CSOs Need Legal Framework And Infrastructure To Support Their Work---Asantewa Afadzinu

The Executive Director of West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI), Nana Asantewa Afadzinu has indicated that Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) need legal framework and infrastructure to support their work.

She said for Ghana to have sustainable development and attain the Ghana Beyond Aid, civil society organizations have to be taken into consideration.

"For Ghana's sustainable development, one can not cancel out, the work that Civil Society does, and philanthropy what is needed. we have been talking about Ghana beyond aid and the aid we have been getting a lot of it's, particularly social justice work has been extremely funded".

"It is time to look at the local resources and how we can give towards supporting development work and there must be a policy regulatory framework and infrastructure to support it", she said.

She was addressing a one-day Validation Workshop to Assess the Legal Environment for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and philanthropy in Ghana on Thursday, Accra.

The workshop organized by Africa Philanthropy and West Africa Civil Society Institute aimed at validating research that has been conducted towards CSOs work and philanthropic organizations in Ghana.

Edem K. Senanu, researcher, presenting research findings on "An In-Depth Assessment of the Legal Environment for Civil Society Including Philanthropic Organizations in Ghana said, lack of data collection has Major challenge confronting CSOs and philanthropic organizations in the country.

He also noted that foreign countries funding local activities have made most local CSOs struggling to raise funds for their activities.

He recommended:

1. There is an urgent need for Ghana to ensure policy and legal compliance for the oversight of the CSO sector, in order not to be blacklisted internationally.

2. Significant work has already been done in drafting NGO bills in the past and these should be factored in the current review on the way forward and in the crafting a sustainable NGO bill.

3. The remaining timeframe for the passing the NGO bill (4 months) is so short there is an urgent need to conduct public advocacy on the need to quickly pass this bill and to the key actors including; the Social Welfare Department, Attorney General's Department, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and the Review Committee, NGO bill Secretariat and other Civil Society Actors on board to fast track the process.

4. While working at passage the NGO bill, it will also be prudent to quickly dust review and upgrade the National Policy Strategic Partnership with NGOs developed by the National Consultative Group in 2000 and revised in 2004. Getting this document upgraded and endorsed by cabinet while working on completing and passing the NGO bill will provide comfort that in the event that parliament is unable to pass the bill before September 2020, Ghana will not be blacklisted.

The Executive Director of the Africa Philanthropy Network, Stigmata Tenga emphasizes that Ghana needs to pass the NGO bill, adding that the bill would help CSOs and other Non-Governmental Organizations in the country.

Stigmata Tenga who described philanthropy as part of Africans 'DNA' stressed that Africans need to reclaim their philanthropy ways again.