Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has called for a bold shift in Ghana’s development strategy from reliance on traditional aid models to one that centres on people-powered financing and civic ownership.

This comes as the country navigates a new era of shrinking aid flows and rising economic pressures.

Addressing the opening of the 2025 Ghana Civil Society Forum in Accra, she urged civil society, government, and development partners to co-create a “new social contract” that puts citizens at the heart of decision-making.

She called on civil society organisations to play a central role in shaping how resources were mobilised, allocated, and utilised to advance inclusive and sustainable development.

“Development financing is not just about money. It is about power and agency. We must reimagine financing and reclaim civic action,” she declared.

The Vice President said Ghana should become a country where grassroots efforts align with purposeful investment, where transparency goes hand in hand with citizen empowerment, and where development priorities reflect the needs of everyday people.

Held on the theme: “Reimagining Development Financing and Civic Action – Challenges, Opportunities, and the Way Forward,” the two-day national forum has convened over 500 participants drawn from CSOs, academia, development partners, government, private sector, and the media.

It was spearheaded by the STAR-Ghana Foundation in partnership with Oxfam, WACSI, Transparency International Ghana, and others.

The Vice President, who called for more national discourses on sustainable development financing, also highlighted an urgent need for more democratic and domestically grounded approaches.

She stressed that reforms must include enabling laws, such as the upcoming Non-Profit Bill, to protect and nurture civil society while enhancing transparency.

“Our government is committed to building structured platforms for dialogue with civil society and reforming regulatory frameworks to ensure civic actors are not just watchdogs but co-creators of policy,” she said.

Prof Opoku-Agyemang also pointed to Ghana’s youthful population as a powerful engine of civic change, urging CSOs to prioritise youth-led innovations, digital engagement, and grassroots mobilisation.

“With nearly six in ten Ghanaians under 25, our greatest asset is our people, young, vibrant, and full of potential,” she said, and that “this is the time to build a social contract rooted in co-ownership of Ghana’s development journey.”

Dr Nii Moi Thompson, Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), challenged CSOs to rise to the occasion by embracing what he called a “productivity revolution” — an internal transformation to boost efficiency, transparency, and public trust.

“Raising money is one thing, but using it efficiently is another,” Dr Thompson emphasised and “Donors and citizens alike want to know how their money is being used. Civil society must be ready to answer that.”

Drawing from his own background in policy, civil society, and governance, Dr Thompson emphasised that the pivot toward domestic resource mobilisation was not only necessary but inevitable.

“There’s growing fatigue in the donor world, and CSOs must now look inward. That means innovation, partnerships, and above all, credibility,” he said, warning against internal inefficiencies and credibility deficits that could erode public support.

He advocated homegrown strategies such as digital fundraising, diaspora giving, social enterprises, and impact investing.

He, however, stressed that those strategies would only work if CSOs restructured internally and proved they could deliver results at scale.

Ibrahim-Tanko Amidu, Executive Director, STAR-Ghana Foundation, provided the context for the Forum, noting that while the civil society space in Ghana had grown in reach and representation, it now faced a defining challenge.

He said, “We are at an inflexion point. The aid landscape is changing. Resources are shrinking. Civic legitimacy is being questioned. And young people are organising in ways that defy traditional models.”

He described the current financing model, largely dependent on foreign donors, as unsustainable, especially amid global shifts in development priorities toward security and private-sector interventions.

The time, the Executive Director argued, was ripe for structural reform and values-based reconnection with communities.

“How are priorities set? Who benefits from development financing? Whose voices matter? These are the questions we must now answer honestly,” he said.