JOB TITLE: PROGRAMS OFFICER
EXPECTATION: The Program Officer is expected to provide
support in the implementation of WANEPGhana2019;s projects.

IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR: National Network Coordinator (NNC)
JOB LOCATION: Tamale

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. To support various Regional Chapters of the Network to plan, implement
and monitor peacebuilding initiatives in all the operational regions of
WANEP-Ghana.

2. To support in the production of activity, quarterly, annual and final reports
on all activities of WANEP-Ghana to donors, partners and network
members.

3. To ensure effective coordination and networking with colleagues, member organizations and implementing partners

4. Build and sustain relationships with other Civil Society organizations, local government institutions and security agencies.

5. Articulate the philosophy and modus operandi of the organization to its visitors and partners who visit the secretariat.


For more information concerning the above position, copy the link below into your browser:

http://www.wanep.org/wanep/vacancies/328-wanep-ghanaprogramofficer.html;

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Eco-Pioneers Ghana, a non-governmental organization, on Wednesday called on government to develop a town-specific non-negotiable Blueprint for the development of mineral or oil rich communities in Ghana.
The blueprint tagged, Grand Plan for Economic and Social Development of Mining Communities, must be developed in consultation with the local political and traditional authorities, technocrats, youths and civil society groups. Mr Iddrisu Siddiq, Director, Eco-Pioneers Ghana in a statement to the Ghana News Agency, noted that the blueprint should identify specific projects that need to be in place to ensure sustainable growth and development in the community.

The Mining and other companies in the extractive industries must be made to be a partner of this plan of development, and must, as a matter of course, be obliged to contribute to its implementation. Mr Siddiq noted that, this partnership must be the next most important legal document, after the Environmental Assessment Plan, to which the investors must append their signature.
The Blueprint could either be a stand-alone arrangement or run concurrently with royalty payments. The Eco-Pioneers Ghana said it acknowledges the initiative of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), as far back as 1999, to gather data on development plans from the district assemblies.

However, the proposed blueprint should establish the principles of development, with emphasis on development within communities hosting companies engaged in the extractive industries.
The principles, when firmly established, should serve as lights of guidance to propel development at the district level and its sub-structures.
Eco-Pioneers Ghana expressed the view that one of the greatest banes in the mining and communities saga was the inability of governments to envision the benefits of mining.

Source: https://spyghana.com/ghana-general-news/regional-news/cso-calls-for-development-blueprint-for-mining-communities/;

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The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) is pleased to announce its 2012 Child and Youth Institute that will be held for three (3) weeks, from 3rd to 21st September 2012. The institute is one of the components of the Child and Youth Studies Programme and is aimed at strengthening the analytic capacities of young African researchers on issues affecting children and youth in Africa and elsewhere in the world.

Objectives
The main objectives of the Child and Youth Institute are to:
A. Encourage the sharing of experiences among researchers, civil society activists and policy makers from different disciplines, methodological and conceptual orientations and geographical/linguistic areas;
B. Promote and enhance a culture of democratic values that allows to effectively identify issues facing children and youth on the African continent; and
C. Foster the participation of scholars and researchers in discussions and debates on the processes of child and youth development in Africa.
Resource Persons
Lectures to be delivered at the Institute are supposed to offer laureates the opportunity to advance their reflections on the theme of the Institute. Resource persons should therefore be senior scholars or researchers in their mid-careers who have published extensively on the topic, and who have significant contributions to make to debates on it. They will be expected to produce lecture materials which will stimulate laureates to engage in discussions and debates around the lectures and the general body of literature available on the theme.

Once selected, resource persons must:

1. Interact with the director of the institute and laureates to help the latter readjust their research questions and their methodological approach;
2. Submit a copy of their course materials for reproduction and distribution to participants, not later than one week before they deliver their lectures;
3. Deliver their lectures, participate in debates and comment on the research proposals of the laureates;
4. Review and submit the revised version of their lecture notes or research papers for publication by CODESRIA not later than two months following their presentation at the Institute.

Laureates
Candidates should be Masters or PhD students or scholars in their early careers with a proven capacity to conduct research on the theme of the Institute. Intellectuals active in the policy process and/or social movements and civil society organizations are also encouraged to apply. The number of places available for laureates of this Institute, to be selected across the entire African continent is fifteen (15). Non-African scholars who are able to raise funds for their participation may also apply for a limited number of places.

