CSOs in a group discussion at the NPOs Bill national consultation in Tamale
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) has organized a national consultation meeting with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on Non-Profit Organizations(NPOs) Bill in Tamale in the Northern region.
The purpose of the Bill is to provide non-profit organizations in the public interest for socio-economic development.
The Bill establishes non-profit organizations secretariat as a central authority responsible for the sector.
The secretariat is to be responsible for the registration ,monitoring, evaluation and administration of Non-Profit Organizations and also seeks to provide an enabling environment in which non-profit organizations can flourish.
The Head of the Non-Profit Organizations Secretariat, Dela Ashiagbor, told journalists that the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection developed policy and directives to enable the secretariat regulate the non-profit organizations sector.
According to him, the secretariat seeks to get input and recommendations of the CSOs to enrich the Bill.
He indicated that the sector is very large noting that the ministry currently has about 10,000 licensed NPOs across the country.
“ There is still a lot of the NPOs who are not licensed so what we seek to do is to bring all of them onboard so that government will know who is where and which field they are implementing their works so that government can collaborate with them to ensure that services reach the vulnerable people and the poor.”
Mr. Ashiagbor said the Bill will provide transparency and accountability to the beneficiaries, the ministry and their donors.
“We have a lot of them who are not working according to the objectives that they licensed for and so that law will then provide the law framework for the secretariat to bring them in and make sure that the right thing is done for the benefit of the country.”
Mr. Kojo Owusu, a representative of CSOs Platform on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) , indicated that the feedback of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) will be sent to the Attorney General and it will go through the process before it can be passed.
He said the passage of the Bill will bring sow form of structure adding that the Bill is out going to hunt any CSOs and urged CSOs to point out any part of the policy they feel can affect their work during this consultation process and make recommendations so that at the end the Bill will rather strengthen CSOs work.
The NPOs Bill national consultation started in Tamale and will also take place Accra, Kumasi, Cape Coast, Sunyani and Koforidua.
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale