By Hamza Sulemana
Tamale, Nov 24, GNA – Some rural youth and membership organisations, who have benefited from the Heard Everywhere and Represented Daily (HEARD) project have lauded it for building their capacity to influence local level decision-making.
Azara Sulemana, a beneficiary from the Tamale Metropolis, highlighted how the project had deepened her understanding of women’s roles in governance.
She said, “I have been informed and empowered to understand that women are supposed to be involved in governance. This project changed my perspective and increased my engagement.”
Hafsa Alhassan, another beneficiary from the Savelugu Municipality, said the project had boosted her confidence and actions in community leadership.
She said, “The project has built my confidence. We were trained on leadership and the Right to Information Act. I can now seek information anywhere without fear.”
She recalled how she and her fellow community women used the knowledge gained to address local development challenges, saying “We petitioned the Savelugu Municipal Assembly over a borehole issue and issued a press release as a women’s group to demand key roles for women in government.”
She said the project directly contributed to her personal leadership achievements, adding “Through the leadership training, I contested and won the Outstanding Female Teacher of the Year under the NASPA Excellence Awards in the municipality. In 2027, I plan to contest for the Assembly Woman position.”
These beneficiaries were sharing testimonies of how the project had shaped their leadership and civic engagement capacity during the close-out engagement to review the first year of the implementation of the project.
It was organised by Norsaac, a civil society organisation based in Tamale, and brought together consortium partners, community beneficiaries, and partner organisations to share achievements, lessons learned, and recommendations while also introducing phase two of the project set to begin next year.
The HEARD project, being implemented in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions by Norsaac and its consortium partners, and funded by Hewlett Foundation, seeks to address systemic challenges that stem from the longstanding neglect of rural voices, especially women and youth in the country’s governance processes.
It is also to amplify the voices of women and youth in governance across the northern part of the country.
The consortium partners are Civil Society and Institutional Foundation, SAVE Ghana, NoYED Ghana, Inspire to Act, Songtaba, and RISE Ghana.
Although rural voices, especially women and youth constitute a significant proportion of the national population, their contributions to decision-making have often been overlooked.
The HEARD project, therefore, seeks to strengthen their influence not only through elected and appointed positions but also by advancing their representation as technocrats in key governance structures.
Madam Kawusada Abubakari, Head of Programmes, Quality and Partnership at Norsaac, speaking during the engagement, emphasised the significance of the project and the collaborative model adopted in implementing it.
She said, “We have had a wonderful opportunity partnering with Hewlett Foundation to work with membership-based organisations across northern Ghana.”
She added that “We challenged ourselves to directly resource these women and youth groups to implement their own ideas. Most of the time, CSOs do it on their behalf but this project allowed them to take full ownership.”
She said the process strengthened institutional partnerships promoting open dialogues and shared learning.
She said, “As institutions, the HEARD Project came to complement our work. What learnings have we gathered? For us at Norsaac, we are looking at a transformative partnership system where partners can freely talk about the issues as they are.”
GNA
Edited by Eric K. Amoh/Christian Akorlie