The United States government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing GHS 2.8 million ($225,000) to develop and operationalise the School Licensing and Inspection Management System (SLIMS) database.

This support includes the purchase of 100 tablets for the National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NaSIA) to digitally collect school inspection data.

The support from the United States is helping streamline the licensing, monitoring, and evaluation for all schools across Ghana by putting all data on a single platform.

During the launch of SLIMS in Accra on Wednesday, USAID/Ghana Mission Director, Kimberly Rosen, said, “SLIMS complements our collaborative efforts to improve education quality and accountability in schools.

"The United States is proud to support the use of technology in Ghana’s educational system – not just for instruction but for sound management and accountability.”

Over the past seven months, USAID has launched three education initiatives to make education accessible to all, strengthen sector accountability, and promote public-private partnerships.

The first initiative, the Strengthening Accountability in Ghana’s Education System (SAGES) government-to-government (G2G) agreement, aims to institutionalize and create an enabling environment for education accountability at all levels.

The second initiative, the SAGES Systems Strengthening Activity, complements the G2G agreement by providing technical assistance to the Ministry of Education and its agencies to support education management and citizen engagement.

The third initiative, the Advancing Partnerships for Improved Learning (APIL) Activity, supports more than 200 low-fee private schools to provide quality education for children in underserved and marginalized communities in northern Ghana.

The United States is Ghana’s largest bilateral development partner. In the past year, development support through USAID totaled over $140 million dedicated to education, health, economic growth, agriculture and more.