Methods of Application
Applications for the position of resource person must include:
I. An application letter;
II. A curriculum vitae;
III. Two (2) published papers;
IV. A proposal of not more than five (5) pages in length, outlining the issues to be covered in their three (3) proposed lectures, including one on methodological issues.
Applications for consideration as laureates must include:
I. An application letter;
II. A letter indicating institutional or organizational affiliation;
III. A curriculum vitae;
IV. A research proposal of not more than ten (10) pages, in two copies, including a descriptive analysis of the work the applicant intends to undertake, an outline of the theoretical interest of the topic chosen by the applicant, and the relationship of the topic to the problematic and concerns of the theme of the 2012 Institute;
V. Two (2) reference letters from scholars or researchers known for their competence and expertise in the candidate2019;s research area (geographic and disciplinary), including their names, addresses, telephone and/or fax numbers and email addresses.

Application Deadline
The deadline for the submission of applications is Friday 22 June 2012. Successful applicants will be notified not later than the third week of July 2012.

For more information about the application, kindly copy the link below into your browser:
http://www.codesria.org/spip.php?article1605&lang=en
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Save-Ghana, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has appealed to the Electoral Commission (EC), to review the composition of the District Registration Review Committee (DRRC), to include Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), to promote good governance in the districts.

The current composition of the DRRC as formed by the EC, include the District Electoral Officer, the District Police Commander, a representative from the Ghana Education Service, traditional authorities as well as one representative of each political party active in the district.

Mr. Kingsley Kanton, the Executive Director of Save-Ghana, made the appeal in an interview with the GNA in Wa on Thursday.

He noted that the contribution of CSOs in facilitating good governance could not be overemphasized, and it should be part of the DRRC agenda.

Mr Kanton said as part of Save-Ghana s voter education and monitoring of the biometric voters registration exercise at Funsi in the Wa East District of the Upper West Region, the officials of the NGO interacted with the District Electoral Officer, who told them that the DRRC would meet to deal with 27 challenged cases that have been brought before it.

According to him, two of the cases were alleged to be minors who registered while the rest were on grounds that the applicants were not resident in the particular Electoral Area.

Mr. Kanton said that when he demanded to know the composition of the DRRC, he realized that CSOs that were supporting the EC to ensure credible voter register and peaceful elections, had no representation in the committee.

He called for collaboration between the EC and CSOs to promote good governance.

Mr Kanton asked the EC to review the composition of the committee to include CSOs to enhance the partnership.

Source: http://vibeghana.com/2012/05/03/save-ghana-urges-ec-to-review-committees/;

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Does your organization provide community-based paralegal services? Are you interested in learning from the experiences of others and working to develop strategies to address common challenges or complex cases?

If so, Global Rights and Namati invite your application to an African Regional Workshop for Community-Based Paralegal Programs. This event provides a space for administrators, lead paralegals, and trainers to learn from each other in a variety of areas such as paralegal training, case monitoring and evaluation, supervision, or handling cases dealing with gender, land, or customary law issues, among others.

The workshop is open to administrators, lead paralegals, and trainers from paralegal service organizations operating in sub-Saharan Africa (up to two participants per organization). Simultaneous translation in English and French will be provided. The workshop is free to participants. Additionally, we will cover participants reasonable travel expenses.

Application is available in English and French. Please submit your application and/or any questions to workshop@namati.org by May 18, 2012.

For more information on application, copy link into your browser:
http://www.namati.org/newsposts/call-for-applications-africa/;

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Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, a Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, has strongly criticized Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the country for keeping silent over the increasing hate speeches being preached by politicians.

201C;Their silence on these matters is very disturbing, and it has contributed to the increase in provocative statements,201D; he told newsmen in Accra yesterday.

He was of the view that outright condemnation by the CSOs of previous inciting speeches by politicians would have saved the nation from the increasing provocative utterances.

He said as civil society groups, they had a duty to speak for the public on matters of national concern, adding that political activists continued to make provocative statements because the previous ones had not been condemned by the CSOs.

201C;If the CDDs, the IDEGs, the IEAs, the churches and the National Peace Council had descended heavily on those who made hate speeches earlier, others like Kennedy Agyapong wouldn2019;t have had the courage to declare war,201D; he said.

