Our Work
The overall goal is to promote and deepen democratic consolidation, good governance, and inclusive growth and development. CDD-Ghana works in five program areas and has two special projects. Research and Advocacy ran through all of the program areas.
Everything we do is underpinned by:
- Research
- Analysis
- Education
- Engagement
Political and Constitutional Governance
We work to secure and increase the integrity and credibility of the institutions and processes of democratic representation and accountability, including local and national elections and election management; citizen and community access to, and participation in the processes of political decision-making and governance; and the responsiveness and accountability of political institutions at both local and national levels.
Our political and constitutional governance work specifically covers- Elections and election observation, national and local.
- Election management accountability
- Decentralization and local/urban governance
- Legislative engagement
- Political parties and campaigns
- Independent constitutional bodies (commissions)
Economic and Corporate Governance
Aimed to increase the transparency, integrity, and effectiveness of government in its management of public assets and resources, contractual and other transactional dealings with the business sector, and regulation of private economic activity and investment.
Our economic and corporate governance work specifically covers
- Governance of state owned enterprises
- Natural resource and extractive sector governance
- Anticorruption and value for money
- Private sector development
- Public financial management
- Regulatory bodies
- Public sector reform
Justice, Peace and Security
We work to increase and strengthen the responsiveness, accountability, and quality of justice and security services provision to local communities and marginalized groups, especially in fragile settings.
Our justice, peace, and security work specifically covers:
- Access to justice
- Sentencing and Prison Reform
- Judicial accountability
- Policing and law enforcement
- Conflict prevention and peace-building
- Administrative justice/rule of law
Social Inclusion and Equity
The goal is to increase the political, economic, and social power and wellbeing of women, youth, rural communities, and other socially disadvantaged groups by – enlarging and enhancing the ability and capacity of such groups to participate and share in meaningful sustainable economic activity and local and national governance and policy outcomes; and increasing accessibility, equity, and responsiveness in the delivery of public services and social protection programs.
Our Social inclusion and equity work specifically covers:
- Gender equity and women’s empowerment
- Social protection
- Social accountability
- Youth engagement
- Disability rights
- Internal migrant and extractive communities
- Sustainable rural livelihoods
Civil Society and Media
Our work here is to protect and enlarge the space for civic organization and action and leverage the experience and convening power of CDD-Ghana to increase the representation, participation, and impact of civil society and civic actors in the policy space and public governance by leading and supporting diverse collaborations with other civil society organizations and media and organizing and managing advocacy coalitions.
Our civil society work specifically covers:
- Civil Society (CSO) regulatory environment
- Think tanks
- Professional and occupational groups outreach
- Media
- Disability rights
- Community Based Organization (CBO) capacity building
Afrobarometer
Instituted in 1999, Afrobarometer is a Pan-African, non-partisan survey research project that conducts public attitude surveys on democracy, governance, economic conditions, civil society, and other topics in more than 30 countries across all regions in Africa. Afrobarometer surveys are conducted on a regular cycle in countries that are surveyed.
In addition to being the Ghana National Partner and serving as the Project Management Unit (PMU) of the project, CDD-Ghana is one of the Afrobarometer’s four Core Partners, with the responsibility to oversee and support in-country surveys and dissemination of results in Anglophone West Africa plus Cape Verde and Sao Tome, and Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco.
Its goal is to give the public a voice in policymaking by providing high-quality public opinion data to policymakers, policy advocates, civil society organizations, academics, news media, donors and investors, and everyday Africans.
CODEO
The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) is an independent and non-partisan network of civil society groups, faith-based organizations and professional bodies which observe Ghanaian elections. It was established in the year 2000 under the auspices of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) to mobilize citizens of Ghana to actively participate in the electoral process and to complement the efforts of Ghana’s Electoral Commission in ensuring transparent, free, fair and peaceful elections.
WAEON
WAEON is an independent, non-partisan, and non-religious organization that aims at strengthening and supporting Citizen Election Observation Groups (CEOs) in the West Africa sub-region. WAEON comprises independent and non-partisan CEOGs in West Africa that subscribe to the Declaration of Global Principles for Non-partisan Election Observation and Monitoring by Citizen Organizations. CDD-Ghana serves as the secretariat for WAEON.
Established in 2010, the network seeks to strengthen the technical capacities and provide moral support to member organizations to conduct non-partisan citizen election observation, champion electoral reform, and advocacy to promote credible elections in their respective countries.
WADEMOS
The West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network (WADEMOS) is a transnational democracy solidarity network that aims to mobilize, coordinate, and leverage the collective power of pro-democracy actors, opportunities, and resources to engage regional and related bodies to fight against democratic deterioration and advocate for the democratization of West Africa.
