Government Reaffirms Commitment to Local Ownership in Development Interventions
The Minister for Gender and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has emphasized the government’s commitment to empowering local actors to take ownership of development initiatives across Ghana. Speaking at the launch of the Civil Society Strengthening Program (CSSP) Strategy in Accra, Dr. Lartey highlighted the importance of decentralizing decision-making to ensure that interventions produce meaningful and lasting impact.
“This launch underscores the significance of partnerships, especially when shifting power from the central level to local actors, enabling them to own and drive the impact of every intervention,” she said.
Head of Programs at STAR-Ghana Foundation, Mrs. Eunice Agbenyadzi elaborated on the rationale behind the initiative. She explained that transferring decision-making authority from funders and institutions in the Global North to local civil society organizations and communities ensures that development priorities better reflect the realities of those directly affected. “Communities experience these challenges firsthand and are best placed to determine how development agendas should be implemented,” she stated.
The eight-year Shifting the Power (StP) Program is led by STAR-Ghana Foundation in collaboration with the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI), Zambia Governance Foundation, and TILITONSE Foundation. It is supported by Comic Relief and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
The initiative seeks to strengthen civil society’s role in governance, promote community-driven interventions, and enhance accountability by placing local stakeholders at the center of planning and execution. By equipping local actors to design, monitor, and evaluate development programs, the StP Program aims to foster sustainable outcomes and amplify community voices in shaping their own development pathways.
Officials say the program represents a deliberate effort to shift the power dynamics in development work, ensuring that communities are not just beneficiaries but active leaders in the process of designing and implementing interventions that affect their lives.
