Between 13th and 22nd April 2015 GenCED organised a three-day District level capacity building workshop for 150 (50 in each district group) Women Group Advocacy (WOMGA) platform members in the Juaboso district, Bia west district and Sefwi Wiawso Municipality in the Western Region of Ghana. GENDER CENTRE GenCED undertook training for WOMGA members in the FOR EMPOWERING three administrative Districts of the project designed to build DEVELOPMENT the capacities of the women on the decentralization system (GenCED) in Ghana, its advantages, challenges, policy formulation, the District Medium Term Development Plan preparation and how Projects WOMGA members and their communities can get involved. The training also focused on accountability in its various forms and in the how members of the groups could exact accountability from WOMGA members in a group photo at Juaboso duty bearers as well as the various tools and methods of social Western accountability and the challenges associated with this type of Through the workshop participants became familiar with and accountability and the necessary requirements for a successful were in a position to apply the gender monitoring and tracking Region Social Accountability practice. Participants were also taken tool in local government financial management cycle (including through composite budgeting and the various revenue sources participatory planning, participatory budgeting, participatory of the Assembly as well as templates to track revenue and expenditure tracking and participatory performance Gender Centre for Empowering expenditure of the Assembly. monitoring).Also, when facilitated the women were able to Development (GenCED) is a civil identify opportunities for social accountability interventions in society organisation with a vision four broad areas: namely; participatory planning; participatory to become a leading grassroots’ budgeting; participatory expenditure tracking and participatory organization, through empowering performance monitoring (Citizens Report Card). the marginalised, especially women, economically, politically and financially Participants showed an indication at the close of the workshop to improve their livelihood. The main that they had understood the social accountability tools they purpose for founding GenCED (in have learnt and were ready to apply them once they returned to their districts and into their communities. They also showed 2011) is to close the gender deficit in great awareness of their responsibility as women in raising governance in Ghana. GenCED’s work concerns on community issues. Critically, they came to focuses on giving intensive political appreciate who were stakeholders of decentralization and how education on various governance issues they could be advocated. (elections, decentralization and local governance, Women and Children’s WOMGA members in a lively group discussion rights, government policies). GenCED also undertakes programmes in An important aspect of the training was group work. The rational economic and social education and for these group work was to let WOMGA members appreciate work to provide sustainable human the pressing needs or problems in their communities and how resources development services to prioritize them for inclusion the Assembly’s Medium Term GENDER CENTRE FOR EMPOWERING Development Plan and subsequently budget, know the role of DEVELOPMENT (GenCED) to the marginalized, especially the Assembly members and hence exact accountability from P. O. Box CT 8299, Cantonments-Accra women. GenCED aims to them, abreast with the relevant stakeholders they can channel Telephone: +233 (0) 244 923 342 empower women and youth Email: [email protected] through evidence-based their advocacy to among others Website: www.genced.org research, advocacy, community outreach and information Projects’ Summary inclusiveness in decision-making, social accountability of Strengthening Participation of Women in Geographically mechanisms and its application to hold local government Deprived Communities in Local Governance in Ghana. In Ghana, a strong disconnection between district assemblies authorities accountable for efficient quality service delivery The project sought to institutionalize Women Group Advocacy and women exist, resulting in low women civic participation in (Awareness Raising). (WOMGA) Platforms made up of women leaders in three target local governance, inclusion in decision-making process and districts namely; Sefwi Wiawso, BIA, Juaboso to engage and low apathy for local government system in the districts. Among Active Women participation in local governance in the three dialogue with local government authorities in decision making the challenges affecting effective women participation are low target districts (Participation). process for sustainable decentralized bottom-up planning and levels of appreciation of the importance of gender inclusiveness At the heart of the project strategy is the mobilization and public project implementation. among stakeholders as well as the non-existence of a common empowerment of 150 selected and trained WOMGA members advocacy platform for women and socially excluded to meet, in all three target districts deployed as a conduit to champion dialogue, gather concerns into action plans to engage the Local Orientation workshop for WOMGA Members the participation of other women in local planning and Government Authorities for solutions or integrations into policy implementation in each project district. On 12 December 2014, GenCED held three separate one day plans. orientation workshops in Juaboso, Bia and Sefwi Wiawso In a nutshell, the project will adopt a multi-stakeholder, Districts. The purpose of the meetings was to orient and In response to the core problem, this project, in its first year multifaceted strategy that prioritizes women mobilization, commission WOMGA-platform members in these districts. of implementation, seeks to institutionalize Women Group empowerment, evidence-based advocacy, stakeholder GenCED led the platforms to discuss and affirm their roles and Advocacy Platforms (WOMGA) made up of women leaders sensitization and dialogue. The key actions of the project will responsibilities, work plan and budget for community outreach in the target three districts (Sefwi Wiawso, Bia, and Juabeso), include a baseline study, 4 multi-stakeholder meetings, a activities. to engage and dialogue with local government authorities District level Project Advisory Group (PAG), Sustainable Media in decision making process for sustainable decentralized Advocacy and Campaign (SMAC), Outreach and engagement The orientation meeting was also a first step in the direction bottom-up planning and implementation. The achievement of meetings, creation of WOMGA to conduct the monitoring to support the WOMGA group registration at the district as a this objective will effectively contribute to the realization of the activities of local decision-making and public service delivery community based organization and their institutional setup. project development goal of increasing women participation having interface meetings with the districts officials and town in decision making for sustainable decentralized bottom-up hall meetings/ engagement with the community and the district The orientation workshop, which was attended by 50 planning process. officials in the three districts, development of Gender Monitoring participants per district (total 150) was useful in helping the groups to strategize sustainable growth interventions, in order By design, the interventions of the project are planned to result and Tracking Tool and Templates and training, the GEMOTT exercise, and final evaluation among others. to make the WOMGA sustainable institutions backed by law in three main outcomes. Each of these outcomes is expected following their registration with respective District Assemblies. to address one of the identified underlying challenges affecting women participation i.e. low stakeholder understanding of Project Activities The orientation workshop helped to define their role in the work gender inclusiveness and non-availability of platforms for plan for the two (2) years project. women. Specifically, the project action is expected to result in Stakeholder Meetings the following outcomes: Capacity Building of WOMGA members in Bia GenCED launched projects in Juaboso, Bia and Sefwi West, Juaboso Districts and in the Sefwi Wiawso Women groups mobilized, strengthened, and united under Wiawso districts on the 19th, 20th and 21st November Municipality on the Decentralization System in one platform to be mutually recognized by the district 2014, to advocate, with various stakeholders, on the issue Ghana. understanding assemblies and other stakeholders as champions of women concerns at the district level of policy engagement (Capacity and Institution Building). Increased of local citizens, traditional authorities, local government officials on the significance of gender Stakeholders meeting at Juaboso WOMGA in a group picture in Sefwi Wiawso Bia West WONGA members in a group photo at Essem .