By Florence Afriyie Mensah, GNA
Kumasi, June 14, GNA – The STAR-Ghana Foundation has renewed calls for volunteerism to be placed at the centre of Ghana’s national development agenda, describing it as a sustainable tool for strengthening governance, community development, and citizen participation.
The national non-profit organisation, which exists to promote inclusive development through active citizenship and local philanthropy, believes informed, engaged and empowered citizens can drive meaningful change in governance and public service delivery.
These concerns were raised at a two-day Community-Based Volunteerism Project Learning Event in Kumasi which brought together Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), partner organisations, community leaders and government representatives to reflect on lessons from the Foundation’s Volunteerism Project.
The project is a pilot initiative designed to explore how volunteerism can be leveraged to address social, economic and governance challenges while strengthening active citizenship and community-led development.
It is being implemented through 18 partner organisations over an 18-month period across 91 communities in 10 regions of Ghana.
Mr. Ibrahim-Tanko Amidu, the Executive Director, STAR-Ghana Foundation, at the opening of the event, described volunteerism as a sustainable path for Ghana’s development appealing for it to be integrated into the country’s workforce planning.
“Volunteerism offers a sustainable way forward for this country, and we need to make efforts to make it the center of national development,” he stated.
He said volunteerism remained one of Ghana’s most valuable but underutilized development resources adding that at a time when development financing was becoming increasingly constrained, communities must be empowered to build on their own knowledge, skills, leadership and resources to drive sustainable development.
This, according to him, is why the project was designed to mobilize local resources rather than depending solely on external donors advocating for funding community initiatives to involve district assemblies, private sector institutions, and community members through local philanthropy.
Development, he noted, was not just about communities owning the outcomes but communities owning the process as well
Ms. Allswell Hooper-Garbrah, the Project Officer of the Volunteerism Project, encouraged young people to embrace volunteerism and explore resources available in their communities for productivity.
GNA
Edited by Yussif Ibrahim/Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Florence Afriyie Mensah
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