The Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), with support from the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), has convened a National Multi-Stakeholder Advocacy Forum to promote transparency and accountability in the use of Ghana’s petroleum revenues.
The forum formed part of the project, “From Disclosure to Impact – Mobilising Local Civil Society to Verify Published Extractives Data and Advocate for Equitable, Accountable Spend of Funds,” which aims to strengthen citizen participation and oversight in the management of petroleum revenues, particularly those allocated through the Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA).
Prior to the forum, Local Accountability Networks (LANets) monitored 35 ABFA-funded projects across selected districts in the Ashanti, Northern, Volta, and Western Regions. The monitoring assessed key areas including transparency, stakeholder participation, information disclosure, and accountability practices at the local level.
Findings from the monitoring exercise revealed key challenges, including limited stakeholder involvement in project selection and design, weak disclosure of project information, and gaps in accountability at the subnational level. The assessment also identified weak alignment between ABFA-funded projects and the medium-term development plans of Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
These issues were discussed within the broader context of the government’s flagship infrastructure initiative, “The Big Push,” which relies significantly on petroleum revenues to drive inclusive growth and socio-economic transformation. Stakeholders emphasised that achieving the objectives of the initiative requires not only adequate financing, but also transparent planning, efficient implementation, strong coordination across governance levels, and active citizen oversight.
The forum brought together key stakeholders, including government institutions, oversight bodies, civil society organisations, the media, traditional authorities, and development partners. It provided a platform to reflect on the monitoring findings, identify systemic gaps, and agree on practical measures to strengthen transparency, accountability, and value for money in the use of ABFA resources.
Speaking at the forum, Betty Owusu of the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) emphasised that “ensuring transparency and accountability in the use of petroleum revenues is critical to delivering meaningful development outcomes. Strengthening collaboration between institutions and citizens is key to achieving this.”
A key highlight of the forum was a panel discussion featuring LANets, who shared insights and experiences from the project monitoring, shedding light on challenges at the community level. This was followed by a high-level response panel involving representatives from the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC), the Ministry of Finance (MoF), and the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), who provided institutional perspectives and responses to the findings.
Through presentations and interactive discussions, GACC and LANets shared evidence from the field, highlighting both progress and persistent challenges. Stakeholders engaged in dialogue on improving planning, budgeting, implementation, and oversight processes, and outlined actionable steps to enhance coordination between national and subnational institutions.
The engagement also encouraged institutional commitments to improve monitoring systems, strengthen information disclosure, and promote participatory governance mechanisms. A communiqué was developed at the forum, capturing key recommendations and agreed actions from stakeholders.
The forum reaffirmed the importance of linking community-level evidence to national policy processes in order to improve governance outcomes. By fostering collaboration among stakeholders, the initiative contributes to strengthening accountability in Ghana’s extractive sector and ensuring that petroleum revenues are used effectively for national development.