STAR Ghana Foundation as part of its convening, catalyst and coordinating role has in collaboration with the Africa Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA) initiated a project dubbed `Legislative Watch`. The project will partner selected regional level Civil Society Organizations to systematically engage and bridge the interests of citizens and Parliament – as a representative body, through legislative scrutiny. The purpose of the project is to enhance the interaction between citizens/CSOs and Parliament for accountability and effective service delivery. The project will particularly focus on the promulgation of an Affirmative Action Act and the revision of the Disability Act.
Ibrahim-Tanko Amidu, Executive Director of STAR Ghana Foundation, speaking at the inception meeting held in Accra on Wednesday 17th July 2019 set the pace for the meeting. Drawing on STAR Ghana’s theory of Change, Ibrahim-Tanko elaborated on the rationale for the Legislative Watch project.
Speaking at the event, Chairman of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs of the Parliament of Ghana: Hon. Banda Ben Abdallah provided insights into the work of parliament in respective of Parliament-CSO/citizens relations on Legislations.
He lauded the Legislative Watch initiative and commended STAR Ghana Foundation for its continued and sustained support to the Parliament of Ghana.
“STAR Ghana has been an ally to parliament for a very long time, since 2009 when I entered (parliament), STAR Ghana has been with us and STAR Ghana continues to be with us… let me commend STAR Ghana and other CSOs, when we were passing the Right to information bill, the Special Prosecutor bill, the input that they gave us found its version in the Act”
Hon. Banda was, however, quick to add that CSOs must do more in sensitizing citizens on new laws that have been passed. Citing the Right to Information Bill as an example, he indicated that:
“After the new law has been passed, you should take the implementation to the grassroot, that is what I haven’t seen much, because what makes implementation (of laws) easy is when citizens understand it, when they have knowledge about it … the right to information bill was a very important bill, but how many people know about it now? Before it was passed we heard all kinds of pressure, but after its passage, everything is down”
It is anticipated that by the end of the project in February 2020, citizens’ voice would have been adequately captured and projected around an Affirmative Action Bill and the review of the Disability Act. Evidence-based input will be submitted to relevant parliamentary committees/MDAs and fed into the legislative process to improve the quality of laws passed by Parliament – laws that respond to the needs of the citizenry. Best strategies for effective CSO-Parliament engagements on parliament’s legislative function will be documented and shared to improve the quality of outcomes of CSOs-Parliament engagement.
In attendance were representatives of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, and the Office of the Attorney General. Also present were Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) including the Media, Faith-based organization, Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations among others.