He urged the CSOs 201C;to be proactive and help to save the country from being plunged into dangerous situation facilitated by irresponsible statements by political leaders201D;

Mr. Ankrah also urged the police to do more to deal with people inciting violence, and asked them to execute their mandate without fear or favour.

Source:http://www.ghananewslink.com/?id=21082;

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The Centre for African Elections Media Monitoring Index (CAEMMI) a nonprofit organization and Strengthening Transparency Accountability and Responsibility in Ghana STAR (Ghana) a multi donor funding mechanism on Wednesday organized a collaborative workshop on Building effective Media Relations and Media Engagements for northern based STAR (Ghana) Elections grant partners (GPs) in Tamale.
The workshop organized by STAR (Ghana) is to strengthen the capacities of grant partners funded under their 2012 Elections Call to improve the effectiveness of their media engagement strategies, communicate effectively on their advocacy activities and to engage the media to promote peaceful and transparent elections.
The workshop among other things equipped civil society groups with the skill to engage the media as part of their advocacy projects.

Dr. Messan Mawugbe , the Executive Director of CAEMMI , said In this era of rapidly changing media and advocacy environment, there are numerous opportunities for organizations to position themselves and engage with their target audiences through the media but approaching the media which is a key stakeholder in this year s election must be in various frame of interested messages that meshes with how they tell stories.
He added that creating the total media experience and engagement across all platforms and mediums depends largely on framing your message to create compelling content , evaluating the media competition in terms of what activity will interest the media and news worthy in your media space and relations efforts.
He advised CSOs not to rely solely on journalists to create the news for them but adopt effective media engagement strategies, which are a wheel on which media relations strategies, strive to inform the media, engage the media and respond to the media. Media engagement activities makes organizations prepared and ready to jump on media opportunities all the time.

Mr. Michael Ohene-Effah, Governance Advisor from DFID doing a presentation on Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) responds to election risks and mitigation, urged CSOs to use their platforms to objectively respond, engage and condemn activities of political activities that have the high risk of turning the country into turmoil.
He said a lot of warning signs of violence and unrest have emerged on this year s election political space which points towards the need for a collaborative civil society response to peaceful elections.
Participants were taken through how to develop their communication strategies, media relations planning, media engagement tools and practices as well as identifying election risks.
The workshop in Tamale is a first session of STAR (Ghana) s media engagement series of workshop planned for stakeholders across the country.

Participants were drawn from Action for Sustainable Development , Ahenbronoso Care Foundation , Centre for Promotion of Democratic Governance , Choice Ghana, Centre for Alternative Development, Northern Ghana Aid, Northern Sector Action on Awareness Centre, Partners in Participatory Development , Sustainable Aid through Voluntary Establishment , Youth Alive , Youth Advocacy Rights and Opportunities, Ghana Network for Peace Building took part in the workshop.
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The Foundation for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA), a non-governmental organization operating in the three Northern Regions of Ghana has called for the reform of the dowry system in the Upper West Region
It described the current system as unacceptable and a potential breeding ground towards enforcing the perpetual subordination of women.

A statement from FOSDA, in partnership with the Savannah Women Empowerment Group Ghana (SWEGG), said the current system has far-reaching implications for rights of women and encourages domestic violence and its associated problems.
The Foundation suggested an acceptable dowry to be between GHC 300 to GHC 500 explaining that cowry shells were now difficult to come by and demanding 13,000 cowry shells which sells for as much as GHC3900 is very expensive for a community where per capita income is lower than the national average of GHC133.80
The statement said the system of dowry payments to the parents of a bride was as old as humanity and was practiced throughout Africa and many other parts of the world, however, the requirements of large payments was having adverse affects on families.

It said in Nandom, one of the villages in the Upper West, a prospective husband may have to pay three cows, 13000 cowries (formerly used as cash but now hard to find) and poultry to a woman2019;s family before the couple could be recognized traditionally as husband and wife.
FOSDA said without being able to afford to get the woman of their choice, many young men preferred to have informal relationships that have limited commitments and responsibilities. This has increased the tendency of increasing promiscuity and its attendant repercussion of STDs, HIV/AIDs and single parenthood.

Source: http://vibeghana.com/2012/02/19/current-dowry-system-in-upper-west-unacceptable-fosda/
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The Civil Society Platform on Oil and Gas has said public disclosure of all oil and gas contracts by government would remove the incentive for public officials to negotiate bad contracts on behalf of the State.

