The Parliamentary Select Committee of Local Government and Rural Development, with support from STAR Ghana is visiting 45 selected districts in six regions of the country as part of the Committee's oversight responsibility. The Committee has a responsibility for following up on policy implementation and ensuring compliance with the distribution and allocation of resources at the local levels of governance.
The Committee, divided into three (3) Teams, is embarking on the monitoring visit simultaneously with each Team visiting two regions. The Committee will monitor ongoing programmes and projects undertaken by the District Assemblies; monitor the application of the District Development Fund; sanitation and waste management; as well as the generation and utilisation of internally generated funds (IGF) by the Assemblies.
Traditional Authorities, Civil Society Groups including Grant Partners of STAR Ghana and the Media are excepted to participate in the engagements across the selected Districts.
STAR Ghana in June 2017, signed a GHS5.4 million partnership framework with the Parliament of Ghana to help deepen and consolidate democratic governance in Ghana. The partnership with Parliament aims at helping to enhance Parliament's effectiveness in discharging its constitutional mandate.
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STAR Ghana Foundation holds national conference on the status of the Ghanaian woman
STAR-Ghana and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) held a national conference on the `status of the Ghanaian woman` on Friday 8th March 2019, to commemorate the 2019 International Women’s Day (IWD) .
The programme on the theme: “Balance for Better; Examining Progress and Prospects for Gender Equality in Ghana,” brought together stakeholders from the grass roots to the national level including the academia, policy makers, Civil Society Organisations, media, and women groups, to assess the progress of women over the past year for policy action.
Professor Agnes Apusigah, Chairperson of the Gender Equality and Social Protection Committee of the Governing Council of STAR Ghana Foundation Chaired the event. In her address, Prof. Apusigah shared information on antecident series of zonal dialogues organised by STAR Ghana Foundation that generated broader consultations with various women. She remarked:
“STAR Ghana Foundation convened a series of zonal dialogues across the country to draw on women’s voices on Ghana’s progress at gender equality and the prospects for the future. Quantitative and qualitative evidence of status per zone has been profiled and consolidated into key agenda for this event (national conference)”
Dr Afisah Zakariah, Chief Director of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, acknowledged that generally, there had been significant improvements in the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment to bridge the gap that had existed over the years. She was however quick to add that:
“women are still under-represented in key areas including leadership and decision-making positions, as well as in the use of technology”
Professor Akua Kuenyehia, eminent Ghanaian and retired Judge of the International Criminal Court delivered the keynote address. She shared some issues for consideration as far as gender equality and women empowerment are concerned. She opined that traditional attitudes can only be changed through radical changes in attitude and character. She also asserted that good legislation must be accompanied by concrete strategies for women empowerment. She further indicated that the affirmative action bill is not an end in it self; and that it must help to correct the imbalances in systems.
Professor Akua Kuenyehia, eminent Ghanaian and retired Judge of the International Criminal Court delivering the keynote address
Prof. Kuenyehia encouraged unity among all women in the quest for gender equality and women empowerment. She stated that:
“Advocacy must be done with commitment. Women must speak with one voice. Unity is important. We must unite to use our varied talents”
She called for a concerted effort among privileged women, to offer mentoring to underprivileged women and young girls. She remarked:
“We must step out of our comfort zones to reach out to women in the rural areas. We must provide mentoring and training for our girls”
Participants had the opportunity to provide feedback in breakout sessions around key thematic areas after a panel discussion which was moderated by Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo, member of the STAR Ghana Foundation Governing Council. The panel was formed with Nana Kwasi Agyekum Dwamena, Head of Civil Service; Prof. Agnes Apusigah, Member of STAR-Ghana Governing Council; and Amazing Grace Danso of Pepperdem Ministries as members.
STAR Ghana Foundation facilitates youth engagement with Speaker of Parliament
The STAR Ghana Foundation as part of its Convening, Coordinating, Catalysing and Learning roles has in collaboration with its grant partner, the Youth Empowerment for Life (YEfL) based in the Northern region of Ghana, facilitated an engagement between the Youth of Ghana and the Speaker of Ghana's 7th Parliament under the 4th Republic, Rt.Hon. Professor Michael Aaron Oquaye. The meeting took place in the Speaker's Chamber of the Parliament House on 28th February 2019. The Clerk to Parliament, Mr Emmanuel Anyimadu, and senior officers of Parliament were in attendance with the Speaker of Parliament as the host.
The delegation were led by the Acting Chief Executive of the STAR Ghana Foundation, Mr Ibrahim Tanko Amidu, and accompanied by Ms. Teiko Sabah, the Head of Programmes, Ms. Marian Angela Kyei, Parliamentary Support Manager and other members of the Secretariat. There were twenty-five (25) youth representatives from the Youth Parliaments and Community Journalists of Sagnarigu, Yendi, Saboba, Nanumba North and South respectively all in the Northern Region. Also present were ten (10) youth representatives and their Team leaders from the National Youth Authority (NYA) and the Youth Sub-platform of the Ghana CSO’s platform on SDGs.
Mr Amidu, in his opening remarks stated that the objective of the Foundation in providing support for the Youth Parliament and other youth initiatives was to increase the participation of women and general inclusiveness of young people; especially females and Persons with Disability (PWDs) in governance and decision-making processes. He advocated the creation of spaces for the youth to engage duty bearers at all levels, as well as policy makers as a way of encouraging this vibrant economic resource (youth) to participate more constructively in the governance and development of this nation.
