A STAR-Ghana Learning Document on Elections: What works in CSOs interventions in Ghana's Elections
Election 2020 programme of work
National Council of Zongo Chiefs dialogue for Peaceful Elections
Election 2020 Colloquium held in Accra
STAR-Ghana Foundation advocates citizens activism ahead of Election 2020
Stakeholder Consultations on Election 2020 Call held in Accra and Tamale
Programme Director calls for a cautious approach to implementation of policy on election of MMDCEs
NORSAAC increases election participation and reduces violence in Northern Ghana
Elections 2016: Participants share their reflections on the STAR-Ghana Learning Events
REFLECTIONS ON THE STAR-GHANA LEARNING EVENT ELECTIONS 2016
Related projects
Local governance
STAR-Ghana's local governance work aims to strengthen, scale up and consolidate the results of previous and ongoing local governance focused initiatives, particularly in the areas of inclusive voice, improved access and transparency in service delivery.
This grant call is open for applications until 2nd March 2018. Visit our grants pages to find out more and apply.
Why local governance?
Ghana has been implementing a decentralisation process of devolving political, administrative and fiscal authority to local governments called assemblies since 1988. Drawing on the lessons of reforms over the years, assemblies were designed to be the highest political, decision-making, planning, budgeting and executing body at the local level.
Over the years, the assembly system has evolved through the implementation of incremental reforms designed to strengthen administration and management; deliver local economic development and poverty reduction; and enhance local capacity for social development and accountability.
In 2010, a new Decentralization Policy was formulated which anticipated further improvements in decentralized service delivery, local economic growth and social development. It was anticipated that through administrative strengthening, inclusiveness, better coordination and greater collaboration with civil society and local government stakeholders there would be rapid change. This was accompanied by a National Action Plan and the two documents were reviewed in 2015. A new Decentralization Policy was formulated in 2015 and this gave the basis for the passage of Act 936 – the New Local Governance Law in 2016.
In 2016, the current government in his manifesto promised to ‘oversee the direct election of MMDCEs within 24 months of election into office to coincide with the next District Assembly elections in 2019’. This promise, if it is to be fulfilled within the time specified, may require either the reactivation of the stalled constitutional amendment process or at the least a referendum to answer the question of partisan election of DCEs. For MMDCEs to be elected on a partisan basis, there is the need for a referendum to be held or Article 55(3) of the 1992 Constitution to be amended to make the position a partisan one.
STAR-Ghana’s scoping study, foundational Political Economy Analysis (PEA) document and other resources foresee 2018/19 as focusing heavily on local level governance issues. This includes the proposed election of MMDCEs, the creation of additional regions and attendant possibility of creation of new districts, District Assembly Elections, which are due to be held in late 2018 or early 2019, as well as the revival of the constitutional amendment process in one form or the other.
STAR-Ghana is therefore, based on the foregoing, proposing to develop and launch a targeted Call for proposals on Local governance. The call will focus on on-going or recently completed projects on the key issues identified above.
Expected outputs
- Spaces for collaboration between civil society (including private sector associations and media) and state actors on service delivery at local level strengthened.
- Horizontal and vertical linkages amongst CSOs to address systemic local governance, public participation and inclusion challenges strengthened.
- Inclusive voice and participation in local governance.
- Mechanisms for increased transparency and responsiveness in local governance enhanced.
- Issue-based and inclusive DA elections, including the election of women, PWDs and youth promoted.
- Citizen participation in the processes around the creation of new districts and regions, election of MMDCEs and creation of new districts enhanced.
Our focus areas
The local governance call will focus on unfinished business in local governance in the following areas:
- Promoting basic service delivery and development management at local level:
- Participatory development of clear service delivery standards to guide providers. This will include gender mainstreaming protocols in service delivery.
- Enhancing the role of traditional leaders in local governance.
- Monitoring quality and effectiveness of service delivery through participatory methods such as citizens score card.
- Advocate for a legal framework to support the involvement of CSOs in assembly level work.
- Effectiveness of representation by assembly members and understanding the roles of MPs in the district assembly process
- Innovative technologies and media for promoting citizens participation, accountability and public access to information in local governance.
- Support to local media to use technology to expand citizens access to information on local governance.
- Support the development of user friendly and accessible applications for information sharing and advocacy.
- Improve use of innovative technology and media to ensure wider reach in rural areas.
- Gender inclusion, disability and diversity in local governance.
- The design and use of socially inclusive tools to enhance participation in local government.
- Increasing the numbers of GESI groups taking part in local elections and decision making.
- Gender mainstreaming in service delivery protocols.
- Attention to commitments to vulnerable groups including persons with disabilities.
- Poverty reduction, local economic development, resource mobilisation and budgetary utilisation at the local level
- Citizen-led budget tracking of revenue and expenditure at assembly level.
- Local economic development policies are GESI appropriate and support the needs of marginalised groups.
- Enhanced space for debate and discussion on use of local resources.
- Participation of citizens inputs into national and local planning and budgeting processes.
- Implementing the new Act 936, party political elections of MMDCEs and voter education and sensitisation towards Referendum.
- Enhanced voter education ahead of local or national referendum.
- Voter education towards District Assembly elections.
- Election processes, information sharing and other electoral related issues.
- Political interference and polarisation.
- Socio cultural practices and the fear of victimisation and electoral violence.
Components
The call is divided into two components:
Strategic partnerships component
This component will support national level CSOs with capacity to do strategic level policy influencing to implement projects aimed at addressing systemic constraints at the policy levels. Projects shall have a maximum duration of 24 months and grant fund support not exceeding GHC 600,000.