It said all draft agreements and contracts must be widely published for 30 days for the public to make input before ratification.

The Platform said as much as revenue that would accrue to the State are tied to the fiscal terms in the contract, it was important to make all contracts, primary and subsidiary, publicly disclosed.

“Such disclosure will not only remove the incentive for public officials to negotiate bad contracts on behalf of the State but also inform citizens of what to expect in terms of revenues from a particular project,” the Platform said in a briefing paper on the Implementation Challenges of the Petroleum Revenue Management Law.

The Briefing Paper said there was the need to remove the power of the Minister of Finance to withhold information and called for a detailed regulations and procedures governing citizens’ right to information under the law.
The paper also called for disaggregation of all payments and adequate capacity for the Ghana Revenue Authority to be able to verify tax returns to avoid the weakness in mining being repeated in the petroleum industry.

It suggested that the Advisory Committee should make its advice binding on the Energy Minister.
Mr Bishop Akolgo, Executive Director, Integrated Social Development Centre, said citizens’ vigilance would ensure that revenue from the oil and gas resources was well utilized in priority areas to speed up development.
Besides, vigilance is required to assure the citizens that the information being submitted by oil companies is accurate.

In this direction, he said, it was important to tighten regulations in the Petroleum Revenue Management Law to prevent the Minister of Finance from spending in non-priority areas.
There is also the need for a reference price and a regional or global spot price to plug the absence of a reference price for oil and gas as this determines the size of the revenue envelope.
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CSOs in Ghana continue to stress on the need for a peaceful free and fair elections in Ghana.In its Annual General Meeting held on April 18, 2012 at the Osu Eben-Ezer Presbyterian Chapel in Accra,Ghana,the Christian Council of Ghana, CCG, expressed concerned over the current atmosphere that characterises the political terrain in Ghana. Copy the link into your browser and read more.... http://www.wacsi.org/en/site/newsroom/1176/Communique-issued-by-CCG-on-the-December-Polls-Elections-in-Ghana.htm;

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CSOs in Ghana now have a website that will increase their national and regional engagements.
CSOs in Ghana now have a website that will increase their national and regional engagements. The website was developed to create a contemporary platform that will enhance their outreach. In order to have all CSOs in Ghana registered on the website, the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) encourages all Ghanaian CSOs operating within the ten (10) regions of the country to visit the website and register.

The website exists for CSOs in Ghana. While it has up-to-date information on contacts and thematic focus of CSOs, it also provides all CSOs with information and opportunities – funding, trainings, workshops, conferences - to promote their work.

CSOs are encouraged to visit the website’s link: www.civilsociety.org.gh and register through a registration button on the homepage called “Register A CSO.”

The overall objective of the website is to document the activities of CSOs working at different levels in the country and provide information on CSOs based on regional location and areas of specialisation.

The specific objectives of the website are:
To promote visibility, networking and collaboration among broad-based networks and civil society organisations in Ghana;
To provide a platform for CSO stakeholders to access relevant CSO information in an easy and timely manner and establish productive networks;

Currently, the website has duly registered 1,041 CSOs who are actively working at different localities within the ten regions of Ghana.

The registered CSOs are illustrated in the table below:

Region Number of CSOs
1.Greater Accra 60
2.Ashanti 131
3.Eastern 109
4.Brong Ahafo 52
5.Volta 74
6.Central 139
7.Western 83
8.Upper East 70
9.Upper West 83
10.Northern 98

The e-directory project was initiated by the Embassy of France in Ghana, is coordinated by WACSI and supported by the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare to promote civil society’s involvement and valuable contribution to national development in Ghana.
More in this section:
Civil society becomes the catalyst for change (By Hawa Ba)
ECOWAS Denounces attempted Coup in Gunea-Bissau
WACSI Interns “… find a way out or make one” …
Global Debate and Public Policy Challenge.;

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Kindly visit the link below:

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_62181.html;

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The West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) invite you to apply for a specialised training on Personal Productivity Skills. This course will enable you to be an effective employee and a strategic contributor to the success of your organisation.

This course is specifically tailored to strengthen the managerial skills of decision makers, managers and staff of CSOs. It is streamlined to enhance your functional skills in three key areas that will enable you to be:
•A good team leader;
•A good coach at work; and
•A more effective manager.

