This is the second seminar on ACEIR research that applied an analytical framework developed by the Commitment to Equity (CEQ) Institute to study the impacts of fiscal policy on both inequality and poverty in Africa.

The focus this time is on Ghana as Dr Kwadwo Danso-Mensah presents research that examined and quantified the extent to which a range of taxes (both direct and indirect), government subsidies, and social spending affect poverty and inequality in Ghana. 

Such evidence can be utilised to measure whether the Ghanian government’s policy decisions and interventions are not only efficient and effective but also prioritise equity across the different segments of the population.

The study was conducted by researchers from ACEIR Ghana at the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana: Kwadwo Danso-Mensah, Richmond Atta-Ankomah, Robert Darko Osei, and Isaac Osei-Akoto.

The seminar will also reflect on subsequent partnerships with Oxfam in Ghana and the World Bank to train civil society organisations on the uses of the CEQ methodology and a microsimulation tool to evaluate the impact of social policies on inequality and poverty in Ghana. 

Dr Angela Azumah Alu from Oxfam in Ghana joins us to talk about these innovations, which were part of an Oxfam project that aimed to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goal of reducing inequality within and among countries.

The May seminar will present on ACEIR’s CEQ assessment for Kenya and a subsequent collaboration with the Kenya National Statistical Bureau and other research partners to extend the scope of analysis to gender and children.

These seminars can be attended online and in person and are part of the weekly seminar series of the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town.

About the presenters

Dr Kwadwo Danso-Mensah is a Development Economist and the Director of Research at the International Centre for Evaluation and Development where he oversees all projects related to evidence generation and applied research. His role is to lead initiatives that involve conceptualisation, designing, and implementation of research for evidence programmes in Africa across various disciplines. Kwadwo’s broad research interests are within poverty and inequality dynamics in developing countries with particular focus on African poverty and inequality trends; food systems; incidence analysis of taxes and social spending; and evidence research relating to developing evidence and gap maps, evidence synthesis, and systematic reviews. Kwadwo is also a monitoring, evaluation and learning expert and an ACEIR affiliate who works with ACEIR ‘s Ghana node at the University of Ghana.

Dr Angela Azumah Alu is the Fiscal Policy Adviser at Oxfam in Ghana where she leads its tax policy and advocacy work. She co-ordinates key initiatives such as the Fair Finance project, which focuses on improving sustainability and ESG in financial institutions and companies, and the Democratic Dialogues project on strengthening the social contract and democratic dialogue on progressive taxation between citizens and decision-makers at national, regional and global levels. Her work spans fiscal justice, domestic resource mobilisation, and strengthening the social contract through evidence-based policy engagement. Other projects she has previously co-ordinated at Oxfam aimed to strengthen civil society and media for fiscal justice, improve property taxation in Ghana, and incidence analysis of fiscal policy in Ghana. Prior to joining Oxfam in Ghana, she worked as a lecturer and researcher in several institutions in Ghana.