Killing the NGO Industry in Ghana

Abstract

The broad range of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Ghana (including Non-Governmental Organisations [NGOs], Faith-Based Organisations [FBOs] and Community Based Organisations [CBOs]), are critical players in national development. I was speaking with a friend at the Peace Council the other day and he forcefully conveyed to me the severe distrust key players in conflict zones harbour for government officials. Not so with CSOs, which are perhaps trusted well above the level of trust they deserve. The rolling back of the State in post-structural adjustment Ghana and the propping up of the private sector, including the not-for profit private sector, means that CSOs are reaching where the state is no longer capable of reaching, filling the gaps often left by the State, and cleaning the mess sometimes created by the State where it is present and functional. Again, the heightening of the global emphasis on democracy, good governance, transparency, accountability – principles which CSOs espouse for the application, at least to government and the for-profit sector - has meant a greater role for the CSOs in national development. CSOs are indeed helping the debilitated Ghanaian state prod along. The government of Ghana is currently considering a Trust and Non-Governmental Organisations Bill 2007, for passage into law. The provisions of that bill will effectively constrain COSs and diminish their effectiveness. There is need for careful consideration of some of the provisions of the bill and their broader implications.