Abstract
For more than two decades, good governance reform policy has swept through
sub-Saharan Africa like a wildfire. Although government watchers have assumed
that this reform initiative is critical for achieving development, little attention has
been paid to how it affects and is affected by public affairs education and training.
Drawing on the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration
(GIMPA), this article examines how the curriculum integrates unique local and
regional conditions with good governance principles advocated by several international
entities. Then it compares the curriculum to the new NASPAA standards
of public affairs education and training and assesses how well it matches those
standards. The analysis shows that there is a substantial convergence between
the GIMPA curriculum and NASPAA accreditation principles and standards.
We question how these principles can be reconciled with local sociocultural
conditions. We conclude by making observations about how to strengthen the
curriculum and improve the quality of public affairs education and training for
development management.