Public perceptions of CSOs are generally good

General news for Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Source: GNA

2020-12-22

Public perceptions of civil society organizations (CSOs) in Ghana are generally good, except among party activists, who perceive CSO’s criticism of the government as attempts to make the regime unpopular .

The Ghana CSO Sustainability Index 2019 report indicated that most people view CSOs as charitable organizations and broadly support their activities, especially in local communities.

The CSO Sustainability Index is a tool created by USAID to study the overall strength and sustainability of CSO sectors in countries of operation.

Ghana was one of the first countries in sub-Saharan Africa to participate in the assessment in 2009 with the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) as the local implementer.

The 2019 report was presented in Accra during a media dissemination workshop by Mr. Douglas Quartey, development consultant / author of the Ghana CSO Sustainability Report.

Mr Quartey said that by using a standard set of indicators and collecting data every year, the CSO Sustainability Index tracks the evolution of the strength of the CSO sector over time and allows for comparison between the countries.

The report reiterated that government perceptions of CSOs remain mixed. The private sector perspective on CSOs was positive, although collaboration was limited.

He revealed that the government and parts of the business sector recognize the expertise of CSOs and invite them to speak at their events.

The report suggested that social media usage was high among urban and rural organizations, with many organizations using Facebook to disseminate information.

“CSOs in Ghana still do not have a general code of ethics, although most organizations include codes of conduct in their operational manuals,” the report says.

He said that in 2019, as part of the grant award process, CSOs receiving funding from STAR-Ghana were to share their organizational codes of conduct.

He said that despite their importance to national development in all sectors, CSOs in Ghana face monumental challenges for their survival.

Mr. Kwesi Jonah, Senior Fellow, IDEG, said that as international development partners and donor agencies gradually cut financial support to CSOs, African governments need to create financial support for their local CSOs.

He noted that in most advanced democracies such as the United States and Denmark, governments provide financial support to CSOs, saying the African government could do the same.