Contribution Fee: Course contribution fees of $300.00 (three hundred U.S. Dollars) only are to be paid by May 4, 2012 to be eligible to participate in the training. Early fee payments are encouraged and attract the following discounts:

•Early Payment Discount: 10% discount available for applicants who pay contribution fee on or before Friday April 27, 2012.
•Two (2) or more applicants from one organisation will benefit from 10%discount per participant if contribution fee is paid on or before Friday April 27, 2012; and
•First ten applicants to pay their contribution fees will benefit from a $50.00 (Fifty USD) discount.

Only 25 participants are expected for this training.
APPLY NOW… SPACES ARE LIMITED

Application Deadline: Fill and submit application form before Monday 23 April, 2012 via email to capacitybuilding@wacsi.org

For more information about the call for application, course brief and trainers' profiles, kindly visit the link below:

http://www.wacsi.org/en/site/newsroom/1132/Improve-your-Personal-Productivity-Skills-Training.htm
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The Northern Sector Action on Awareness Centre (NORSAAC) is to facilitate and encourage 700 first-time eligible voters in the Tolon-Kumbungu and Gushiegu districts and the Tamale metropolis in the Northern Region to successfully go through the nationwide biometric registration exercise.

The move is part of a one-year project dubbed, “Strengthening Advocacy for Peaceful Elections”, aimed at supporting stakeholders in the exercise and the entire electioneering to encourage people to register and vote to promote peaceful elections.

The project is being jointly implemented by NORSAAC and STAR Ghana, both non-governmental organisations.

The Director of NORSAAC, Mr Alhassan Awal, made this known at a day’s training workshop on the biometric registration in Tamale for civil society organisations (CSOs) in the region.

The workshop was aimed at, among other objectives, equipping members with the needed knowledge on the biometric process.

Mr. Awal urged the CSOs to make the biometric process an integral part of their interventions.

He announced that NORSAAC, with support from its partners, had designed 1,600 posters to create awareness of the process.

The Master Trainer of Super Lock Technologies Limited, providers of the biometric software, Mr Shishi Adam, said the biometric process had been tried and tested and found to be good for Ghana's democratic process.

He stated that the system was designed to prevent any form of cheating, including deletion of voters’ data and multiple voting.

Some of the participants were, however, skeptical about the process and urged the Electoral Commission (EC), the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and the Information Services Department to intensify public education on the exercise.

They equally cautioned the EC against over confidence in the system in order not to gloss over potential challenges that were likely to be recorded in the registration.

Source: http://www.modernghana.com/news/385748//norsac-to-facilitate-registration-exercise.html;

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Representatives from 16 civil society organisations from Kenya, South Africa, Cameroon, Liberia, Mali, Zimbabwe, DR Congo, Malawi, Chad, Nigeria, Ghana and Togo attended a two day planning meeting at the WACSI secretariat in Accra to brainstorm on the modus operandi of a pan-African capacity building security sector network for African CSOs.
Participants at the meeting which took place from 23 – 24 February expressed their wish to have a concrete plan of action put in place to commence activities of the network by the end of the meeting. The meeting also witnessed the participation of representatives from the African Security Sector Network (ASSN), African Security Dialogue and Research (ASDR), Foundation for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA) and West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), an advisory group member, and, donor organisations represented by Open Society Foundation (OSF) and Trust Africa.

Discussions during the meeting focused on the activities of the network that would adequately address the capacity gaps of CSOs across Africa on security issues. General Thomas Jaye, member of the advisory group of the African Security Governance project, which culminated in the creation of the network, pointed out that “institutions that are supposed to serve as guardian angels of security in states have failed”. This poses the need for CSOs to contribute in ensuring that adequate physical security is given to citizens, but also, to ensure that citizens are exonerated from deeper oppression.

Participants pondered on possible ways of mobilizing resources for the network and how their organizations can contribute to the success of the network. They also agreed to set up a steering committee that would oversee activities leading to the full running of the network. Participants unanimously agreed to have WACSI serve as the interim secretariat for the network and coordinate members and the steering committee to put in place the institutional structures for the network. The steering committee was commissioned to develop a constitution for the Network. They were also tasked to make plans for the next general meeting for current and new participating organizations from across the continent.
The verve amongst participants was high. Ezekiel Pajibo of Trust Africa, Liberia, pledged the commitment of Trust Africa to collaborate with Search for Common Ground, Liberia that was equally present, to identify and bring on board Liberian CSOs working on security issues. He emphasized on the need for a change in the paradigm of addressing security challenges and thinks the engagement of CSOs can contribute to this.

