On Friday, June 20, 2024, the office of the Inter-Party Affairs and Civil Society Organizations (CSO) directorate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) held a meeting with the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG).

The meeting emphasized the NDC’s commitment to engaging CSOs and other organizations in policy dialogue before and after elections.

Prof. Kwesi Jonah, a senior research fellow and head of advocacy and institutional relations at IDEG, warmly welcomed the directorate. He praised the NDC for its novel step in creating the directorate, emphasizing the importance of such engagements.

"Congratulations to John Mahama and the NDC for this innovative and novel step in creating a department to engage CSOs. We look forward to frequent engagements with IDEG," said Prof. Jonah.

Dr. Emmanuel O. Akwetey, Executive Director of IDEG, also extended a warm welcome to the NDC delegation and commended the party for launching its campaign team. Dr. Akwetey highlighted critical issues during the meeting, particularly the need for Local Governance Reforms. He pointed out the poor performance at the local levels and proposed a shift towards multiparty democracy at the local level as a solution.

"A constitutional amendment is necessary to allow political parties to participate in local governance. An independent state institution like the Multi-Party Democracy and Constitutional Reform Commission (MDCRC) should be established to regulate political party behavior," Dr. Akwetey asserted.

Dr. Akwetey also called for broader constitutional reforms and urged NDC MPs to build consensus in Parliament to aid in nation-building efforts.

Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor, Director of the Inter-Party and CSOs of the NDC, expressed gratitude for the warm welcome and introduced the directorate, aligning it with the NDC’s philosophy of inclusivity.

He acknowledged the concerns raised by IDEG and shared insights into the NDC’s policies as outlined in their 2024 manifesto.

Responding to Dr. Akwetey’s suggestions, Dr. Otokunor stated, "We need to enhance local governance by electing our DCEs and MMDCEs on party lines while keeping the local level intact. The introduction of partisanship at the assembly level is not the way to go."

Dr. Otokunor also criticized the president's refusal to honor a meeting to discuss partisanship in assembly elections, reiterating the NDC’s opposition to the idea.

"If you will recall, we wrote to the president requesting for a meeting to discuss the level of partnership in the assembly level this is to show how the NDC's readiness to building consensus same as the NDC Minority in parliament" he added, emphasizing the party’s commitment to collaborative governance.

The meeting marked a significant step in fostering dialogue and collaboration between political parties and civil society organizations, aiming to strengthen democratic governance and ensure effective policy-making in Ghana.