The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative
After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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Public Participation in Local Governance Programme

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Launched by IBIS in 2007, the Public Participation in Local Governance programme works to ensure that all citizens in Ghana can exercise the right to participate in the governance of their own communities. Focusing especially on women and marginalised groups, the PPLG programme supports civil society organisations and local government departments in developing a healthy and democratic engagement in governance with respect for the rights of all citizens.
Communication Strategies

Using the rights-based approach, the interventions of the PPLG are designed to create community awareness of civil society's rights and obligations in the decentralised governance system. The programme is implemented in all districts of the Upper East Region, the East Gonja district, and the Tamale Metropolitan area in the Northern Region, as well as in the Ashaiman Municipality in the Greater Accra Region. This geographic mix was chosen to provide a framework for learning how experiences promoting good governance in predominantly rural settings can be scaled up to urban and peri-urban settings.

 

The programme activities are organised around four pillars, each with a key outcome:

For increased citizen participation in local governance

PPLG is designed to support:

  • civil society groups' engagement in advocacy to influence local governance policies and programmes;
  • civil society's active participation in policy dialogue with local government institutions; and
  • civil society's active involvement in monitoring, evaluation, and follow up on decentralisation policies and programmes.

Strong Civil Society Organisations who can mobilise their communities and hold local government accountable

PPLG is designed to support organisations and their activities in order to:

  • mobilise their constituencies in engagement processes;
  • become actively involved in networking and forming of alliances to increase their bargaining power; and
  • influence and demand accountability from the Assemblies and the sub structures in the management of public resources.

Local government structures that work according to their mandate and collaborate with civil society

PPLG supports:

  • the revitalisation of the zonal, town, and area councils for them to function according to their mandate;
  • the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) to engage regularly with district and sub-district authorities to ensure these structures are functioning according to the law;

Women who are organised and participate in decision-making processes.

PPLG supports local authorities and civil society in order to:

  • organise women's groups to network and form alliances to increase their bargaining power; and
  • promote and actively increase women representation in local government structures.

Development Issues

Governance, Rights

Sources

IBIS website on December 8 2011.