Dr. Samuel Dotse
Project Coordinator of HATOF Foundation, Dr. Samuel Dotse, has pointed out on the need for Civil Society Organisation (CSO) knowledge on climate change to be enhanced in the wake to minimise its impact on the country’s economy.
He said building the capacity of CSOs in climate change is essential for driving meaningful and effective action at all levels of society, from grassroots communities to global policy forums.
Samuel Dotse made this statement in reaction to the Capacity Needs Process and Finding Report which suggested that out of the 113 CSOs engaged in the implementation of the Rio Convention in Ghana, 35 of them representing 30% represented the rates of response.
“The response from the survey clearly indicates our quest to do more within the civil society space because if you send out a questionnaire to 113 people and only 35 responded, for me it’s a good sign to indicate that the capacity is low so there is a need to build capacity,” he said.
Dr. Samuel Dotse bemoaned the lack of clear vision of some CSOs in the country which is affecting their operations. “Lack of clear vision is one of the challenges CSOs are facing in this country. When you set up an organisation, you should convince yourself that you want to do a specific mandate, so allow people relate with it,” he stated.
He made this statement at the Green Climate Fund CSO Readiness Programme and Capacity Validation Workshop in Accra on Wednesday, May 8, 2024.
Dr. Samuel Dotse said the HATOF Foundation, with funds from Green Climate Fund and Ministry of Finance, engaged CSOs in capacity building and knowledge management on climate change in Ghana, towards the implementation of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
This capacity plan is to enhance the organisational competencies of the relevant CSOs operating in climate change and related sectors, to facilitate their contribution towards effective and efficient implementation of the NDCs in Ghana.
In his presentation, National Consultant Dr. Raymond Babanawo, said the implementation of NDCs presents both CSOs and government agencies with new challenges in terms of setting goals and targets, analysing the effects of various policy options, and estimating the financial and technical needs to fulfill set goals and targets.
“Implementation of NDCs requires substantive amounts of data, knowledge and capacity to assess the potential outcomes of various policy options as well as financial and human resources,” he said.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke