No.149 The Discourse of Japanese Development Assistance and the Scaling-up of Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) in Ghana

The paper explores Japan’s contribution to the provision of primary healthcare in Ghana through the Community-based Health Planning and Service (CHPS) strategy. The discussion trawls the policy regarding the development of the CHPS and highlights the specific role of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in the ‘Scaling up’ of the CHPS project in the Upper West Region (UWR) of Ghana.

It is suggested in this analysis that through the application of Facilitative Supervision (FSV), a supportive approach to supervision, JICA aimed to review and fine-tune the administrative capacity of the relevant health administrators of the UWR with the primary objective to improve and enhance healthcare delivery in the region. The study proposes that in tune with Michel Foucault’s concept of ‘administrative control’ and ‘noso-politics’ the FSV initiative further essentialised the role of the state in healthcare delivery in the region.

Keywords: Primary Healthcare, Ghana, Michel Foucault, Administrative Control, Japanese Aid