Mrs Thelma Ohene-Asiamah, Director of the Public Sector Reform Secretariat, has urged Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to assist the Government in implementing the Open Government Partnership (OGP) 5th National Action Plan (NAP).
She encouraged them to keep pushing to be fully involved during the implementation of the Plan, despite the barriers.
‘Cooperation alone is not enough; the CSOs must involve themselves in the implementation. They complain that Government agencies don’t involve them but I encourage them to keep pushing till their voices are heard,’ she said.
Mrs Ohene-Asiamah gave the advice on Thursday during a civil society orientation meeting on OGP organised by the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) in Accra.
The OGP is an international voluntary initiative that seeks to secure the commitment of governments to deepening democratic governance through the promotion of transparency, accountability, active citizen participation, technology and innovation to enhance these key elements of good gove
rnance.
Ghana signed on to the initiative at its formal launch in Washington, in September 2011, and has since its inception developed and implemented five NAPs (in 2012, 2015, 2017, 2021 and 2023).
OGP NAPs are typically a two-year cycle, but Ghana opted for a four-year cycle for NAP-5.
The four-year 5th NAP was developed and submitted in December 2023 and is currently under implementation.
The Director said the lack of adequate resources had impeded awareness creation.
She said despite the constraints, the Government was committed to implementing the Action Plan and thanked donor partners for the technical and financial support.
Mrs Ohene-Asiamah, also the Country Point of Contact, OGP, said the Government and Civil Society collaborative relationship had been enhanced through the OGP.
She said through the implementation of OGP Action Plans and processes, major policy and legislative reforms to combat corruption, and improve accountability and transparency had been enacted and are being implemented.
These policy reforms are the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989); State Interests and Governance Authority Act, 2019 (Act 990); Companies Act, 2019 (Act 992); Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2018 (Act 982); Witness Protection Act, 2018 (Act 975), amongst others.
Mr Tarik Nesh-Nash, Coordinator for Africa and Middle East, OGP, said the Partnership had the goal of building a growing, committed, and interconnected community of open government reformers, activists and champions.
He said it was also committed to protecting and expanding the civic space and accelerating collective progress on open government reforms.
Mr Benedict Doh, Finance Manager, GII, in his welcome address, said the meeting would equip CSOs with the information needed to effectively engage with NAP 5 and contribute to its successful implementation.
‘Your role is crucial in this process, providing valuable input, implementation support, monitoring implementation, and holding the government accountable.’
‘Our goal is to enhance your underst
anding of the action plan and identify ways to work together to ensure it delivers on its promises for a more open and accountable government,’ he said.
Source: Ghana News Agency