Inception Report – Action plan – Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana, 2022 – 2026
- Action Plan: Action plan – Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana, 2022 – 2026
Overview
Name of Evaluator
SOLOMON KUSI AMPOFO (FRIENDS OF THE NATION) AZIZ MAHMOUD (CoST SEKONDI-TAKORADI/CSUF)
[email protected]; [email protected]
Member Name
Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana
Action PlanAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen... Title
Action plan – Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana, 2022 – 2026
Section 1.
Compliance with
co-creation requirements
1.1 Does a forum exist?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
A multi-stakeholder forumRegular dialogue between government and civil society is a core element of OGP participation. It builds trust, promotes joint problem-solving, and empowers civil society to influence the design, imple... including diverse stakeholders exist and the forum lead the co-creation of the action plan. The Forum has a good balance between government, civil society and the private sectorGovernments are working to open private sector practices as well — including through beneficial ownership transparency, open contracting, and regulating environmental standards. Technical specificat... More. The co-chairsThe leadership of the Steering Committee is made up of four co-chairs who provide strategic guidance and support to advance OGP’s overarching priorities. Co-Chairs serve two-year terms beginning on ... are the leader of a civil society organization and the Chief Executive of the Sub-nationalRecognizing that much of what impacts people’s daily lives occurs at the local level, many OGP countries are working to open up lower levels of government by creating commitments focused on subnatio... Government. The Forum serves as the space for making decisions, assessing achievements of the action plan and disseminating information about OGP.
The Forum has a technical secretariat made up of government and civil society actors that develops agenda of meetings for approval. The secretariat selects and prepares meeting venues, prepares meeting minutes and coordinates monitoring and evaluation of the action plan implementation.
The forum meets at least 4 times in a year.
Provide evidence for your answer:
STMA-Multi-Stakholder-Forum-Members.pdf
Provide references here (e.g. interviews):
SEKONDI-TAKORADI METROPOLITAN ASSEMBLY OGP MULTI-STAKEHOLDER FORUM (MSF) MEMBERS
1.2 Is the forum multi-stakeholder?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The forum is multi-stakeholder of 40 membership consisted of 17 representatives from government; 15 representatives from civil society organisations and media; and 8 representatives from the private sector. The forum has also built alliances and partnership with targeted media houses and civil society organizations with pre-existing platforms to interact on OGP thematic areas. With this diversity and dynamism, a stronger relationship has been built to brainstorm and advance the OGP agenda evidenced by the inclusionOGP participating governments are working to create governments that truly serve all people. Commitments in this area may address persons with disabilities, women and girls, lesbian, gay, bisexual, tr... More of new voices into the co-creation processCollaboration between government, civil society and other stakeholders (e.g., citizens, academics, private sector) is at the heart of the OGP process. Participating governments must ensure that a dive... and the Action Plan reflecting citizens’ service delivery priorities.
Provide evidence for your answer:
STMA-Multi-Stakholder-Forum-Members1.pdf
Provide references here (e.g. interviews):
STMA Multi-Stakeholder Forum
1.3 Does the forum hold at least one meeting with civil society and non-governmental stakeholders during the co-creation of the action plan?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
Through a rigorous participatory process which included brainstorming sessions and validation workshop, the Multi-Stakeholder Forum held 3 meetings to achieve a broad-based consensus and strong working relationship among relevant government agencies, civil society and the private sector to agree on the commitments to be included in the Action Plan. The issues that emanated from these engagements formed the pivot of the action plan and they reflected the priorities of the citizens and also aligned with the Medium-Term Development Plan of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly.
Provide evidence for your answer:
INVITATION_OGP-Multi-stakeholders-Forum.pdf
Provide references here (e.g. interviews):
Invitation letters and meeting reports
1.4 Has the action plan been endorsed by the stakeholders of the forum or steering committeeThe Steering Committee is OGP’s executive decision-making body. Its role is to develop, promote and safeguard OGP’s values, principles and interests; establish OGP’s core ideas, policies, and ru.../group?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
Through a validation workshop organized by the Multi-stakeholder Forum, the action plan was endorsed by diverse non-governmental entities including civil society (Friends of the Nation), private media outlets, traditional leaders, trade associations, leadership of private trade associations, and identifiable and vulnerable groups. This is a testament of the broad and active involvement of key stakeholders in the co-creation process to elicit views and craft them into open government commitments that reflect their hopes and aspirations.
