By Albert Futukpor, GNA
Tamale, March 19, GNA – A Pre-Northern Ghana Development Summit (NGDS) Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) forum has been held to discuss and agree on the best way to present a coordinated CSOs front during the annual NGDS.
It was also to discuss and adopt a plan for post NGDS accountability and follow up on actions and commitments, as well as discuss ways of improving development coordination and effectiveness in northern Ghana among CSOs primarily but also between CSOs and other actors.
The day’s event, held in Tamale, and attended by local and international CSOs, NGOs and community-based organisations operating in the five regions in northern Ghana, was organised by STAR Ghana Foundation, Oxfam in Ghana, ActionAid Ghana, Norsaac, and Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA).
It was on the theme: “Coordination of Northern Ghana’s Development: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Way Forward”.
Alhaji Ibrahim-Tanko Amidu, Executive Director, STAR Ghana Foundation, speaking during the forum, emphasised the need for more collaboration and coordination amongst CSOs and NGOs in the north to make them effective in advocating changes in the development landscape.
When the Mole series were revived in 2019 and rebranded as the NGDS, stakeholders, especially CSOs, had expectations that this would be a platform for coordination of efforts on northern Ghana’s development, mutual accountabilities among CSOs themselves and collaborating with and holding government and other stakeholders (including development partners) accountable for their commitments towards the development of northern Ghana.
However, after four successive NGDS, CSOs, especially in northern Ghana and other stakeholders are concerned that the summits (NGDS) are not living up to this expectation, and that the summits are becoming more of an annual routine and talk-shop than being a space for coordination in a manner that will set a bold and strategic agenda for northern Ghana’s development.
They are equally worried that post summit actions and momentum between summits are not pursued or sustained, with the submits missing the marks for mutual accountabilities on northern Ghana’s development, hence this Pre-NGDS, CSOs forum.
Alhaji Osman Abdel-Rahman, Executive Director, GDCA, said the importance of the forum was for state authorities to understand that CSOs and NGOs worked to complement the state to deliver development to the people.
Alhaji Abdel-Rahman said, “We need to demonstrate that as CSOs, we work to ensure state actors live up to expectation.”
Mr John Nkaw, Country Director, ActionAid Ghana, said the organisation was happy to be connected with the forum and would work with all partners to ensure its success.
Mr Mahamud Mohammed, Head of Governance Programmes at Oxfam, Ghana, who represented the Country Director of Oxfam in Ghana, said the deliberations at the forum showed the commitment of CSOs and NGOs towards the development of the northern part of the country.
He urged them to continue to work together to ensure success.
GNA