A Critical Reflection on the Contributions and Barriers of Local Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to National Development in Ghana

The localisation agenda highlights a need for greater inclusion of local actors, including civil society organisations (CSOs), in influencing development outcomes. However, concerns have been raised about the relevance and future of civil society within a changing international development landscape. Drawing on 28 semi-structured interviews with local CSO representatives and key informants, two donor representatives and ten community members in Ghana, this article examines the contributions of local CSOs and the constraints hindering their ability to promote national development. Using the typologies of government-CSO relationships as the analytical lens, the empirical evidence suggests that local CSOs promote democratic consolidation through their educational, information-sharing, and watchdog roles as part of their cooperation relationship with the government. The findings show that as part of their confrontational relationship, local CSOs act as policy entrepreneurs by influencing government policies, advocating for social justice, and creating decent and dignified jobs. Yet, we find that shrinking civic space, limited access to information and funding opportunities, and legitimacy crisis act as constraints to local CSOs’ ability to meaningfully contribute to national development in Ghana. We show how adversarial relationships in the form of shrinking civic space profoundly affect local CSOs and undermine democratic gains experienced over the years. Implications of the findings for policy and practice are discussed.