Undule Mwakasungula of the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR), Malawi, expressed the commitment of his organization to mobilize his colleagues working on security issues in his country to be affiliated to the network. “It is important to embrace the network and internalize the outcomes of this meeting within our organizations”, he noted. He believes a collective effort of CSOs dealing with security issues on the continent would enable the network to effectively contribute towards security on the continent. Undule affirmed his conviction that WACSI’s presence at the helm of the process would lead to success. “WACSI has the capacity and is going to be of added value in giving direction on how the network should function”, he stated.
Participants left with optimism and satisfaction on the prospects of having a robust and effective civil society body made of Africans, by Africans and working for Africans, that would contribute towards positive peace in Africa.;

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CSOs from Brong Ahafo, Western, Ashanti, Upper west, Upper East and Northern regions of Ghana were elated at the existence of a platform on which they can publicise and disseminate to a wider national and international stakeholder community.
This comes as organizations in these regions were presented with the e- directory website for CSOs in Ghana- www.civilsociety.com.gh. The website was presented to representatives of CSOs from Upper West, Upper East and Northern regions in Radach lodge, Tamale on Tuesday March 22, 2012. A similar event took place in Fosua hotel in Kumasi on Thursday 22nd March 2012. The latter brought together representatives of CSOs from Brong Ahafo, Western and Ashanti regions.

Both launching events witnessed the participation of enthusiastic civil society practitioners from these regions. Participants were taken through the process of data collection of existing registered CSOs in Ghana, assembling the information and using the information to develop the website. Harrison Boakye Owusu, focal person on the project at the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) explained that information on CSOs in Ghana was gotten from the regional district offices of the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare in all regions of the country. He equally emphasized that their visit to some of the local NGOs in the hinterlands of Ghana enabled them to have reliable and exhaustive information on all CSOs in Ghana.

The Cooperation Attaché at the Embassy of France, Christian Joly and the Executive Director of WACSI, Nana Afadzinu both emphasized that the website is an initiative to serve the interest of CSOs in Ghana. They sent a firm message to all CSOs in Ghana to make exhaustive use of the site in any way that promotes the interest of their organizations.
Some organizations that have made use of the site described it as a platform for raising awareness and a “loud speaker for CSOs in Ghana”, noted Augustine Tugbog representative of Centre for the Development of the People (CEDEP) who was present at the launch in Tamale.
A participant at the launch in Kumasi elucidated that the website enables CSOs in Ghana to address responses to the 5Ws and 1H, that is “it enables our CSOs to say Who they are, What they do, Why they exist, Where they are, Whom they are responsible to and How they do their work” explained Christopher Kwaku Dapaah from of Resource Link Foundation.

The website makes provision for new CSOs in Ghana to submit their registration information for addition on to the website in the “Register a CSO” section in the home page. Visitors of the website can locate information on the existing CSOs in Ghana working in a particular thematic area in the “Find a CSO” icon on the home page. The home page of the site also has the map of Ghana demarcated into the ten regions of the country. A click on any of these regions will take you to all CSOs on the site registered under the clicked or chosen region. The website also has a news section which provides CSOs in Ghana with available information on funding opportunities, scholarships, policy forums that could add value to the work of CSOs in the country as well as news and information relating to the work of CSOs.
Currently the website and its content are managed by WACSI to reflect indigenous realities faced by CSOs in Ghana. The idea was initiated by the Embassy of France in Ghana and WACSI and is supported by UNDP office in Ghana and the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare. www.civilsociety.org.gh is a website by CSOs in Ghana and for CSOs in Ghana.
Source: http://www.wacsi.org/en/site/newsroom/1100/CSOs-in-Ghana-now-have-a-Platform-for-Regional-and-National-Engagement-CSOs-in-Ghana.htm;

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Deadline: 12 April, 2012

The African Leadership Centre (ALC) was established in Kenya in June 2010 as a joint initiative of King’s College London and the University of Nairobi. The ALC is pleased to announce a call for applications for the Peace and Security Fellowship for African Women for 2012/2013. This Fellowship is an intellectual and financial award to those who have demonstrated obvious or potential capacity to make a change in their field.Please note that the Fellowship does not lead to an academic qualification, rather it is a postgraduate non-degree programme.