Provide evidence for your answer:
INVITATION_OGP-Multi-stakeholders-Forum1.pdf
Provide references here (e.g. interviews):
Invitation letters and meeting reports
Section 2.
Recommended practices
in co-creation
2.1 Does the government maintain a Local OGP website or webpage on a government website where information on the OGP Local process (co-creation and implementation) is proactively published?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly has a government website and on this website has create a landing page for the OGP local program where information about Sekondi-Takoradi local membership is published.
Provide references here (e.g. interviews):
2.2 Did the government provide information to stakeholders in advance to facilitate informed and prepared participation in the co-creation process?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
Information to the stakeholders particularly to the Multi-Stakeholder Forum were given advance in the form of letters signed by the government and sent to members. Information is also sent via MSF WhatsApp platform.
Provide evidence for your answer:
INVITATION_OGP-Multi-stakeholders-Forum2.pdf
Provide references here (e.g. interviews):
Invitation letters and meeting reports
2.3 Did the government ensure that any interested member of the public could make inputs into the action plan and observe or have access to decision-making documentation?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
There was avenue for various groups and associations and individuals to make inputs. This includes Civil Society Organisation, Persons with Disability, Sekondi-Takoradi Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Traditional Authorities, Assembly Members, YouthRecognizing that investing in youth means investing in a better future, OGP participating governments are creating meaningful opportunities for youth to participate in government processes. Technical ... More Groups and Women Groups etc. Representatives of these groups brought their interest to the Multi-Stakeholder Forum. A co-creation impact story and how their views were captured and how the process has helped them link is below.
Provide evidence for your answer:
STMA-OGP-LAP-Co-creation_Impacts-Storey.pdf
Provide references here (e.g. interviews):
Co-creation impact stories
2.4 Did the government proactively report back or provide written feedback to stakeholders on how their contributions were considered during the creation of the action plan?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
Feedback was provided during the co-creation period. This is attested in the co-creation impact story in the link below.
Provide evidence for your answer:
STMA-OGP-LAP-Co-creation_Impacts-Storey1.pdf
2.5 Was there an iterative dialogue and shared ownership between government and non-governmental stakeholders during the decision making process, including setting the agenda?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
Through a rigorous participatory process which includes community engagement, capacity buildingEnhancing the skills, abilities, and processes of public servants, civil society, and citizens is essential to achieving long-lasting results in opening government. Technical specifications: Set of ac... workshops and brainstorming sessions, the project achieved a broad-based consensus and strong working relationship among the relevant government agencies, civil society and the private sector to agree on the commitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... to be included in the Action Plan. The issues that emanated from these engagements reflected the priorities of the citizens and also aligned with the Development Plan of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly.
Provide evidence for your answer:
STMA-OGP-LAP-Co-creation_Impacts-Storey2.pdf
2.6 Would you consider the forum to be inclusive and diverse?
Very
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
A multi-stakeholder forum including diverse stakeholders exist and the forum lead the co-creation of the action plan. This is made up of Government, Civil Society Organisation, marginalised and vulnerable groups (such as Persons with Disability, Persons Living with HIV & AIDS), Association of Ghana Industries, Sekondi-TakoradiChamber of Commerce and Industries, Traditional Authorities, Assembly Members, Youth Groups and Women Groups.
Provide evidence for your answer:
Section 3.
Initial evaluation
of commitments
1 Commitment :
Co-creating climate resilience Metropolis or city of Sekondi-Takoradi
1.1 Is the commitment verifiable?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment was achieved through an inclusive process involving government agencies, private sector actors, civil society, and local communities to address diverse needs. Consultative workshops and focus groups identified energyEnsuring universal access to sustainable, dependable, and affordable energy is critical to every aspect of prosperity. Increasing public oversight and transparency in the energy sector can help to ens... More
challenges, climate vulnerabilities, and sustainable solutions. Local knowledge highlighted barriers to clean energy, while technical assessments aligned strategies with evidence-based findings. This participatory approach-built consensus and ensured stakeholder ownership. The plan’s adoption signified a unified commitment to advancing sustainable energy and addressing climate change within broader development goals. It prioritizes actionable, results-driven solutions for equitable clean energy access and climate action, supporting the city sustainable development agenda.
