By Emmanuel Gamson
Takoradi, Nov. 01, GNA – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has organised a two-day regional media training workshop to build the capacity of media practitioners to effectively report and advocate good public service delivery.
The workshop, held under the USAID/Ghana Performance Accountability Activity (PAA) initiative, was on the theme: “Strengthening Media-Civil Society Partnerships for Effective Public Service Delivery Advocacy.”
The event, held in Takoradi, and facilitated by Trans-Media Network, a non-government organisation, brought together 20 selected journalists from the Western, Western North and Central Regions to discuss the crucial role of the media in amplifying civil society voices to advocate quality and accountable local public services.
The PAA is a five-year initiative being funded by USAID and implemented by Democracy International in collaboration with the Government of Ghana partners like the various ministries, state agencies and district assemblies, and local Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) across 70 districts in 10 regions.
The initiative sought to support local organisations, women and youth groups, and traditional and religious leaders to advocate for improved critical public service delivery in their respective areas.
It is also aimed at enhancing the responsiveness of service providers to citizens’ demands for quality essential services, particularly in education, health, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), agriculture and fisheries.
Mrs Linda Ofori-Kwafo, the Chief of the Party for the PAA, speaking at the opening of the workshop, said the event was to equip participants with the needed skills to address some knowledge gaps that limited media practitioners’ ability to effectively report on local public service delivery and local governance issues.
According to her, access to essential services such as education, healthcare, WASH, agriculture, and fisheries was not just a basic human right, but also the foundation for a thriving society.
“However, we recognize that in many parts of the country, these services remain inadequate or inaccessible due to various challenges, and this is precisely why the PAA exists, to work with the government and civil society to improve upon the quality of public services and enhance accountability at all levels,” she stated.
Mrs Ofori-Kwafo noted that the engagement was to explore ways in which the media could amplify the efforts of the PAA and its partners in identifying critical advocacy issues, crafting strategic campaigns, and bringing public service delivery challenges to the forefront of national discourse.
“By bridging the gap between journalists and civil society, we are laying a strong foundation for sustainable and accountable governance at the district and community levels,” she added.
Mr Emmanuel Attramah, PAA Communications Specialist, urged the participants to pay close attention and craft more programmes on issues relating to local public services and accountability to help enhance quality delivery to benefit the people.
Mr. Charles Yao Mawusi, Chief Executive Officer of Trans-Media Network, who led the sessions, took participants through framing and setting advocacy agenda for PAA issues, mainstreaming PAA’s interventions into media programming and sensory approach to content development for advocacy among other topics.
GNA