Raising research support and uptake through stakeholder engagement

There was a rich diversity of participants from various sectors.

ISSER on 10 August 2023 engaged stakeholders in initial discussions around its new study on Reforms for Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) Financing in Ghana’s Economic Recovery, being funded by the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC). Organized as part of a commitment to bottom-up research approaches, the workshop was helpful in bringing together the researchers and key stakeholder groups to discuss and exchange ideas on the study and research process, yielding valuable insights for promoting stakeholder buy-in and support and uptake of the eventual outputs.

Prof. Peter Quartey, ISSER Director and member of the project team, welcomed participants and explained that the essence of the engagement was to deliberate on reforms and strategies that could ensure the effective utilization of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) in support of Ghana's economic recovery endeavors.

He presented a comprehensive overview of the project, highlighting the motivation, objectives, and research methodology. This presentation was followed by open discussions involving all participants. There were also group-level discussions, where participants working in two separate groups and with the aid of a pre-defined set of questions, delved deeper into the topic of SDRs and development financing in Ghana.

Prof. Quartey and his two co-researchers took turns to address the meeting — *Prof. Quartey and his two co-researchers, Dr. Richmond Atta-Ankomah and Dr. Gloria Afful-Mensah, took turns to address the meeting.*

As the discussions drew to a close, Prof. Quartey thanked participants for their active participation and constructive contributions. He acknowledged that the insights gathered from the workshop would play a pivotal role in shaping the direction of the study, promoting stakeholder buy-in, and ensuring the successful implementation of the research outcomes.

Held at the ISSER Conference Centre, the event attracted a rich representation of people from government entities, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, academia, and international organisations, providing a timely learning and networking opportunity for the researchers and participants.

*Following an informative presentation, participants went on to have a free and honest conversation, sharing valuable concerns, comments, and questions about the study.*

About the project

The Reforms for Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) Financing in Ghana’s Economic Recovery is a multi-country AERC-funded project being implemented in several African countries, including Ghana. The Ghana country case study is based at ISSER and implemented by a team including ISSER researchers. For more information, contact the focal person, Dr. Richmond Atta-Ankomah via email at rankomah@ug.edu.gh.