The Pan African Organization for Sustainable Development (POSDEV)

THE GHANA CSO/NGO STANDARDS FOR EXCELLENCE PROJECT

The Ghana NGO/CSO Standards Project is an innovative partnership project seeking to promote self-regulation among NGOs and CSOs operating in Ghana. The main objectives are to:

• Demonstrate that NGO/CSO community is able and disposed to voluntary self regulation.
• Promote organizational and institutional learning within organizations
• Ensure transparency, accountability and good governance in the operation of NGOs/CSOs by voluntary self-regulation,
• Improve the quality and sustenance of services provided by NGOs/CSOs to the Ghanaian public,

CARE International, Action Aid International, Opportunities Industrialisation Centre International (OICI), Ghana - Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), USAID, DFID, Ghana Association of Private Voluntary Organizations in Development (GAPVOD) and the Pan African Organisation for Sustainable Development (POSDEV) the Secretariat for the project, acting as the Ghana Country Team continue to promote the project. Also, the project has constituted a fifteen (15) member Standards Commission comprising the heads of local and International NGOs all over the country, with the major role and responsibility of ensuring a peer review process for the award of seals/certificates to peers in compliance with the 35 Standards. The pilot stage of the project has obtained funding from InterAction, USA and The Commonwealth Foundation, UK.

Project Activities

The first stage of the project introduced the concept to as many NGOs/CSOs in the country as possible. So far the secretariat has made contact with more than two hundred (200) NGOs/CSOs from all ten regions of the country. The next stage was to present the Standards and Assessment tools to NGOs/CSOs through Standards clinics and workshops. The Secretariat held eight (8) workshops across the country with one hundred and fifty (150) NGOs/CSOs participating. Currently the project is the testing the tools on volunteering organizations. Twenty six (26) organisations have so far volunteered for the process; six (6) organisations have undergone the process. Participants in the review process have described the process as challenging but exciting and also that participating organizations have demonstrated commitment to the establishment of standards.

The next stages will see the communication strategy of project launched: and the start of the application process for certification of organizations.