Accra: Caritas Ghana, a development and humanitarian arm of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, has launched its Five-Year Strategic Framework in Accra to strengthen collaboration for human development. The 2025 to 2030 strategic framework seeks to provide good governance, justice, and peacebuilding, as well as foster participation in accountability, peaceful elections, and support migrants, refugees, and displaced persons.
According to Ghana News Agency, the strategic framework was launched at the Caritas Ghana Donors Conference, themed 'Strengthening Collaboration for Integral Human Development in Ghana.' The high-level conference brought together donor agencies, government officials, development partners, civil society leaders, and representatives of the Catholic Church to explore pathways for stronger collaboration in advancing human development in Ghana.
The previous strategic framework (2017-2021) highlighted challenges such as funding and donor fatigue and a disconnection between ideas and field-level operations, prompting the development of the new framework. Dr. Fritz Gockel, a development leader and former Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana, commended Caritas Ghana for its significant support to the marginalized and vulnerable communities in Ghana and beyond. He praised the organization for continually reviewing and retooling its systems before launching the new strategic framework.
Dr. Gockel emphasized that prioritizing the needs of the poor is not only an act of charity but a matter of justice, recognizing the dignity and rights of the poor, which are often overlooked or not respected in social, political, and economic systems. He expressed satisfaction with the focus on Sustainable Agriculture and Livelihoods, Environment, Water, Sanitation and Health (WASH), Climate Change, Emergency Preparedness and Response, and Social Services in the strategic framework to ensure the welfare of the vulnerable.
He urged Caritas Ghana to align itself with the National Development Planning Commission's Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies and to mainstream its local operations with various district assemblies to achieve the desired impact. A definitive institutionalized engagement with the district assemblies would reinforce Caritas Ghana's commitment to emergency preparedness, community resilience, and ensuring that the voices of women, youth, and persons with disabilities are heard and valued.
The Most Reverend Matthew K. Gyamfi, President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, noted that the global landscape of development is shifting, and donors' priorities are evolving. He stated that aid resources are becoming more constrained as challenges confronting communities deepen in complexity. Confronted with this reality, Caritas Ghana has crafted the strategic Framework 2025-2030 as a bold blueprint for institutional renewal, focusing on governance, system refinement, and enhancing monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning.
Mr. Richard Akurugu, the Executive Director of Caritas Ghana, stated that the organization will continue to offer social services by improving access to quality education and primary healthcare, especially for marginalized and vulnerable communities.