1.2 Does the commitment language/activities clearly justify relevanceAccording to the OGP Articles of Governance, OGP commitments should include a clear open government lens. Specifically, they should advance at least one of the OGP values: transparency, citizen partic... to OGP values?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment aligns with OGP values by embedding transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More, citizen participationAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, citizen participation occurs when “governments seek to mobilize citizens to engage in public debate, provide input, and make contributions that lead to m... More, and accountability into its language and activities. Transparency is ensured through open consultative workshops and focus group, where stakeholders access and contribute to information about energy challenges, climate vulnerabilities, and solutions. Sharing technical assessments and evidence-based findings further reinforces openness, allowing all parties to understand and scrutinize the strategies proposed. Citizen participation is at the core of the process. By engaging local communities, civil society, and private sector actors, the commitment prioritizes inclusive collaboration. Local knowledge is actively integrated, ensuring diverse voices are represented in decision-making and addressing barriers to clean energy access and climate action. This participatory approach builds stakeholder ownership an reflects the principles of open governance. Accountability is strengthened through the formal adoption of the plan, which binds stakeholders to a unified commitment. The actionable and results-driven nature of the plan ensures clear targets and responsibilities, enabling progress tracking and public oversight. Together, these activities exemplify OGP’s values in practice.
1.3 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
a new regulationGovernment reformers are developing regulations that enshrine values of transparency, participation, and accountability in government practices. Technical specifications: Act of creating or reforming ..., policy, practice or requirement.
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment is a new practice because it establishes an actionable framework for addressing sustainable energy access and climate change through collaborative and participatory processes. Rather than creating a standalone regulation or policy, it emphasizes implementing evidence-based strategies, fostering stakeholder engagement, and building consensus. The focus on practical, results-oriented actions and accountability mechanisms reflects a shift in how energy and climate challenges are addressed, making it a new practice integrated into broader development efforts.
1.4 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
will result in a change of the rules, practices or policies that govern a policy area, public sector and/or relationship between citizens and is binding or institutionalized across government or specific institution(s).
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment will result in a change of practices and policies that govern the energy and climate policy area, as it introduces an institutionalized framework for sustainable energy access and climate action. By embedding participatory processes, transparency mechanisms, and evidence-based planning into governance, it alters the city authority, private sector actors, and citizens interact and collaborate. The formal adoption of the plan by STMA’s General Assembly ensures its binding nature, aligning strategies with broader development goals and making it an integral part of institutional and administrative operations. This fosters accountability, stakeholder ownership, and sustained implementation across relevant departments and units.
1.5 Are there any recommended changes to the design of the commitment to help improve its implementation?
Yes, improvements are needed to ensure successful implementation as the commitment transitions from a policy to a Climate Action Plan (CAP). The CAP actionable nature requires adequate resource allocation, including funding and capacity-building for stakeholders. Clear roles and responsibilities must be defined to avoid overlaps among actors. Robust monitoring frameworks with measurable targets and accountability mechanisms are critical for tracking progress. Sustained stakeholder engagement is also essential to maintain inclusivity and adapt to evolving needs. Key challenges include resource constraints, institutional-level resistance, and monitoring complexities, but proactive planning can mitigate these and ensure the CAP achieves its goals.
