May 7, 2025 In Newsroom By WACSI
Shift the Power Programme Transforms How Development is Measured in Ghana
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[Tamale, Ghana – April 23, 2025] – As part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the capacities of local civil society organisations (CSOs) and promote community-led development, the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) and STAR-Ghana Foundation successfully concluded a two-day capacity strengthening workshop on Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) for 12 grassroots organisations across Ghana.
The training, held from April 22–23 in Tamale, Northern Region, was part of a broader initiative under the Civil Society Strengthening Fund (CSSF) — a component of the global #ShiftThePower programme, implemented in Ghana by WACSI and STAR-Ghana Foundation.
The programme is rooted in the belief that sustainable development begins with communities owning and driving their own change. It seeks to place resources and decision-making power directly in the hands of local actors.
The workshop brought together 24 participants—two representatives from each of the selected CSOs.
Over the two days, the participants deepened their knowledge and sharpened their skills in MEL principles, including the development of Theory of Change (ToC), Logic Models, and tailored MEL frameworks that respond to the unique realities of their communities.
Facilitator Mike Ohene Effah, a seasoned MEL Consultant with WACSI, led the sessions using a hands-on and participatory approach that included real-life scenarios and peer-to-peer learning.
His facilitation emphasised the current shifts in global aid dynamics and the growing need for local organisations to build strong, context-specific MEL systems that not only support learning but also help communicate impact.
“In an era of shrinking donor support and changing funding priorities, local organisations must demonstrate the tangible difference they’re making.
MEL is more than just data collection—it’s about telling the story of transformation,” said Effah during one of the sessions.
Participants expressed enthusiasm about the relevance and practicality of the training. Theodora Quaye, Head of Programmes and Partnerships at Regional Advisory and Information Network Systems (RAINS), noted that the sessions had strengthened her team’s capacity to rethink their MEL approach.
“This training has been timely. We’re going back with tools and insights that will shape how we plan, measure, and communicate the impact of our work,” she shared.
Similarly, Abdallah Abdul-Salam, Results and Learning Officer at The Centre for Active Learning and Integrated Development (CALID), appreciated the focus on crafting meaningful and actionable MEL reports.
“We often collect data without understanding how to use it. This workshop showed us how to build systems that feed directly into programmatic decisions and learning,” he said.
The #ShiftThePower initiative is gaining momentum globally, and in Ghana, it is manifesting in efforts like this MEL training—where local organisations are not just recipients of support but are actively shaping their development pathways.
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