Strategic Partnership Initiative For Ghana And West Africa

Project Overview

The CSOs Platform on SDGs is implementing the Strategic Partnership Initiative for Ghana and West Africa Project. The project seeks to contribute to women, young people and communities of Ghana live in a more equal, just, accountable, peaceful and sustainable country that leaves no one behind and provides a resilient sustainable future through just societies, gender and climate justice. It focuses on three thematic areas: advocacy for stronger SGBV policies, budget advocacy for education financing and promoting inclusive peace.

Project Duration: 2022 – 2025

Project Objectives

• To increase national revenue that supports accountable investment in pro-poor public spending (education, including (TVET)Technical and Vocational Education and Training influenced by CSOs in Ghana and West Africa.
• For Civil society to contribute to policy reforms and implementation and strengthened state and non-state mechanisms that are effectively addressing Gender-Based Violence/Sexual Related Gender-Based Violence and result in safe schools and communities for adolescent boys, girls and young women in Ghana and West Africa.
• To promote inclusive peace: Interventions of Ghanaian CSOs contribute to an inclusive, accountable and peaceful democratic societies in Ghana and West Africa.

Key Achievements:

• The capacity of 63 participants made up of 25 females and 38 males was built on research analysis in the Northern and Middle zones which enabled participants identified key issues in education financing and expenditure to be used to engage duty bearers to increase revenue for public education in Ghana.
• 64 participants from several gender-focused platforms participated in a one-day national forum to discuss strategies to contribute to progressive policies on safe spaces for adolescents in schools and communities. Among the strategies identified was engaging the Ghana Education Service to introduce safeguarding against sexual and gender-based violence in colleges of Education. This is to equip future teachers to improve safeguarding in schools.
• Two (2) Steering Committee meetings were held for members to share experiences of their works on promoting achievement of the Sustainable development goals at the various sub-platform levels including promoting education and making safe-spaces for boys and girls in and out of schools. Members identified effective ways of collaborating to influence policy development/revision to improve education in Ghana.
• The capacity of 22 participants was built on education budget analysis in the Middle zone to help them analyse the 2024 education budget which could be used for advocacy to increase budgetary allocations and monitor expenditure in the ensuing year.
• A total number of 22 participants made up of youth groups, CSOs, duty bearers (staff of NADMO and Social Welfare) and Traditional rulers from the Bono Ahafo and Bono East Regions discussed issues of social accountability and how to contribute to the development of their districts working together with local government. Participants agreed to establish close working relations to improve the peace and sustainable development in their jurisdiction.

Donor

Funded by DANIDA through Oxfam in Ghana.