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The application of neoliberal policy approaches to the development agenda by external agencies, especially the IMF and the World Bank, in developing countries in the 1980s and 1990s generated debates within civil society about external policy influences in those countries. It is within this context that this book explored the degree to which the Ghanaian government s basic education policy agenda has been affected by such external influences. The analysis suggests that there is a lack of transparency in the dealings between external donor agencies and the Ghanaian government regarding external donor supported programs. As a democracy,this book argues that Ghanaians ought to take greater responsibility for the development outcomes of their country since they have the mandate to determine its agenda. In this regard, the analysis disagrees with a school of thought that appears to blame external agencies for Ghana s development challenges. To tackle the country´s development challenges effectively, the book suggests a need for a national development agenda that surpasses parochial interests to ensure that all efforts can be marshaled towards national development.

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Dr. Adams Sulemana Achanso was born in 1969 in Northern Ghana. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Philosophy and Religions (Legon) and a PhD in Social Policy (Lincoln). He is a Lecturer and the Coordinator of Development Education Studies in the University for Development Studies (Ghana).

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