In Tamale, Northern Ghana, URBANET is writing a new chapter in its 22-year journey of supporting vulnerable groups and smallholder farmers. Through the Civil Society Strengthening Fund (CSSF) under the Civil Society Strengthening Programme (CSSP) – implemented by STAR-Ghana Foundation (SGF) and the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI), with funding from Comic Relief and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) – URBANET has not only strengthened its institutional capacity but is also venturing into social enterprise with a bold agribusiness plan.

Speaking during a recent partner support visit, Mr. M. Basit Jibreel, Executive Director of URBANET, expressed satisfaction with the organisation’s steady progress. “CSSF has built our capacity and policies to attract funding. At the moment, there is no policy that a donor will request, and we cannot provide. We have positioned ourselves for growth,” he said with pride.

Building Systems for Growth

Institutional strengthening has been at the heart of URBANET’s transformation. With CSSF support, the organisation has rolled out a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system that goes beyond paper-based reporting. Staff now work with digital tools to collect and verify field data, track success stories, and strengthen accountability.

The finance team has also benefitted from new software and training, reducing turnaround time in reporting and improving efficiency. Beyond that, every staff member now has a professional email address, internal communication has been streamlined, and the organisation has improved its visibility with an upgraded website and expanded social media presence, including X and YouTube.

Policies and procedures have been reviewed with technical support from WACSI, ensuring that URBANET is “grant-ready” for new funding opportunities. “All staff have been engaged on these policies. We now have the necessary systems, policies and procedures for growth,” said the Institutional Development Lead.

The result is greater donor confidence. Recently, URBANET secured $46,000 from Groundswell International, a partnership that will help promote agroecology and support farmers with appropriate tools. They have also developed a Fundraising Strategy and submitted over ten proposals, including one to Plan Ghana, which has accepted to provide a facility for URBANET to manage.

Strengthening Capacity, Teamwork

Capacity building of staff has been another key outcome. Trainings in proposal writing, financial management, communications, and story gathering have boosted efficiency. Staff now meet every Monday morning – both physically and virtually – to review the past week and plan ahead. This culture of reflection and learning has deepened teamwork and improved delivery.

The organisation has also developed a reserve account with over 100,000 cedis to safeguard its future. A Reserve Policy now ensures that URBANET is prepared for external shocks, while a micro-credit scheme, supported initially by ActionAid and now strengthened with new software, continues to support smallholder farmers in operational communities.

These achievements reflect the CSSP’s vision of helping CSOs build resilience beyond projects. As one SGF official at the visit noted, “This project is helping partners like URBANET to decouple their minds from projectisation. Flexible grants are enabling them to build their own resilience.”

Turning to Social Enterprise: Agroecology in Focus

Looking ahead, URBANET is determined to reduce reliance on donor funding by venturing into social enterprise. Their flagship idea is an agribusiness venture rooted in agroecology, focusing on dry-season vegetable production, provision of shellers to farmers, and even maggot production to support poultry feed.

The business wing has already been registered, and certification processes are underway. URBANET plans to allocate 25% of revenue generated from the social enterprise into sustaining the organisation’s core operations. Consultancy services are also being considered as part of the diversification strategy.

“We have learned lessons and going forward, we are using those. Our plan is to expand dry season vegetable production and provide services like shellers to farmers. This will not only diversify our income but also enhance community livelihoods,” explained the Executive Director.

The organisation has also begun building a separate website for the social enterprise to give it visibility and attract market opportunities. With support from Plan Ghana and Groundswell International, the vision is to grow agroecology into a sustainable business that creates social impact while financing UrbanetGh’s development agenda.

A Journey of Learning, Resilience

For URBANET, the CSSF experience has been more than funding. It has been a learning curve that revealed new possibilities. “When you are confronted with a difficulty you think it is not possible. But as we kickstarted the process, it kept revealing that if we continue to dream of a social enterprise, we will get there,” a staff member reflected.

The process has also strengthened the role of URBANET’s Board, which is now more engaged and supportive of the organisation’s direction. Importantly, it has underscored the value of continuous knowledge and adaptive systems to anticipate external shocks.

Call for Continued Support

As URBANET transitions into this new phase, its leaders are clear about the support that made it possible. “We cannot thank STAR-Ghana and WACSI enough. These resources are actually getting down to support livelihoods. Their funders, Comic Relief and FCDO, should continue to support them,” said Mr. Jibreel.

From strengthening systems and policies to securing new partnerships and exploring social enterprise, URBANET exemplifies the CSSP’s ambition: building resilient, responsive, and effective civil society actors. The organisation’s journey shows that with the right mix of capacity support and flexible funding, local CSOs can truly chart their own path to sustainability – while keeping communities at the centre.