The founding fathers, past and current members of CDD-Ghana in a group photograph after the launch
THE GHANA CENTER for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has launched its 20th anniversary celebrations.
The policy think tank has also honoured its founding fathers namely Professor Gyimah-Boadi, a democracy and governance expert; Professor Baffour Agyeman-Duah, a governance and elections expert; and William Yeboah, a chartered accountant and finance executive.
CDD-Ghana was formed in 1998 at a time democracy in Ghana was experiencing a transition from an elected president and administration with authoritarian antecedents to one without.
The think tank has made significant achievements in helping to chart the path to democracy in Ghana.
It has arguably emerged as a leader in the generation and dissemination of high-quality public opinion surveys and other relevant data for effective advocacy and policy-making in Ghana and across the African continent.
The Center also led in the mobilization and organization of civil society voice and activism on key national issues through the building of effective national coalitions and networks.
In the area of elections, the Center has helped enhance voter participation in elections.
Speaking at the launch of the 20th anniversary celebrations on Friday in Accra, Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh, Executive Director of CDD-Ghana, said he was proud of the role the Center has played in Ghana’s democratic journey.
According to him, 20 years of helping shape Ghana’s democracy has not been without its challenges and frustrations.
He added “but thanks to the strategic direction of our governing board, our hard-working staff and the unflinching support of the media and other stakeholders; we have managed to stay on course and grown.”
In its bid to delve deeper into the mandate to promote democracy, good governance and inclusive development in Ghana and Africa, CDD-Ghana has reportedly restructured the areas of its programmes into five main segments.
These include Political and Constitutional Governance; Social Inclusion and Equity; Economic and Corporate Governance; Justice, Peace and Security; and Civil Society.
In addition to the five-programme areas, the Center is expected to continue to implement two special projects: the Afrobarometer project which collects public opinion data on political and socio-economic issues in more than 35 African countries, currently headquartered at CDD; and the Center’s Regional Initiatives like the West African Election Observers Network (WAEON) and other Africa-wide initiatives of the Center.
In his welcome address, Deputy Executive Director of CDD-Ghana, Dr. Franklin Oduro, said “over the past two decades, we have chalked up many successes and remained committed to our founding vision to support and promote the development of a free, peaceful and well-governed society based on the rule of law, justice, integrity in public administration and equal opportunity.”
He stressed that “we believe democracy is necessary and its benefits are enormous.”
BY Melvin Tarlue