The UK government has committed to help Ghana continue to remain a middle-income country. It has therefore advanced 375 million Euros through its Department for International Development, DFID. The funds will go to support programmes which will focus on projects such as creating jobs for women, increasing the use of family planning methods, improving the quality of education and improving efficiency in government spending. The UK recently cut down its support to some sixteen developing countries. The DFID Country Director, Daniel Graymore told Joy Business the decision to continue to invest in Ghana reflects “on the one hand the great success there has been in Ghana – two decades of economic growth, five free and fair elections, good progress against the Millennium Development Goals - so you want to invest in that success.” But even more importantly, he said the UK’s continued investment in the country was in recognition of the “significant poverty in the north, much, much higher than in the south, of course, with social and educational and health outcomes that are much worse than in the north than in much of Africa.” Mr Graymore said most of the aid will therefore be channeled to the north to bridge the gap with the south. On the oil sector Mr. Graymore says DFID will soon roll out programmes to help increase accountability. “We will provide grants through a new programme called Star Ghana, to various NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations) and civil society groups that will be able to scrutinize what governments and others are doing in the sector and how the oil money is being spent,” he stated. Source: Joy News/Ghana