Ghana CSI Report: Executive Summary. Downloadable in pdf[87KB]
Ghana CSI Report: Full Report . Downloadable in pdf[805KB]
Project Evaluation for Ghana: Executive Summary. Downloadable in pdf[57KB]

Civil Society in A Changing Ghana: An Assessment of the Current State of Civil Society in Ghana

The CSI in Ghana was implemented between the beginning of 2003 and December 2006. Ghanaian civil society presents a structure characterized by widespread citizen participation at the community level, although non-partisan political involvement is sporadic. Financial resources are limited and heavily dependent on foreign funding, while most civil society organizations (CSOs) are concentrated in urban areas, mainly due to infrastructural needs. As a consequence, the CSO sector is marked by a significant dependence on foreign donors.

The environment within which Ghanaian CSOs operate is somewhat disabling, mainly due to poverty and illiteracy, socio-economic problems as well as corruption in public institutions and an ineffective decentralized system of governance. Despite the government's claim to be a champion of civil liberties, there are several examples of official and unofficial acts that call into question its true commitment to these freedoms.

In Ghana, the score for the values promoted and practiced by civil society is quite high and encouraging overall. Particularly significant is the practice of internal democracy within CSOs and the commitment to eradicate poverty. At the same time, financial information pertaining to CSO donations and investments are rarely made public and are only shared with senior management within the organizations themselves. Such a lack of transparency aggravates the perception that CSOs (and particularly NGOs) are ‘rich’, as several stakeholders pointed out. Due to excessive spending on hotels, meals, transport allowances and per diems, many local communities see CSOs as money-making entities.

The CSI findings show that civil society in Ghana has contributed towards women’s empowerment and provided basic services to local communities, while its impact on policy and state or private sector accountability has been very limited. In the view of many community residents, CSOs have been generally more effective than the state in assisting marginalized groups such as women, children and the disabled. The advent of democratic government has created new channels for CSOs to influence policy through mechanisms established by law, such as advocacy in the media, parliamentary lobbying or stakeholder sensitization. However, civil society is yet to take advantage of this new opportunity and mainly resorts to confrontational strategies.