CSOs recognized as critical contributors to achieving a just and equitable society

The Executive Director of STAR-Ghana Foundation, Alhaji Ibrahim-Tanko Amidu, has observed that Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) play a critical role in contributing to national development and achieving a just and equitable society for all.

He, however, said that mandate would not be fulfilled if the CSOs did not take steps to strengthen the sector saying, "But we cannot fulfil that mandate if we don't put our house in order."

Alhaji Amidu made the observation in Accra during the opening of a two-day Ghana CSOs Forum on the theme:  “Civil Society at an Inflection Point: Strategizing for Increased Legitimacy, Effectiveness, and Sustainability”.

The Forum, which was the second edition, sought to serve as a collective reflection process about the future of civil society in Ghana and contribute to the national debate by setting the scene.

“We haven't spent enough time shining the light on ourselves - What are we doing well? What are we not doing well? How do we strategize to become more inclusive? How do we strategize to become more effective? How do we strategize to become more credible and legitimate”, Alhaji Amidu explained.

He indicated that whenever CSOs criticize the politicians, they tend to be defensive by questioning the legitimacy of the CSOs which he said was an attempt by the politicians to silence the civil society.

“But sometimes, these points are not without basis that some of us have not paid enough attention to how we become more accountable to the constituents and to the citizens of this country”, Alhaji Amidu stated.

He, thus, stressed the need for CSOs to strategize to enhance their effectiveness, protect the civic space, sustain their organization, speak with a common voice on common issues and remain relevant in the fast-moving and complex environment.

The Executive Secretary of Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), Mrs Beauty Emefa Nartey, observed with worry that the CSOs had failed to explore innovative strategies for collective action and support among CSOs against the emerging threats of the shrinking civic space.

“Our tasks remain daunting to stay ahead of these threats while balancing the dwindling external funding for CSOs with effectively leveraging the emerging forms of citizen mobilization and civic activism”, she explained.

She said this year’s Forum was, therefore, to build on the gains and lessons of the previous Forum with a focus on strategizing civil society's work for increased legitimacy, effectiveness, and sustainability.

Mrs Nartey added that it also sought to create a platform for the actors in the CSO sector to explore ways to nurture and strengthen networking and coordinated action to address systematic challenges within the civic space.

The Executive Director of the International Development Economics Associates (IDEA), Mr Charles Abugri, encouraged the CSOs, Community-based Organisations (CBOs) and the media to develop interest in the upcoming general election and to strengthen their election observation and monitoring at all polling station across the country to ensure the legitimacy of the polls.

He said: “We cannot afford another challenge to the legitimacy of the elections (in court), because the legitimacy of the courts is now severely questioned.”

An International Development Professional, Mr Charles Abani, indicated that despite the challenges, Ghana remained one of the best democracies on the African continent.

He stated that for CSOs to maintain their legitimacy and to serve as the “oxygen” for good democratic governance, they should maintain a safe distance from politics.

Mr Ababi observed that: “The four years on, four years off, eight years on, eight years off (of the governance system in Ghana) actually equals inertia. Nothing moves.”

Scores of representatives of CSOs at both the local and national levels and some development partners attended the Forum to explore the challenges confronting civil society in a time of unprecedented and widely underestimated global change.