International development partnerships and nonprofit capacity in Ghana: an integrative review with practitioner evidence

International development partners route a substantial share of assistance through civil society, yet only a small proportion of this funding reaches organisations based in partner countries directly. This paper asks under what funding and partnership arrangements international support can strengthen Ghanaian nonprofits while preserving local ownership and organisational autonomy. I combine an integrative review of scholarly and policy literature with telephone consultations conducted in July 2026 with representatives of eleven Ghanaian nonprofit organisations using a common set of open-ended questions. The evidence indicates persistent funding volatility, restricted support for institutional costs, barriers to direct grant access, and significant administrative burdens. I argue that support is more likely to strengthen local organisations when it is predictable, reaches the institution as well as the project, uses proportionate access and reporting requirements, and preserves local authority over priorities. Practitioner accounts also locate part of organisational fragility in domestic regulatory and operating conditions that donor reform cannot address. International funding reform and improvements in Ghana's enabling environment therefore need to proceed together.