Challenges of Civil Society Networks in Ghana: A Comparative Study of Four Networks

Abstract

Ghana is the first country within Sub-Saharan Africa to become independent from British colonial rule and one of Africa’s most promising democracies. Ghana’s adoption of the 1992 Constitution and its return to democratic rule in 1993 created viable political environment for civic groups to freely operate. Article 21(1) of the 1992 Constitution provides considerable space for the growth of participatory civil society and associational life, and Article 37(2) gives enormous powers for the formation and participation of civil society in the process of development. These constitutional provisions, coupled with the Ghanaian culture of self-help and donor-driven programs such as the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), have improved Civil Society Organizations’ (CSOs) participation in both development and decision-making processes. Civil Society Networks serve the purpose of being a unified force for marginalized CSOs thereby consolidating democracy and also holding governments to account.  Yet, some CSO networks in Ghana have not been able to fully utilize the available political opportunity to influence government policies. Notwithstanding this relatively favorable environment for CSO operation, it is still difficult for them to constructively engage government in the policy arena and influence decisions in favor of their constituents. This research, seeks to examine CSO networks in Ghana, specifically to ascertain the challenges they face in their effort to influence government policies as well as the various ways in which the identified challenges can possibly be overcome. It will address the following questions: how do we conceive civil networks in Ghana? What types of networks exist in Ghana and how do they strategically operate? What challenges do they face and what is the way forward?