By Gilbert Azeem Tiroog
Bolgatanga, Nov 1, GNA – The Girls Not Brides (GNB) Ghana Partnership, a coalition of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), has organised a day’s workshop for some of its members on budget advocacy and child protection systems.
The training, with funding support from World Vision Ghana, aimed at strengthening their capacity to make valid arguments for increase budgetary allocation to child protection systems and ascertain its sustainability.
It also aimed at equipping them with the requisite skills to establish the fiscal space available and advocate increase public spending on child protection.
The workshop was held on the sideline of this year`s GNB Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Bolgatanga, being funded by its mother Organisation, Girls Not Brides Global Secretariat, United Kingdom.
AGM is a platform created for members of the GNB to formulate their working plan for the next year by deliberating on various issues concerning their field of work and by extension the need to properly strategise and collaborate with state institutions in the fight against child and force marriage.
Hajia Fati Seidu Tambro, the National Chairperson of GNB Ghana Partnership noted that budget advocacy was key in the work of NGOs especially in the area of child marriage and it was important for its members to be abreast with the requisite lobbying techniques.
This, she observed, would enable them to persuade the Executive and Legislature at various stages of the budget process on the need to increase budgetary allocation in the fight against child and force marriages.
She emphasised that the work of the NGOs demanded collaboration with state agencies and members could only make sailing arguments on the need to increase budgetary allocations in the area of child protection when they understood the budget process.
Ms Abigail Adumolga Tiwol, National Secretary, Girls Not Brides Ghana Partnership, reiterated that the mandate of GNB was to contribute to end child marriage in Ghana by 2030 and its outfit was committed to liaising with state institutions to end the phenomenon.
She said the adverse effect of child and force marriage could not be undermined and the continuous support by GNB Global should motivate members and state institutions not to relent on the fight against child marriage and the need for child protection systems to be strengthened.
Mr Abu Ibrahim, a participant and the Executive Director of the Centre for Communities Education and Youth Development (CCEYD), said the workshop was in the right direction as it had offered him the opportunity to learn and unlearn certain things that would reposition him to advocate better for increased allocation in the budget.
GNA