Pamoja West Africa

West Africa Reflect Network

Pamoja Ghana

Pamoja Ghana: can be contacted through the National Coordinator, Millicent AKOTO, Email:pamojagh@gmail.com

Pamoja Ghana is network of 28 organizations which use the Reflect approach for the implementation of literacy and other development projects, with members active in all 10 administrative regions of Ghana. The organisation was founded in April 2000 and registered as a not-for-profit organization in 2005.

Pamoja Ghana's Annual Forum 2011

Attended by 31 participants from 8 Districts in all regions in Ghana, the Pamoja Ghana Annual Forum was held in Sunyani, the Brong Ahafo Regional capital, from 16th to 20th May, 2011. The Theme for the forum was: 'Literacy: A Powerful tool for Empowering Women and Girls'

     

Pamoja Ghana's Goals:

  • To use Reflect to promote the empowerment of the poor, the vulnerable and the excluded to assert and uphold their rights and responsibilities and engage policy through enhanced access to education and resources.
  • To promote the increase of citizens’ participation in decision-making by facilitating their engagement with policy processes through local and national advocacy, the use of participatory decision making processes and building stakeholder capacities in participatory decision making methodologies to ensure a balanced and equitable distribution of resources and development.
  • To work in partnership with local, national and international organizations and civil society to reduce poverty, by fighting injustices and HIV/AIDS through the use of Reflect and other innovative participatory approaches to adult literacy and sustainable development.

Literacy in Ghana

Read the National NFE Policy Analysis Report

In 2010 Pamoja Ghana coordinated an analysis of Non Formal Education (NFE) policy in Ghana as part of a Pmaoja West Africa policy analysi initiative. Three major policy-gaps were highlighted:

  • An absence of a policy document/an Act guiding youth and adult literacy in Ghana
  • Lack of collaboration among ministries, departments, and state agencies that are pursuing adult literacy programmes.
  • Low budgetary allocation to finance the operations and activities of the non-formal education sector of in Ghana.

The following recommendations were made based on the findings of the policy analysis were put forward:

  • Government in consultation with other stakeholders providing youth and adult literacy need to develop a policy to guide Non Formal Education in the country. This would serve to guide stakeholders in the delivery of adult literacy services and provide a basis for transparent monitoring and evaluation.
  • Government needs to increase the share of the NFE sector in the national education budget which is currently less than 1%.
  • There is a need to coordinate NFE activities across all sectors. This reuires collaboration among ministries, departments and other state agencies running NFE programmes to avoid duplication of task and also mobilize resources to achieve greater impact.
  • Private media stations should be obliged to have a weekly programme to ptomote youth and adult literacy.
Results were shared at the sub regional level at the meeting in Accra organised by Pamoja West Africa in October 2010

Collaboration

Pamoja Ghana / ActionAid Ghana (AAG) Reflect Training

In April 2011 Pamoja Ghana facilitated a joint Reflect TOT for Education Programme Officers and newly recruited AAG staff as well as for field programme officers of new members of the Pamoja Ghana Network organizations. The training took place in Kumasi, in Ashanti Region in central to Ghana. It aimed to enhance participants' skills and capacity to improve quality Reflect programme implementation throughout Ghana.

  

Pamoja Ghana / World University Services of Canada (WUSC)

Pamoja Ghana worked with a Canadian volunteer from WUSC over 4 weeks to update,improve and develop the secretariat's accounting systems.

Pamoja Ghana / International Reflect Research

Tara Staford, a Masters student at the University of Columbia looking at use of the Relfect Evaluation framework "Counting Seeds for Change" visited Pamoja Ghana in 2011 as part of here research.