Mrs Consolata Soyiri-Dassah, Communications and Advocacy Advisor of SNV, a Danish Non- Governmental Organization, has called on media practitioners to carefully scrutinize livelihood interventions that seek to address access and equity for all.
She said inclusive and holistic development in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Nutrition, Post- Harvest Losses and renewable energy interventions for communities are the key needed to be re-enforced by government.
Ms Dassah said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency during a media stock taking on SNV/ Voice for Change (V4C) partnership programme in Tamale.
She congratulated the media for the immense role it has played to support the Voice for Change (V4C) advocacy programme through their reportage.
Ms Dassah urged them to do more to expose the issues of nutrition, post- harvest losses, renewable energy and WASH interventions that her outfit has identified during research with communities.
She said it is the media’s interests on these gaps and constant reminder to duty bearers that would culminate into improved interventions and better allocations of funds to the cause.
Ms Dassah expressed happiness that the media’s role has also inured to better engagement between Municipal and District Assemblies and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) under the V4C programme and called for more collaboration from the media to expose the issues.
She said even though on- going CSOs interventions under the V4C partnership programme have been encouraging, especially engagements with Municipal and District Assemblies, more energy should be directed at increasing budgetary allocations to address gaps in the policies.
Ms Dassah called for more CSOs engagements with Municipal and District Assemblies in sharing research results of the SNV partnership and making inputs to the Medium Term Development Plans.
The Objective of the V4C advocacy programme of SNV is to enhance government and private sector accountability, ensure that promises and actions are fulfilled and also to enable CSOs to have greater voice and be able to lobby and effectively serve the interests of people they represent.