Local partnerships component
The local partnership component will support local actions at the district and local levels, enabling citizens address locally salient service delivery issues. It will particularly focus on processes of social inclusion and vulnerable groups interaction with the local governance mechanism. Projects shall have a maximum duration of 12 months and grant fund support not exceeding GHC 250,000.
Our work
Grant and technical support
Through grants and technical support, we are working with and through partner organisations (grantees) to enable citizens to engage with the state and with government to ensure accountable, transparent and responsive governance.
We provide support to grantees to enhance their operational competence, efficiency and capabilities to enable them to more effectively achieve their goals and represent their constituents. The programme builds on the results and learning from grant partner capacity building work undertaken in STAR-Ghana’s first phase to develop and implement a holistic and integrated civil society strengthening strategy.
Evidence from our experience and other programmes has shown that giving grants alone does not lead to transformational change which is why we have a focus on strengthening civil society capacity.
Non-grant support
Strengthening civil society’s capacity to plan, manage, implement, and account for results and sustain organisations is critical to achieving sustainable development objectives. We work through our 3 Cs approach to promote inclusive development.
Our non-grants strategy is organised around STAR-Ghana’s overall strategic approach, to act as convener, catalyst and coordinator of civil society action towards systemic change and a facilitator of learning to enable a more reflective and adaptive approach to programming.
STAR-Ghana:
- provides evidence, tools and innovative ways to support civil society to mobilise resources for its own actions.
- facilitates alliances, aided by the credibility of the STAR-Ghana brand: alliances are central to our collaborative approach to stimulating citizen action. The programme supports formal and informal coalitions of change actors.
- provides integrated capacity building support to partners: our capacity building strategy combines support in strengthening partners’ technical abilities with strengthening their ability to act politically.
- convenes dialogue on critical and sensitive national issues: STAR-Ghana has developed a strong convening power, which helps bring together influential individuals in a way that previous donor-funded civil society initiatives have been unable to do.
Anti-corruption
STAR-Ghana Anti-Corruption Documentary
Corruption affects us all, holding back Ghana’s development and fuelling inequality. We work with citizens, companies and civil society to combat corruption and create lasting change.
Our approach
Through our anticorruption work, we are helping to develop models proven to work in the promotion of transparency and accountability. We have brought together a wide range of stakeholders from community, civil society, media, research and private sector organisations to create and test initiatives aimed at tackling corruption in the delivery of public goods and services, supply chains, promoting accountability in the use of mining royalties in the extractives industries, and encouraging a culture of anticorruption.
Our 33 projects are enabling our grant partners to take collective action on anticorruption, change perceptions and behaviours, influence systemic change and create an enabling environment for business to grow.
An enabling environment for business
The STAR Ghana Foundation supports initiatives with private sector associations aimed at tackling corruption and improving accountability. The Chamber of Pharmacy is working on a Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Watch initiative which seeks a review of the procurement and registration of pharmaceutical products with the Food and Drugs Authority.
The Private Enterprise Federation is engaging private sector and citizens to tackle corruption and improve the efficiency of services delivered by various agencies. Work is underway to improve transparency, health and safety, and accountability in the construction industry through our support to the Association of Ghana Industries.
‘The initiative supported by STAR Ghana has allowed us to engage in coalitions and to bring people and partners together to be part of the fight against corruption. This is a new approach to fighting corruption because citizens think they are not part of the fight, so the STAR Ghana project has allowed us to engage citizens bringing across the cost of corruption to them.’ Nana Osei-Bonsu, Chief Executive Officer, Private Enterprise Federation.
United against corruption
The STAR Ghana Foundation has helped to convene a number of innovative alliances to work together to tackle issues of corruption. For example, Socioserve-Ghana, a civil society organisation has teamed up with research consultancy JMK Consulting Group and iWatch Africa a media company to challenge corruption involving police officers.
Innovative approaches to tackle corruption
We are supporting community and civil society organisations to develop and test strategies which empower citizens and communities to tackle locally relevant corruption issues. In Tamale, the Centre of Active Learning and Integrated Development has joined forces with the League of Youth Coalition to track reports of corruption in the health sector and empower citizens demand their rights to health services. Elsewhere partner organisations are testing the use of innovative approaches, for example using digital communication technology, to enable citizens to raise issues related to corruption.
Where is our disability fund?
Community members are working to reduce the level of corruption associated with the management of the District Disability Fund across three districts in the Volta Region, thanks to the work of our partner Global Action for Women Empowerment. We are supporting the Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled to engage with duty bearers on behalf of their members with a focus on improving the administration and allocation of the District Assembly Common Fund, as well as access to healthcare services.
Changing minds on corruption
A number of our partners are working to shift perceptions and behaviours so that citizens are empowered to end corruption. We are encouraging a new generation of incorruptible Ghanaians through civic education thanks to the work of the inter-faith Forum for Actions on Inclusion, Transparency and Harmony (FAITH) Forum. The FAITH Forum is working with schools to provide lesson plans and activities aimed at sharing anticorruption messages and shaping a mindset among the young that will not tolerate corruption.
‘Corruption is to the detriment of society, it brings dishonesty and chaos, and hinders our national development. Faith leaders are seen as role models so we need them to be morally incorruptible and to talk against corruption to their constituents.’ Hajia Ayishetu Abdul-Kadri, chair of the FAITH platform committee and chair of the Federation of Muslim Women Association in Ghana.
