Accra: Dr Godfred Bonnah Nkansah, Founder and Executive Director of Development Advocacy Initiative-Africa, has advised Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and coalitions to adopt collaborative approaches in advocacy to enhance engagement with decision-makers. He gave the advice at a one-day Sexual and Reproductive Health/Gender-Based Violence (SRH/GBV) coalition dialogue convened by the Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR) in Accra.
According to Ghana News Agency, the dialogue aimed to strengthen the capacity of SRH and GBV coalitions and networks to undertake effective national and subnational advocacy for Reproductive Health Education (RHE) in Ghana. It brought together selected coalitions and CSOs from the Greater Accra, Bono East, and Oti Regions to enhance collective efforts in influencing policy and practice.
Dr Nkansah noted that advocacy communication was often confrontational, which could provoke resistance from decision-makers. 'I find that many times so many CSOs are very confrontational in the advocacy. It is almost as if they are at loggerheads with the government or the institution. They are targeting the change they want to see,' he said. 'That is problematic, because if you want me to change something in your favour, and you come across not being collaborative, by being confrontational, you give me reasons to also position myself as an opponent who will make sure you will never succeed as long as I am in power,' he added.
Dr. Nkansah described advocacy as a series of strategic and interconnected actions aimed at influencing policy, legislation, funding, and regulatory environments at both national and local levels. He recommended face-to-face engagements, such as lunch or dinner meetings with decision-makers, as effective tactics to gain attention. Dr. Nkansah emphasised that advocacy messages must be backed by solid evidence and rational arguments, cautioning that emotional appeals should not overshadow logical reasoning. He called for capacity building for CSOs to improve their engagement with policymakers and suggested forming alliances with decision-makers and their networks to achieve advocacy goals.
Mr. Benjamin Oppong-Twumasi, Programme Manager for Policy and Budget Advocacy at ARHR, said GBV affected both women and men, with many male victims facing challenges in reporting. He highlighted a significant data gap due to underreporting, driven by societal stigma and lack of support, which undermines effective advocacy. Mr. Oppong-Twumasi urged parents to provide deliberate sexual health education to their children to prevent negative outcomes, including mortalities linked to teenage pregnancies.
ARHR is a membership-based Ghanaian NGO established in 2004, promoting a rights-based approach to Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) through advocacy, research, and capacity building.