2 Commitment :
Building synergies to impact water and sanitationOGP participating governments are in a unique position to address many of the root causes of water issues, including corruption and poor quality, as well as lack of prioritization, access, equity, and... outcomes
2.1 Is the commitment verifiable?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment is verifiable. It outlined milestone activities provide clear, measurable outputs that allow for verification. For example, the development of a publicly accessible household toilet registry is a tangible deliverable that can be tracked and evaluated. The co-creation of a 5-year WASH strategic plan for low- income communities offers a concrete benchmark for assessing the commitment long-term objectives. Capacity-building sessions and horizontal learning activities ensure that skills transfer and best practices are documented. Strengthening the multi-stakeholder engagement platform through advocacy, lobbyingLobbying transparency allows the public to ensure that there is diversity of participation and contribution to public decision-making. Technical specifications: Policies and actions affecting lobbying..., and social accountabilityTransparency of public service delivery is not enough on its own; giving citizens opportunities to monitor progress on the ground and hold their governments accountable improves the quality of these s... mechanisms ensures that progress can be monitored by both stakeholders and the public. These well-defined activities and outputs make it possible to assess whether the commitment’s goals are achieved, demonstrating its verifiabilityOGP commitments should be clear and specific enough to enable measurement of their progress. Verifiable commitments include specific activities that can be monitored. Following an action plan’s subm....
2.2 Does the commitment language/activities clearly justify relevance to OGP values?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
Yes, the commitment language and activities clearly justify relevance to the OGP values of transparency, citizen participation, and accountability. Transparency is demonstrated through the development of a publicly accessible household toilet registry, ensuring that citizens have open access to critical data on WASH services. The co-creation of a 5-year WASH strategic plan further enhances transparency by openly sharing plans and objectives with the public. Citizen participation is embedded in the commitment through a participatory multi-stakeholder approach that actively engages diverse groups, including residents of informal settlements, government agencies, and civil society organizations. Activities such as capacity building, learning exchanges, and co-creation workshops provide platforms for meaningful involvement in decision-making. Accountability is reinforced through mechanisms like strengthened multi-stakeholder platforms, social accountability initiatives, and GA resolutions, enabling ongoing monitoring and advocacy. These activities ensure that duty-bearers are answerable for commitments and that WASH improvements align with community needs. Collectively, the commitment reflects OGP values by fostering open, inclusive, and accountable governance in WASH services.
2.3 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
a new regulation, policy, practice or requirement.
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment is a new practice because it introduces actionable frameworks and participatory mechanisms to improve WASH services in informal settlements. Rather than establishing a formal regulation or policy, the commitment focuses on practical activities such as developing a publicly accessible household toilet registry, co-creating a 5-year WASH strategic plan, and strengthening multi-stakeholder engagement. These activities emphasize collaboration, capacity building, and advocacy to drive improvements in service delivery and behavioral change. By institutionalizing these practices through multi-stakeholder platforms and integrated planning, the commitment aligns with governance frameworks while fostering inclusive and sustainable outcomes for water and sanitation.
2.4 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
will result in a change of the rules, practices or policies that govern a policy area, public sector and/or relationship between citizens and is binding or institutionalized across government or specific institution(s).
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment activities will result in a change of practices and policies governing WASH services and citizen-government relations, institutionalized within the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA). Co-creating a 5-year WASH strategic plan establishes a participatory approach to planning and implementation, ensuring citizen needs are prioritized. Developing a publicly accessible household toilet registry enhances transparency and accountability in service delivery. Capacity-building activities and multi-stakeholder engagement platforms institutionalize collaborative practices, making them integral to governance. Collaboration with international partners like SIWI introduces best practices that formalize improved approaches to WASH governance. These actions embed transparency, participation, and accountability into STMA’s framework, reshaping service delivery and institutionalizing change.
2.5 Are there any recommended changes to the design of the commitment to help improve its implementation?
The commitment is verifiable. It outlined milestone activities provide clear, measurable outputs that allow for verification. For example, the development of a publicly accessible household toilet registry is a tangible deliverable that can be tracked and evaluated. The co-creation of a 5-year WASH strategic plan for low- income communities offers a concrete benchmark for assessing the commitment’s long-term objectives. Capacity-building sessions and horizontal learning activities ensure that skills transfer and best practices are documented. Strengthening the multi-stakeholder engagement platform through advocacy, lobbying, and social accountability mechanisms ensures that progress can be monitored by both stakeholders and the public. These well-defined activities and outputs make it possible to assess whether the commitment’s goals are achieved, demonstrating its verifiability.