From October 2011, the Peace and Security Fellowships for African Women will be delivered by the ALC, Conflict Security and Development Group (CSDG), King’s College London and the Institute for Development Studies(IDS), University of Nairobi.

The Peace and Security Fellowship Programme for African Women is designed to expose young professional African women to the complexities of conflict, security and development. The exposure is to equip them for careers in this field by developing their expertise to generate African-led ideas and processes of change for Peace and Security Fellowship for African Women addressing challenges on the African continent. The Fellowships especially aim to ground this expertise on peace and security in the pursuit of excellence and integrity.

For further information, please visit:
http://www.codesria.org/spip.php?article1567 ;

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FIFTH SOUTH-SOUTH SUMMER INSTITUTE
RETHINKING DEVELOPMENT: GLOBAL AND REGIONAL ALTERNATIVES
FOR THE DEVELOPMENT IN THE SOUTH
DATE: 21 MAY – 1 JUNE, 2012
VENUE: RECIFE, BRAZIL

African applicants should send their applications electronically to:
CODESRIA
2012 South-South Summer Institute
BP 3304, CP 18524, Dakar, SENEGAL
Tel: (221) 825 9822: Fax: (221) 824 1289
Email: south.institute@codesria.sn
Website: www.codesria.org

Asian applicants should send their applications electronically to:
APISA (Secretariat)
2012 South-South Summer Institute
International Studies Department, De La Salle University
Rm. 701, William Hall
2401 Taft Avenue, Manila, Philippines 1004
Email : apisasecretariat@gmail.com
Website : www.apisanet.com

Latin American and Caribbean applicants should submit electronically their applications through:
CLACSO,
2012 South- South Summer Institute
Callao 875, 3º (1023) Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA
Tel: (54 11) 4811-6588 / 4814-2301; Fax: (54 11) 4812-845
E-mail: sur@clacso.edu.ar
Website: www.clacso.org

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Tiri Integrity School’s “Leadership and Management for Integrity” course jointly organized by Tiri and the Central European University (CEU) between July 2 and 11, 2012 in Budapest, Hungary, offers three policy labs to choose from:

Doing Business with Integrity in Emerging Markets policy lab aims to develop new insights into business integrity in emerging markets and why integrity innovation represents one of the biggest opportunities for market advantage, to gain strategies for collective action and engaging multiple stakeholders to strengthen the integrity performance of your business, and to foster an organizational learning culture in your company to promote business integrity.

Social Accountability: A Critical Review and the Way Forward policy lab provides a critical review of social accountability efforts, highlighting the approaches, challenges, successes and potential ways forward in the most challenging of environments. Social accountability in fragile and conflict-affected states is a relatively new phenomenon in governance discourse. It has emerged with the lessons that top-down anti-corruption approaches have often failed. With increasing support to fragile and conflict affected states, efforts to build accountability and trust and strengthen the social contract between state and society in the wake of crisis are needed.

Strengthening Electoral Justice and Integrity policy lab will address electoral integrity issues that are often left out in the reform agenda, will encourage strategic thinking, and explores emerging international standards of electoral justice and each major stakeholder in a democracy can both strengthen and undermine this outcome. The discussions will focus on how a collaborative and multi-stakeholders' approach can be relevant to improve electoral justice outcomes.

The course is specifically designed to support the challenges being encountered by line managers in government, business and civil society concerned with protecting their programmes and maximising their leverage and influence on the governance and regulatory environment.
Past years’ lecturers include George Soros (philanthropist, the founder of Central European University and Open Society Institute), Paul Collier (professor at Oxford University’s Economics Department), Dr. Vaira Vike-Freiberga (former president of Latvia), Abdul Tejan-Cole (former anti-corruption commissioner of Sierra Leone, OSF Africa Director), Nuhu Ribadu (former anti-corruption commissioner of Nigeria), T.S. Krishnamurthy and Needamangalam Gopalaswami (both former chief election commissioners of India).

