SOCIAL DEV'T NEWS

Socioserve-Ghana Holds Orientation Workshop on ‘Dialogue for Change’ In Somanya

Socioserve-Ghana in collaboration with the African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA) and the Northern Sector Action on Awareness (NORSAAG) on Tuesday held a sensitization and orientation workshop for various groups aimed at creating awareness for some selected groups.

The project dubbed ‘Dialogue for Change’ targeted various gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) groups, CSOs, State Institutions and market women in the Yilo Krobo Municipality.

The aim of the project, among others is to sensitize participants on the project, the functions of Ghana’s Parliament and the role of the Parliamentarians, as well as the rooms available to citizens to engage their parliamentarians on policies that are most critical to their development.

                                 Cross-Section of Participants

Explaining the two and half year roadmap of the project at a workshop at the Methodist Hall at Somanya, Madam Agnes A.S. Titriku, Programs Manager for African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA) said the project aside its focus on health and education, will seek to persuade lawmakers to involve ordinary Ghanaians in its functions.

“The project whose focus is on Health and Education will draw the attention of parliamentarians or law makers on the need to involve the voice of the marginalized or vulnerable in society in the law-making process,” she asserted. “It will also create a common platform for duty bearers and their constituents and also encourage the marginalized or vulnerable to be inclusive in all developmental decisions of society.”

Madam Agnes Titriku also used the platform to orient participants on the roles of parliamentarians as stated in the constitution of Ghana.

“It is the duty of Members of Parliament (MPs) to enact laws, act as oversight on government, represent their constituents and supervise constituency work,” Madam Titriku underscored, adding that most voters don’t know the duties of their law makers and thereby making it difficult to hold them accountable to their work.

On her part, Mrs. Rita Ntorsoo who is the Programs Manager of Socioserve-Ghana highlighted the goals of the project which she enunciated is to discourage the creation of needless barriers arising out of gender issues.

“The ‘Dialogue for Change’ project focuses on the Gender Equality Social Inclusive (GESI) to ensure that gender issues don’t create barriers in decision making especially in the public sphere, productive work, remuneration, opportunities, capital and self-determination, etc.” she said.

To Mrs. Ntorsoo, the encouragement of boys, girls, women, the vulnerable and physically-challenged in society will go a long way to claim their rightful ownership.

She expressed concern that though people are not excluded in the decision making process in most cases, they invariably and naively discriminate against themselves due to environmental and circumstantial factors.

Present to grace the occasion were members of Socioserve-Ghana, the African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA), Northern Sector Action on Awareness (NORSAAG), Reps of the Yilo Krobo Municipal Assembly, Yilo Krobo NCCE Director, the Yilo Krobo Social Welfare Director, Reps of CSOs, Reps of State and Private Institutions, PWDs among others

The ‘Dialogue for Change’ project is supported by STAR-GHANA with funding from UKaid, European Union and DANIDA.

The project is being implemented in four constituencies in the Eastern region including Asuogyman, Yilo Krobo, Akuapem North and Abuakwa North.

The rest are Sagnarigu in the Tamale North as well as Tolon and Gushegu constituencies in the Northern Region.

Source: Joyce Bedeley/ritefmonline.org/jbedeley9657@gmail.com

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