By Regina Benneh/Benjamin Akoto
Sunyani, March 08, GNA – Mr Justin Bayor, Head of Programmes, Campaigns, and Innovation of ActionAid Ghana (AAG) says the objectives of the Country Strategy Paper (CSP) VII were to create equitable opportunities for all citizens.
The CSV VII opportunities would seek to increase global and national commitments to resilient interventions that support adaptation for women, young people, and marginalized individuals.
This was made known at the opening of a two-day regional dissemination event, in Sunyani, dubbed “Active Citizenship for Social Justice.”
The event brought together stakeholders from various sectors including the gender department, Social Welfare, Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit, assemblies, regional coordinating council, non-government organisations, youth groups, students, and media from the Bono Region.
He mentioned that the CSP VII would look to improve access to formal and informal social protection services, reduce threats of violent extremism, and decrease the incidence of violent conflicts.
Mr. Bayor explained that CSP VII, a five-year plan spanning from 2023 to 2028, would focus on three key priorities of social importance which include the green economy and resilient livelihood, women’s rights and decent work, active citizenship, accountability, and gender-responsive public service.
He added that the priorities identified in the projects would help address poverty, gender equality, and various forms of gender-based violence issues.
It intends also to advocate for increased attention to social issues in expansion and improved social protection programs like LEAP, National Health Insurance Scheme, GSFP, LIPWs, and the disability fund to promote national policies such as Ghana Beyond Aid (GBA), the National Climate Change Policy, and the National Development Plan, he said.
Mr Bayor emphasized that the new CSP VII would monitor and keep track of pro-poor spending under the International Monetary Fund programme, while AAG would also support community-based social protection schemes to help alleviate poverty in Ghana.
He mentioned that under the previous CSP VI project of the ‘People’s Power for Social Justice initiative from 2018 to 2022, AAG and its partners played a significant role in facilitating the return of many young mothers to school through the implementation of the “School Re-entry Policy”.
School enrollment and retention rates increased due to the provision of school infrastructure and progress was also made in the criminalization of witchcraft through the Criminal Offences (Amendment) Act, 2022 Bill presented in Parliament.
Mr. Bayor reported significant progress in advocating for the ratification of ILO C190 and C189, which have garnered attention at both the Cabinet and Parliament, and has been an increase in household incomes and sales through the e-marketing initiatives.
Furthermore, there have been notable advancements in access to control over land and other natural resources in Nabdam, Sissila East, and Nanumba North focusing on enhancing skills in climate change mitigation and adaptation, he added.
Participants during the dissemination exercise were taken through a comprehensive understanding of the transition from CSP VI to the CSP VII strategic priorities, regional priorities, stakeholder mapping, partnership exploration, risk identification, mitigation planning and the review of the CSP VII performance measurement standards.
GNA