Civil Society

For many years, many and different non-governmental initiatives for development were carried out in Ghana. Civil society forms a large and complex body that is constantly evolving. Civil society organizations (CSOs) are an integral part of the socio-economic and political development and have contributed to the progress of democratic governance in Ghana. The current democratic dividend that is often put forward as a success in the region is also the result of increased involvement of the civil society since the 1990s.

In 2014, more than 2,500 of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) are registered in Ghana, but the number of active organizations is estimated at 1000. They are divided into several groups according to their thematic areas of actions: health, women’s rights, gender equality and domestic violence, children’s rights, extractive industries and the fair distribution of natural resources, fair taxation, economic rights, good governance, transparency and accountability of the political class, the fight against corruption, environmental protection, access to water, etc ... These organisations represent a wide range of interests and undertake various activities: distribution of humanitarian aid, service provision, monitoring of political actors, advocacy, public awareness and lobbying.

France’s policy in Ghana has supported for the past twenty years non-governmental initiatives for development, under the premise that development aid and the fight against poverty are often most effective when they mobilize partners assets. Four envelopes from the Social Fund for Development between 1998 and 2014 were used to finance 68 projects totalling close to € 1.8 million.

A new project to support the structuring of Ghanaian civil society will soon be launched by the cooperation service of the Embassy. The objective of this project is to contribute to the capacity building of Ghanaian civil society to enable them to conduct advocacy and to promote certain themes that are essential for the future of this country in the next ten years: respect for the environment and the implementation of measures to fight against climate change, good governance and the promotion of local democracy.