The role of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana as an NGO in Socio-economic development of rural Ghana:A case study of the Garu Agricultural Station

The role of Culture and Religion in development practice had been ignored for several years by development practitioners. However, there are different constraints and conflicts in many cultures which can impact on the success of development efforts. This study, which is based on the Garu Agricultural Station run by the Presbyterian Church of Ghana with funding from the Inter-Church Coordinating Organization for development cooperation, sets out to find out some of these constraints in a typical patriarchal society. It then finds out how a religiously oriented development institution is addressing these cultural and religious constraints. The motivation for this study had been precipitated by the author's quest for an answer to why many development projects started by NGOs fail. As a Minister in the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and a former Projects Officer with a Rural Development Bank, he had sought the answer within the experience of his ; Church. The ~hoice of the case study was based on the fact that I Garu Agricultural Station is the oldest surviving Agricultural Station of the Church. Secondly, The society had least been affected by modernization which could have veiled the traditional cultural and religious values. It is hoped that the findings of this study will go a long way in reshaping the general development approach of the Church and other NGOs. It is also hoped to contribute to the agenda in the search for a "Theology of Development".