Attending the courses can be an important opportunity to interact with managers facing similar challenges in other countries and other institutional environments. It is a cost-effective means of raising both skills and awareness of the manifold opportunities – and challenges – in integrity reform.

General information on the course, policy labs and the application procedure is available at http://www.summer.ceu.hu/leadership-2012
Application deadline: March 5, 2012

The base tuition fee is EUR 1,200, while academics and employees of local NGOs are eligible to pay a reduced fee of EUR 800. Participants are responsible for covering related travel and living costs, however limited competitive financial aid packages are available.;

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The French Co-operation in Ghana has been supporting civil society driven initiatives through its small grants programme – the Fund for Social Development (F.S.D.) – since 2000. Carried out by and for the Ghanaian people, the projects focusing on poverty alleviation and targeting women, deprived youth and other vulnerable groups are encouraged.

Applicants must be legally registered Civil Society Organisations, or District Assemblies.

Deadline: The first phase of the call for applications is open until Friday February 17th, 2012 at 3:00 pm.

How to apply?

The first step is to send by e-mail or post-mail, a concept note briefly introducing the organisation, explaining the objectives of the project, the planned activities and the expected results, describing the local situation and the direct beneficiaries.

The concept note must not exceed 3 front pages. A global estimated budget must also be attached to the concept note. Would you please find attached a draft.

Eligible applicants will receive a complete application form for the second phase of the call.

Emails are to be sent to the FSD coordinator: clelia.roucoux@diplomatie.gouv.fr

Important notice: Due to the e-mail box capacity, e-mails above 3Mo will not be received by the FSD coordinator. To avoid any problem, if you have not received acknowledgement of receipt of your proposal within 48 hours after sending, you must contact the FSD coordinator.

Applicants will find more information on this call for applications by clicking on the link http://www.ambafrance-gh.org/spip.php?rubrique2

Please, read carefully the guidelines before submitting any document. The FSD coordinator is available if you have any question or need support/advice to help you draft your project proposal.


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WACSI has developed a new course on Communication Skills and Strategies for civil society actors in West Africa.
The Institute has identified the importance of effective communication in fostering interpersonal interactions and organizational communication to promote organizational gains. Driven by this dire need, the Institute has developed this specialized course to improve the communication skills of civil society actors.

This course will balance both theoretical and practical skills required for good communication. This is to ensure that participants emerge as better communicators to boost the portfolio of their respective organizations. The course will equip participants with poignant skills in fundraising communication, developing press kits, influencing public policy, formulating a strategic communication plan and developing a good relationship with the media.

This course costs $300.00 and will hold from 21 to 23 March, 2012 at the WACSI training centre in Accra. The cost will cover course materials, lunch meals and coffee/tea breaks.
Applications from prospective participants are currently being accepted until Friday 2 March, and potential participants are expected to pay the above contribution fee on or before Monday 12 March, 2012. Applicants will be selected on a first come first serve basis.

For more information on the participation criteria and application process, kindly visit the link below:

http://wacsi.lab.sourcefabric.org/en/site/newsroom/447/Call-for-Application-Communication-Skills-and-Strategies-Course.htm ;

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This year, WACSI will continue to deliver its foundation courses for civil society actors in the sub-region. Board Governance for Executive Directors of civil society organizations (CSOs) in West Africa, one of such courses, is slated to hold from April 2nd to 4th.
The 3 day course will hold at the WACSI training centre situated at the Institute’s secretariat in Accra. The course specifically targets Executive Directors of Civil Society Organizations in West Africa. It seeks to enhance organizational effectiveness by fostering good corporate governance of organizations.

The course will enable participating executive directors to have a deeper understanding of how to build effective boards and management teams, and, distribute roles and responsibilities of boards. The participants at this course will be empowered with appropriate skills that will enable them to play central roles in instituting a results-based dynamics within their respective organizations.

A course contribution fee of $300.00 is required to book a place for this specialized course. This will cover for tuition, lunch meals, coffee/tea breaks, training manuals and a certificate of participation.

For more information on the participation criteria and application process, kindly visit the link below.

http://wacsi.lab.sourcefabric.org/en/site/newsroom/454/Call-for-Application-Board-Governance-for-Executive-Directors-Course.htm
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Kindly visit the link below to see the application guidelines and procedure:

http://osiwa.org/index.php/en/grants/call-for-proposals
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