He further recommended a structured mentoring programme that will enable the youth to prepare themselves for future office through the engagements with seasoned leaders in their constituencies or districts as well as at the national level. He referenced the Speaker’s Inaugural speech that reiterated the position of H.E the President of Ghana that:
“by investing in the youth, we are investing in our collective future, by not investing in the youth, we are investing in our collective future failure”
The Speaker of the Saboba District Youth Parliament, Jeremiah Kasalku Takal, as the lead speaker of the Youth Parliamentarians and Youth advocates, shared the successes of the Youth Parliament in the areas of sanitation, education and health. He appealed to Parliament as a legislative body to prioritize the passage of the Legislative Instrument to give effect to the National Youth Authority Act, Ghana (Act 939) 2016. He further appealed to Parliament to consider legislation that would enable the youth to participate more fruitfully at the District Assembly level through the provision of specific quota for youth appointments. On behalf of the Youth of Ghana, Mr Takal presented a Communique to the Speaker of Parliament on the concerns of youth in the country.
The National Youth Authority, represented by Mr. Mumuni Sulemana, Director of Programmes and Operations indicated that the Authority was prepared to collaborate with STAR Ghana Foundation and other partners to replicate the Youth Parliament model across the country as envisaged under the National Youth Authority Act. He mentioned that the Authority would soon organise a "State of the Youth" Address to provide an opportunity for young people to publicly engage policymakers and duty bearers on key issues of concern to the youth. He acknowledged that the youth was also seeking ways to provide alternatives to their dire situation which has become an issue of concern to the entire nation.
Mr. Emmanuel Ametepey, the leader of the Youth Sub-Platform on the SDGs in Ghana team, used the opportunity to introduce the CSO platform on the SDGs to the Right Honourable Speaker of Parliament. He indicated the Youth Platform’s commitment to mobilising young people across Ghana towards the SDGs and congratulated STAR Ghana Foundation for supporting the Youth Parliament initiative, as well as the open door policy of Parliament that had made it possible for the current Youth Advocates’ engagement at the highest level of Ghana’s legislature.
In his presentation, the Honourable Speaker welcomed the participation of women in the youth Parliament system and admonished that women are given the voice they deserve on national issues. He encouraged the youth to invest heavily in building their capacity through reading, research and imbibing a range of information that will serve them well as future leaders both formally and informally, to be able to participate meaningfully in governance processes. He noted:
“I will want to say from the beginning, first and foremost, the Youth must prepare for the future… then when you attain certain positions, you are able to participate meaningfully”.
The Speaker, Professor Mike Oquaye also charged the youth not to focus only on governance issues but matters concerning women and children as well as other vulnerable people within the society. He urged the youth to channel their energies to productive activities, which will make them more relevant and beneficial to their communities.
Youth Parliamentarians visit STAR Ghana Foundation
Representatives of 175 Youth Parliamentarians from twenty-five (25) communities in five (5) districts of the Northern Region of Ghana namely Sagnarigu, Yendi, Saboba, Nanumba South and Nanumba North and other youth advocates have paid a visit to the offices of STAR Ghana Foundation today Wednesday 27th February 2019. The visit forms part of activities lined up for same’s visit to the Parliament House of the republic of Ghana from Thursday 28th to Friday 1st March 2019.
STAR Ghana as part of its Learning role is in collaboration with the Youth Empowerment for Life (YEfL), facilitating the learning visit. The Youth Parliamentarians visited the STAR-Ghana Foundation office to familiarise themselves with the Foundation and its work and discuss the agenda for the visit to Parliament.
Teiko Sabah, Head of Programmes, STAR Ghana, on behalf of the Programme Director – Ibrahim-Tanko Amidu, received the team of Youth Parliamentarians at the STAR Ghana conference room. She briefed the team about the vision and mission of STAR Ghana Foundation after extending a warm welcome to them. Teiko further highlighted the role of STAR Ghana’s Parliamentary workstream to include coordinating and facilitating spaces for Civil Society Organizations to engage with Parliament.
“One of our key role as an organisation is to bridge the gap between citizens and state actors by creating spaces for relevant stakeholders to engage in fruitful conversations, and documenting learning to improve our work.”She said.
Mariam Kyei, Parliamentary Workstream Manager of STAR Ghana, oriented the visiting team on some basic parliamentary protocols – dos and don’ts of Parliament of Ghana and shared the planned artillery of the visit with the team. She encouraged them to focus more on the core issues for their engagement and urged the team to take advantage of the opportunity to seek useful networking and mentoring opportunities from Members of Parliament of Ghana.
The Youth Parliament is a concept started by the youth of Saboba and currently being implemented as an extended project by the Youth Empowerment for Life (YEfL). The initiative is to provide a platform for young people to have engagements with decentralized duty bearers and find solutions to issues concerning community development. The project is being supported by the STAR-Ghana Foundation with funding from DFID, DANIDA and the EU. The Youth Parliament has been used to change the behaviour and attitudes of the youth, build their confidence and skills to engage effectively.
The Youth Parliamentarians will have the opportunity to engage the Speaker of Parliament, observe parliamentary sittings, learn more about parliamentary procedures and meet some selected committees of parliament for further deliberations.
In attendance were members of the Parliamentary workstream, as well as Communications and Learning Team of STAR Ghana.
