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Opportunity EduFinance
Level 18, 100 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 1GT

Telephone: +44 (0) 7768599834

© 2025 Opportunity International Education Finance functions under its US and UK affiliates. Opportunity International United Kingdom is registered as a charity in England and Wales (1107713) and in Scotland (SCO39692). Opportunity International United Statesis a 501(c)3 nonprofit.

What We Do EduFinance Northern Ghana

WHY FOCUS ON LOW-FEE EDUCATION IN NORTHERN GHANA?

Despite encouraging primary enrollment gains in recent years, nationwide statistics highlight the challenges facing the education sector in Ghana as children progress through their studies. The highest concentration of education challenges is found in the northern regions of Ghana, and specifically impacts women, girls and marginalized communities. According to the 2018 Ghana Education Sector Analysis by Ghana’s Ministry of Education:

  • While primary gross enrollment rates exceed 100 percent, this drops to 85 percent for junior high school and 50 percent for senior high school.
  • Only 38 percent of children who enter primary complete senior high school.
  • Women and girls who have never been to school is highest in the Northern region (59 percent) and Upper West region (53 percent), compared with only 14 percent of women and girls in Greater Accra.
  • Only 4 percent of women and girls in northern Ghana have completed secondary education or higher, compared to 20 percent of women and girls in Greater Accra.

The goal of the Activity is to enable proprietors, teachers, communities, financial organizations, professional networks, and the Government of Ghana (GoG) to improve student learning outcomes and financing options for low-fee private schools over a five-year period (February 2023 – February 2028).

Opportunity will support the expansion and improvement of low-fee schools in some of the most disadvantaged communities in northern Ghana by:

  • Strengthening business skills for 213 school leaders to run sustainable schools,
  • Equipping 426 teacher mentors with the skills to cascade evidence-based classroom best practices to an additional 2,130 teachers,
  • Certifying 1,278 untrained teachers over the life of the project,
  • Creating a School Capacity Building Fund (SCBF) to assist targeted low-fee schools to improve their operations and become more credit worthy through catalytic grants,
  • Mobilizing $3.9 million for investment in education by financial institutions lending to low-fee private school owners to improve schools, and to families to pay school fees.
  • Co-developing new models with the MoE to strengthen its capacity for low-fee private school monitoring and oversight.
  • Forming a community of practice to promote knowledge sharing and collaboration among stakeholders on issues affecting low-fee private schools in northern Ghana.

The Activity ultimately aims to improve the learning outcomes of nearly 52,000 students.

WHERE WE ARE WORKING

Activities will be implemented in the regions and the 17 Zone of Influence (ZOI) districts of northern Ghana listed below: