The Right to Information remains an essential tool for journalists and citizens to ensuring accountability in governance, however, for various reasons it is not given the due recognition and impetus.

In Ghana the bill is over 17 years old, going in and out of parliament despite a supposed commitment by successive governments. In Nigeria, it took 11 years to have it passed into law, but enforcement is a major challenge, especially because the media seem highly polarized and the work of journalists is somewhat undermined by the high commercialization of news and direct influences of owners.

Despite the shortcoming; ie. The non-existence of a Right to Information law, the media in Ghana is playing an active role in ensuring good governance; independently, and through collaboration with credible CSOs, although more can still be done.

Among the recent achievements in this regard are the suspension of the mandatory tow levy, suspension of the DVLA first aid kit charges, decisive action against illegal small-scale mining and closure of an illegally operating Chinese-owned tomato factory.

Media Houses such as Citi FM continue to champion this effort, going beyond the archaic perceived role of the media only being disseminators of information to being advocates and campaigners for justice, good governance, and accountability.

Again, not just on air or online, but on the ground; this is the way forward – progressive 21st-century media.

Within CSOs can be found expertise, network, credibility, and independence while media organizations are a wealth of credibility, fearlessness, wide coverage, creativity in story-telling and influence, which can be merged galvanized to for good governance and accountability especially in Africa.

What must be done:

CSOs must endeavour to involve journalists in the planning and execution of programs and campaigns to ensure that the accurate, newsy and relevant perspectives are highlighted.

CSOs must deliberately build partnerships with media organizations to promote their collective interests

Regular CSO-Media interactions must be held to plan and execute development campaigns.

Media practitioners must build their capacities to understand the context and content of the work of CSOs.

About the Roundtable meeting

The event was organized by the International Center for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) Abuja-Nigeria with the aim of discussing ways of forging a partnership between CSOs and the media to ensure accountability and good governance.

Representing CSOs in Ghana at the event Youth Empowerment Synergy (YES-Ghana); a youth-focused independent organization working towards the promotion of a sustainable and productive future for young people in Ghana.

The roundtable meeting was funded by the Ford Foundation.

–

By: Jonas Nyabor (Journalist with Accra-based Citi FM)

The post Media – CSO partnerhsip for good governance; my perspective from Nigeria [Article] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

In a statement issued on Wednesday to react to the NYA’s disclaimer, YES-Ghana explained that, the Ghana Youth Directory is an open source, youth-led civil society effort that seeks to create an information hub for youth groups, associations, and organisations towards effective collaboration and exchange of information among actors in the same field, and was in no way in violation of any of the country’s laws.

The National Youth Authority (NYA), in reaction to an advertisement in the Daily Graphic by YES Ghana calling on Youth Groups to register online to join ongoing advocacy and youth-inclusive policy in the country, said that YES had no authorization to collect data of youth groups on behalf of the Republic of Ghana.

But the organization believes the NYA’s statement is misleading and has the potential of hurting their otherwise objective project.

“For the records, the Ghana Youth Directory was originally launched back in 2013 as part of the Voices of Youth project implemented by YES-Ghana. The NYA was an active member of the Advisory Committee that guided the development and successful launch of the Ghana Youth Directory. Over the last few months, the Directory received a complete makeover, thanks to the financial support of the Commonwealth Foundation. The advertisements that have appeared in the Daily Graphic constitute a renewed effort to get more youth groups to enlist and showcase their work on the Directory.”

Read YES-Ghana’s full reaction below:

1. The Youth Empowerment Synergy (YES-Ghana) notes with discontent a press statement attributed to the National Youth Authority (NYA) on the above subject, which was reported by the news media over the last two days. YES-Ghana finds the contents of that press statement, as reported by the media, to be misleading, damaging, and completely unwarranted.

2. For the avoidance of any doubts, neither the Ghana Youth Directory nor other wide-ranging youth development programmes of YES-Ghana amount to a violation of any laws of Ghana as claimed by the NYA.

3. The Ghana Youth Directory, available at www.ghanayouthdirectory.org, is an open source, youth-led, civil society effort that seeks to create an information hub for youth groups, associations and organisations towards effective collaboration and exchange of information among actors in the same field. This is in response to the knowledge gap that existed for many years about youth-led actors, which undermined the importance of networking and collaboration within the youth development space.

4. For the records, the Ghana Youth Directory was originally launched back in 2013 as part of the Voices of Youth project implemented by YES-Ghana. The NYA was an active member of the Advisory Committee that guided the development and successful launch of the Ghana Youth Directory. Over the last few months, the Directory received a complete makeover, thanks to the financial support of the Commonwealth Foundation. The advertisements that have appeared in the Daily Graphic constitute a renewed effort to get more youth groups to enlist and showcase their work on the Directory.

5. Considering the open and fruitful relationship that has existed between YES-Ghana and the NYA, it is difficult to ascertain exactly what motivated the NYA to issue such a disparaging public statement without first contacting YES-Ghana to seek clarifications. For more than fifteen years, YES-Ghana has collaborated with the NYA to successfully implement many projects. The NYA is usually represented at major events organised by YES-Ghana. In fact, the most recent NYA representation at a YES-Ghana event was just two weeks ago, on 26 October 2017, when CEO Emmanuel Asigri delegated one of his deputies to deliver a statement during the Awards Ceremony of YES-Ghana’s SDG Youth Essay Competition, held at the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel in Accra.

6. YES-Ghana has requested a meeting with the CEO of the NYA to try to understand what went wrong and to clarify any issues and/or concerns that the NYA may have about the Ghana Youth Directory in particular, and the work of YES-Ghana in general. From what we are hearing from people within the NYA, it seems that there was a mix-up. Considering the rush to release the press statement just hours after YES-Ghana’s advertisement appeared in the newspaper, it is obvious that the NYA was unable to undertake the required verifications, which would have most likely led it to a different outcome. YES-Ghana is postured to settle this matter quickly in order not to impede the shared effort of empowering the Ghanaian youth for contributing to and benefitting from the nation’s development.

7. YES-Ghana remains grateful to the many young people whose participation and active citizenship has consolidated the organisation’s position at the forefront of youth development policy, practice and research in Ghana. Accredited by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and recognised widely for its consistency in creating opportunities for youth across various programme areas, the organisation remains committed to working with all stakeholders in the youth development space towards a more youth-inclusive Ghanaian society.

–

By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post YES-Ghana reacts to NYA statement on National Youth Directory appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Ghanaian NGO is praying the Court to place an injunction on the termination of YES-Ghana’s involvement in the Youth Inclusive Entrepreneurial Development Initiative for Employment (YIEDIE) project, funded by the MasterCard Foundation in Canada.

In the writ seeking for interlocutory injunction, lawyers for YES-Ghana insisted that, the unilateral termination of YES-Ghana’s involvement in the YIEDIE project by Global Communities from 1st June 2017, will not only be “arbitrary, but unconscionable, unfair and unlawful.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”5mS9tA32MFkivUjzHL1cgrpllKaYeVhf”]YES-Ghana is however seeking an order from the court to compel Global Communities allow YES-Ghana’s 115 employees continue working in the YIEDIE project for the five-year period under which the project is supposed to take place.

The Ghanaian NGO is also seeking an order for an interim injunction to “restrain Global Communities, their agents or assigns from carrying out the said termination on the sole ground of Article 30.3 of the agreement, and from carrying out any decision or activities with the aim of interfering with the work of the plaintiff and its 115 employees in the YIEDIE project.”

Lawyers for YES-Ghana  argue in the writ that, contrary to the initial consortium arrangement as prescribed by the MasterCard Foundation’s Partner Guide, which led to the securing of appropriate funding for the YIEDIE project, the defendant [Global Communities], who was the lead applicant, decided to enter into separate agreements with each of the partners, and that several workshops had been protested by YES-Ghana against the said agreement because the terms violated the letter and spirit of the MasterCard Foundation’s Partner Guide.

The lawyers lamented that, because YES-Ghana was a lonely voice on the matter, and based on assurances by the defendant that a review of the contractual process would be done at the end of the first year of the project, their client decided to sign the said agreement with the Global Communities.

According to the writ, since the project began in April 2015, YES-Ghana has heavily invested into it in terms of mobilization, recruitment and building both human and institutional capacity which have altogether enabled it to work conscientiously on the project to achieve set targets, hence abrogating the contract will cause it irreparable damages.

Meanwhile, hearing of the case has been slated for 14 June 2017.

About YIEDIE project

The YIEDIE project is aimed at creating opportunities for the youth in Ghana’s construction industry by creating about 23,700 jobs within five years in targeted cities such as Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi, Ashaiman and Tema.

Speaking to Citi Business News at the National Youth Construction Summit in Accra in August 2016, the Project Director of YIEDIE Ghana, Kafui Vera Mills-Odoi, stated that the project was aimed at training young people in new methods of construction using modern technology.

“YIEDIE will directly reach at least 23,700 youth with training in technical, life and entrepreneurship skills leading to employment,” she said adding that “the project applies an integrated, youth-led market-systems model to improve the capacity of youth and service providers across the value chain.”

–

By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post YES-Ghana drags US-based NGO to court for terminating contract appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.