Embassy of France to Ghana to reinforce the effectiveness of CSOs

On the 3rd of October at the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI), the Ambassador of France to Ghana, HE François Pujolas and two members of the French National Assembly, Mrs Seybah DAGOMA and Mr. Philippe COCHET, officially launched a two year program aiming at reinforcing the effectiveness of CSOs in Ghana.

In this bid, the Embassy of France to Ghana has engaged a new program (2016-2018), for an amount of 100 000 €, called "Strengthening the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Civil Society Organisations in Ghana", that seeks to provide target partners (CSOs from different sectors) with adequate support to carry out their activities in a more effective and efficient manner. Capacity development will be streamlined to ensure grantees are able to deliver to expectations and document and report their results in a more compelling manner.

The French Embassy has partnered with the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI). This Institute, with the core mandate to address institutional and operational capacities of civil society across the region, has offered solutions to capacity building challenges confronting civil society in Ghana since 2007.

At this occasion, the Ambassador of France commended their work in support of CSOs in Ghana and reminded that it was crucial to help them as they constitute "the main pillar of the Ghanaian democracy."

Civil Society in West Africa remains a key constituency in ensuring the advancement and consolidation of democratic governance within the region. The sector continues to clamor for the promotion and protection of fundamental human rights of the people, demand for transparency and accountability from government through its monitoring role and advocating for increased civic participation.

Over the years, CSOs in Ghana have had the opportunity to improve their effectiveness and emerged as important influencers on national development issues. Many have acquired array of operational skills such as proposal formulation and basic financial management, and develop seemingly stable governance systems.

Nonetheless, there remains the need to sustain their relevance, strengthen their capacity to assess and document their results to promote accountability and continue to engage policy makers in a more effective manner.

Under its international cooperation program for civil society, the Embassy of France in Ghana has been providing support to CSOs through small grants allocation, within the framework of its Funds for Social Development (FSD) scheme. The French Cooperation recognizes the role and importance of civil society as a key player in the pursuit of democracy, good governance and development at national level. This has translated into meaningful financial assistance to CSOs over the years to support their operations and delivery. Between 1999-2014 the French Cooperation has been able to fund 68 projects in Ghana, amounting to 1,800,000 Euros. These interventions brought about significant changes in the operations and delivery of non-governmental beneficiary organizations across the country to support community development and strengthen democratic practice.