3 Commitment :
Improve responsiveness and efficiency in municipal service delivery through E-Government
3.1 Is the commitment verifiable?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
Yes, the commitment is verifiable as its language outlines clearly identifiable activities and measurable deliverables to achieve its objective of improving responsiveness and efficiency in service delivery through e-governance. The co- creation of an e-governance platform involves specific, trackable actions, such as creating platforms for the solicitation of stakeholder inputs to inform key features of the platform, designing and launching the platform, integrating essential public services, capacity building to ensure full adoption, and establishing feedback mechanisms for citizens. Deliverables like the number of services digitized, user adoption rates, and citizen satisfaction surveys provide measurable indicators of progress. Additionally, the participatory co-creation process ensures transparency and stakeholder accountability, further reinforcing the commitment’s verifiability.
3.2 Does the commitment language/activities clearly justify relevance to OGP values?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
Yes, the commitment language and activities clearly justify relevance to OGP values, particularly transparency, citizen participation, accountability, and the use of technology and innovation to improve governance. Transparency is enhanced through the design of a disclosure process manual and the upgrade of the e- service platform, ensuring public access to critical information. Citizen participation is fostered through focus group discussions on e-governance adoption, allowing stakeholders to shape the platform’s design and features. Accountability is strengthened by conducting independent social auditsInstitutional and legal frameworks are necessary for providing assurance of the integrity of financial information and of compliance with budgetary rules and procedure. Technical specifications: These... of disclosed information and assessing the platform’s performance to ensure compliance and service quality. The use of technology and innovation is evident in upgrading the existing e-service platform, establishing a data center, and integrating new tools to improve efficiency and responsiveness in service delivery. These activities align with OGP values by making decision-making processes more open, participatory, and accountable while leveraging technology to enhance governance outcomes.
3.3 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
a new regulation, policy, practice or requirement.
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment is a new practice because it introduces a systematic, technology- driven approach to improving service delivery through e-governance. It establishes a framework for co-creating and launching an e-governance platform, integrating essential public services, and incorporating stakeholder feedback mechanisms. These activities are not just policy statements but practical steps that transform how services are delivered and how citizens interact with the city government’s public-facing departments and units. By institutionalizing the use of technology and participatory methods, the commitment formalizes innovative practices that enhance transparency, accountability, and efficiency in governance.
3.4 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
will result in a change of the rules, practices or policies that govern a policy area, public sector and/or relationship between citizens and is binding or institutionalized across government or specific institution(s).
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment activities will result in a change of rules, practices, and policies governing service delivery and citizen-government relations, institutionalized within all departments and units in STMA. Focus group discussions and the creation of a
disclosure process manual establish new transparency practices by formalizing how information is shared with the public. The upgrade of the e-service platform and provision of a data center embed technological advancements into governance, improving service efficiency and accessibility. Capacity-building for client service institutionalizes improved engagement practices, while independent social audits and platform assessments introduce accountability mechanisms to monitor progress. These activities formalize the adoption of e-governance, ensuring the commitment becomes binding and integrated into government operations, transforming public service deliveryTo ensure that citizens of all groups are better supported by the government, OGP participating governments are working to improve the quality of and access to public services. Commitments in this are... More and citizen participation.
3.5 Are there any recommended changes to the design of the commitment to help improve its implementation?
Yes, recommended changes can strengthen the design and implementation of the commitment. To enhance effectiveness, the commitment could incorporate clear timelines and measurable indicators for activities such as the platform upgrade, disclosure process manual design, and capacity-building sessions, ensuring accountability and progress tracking. Structured feedback mechanisms for platform users should be added to foster inclusivity and responsiveness. Training on data security and privacy for personnel is also essential to mitigate digital governanceAs evolving technologies present new opportunities for governments and citizens to advance openness and accountability, OGP participating governments are working to create policies that deal with the ... More risks. Foreseeable challenges include resource constraints, which may delay platform upgrades and data center establishment, and potential resistance from officials due to survival and learning anxiety or low citizen adoption, which can be addressed through continuous skill training, proactive communication and awareness campaigns. Additionally, ensuring compliance with data protection regulations will be critical to maintaining trust. Proactive planning, stakeholder alignment, and robust monitoring mechanisms will help overcome these challenges and ensure successful implementation of the commitment.
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