The Executive Director of STAR Ghana Foundation, Alhaji Ibrahim-Tanko Amidu, has called for a greater collaboration between the Government of Ghana and Civil Society in the fight against COVI-19 ana beyond. He made the call at a multi-stakeholder reflection meeting on COVID-19 responses in Ghana. The purpose of the meeting was to promote collaboration, learning and documentation of stakeholders’ responses to COVID-19 in Ghana.

Speaking – as a panel member on learning from the role of Civil Society Organizations on COVID-19 responses in Ghana, Alhaji Ibrahim-Tanko Amidu indicated that:
“Civil society brings a lot of competences on the table, competences borne out of what civil society has done in the past around similar situations and around the issues of social accountability etc… It is an area that has been explored and been least taken advantage of, and I think that for us to be able to make an impact as a nation, there is the need for Government to recognize the skills, the experiences, and the expertise that civil society brings on the table and for government to reach out more to civil society”
He recounted the benefits of a coordinated effort among civil society and between civil society and other stakeholders. He stated that STAR Ghana Foundation in collaboration with other partners and support from DFID, has set up a CSO COVID-19 Coordination platform for coordination and more joint up efforts.

Alhaji Ibrahim-Tanko Amidu shared some of the key lessons from the civil society front to include the benefit of a civil society and media collaboration.
“One of the lessons we (civil society) have learned is the issue of having access to timely, relevant and responsive information to enable people to adapt, change, respond to the pandemic... STAR Ghana Foundation has been working with Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and a number of media organisations to fact-check information and help pick out accurate information, working with PWDs to ensure that information that goes out respond to the needs of PWDs. So, there is a critical need moving forward, for this collaboration between civil society and the Media.” He said.
The virtual meeting which was open to civil society actors and the public was held on 19 August 2020 on the theme: Sharing Lessons, Promoting Collaboration, and Visioning a Future with COVID-19. The keynote address was delivered by Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah (MP), Minister of Information, Republic of Ghana. He presented a background of COVID-19 cases, case management, and its impact on health, education, social protection, and governance in Ghana.

Other speakers at the event were: Dr. Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe, representative of the Ghana Health Service; Dr. Afisah Zakariah, Chief Director of the Ministry of Gender and Social Protection; and Mr. Senyo Kwasi Hosi of the Ghana COVID-19 Private Sector Fund.