Caritas Ghana unveils new framework to aid marginalised groups
Caritas Ghana, a development and humanitarian arm of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, has launched its five-year strategic framework to strengthen collaboration for human development.
The 2025 to 2030 strategic framework focuses on good governance, justice and peacebuilding, and humanitarian support; enhance participation and accountability; ensure peaceful elections; and provide support for migrants, refugees and displaced persons
The strategic framework was launched at the Caritas Ghana Donors Conference in Accra last Wednesday.
It was on the theme: "Strengthening Collaboration for Integral Human Development in Ghana."
The conference brought together donor agencies, government officials, development partners, civil society leaders and representatives of the Catholic Church to explore pathways for stronger collaboration in advancing human development in Ghana.
Its previous strategic framework (2017–2021) highlighted key challenges, including funding constraints, donor fatigue, and gaps between planning and field-level implementation, issues the new framework seeks to address.
Innovative
The President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference (GCBC), Most Rev. Matthew Kwafi Gyamfi, stressed the need to cultivate innovative partnerships that would enhance the church’s development mission.
He described the five-year document as “a bold blueprint for institutional renewal” that further commits the charity organisation of the GCBC “to the highest standards of due diligence, value for money, and a demonstrable impact.”
“We know the global landscape of development is shifting, donors’ priorities are evolving, aid resources are becoming more constrained and the challenges that confront our communities are deepening in complexity.”
Most Rev. Gyamfi said although faced with this reality, they would resolve not to retreat but to respond with courage and foresight, adding that for over fifty years, the Church in Ghana has remained a faithful partner in the nation’s path of growth and development.
Strengthen
A development leader and former Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr Fritz Gockel, urged Caritas Ghana to strengthen its commitment to local leadership, transparency and sustainable development as it implemented the latest strategic framework.
He said the success of the framework hinged on the organisation’s ability to remain rooted in its Catholic identity while adapting to modern demands, including partnerships enhanced by artificial intelligence and ancestral knowledge systems.
Dr Gockel lauded the organisation for constantly reviewing and retooling its systems and practices before coming out with the new strategic framework.
He said that donors increasingly demanded credibility, transparency, and cost efficiency from humanitarian organisations.
“One compelling criterion donors look at is the level of overhead costs and how Caritas is poised to achieve much with little. When your focus is on reducing overheads, donors know you are serious about reducing the poverty of others, not your own,” he added.
The economist emphasised that true development must be people-driven, pointing out that external funding alone did not guarantee transformation unless communities themselves took ownership of the process.
“In our context, we often lack that intellectual challenge to our environment. That is why Pope Francis’ call to re-imagine Catholic philanthropy is timely”.
Dr Gockel expressed the belief that the new framework would help Caritas Ghana not only to mobilise resources more effectively but also to amplify its influence in shaping national development policies.
The Executive Director of Caritas Ghana, Richard Akurugu, reaffirmed the organisation's commitment to continue to offer social services by improving access to quality education and primary health care, especially for marginalised and vulnerable communities.
