Accra, Aug. 8, GNA -The European Union Funded Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Research and Innovation for Sustainable Development (CSO—RISE) programme is yielding results, contributing to inclusive growth and reduction of social inequalities
The €9million programme is part of interventions to support the priorities set in the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDA) II and implemented by four CSOs.
The purpose of the programme is to foster the initiatives of the CSO’s in their capacities to address economic, social, and climate-resilient issues through innovative interventions, contributing to the sustainable management of ecosystems.
At a media workshop in Accra. Mary Osei, the Team Lead, Technical Assistance, said the five-year programme being implemented by four CSOs within the northern and coastal areas of the country also aims at promoting employment and decent jobs in the country.
“We are looking at access to social protection and we are also looking at promoting employment and also influencing decent jobs in Ghana,” she said.
The implementing CSOs Cerath Development Organisation (CDO), Centre for Local Government Advocacy, (CLGA) ActionAid and the Cooperazione Internazionale Sud (CISS) undertook initiatives to address economic, social and climate-resilient issues through innovative interventions, contributing to the sustainable management of the ecosystems.
The CSOs said the interventions had benefitted more than 6,000 persons, including farmers, fishermen and households.
Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, ActionAid, Peter Cleaver Yabepone, said the project aimed at reducing rural poverty by promoting environmentally sustainable agricultural practices.
This, he said, had contributed to the green economy project in which 1,503 young people, including persons with disabilities were mobilised in shea butter processing, honey production, nutritional gardening and farming as a business.
“Some 9,600 women were reached with education on social protection schemes. Conducted famer-led research on climate resilient strategies in the project districts and disseminated the findings of the research in all project districts.
“We also supported 300 communities to develop Community Adaptation Plans(CAPs),” he said.
Deputy Executive Director of CLGA, Gladys Tetteh, delivering the results of the ‘Promoting Access of Indigenous People to Decent Work and Social Protection in the Bono East Area (PRODESOP) Project’ said beneficiaries were introduced to aquaculture on a large scale in the Pru East and West Districts and 137 persons are currently engaged in direct fish farming.
“Over 100 persons have been provided with 200-acre multiplication plot for ginger cultivating. Over 1240 persons have been trained in fish and ginger value chain,” she said.
Mercy Akuyea Ashong, Schedule Officer for CSO-RISE Programme, Ministry of Finance, said the project was impacting the lives of people in rural communities and help them make a better living standard.
She said the sector ministry was closely monitoring the project to ensure it was in line with the government’s policies and development objectives.
The Head of European Union, Europe and Americas Unit of the Ministry of Finance, Ebenezer Nortey, in remarks made on his behalf by Mercy Akuyea Ashong, Schedule Officer for the CSO-RISE Programme, appealed to development organisations and donors to support the Civil Society Organisation in Research and Innovation for Sustainable Development (CSO-RISE) to help create jobs and address poverty at the local level.
He said the CSO-RISE was helping to address poverty and helping to address unemployment at the local level and additional donor and development organisations support would help expand the project to all the regions of the country.
The 9-million Euro project which started in 2019 which is expected to end in 2023 is jointly being funded by the European Union (EU) and the Government of Ghana.
The workshop was to brief and update the media on the successes as well as the impact of the project.
GNA