Poverty alleviation approaches of development NGOs in Ghana: Application of the basic needs approach

Abstract

This paper discusses the applicability of the basic needs approach as a poverty alleviation analysis method in emerging development cooperation. International development organizations at the micro levels in northern Ghana have used various tools and methods in implementing their projects. The possibility to use the basic needs approach to development, which prioritizes the fulfilment of people’s everyday needs as a tracker to the narrative of successes or failures of such interventions was the main objective of this study. A qualitative case study was used to research poverty reduction work of an Estonian NGO, MTÜ Mondo in Nabdam District of Ghana. Results showed that poverty and its alleviation mean differently to different people, hence programs aimed at reducing poverty should be analyzed using a diverse but lower level basic criteria which could be appreciated within specific communities. This paper concludes that “cooperative” basic needs approach to sustainable poverty alleviation works better in communities with acute incidence of poverty. Cooperatives formed as an implementation mechanism for economic empowerment projects serve broader purposes such as providing social capital for acutely disadvantaged communities. The paper recommends that already existing and new entrant NGOs, as well as government interventions, need to conclusively evaluate the needs of each community in which they operate, in order to customize appropriate poverty alleviation tools and projects.

Keywords

• basic needs approach
• emerging development cooperation
• northern Ghana
• NGO
• poverty alleviation