strengthens education systems and generates evidence that can inform policy decisions.

The Ministry also wants development partners to invest in areas where government may find it difficult to move quickly, test innovative approaches and share lessons that could guide broader reforms.

Dr. Apaak further called for coordinated interventions, warning that multiple organisations pursuing similar objectives without collaboration could place additional administrative burdens on schools and the Ministry.

He said the government was committed to maintaining an open channel for engagement with philanthropic partners and taking evidence from their interventions seriously in policy development.

The Deputy Minister concluded by outlining three priorities for participants at the assembly: adopting successful interventions, advancing them alongside government within the national plan, and amplifying their impact across communities.

“The takeaway from this Assembly for all of us should centre on these three A’s: Adopt, Advance, Amplify,” he said.

Dr. Apaak explained that successful interventions should be adopted, strengthened through collaboration with government and expanded so that their benefits reach more communities.

“Because in the end, the measure of this conversation is not what we say in this room. It is whether that pupil, in that small school, down that road, learns to read, learns to reason, and learns to believe that his/her country has a place for him/her,” he stated.

The address was delivered during Ghana’s hosting of the African Philanthropy Network’s biennial assembly, which brought together philanthropists, funders and development partners from across Africa.