Coming up on 10 June, 2014 edition of "Africa in Focus": "The State of Civil Society in West Africa post-2015"

As 2015 approaches with increasing celerity, it is time for civil society to prepare itself for the post-2015 agenda. This debate is important in the light of the fact that 2015 is the year when an important examination of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will be had. What this means is that a serious analysis on how far and how deeply civil society has acted around the fight for the MDGs will be open for discussion and reflection in the development sector community.

As Ghana has been identified as a middle-income country, aid flows to the country will diminish significantly with a number of major donors that will begin to set deadlines for the end of their aid frameworks. In this light, civil society will need to answer the question as to where CSOs, as a vital part of society, will continue to find funding in the future.

Guests include:

-         Executive Director of WACSI Nana -- Asantewa Afadzinu

-        OSIWA Programme Manager in Charge of Law, Justice and Human Rights -- Afia Asantewaa Asare-Kyei

--        STAR Ghana’s Mary Tobbinosei

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THE MEDIA HAS A MAJOR ROLE TO PLAY ON PEACE & SECURITY- WACSI director

By Elizabeth Owusu-Kissi, AIF News Reporter

The Executive Director of the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI), Mrs. Nana Asantewa Afadzinu in her response to a question asked by the host of the “Africa In Focus” Show, Emmanuel K Bensah Jr, said, the media – as part of the civil society – has a major role to play in setting the agenda on the issue of ‘Peace and Security’ in Africa in relation to the subject ‘Responsibility to Protect’.

The interview session, which was held at Eastgate Hotel – a platinum sponsor of the Africa In Focus show --, solicited the facts and realities on ground on issues affecting Africa.

Mrs. Afadzinu said, the primary responsibility to protect the citizens of a country lies with the State. However, the media, including other parts of civil society groups, play salient roles in communicating and creating awareness on ordinary people’s right of protection. She added that it is important the media exerts pressure on the government to protect their rights and the public.

Addressing the issue of Boko Haram, Nana said Boko Haram is a threat not only to Nigeria but also to Africa as a whole because the term ‘Boko Haram’ can not only be found in Nigeria alone but its roots can be traced in most communities in Africa; hence the need to fight the canker as a general problem facing Africa and not Nigeria alone.

She explains ‘ it’s a regional problem and must be dealt with at all levels including the communities’. She added we must involve the community and address the economic, social and political issues emulating into this canker we face as Boko Haram.

Pressed on what to do to prevent people’s right from being violated, she explained “We need more than NGOs to help; we need political bodies, religious bodies along with the media in the civil society to help set the agenda to protect.”

ENDs