Bringing Voices to the Table: Strengthening Local Governance and Preventing Exclusion
Bringing Voices to the Table: Strengthening Local Governance and Preventing Exclusion
Bringing Voices to the table:
Strengthening local governance and preventing exclusion
Location
Upper East Region, Ghana
Focus
Prevention
IMplemented by
CDD-Ghana
In 2024, GCERF partnered with CDD-Ghana in Ghana to support initiatives focused on strengthening livelihoods and providing start-up certification for vulnerable populations, expanding inclusive access to public services through advocacy and civic engagement, and reinforcing traditional conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms.
In Ghana’s Upper East Region, citizen participation is both a legal requirement and a vital safeguard against the grievances that can fuel violent extremism. Through a GCERF-funded programme implemented by a consortium led by CDD-Ghana, townhall meetings are creating space for dialogue between citizens and public service providers, improving inclusive access to social services while reinforcing community resilience.
In Bolgatanga East District, the Coordinating Director noted that assemblies are legally required to hold regular townhalls so that citizens’ concerns can inform annual plans and budgets — yet financial constraints often get in the way. The project’s townhalls filled that gap. Officials gathered community priorities to feed into the next general assembly, shared findings from a baseline study, and put preventing violent extremism on the district’s agenda for the year ahead. Citizen participation was thus directly tied to more inclusive and preventive local planning.
In the North East Region, a townhall in West Mamprusi gave the District Manager of the National Health Insurance Scheme the opportunity to hear directly from Fulbe minority community members about barriers to enrolment. In response, he committed to organising a mobile registration exercise targeting Fulbe communities, helping to remove obstacles to accessing health coverage.
By strengthening dialogue between citizens and institutions, these townhalls are improving service delivery while addressing exclusion and mistrust – factors that can heighten vulnerability to radicalisation.
Inclusive governance, in this context, becomes a practical and powerful tool for prevention.