Ghana Civil Society Forum 2025: A National Gathering for Civic Action and Financing

Overview

The 2025 Ghana Civil Society Forum (GCSF), convened by STAR-Ghana Foundation in collaboration with key partners such as Oxfam, WACSI, and the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition, brought together over 500 participants, including Caritas Ghana, to deliberate on the future of civic action and sustainable development financing under the theme, “Reimagining
Development Financing and Civic Action – Challenges, Opportunities, and the Way Forward”, at the Ghana National Teachers (GNAT) Headquarters’ main conference hall (‘Bediako’) in Accra, from the 25th to 26th of June, 2025. This
third national gathering built upon outcomes from the 2022 Forum and 2024 institutional gains, against the backdrop of shrinking donor support and a shifting global aid landscape.

Key Objectives and Focus Areas

• Explore the impact of declining traditional donor support due to geopolitical changes.
• Highlight regulatory constraints and structural barriers affecting funding to Global South CSOs.
• Promote locally led, innovative financing models and homegrown solutions.
• Foster stronger partnerships among CSOs, government, and private sector stakeholders.
• Generate policy recommendations for regulatory reform and sustainability.

Notable Highlights

• Keynote Address: Delivered by Dr. Nii Moi Thompson, Chair of the National Development Planning Commission and SDG Advisor to the President, on global funding trends and implications for Ghana’s civic space.
• Guest of Honour: Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, Vice President of Ghana, who emphasized the urgency of strategic civic engagement and innovation in financing.
• Presentation of a strategic roadmap for CSO financial resilience and a communiqué outlining sector-wide advocacy and collaboration commitments.

Strategic Outcomes

• Deepened collective understanding of funding challenges and sustainability risks.
• Strengthened cross-sectoral collaboration among CSOs, donors, and state actors.
• Practical policy outputs geared toward reforming aid structures and enhancing civic
  space resilience.