STAR-Ghana’s first call for grant proposals supported initiatives promoting peaceful, credible, issues-based and inclusive presidential and parliamentary elections for Ghana in 2016. Out of the 219 organisations that responded to the call, 35 were awarded grants totalling $US2,216,167.
Grant partners were asked what opportunities were on the horizon following their work with STAR. Here are some of their stories.
Media
Blogging Ghana said other government and independent organisations are interested in its social media training. Its work promoting the voices of young and marginalised people online could soon be rolled out in other West African countries.
Through its project, Foundation for Sustainable Development in Africa-Ghana produced social media content on the theme ‘Election is no war’, encouraging interaction between political parties and communities and laying the ground for future projects.
CILTAD/Coastal Television’s My Central Agenda Platform (MYCAP) project educated the electorate to vote based on issues. CILTAD believes voter education can be rolled out nationwide, perhaps through Facebook Live and other social media platforms. ‘The media can take this to another level,’ added CILTAD. ‘This should not just be during the election period, but also should form part of their core mandate.’
The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC)’s STAR-Ghana Presidential Encounters 2016 has positioned the national broadcaster to spearhead future presidential debates and encouraged the creation of more platforms for the voiceless in rural Ghana through new technology and new media.
Citi 97.3FM’s STAR-Ghana project has made them capable of supporting civil society organisations, pursuing longer campaigns around issues such as land grabbing and training more citizen journalists.
Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), an influential media development and freedom of expression advocacy organisation in West Africa, believes its Eminent Media Persons Group will improve professional standards and promote independent journalism in Ghana.
Multimedia Group Limited’s People, Policy & Power project promoted issue-based and responsible media coverage of the elections. It believes it can now collaborate further with local and community radio stations, increasing media reach to more remote areas.
After its STAR-Ghana project enhanced media regulation and established mechanisms for settling complaints for or against the media, the National Media Commission has been looking into establishing regional media advisory committees in underserved regions.
Upper West region radio station W93.5FM has developed a weekly programme on disability issues and shows for other minority groups. Independent television channel TV3 Ghana has identified capacity gaps in news reporting.
Skyy Media Group worked for an inclusive, violence-free 2016 election in the Western Region, where it now plans to help develop a formidable local election observation organisation.
Events management and theatre production company Globe Productions has seen interest in drama as a medium for education grow through its project, which trained 12,000 people in anger management. ‘The interesting nature of drama makes it one of the best tools for social change for the disadvantaged in our society,’ Globe said. ‘We can let the disadvantaged groups tell their own story through drama.’
Inclusion
Global Action for Women Empowerment (GLOWA) suggests the active involvement of women in their target districts during the election has increased their interest in politics and will eventually lead to some of these women taking up leadership positions, initially at grassroots level.
The Centre for Active Learning and Integrated Development (CALID) believes a more open election, and greater participation by young people, will help the Electoral Commission to build more trust and confidence.
Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD) reports that its election project has enabled continuous engagement with the government on matters of inclusion, such as employment, participation and political appoitnments.
Social Initiative for Literacy and Development Program (SILDEP) has heralded the use of local dialects and sign language during the elections, following its Mini-Max Voter Education 2016 project.
USCOND, which promoted the agenda of women, people with disabilities and young people during the election, said there has since been an agreement with the National Commission for Civic Education, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, media partners and the Electoral Commission to hold regular meetings on electoral education.
TRADEAID Integrated, which aims to make trade work for the poor, said collaborations developed through its STAR-Ghana project would be further strengthened in future programme planning. ‘Another emerging opportunity is the community led voter education concept, [which] could be adapted and used for implementation in our food security programme,’ the organisation said.
As a result of its project, the African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA) believes it will be able to provide more gender training for police personnel, while training manuals it developed can be enhanced and used with other groups.
Abantu for Development has deepened its long-term working relationships with policy makers and actors including the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, political parties, civil society organisations, women’s organisations and other grant STAR-Ghana grant partners.
The Bawku East Women's Development Association (BEWDA) suggests the Bawku Inter-Ethnic Peace Committee (BIEPC) is now better positioned to intervene in sensitive matters that could trigger trouble in the area and celebrated the emergence of youth and women peace ambassadors.
For NORSAAC, an organisation committed to empowering women and young people in Ghana’s northern region, highlighted the ‘opportunity to partner with other organisations working on elections and governance in the other regions of Ghana through the learning among STAR-Ghana grant partners’.
Good governance
The STAR-Ghana funded report Sixth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana by ODEKRO – an open data analysis organisation – has opened up opportunities to expand its work beyond monitoring of transparency to the effectiveness of the parliamentary services. ODEKRO is now working with other CSOs who want to engage with parliament based on the data they have.
ISODEC, a Ghanaian, rights-based public policy research and advocacy organisation, believes monitoring political parties’ manifestos will now be much easier, and suggested political parties might be required to present their manifestos within a certain timeframe in future. The Institute of Economic Affairs will use manifesto scorecards as the basis of quarterly encounters with the President around manifesto promises.
Findings from the project of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) and the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) have presented opportunities for further investigations into vote buying. They see a need to broaden their work to other parts of Ghana.
Ghana Integrity Initiative (Lead), Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), CDD – Ghana and Citizens Movement Against Corruption (CMaC) ran the Promoting a more level political playing field: Reducing abuse of incumbency project. The high level of interest from citizens and politicians in incumbency abuse, electoral corruption and vote buying offers the coalition an opportunity to advocate for more lasting change on these issues and it will be arranging further policy dialogue.
Peace and faith
Following its STAR-Ghana project, which saw peace songs played on radio and three peace concerts held, the Musicians’ Union of Ghana’s national women’s organiser and regional organisers will liaise with women’s groups across the country to provide them with musical training.
The National Catholic Secretariat believes it can now transform an ad hoc interfaith platform into a formal structure for effective cooperation and partnership, promoting peaceful coexistence among religious groups and social cohesion in an era of extremism. The use of religious leaders as peer ambassadors leading ongoing engagement with their congregations, is an opportunity highlighted by Royals Health Organisation (ROHEO).
Socioserve Ghana’s Inter Party Dialogue Committees should be harnessed for future engagements, it said. ‘They are now in a better position to manage conflict situations.’