Financial Capability and Asset Building Training in Ghana Through Project-Based Learning

Since 2008, the continuous global resurgence of economic and financial meltdown, often with its attendant adverse effects on Africa, makes it imperative for social work education to consider introducing financial literacy training for students to ensure that graduates of social work can affect change among populations it serves. The World Bank Group (2019) recons that from 2010, the financial sector in Ghana has been growing rapidly; however, the efforts to equip social work professionals with financial capability and asset building (FCAB) competencies are lagging. Many social workers receive little training and education regarding helping clients build stable and secure financial lives. Yet, there is a greater need for such professionals who provide social and economic services to vulnerable populations to ensure that they are fully included in the emerging financial sector. The paper explores FCAB training in Ghana and discusses (a) the need for FCAB in social work, (b) how social workers contribute to FCAB to improve client’s financial well-being, and (c) the strategies for leveraging project-based learning approaches to advance FCAB training in social work. This paper recommends forging collaborations with organisations and agencies that work in FCAB in Ghana to provide field education to students, build the capacity of faculty and students to engage in community-based FCAB related research, and build the capacity of field education agencies to design and facilitate effective project-based learning opportunities for practicum students. These strategies could potentially equip a new cadre of professional social workers with FCAB competencies.