Takoradi: Journalists from the Western, Western North, and Central Regions have been trained in advocacy reporting on local public service delivery, thanks to a two-day regional media workshop organized by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The event, part of the USAID/Ghana Performance Accountability Activity (PAA) initiative, aimed to enhance the capacity of media practitioners to effectively report and advocate for better public services.
According to Ghana News Agency, the workshop was conducted under the theme ‘Strengthening Media-Civil Society Partnerships for Effective Public Service Delivery Advocacy’ and facilitated by the non-government organization Trans-Media Network. The PAA initiative, funded by USAID and implemented by Democracy International in collaboration with the Government of Ghana and local Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), seeks to improve public service delivery across 70 districts in 10 regions.
The initiative focuses on supporting local organizations,
women and youth groups, and traditional and religious leaders in advocating for improved services in areas such as education, health, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), agriculture, and fisheries. Mrs. Linda Ofori-Kwafo, Chief of the Party for the PAA, emphasized the workshop’s goal of equipping journalists with skills to address knowledge gaps in reporting on local governance and public service issues.
Mrs. Ofori-Kwafo highlighted the importance of access to essential services as a basic human right and a foundation for societal growth. She acknowledged the challenges in making these services accessible and stressed the role of the PAA in collaborating with government and civil society to enhance service quality and accountability.
The workshop’s discussions focused on empowering journalists to amplify PAA’s efforts and those of its partners by identifying critical advocacy issues and creating strategic campaigns to address public service challenges. The aim is to foster sustainable and accountable gove
rnance at district and community levels.
In addition to the discussions, Mr. Emmanuel Attramah, PAA Communications Specialist, encouraged participants to focus on programming related to local public services and accountability to improve service delivery. Mr. Charles Yao Mawusi, CEO of Trans-Media Network, led sessions on framing advocacy agendas, integrating PAA interventions into media content, and using sensory approaches for advocacy content development.