19/08/2026
๐๐๐ข๐ช๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ: ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐น ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒ
Akosombo, Ghana.
GLOWA (Global Action for Women Empowerment) is participating in the maiden edition of the Shifting the Power: Civil Society Strengthening Bootcamp 2026, organised by the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) in partnership with STAR-Ghana Foundation.
The five-day bootcamp, running from 17โ21 August 2026 at the Peninsula Resort Hotel, Akosombo, brings together civil society organisations and key actors from across Ghana under the theme "From Challenges to Solutions: Strengthening Civil Society through Peer Learning and Collaborative Problem Solving."
Day 1 focused on governance, leadership, and organisational culture and how these areas shape the strength and effectiveness of civil society organisations. Through a live Board Meeting Simulation, participants practiced navigating a missed target and a nervous donor, weighing what belongs to management versus what the Board must oversee.
Sessions also covered the simplest distinction in governance: Board governs, management manages. They also explored decision-rights mapping, root-cause analysis of institutional gaps, building leadership pipelines that give people real authority early, and practical ways to cut unnecessary bureaucracy in favour of simple, effective systems. A standout case study on inclusive governance challenged participants to think beyond representation, toward real influence.
๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐๐:
1๏ธโฃ Govern vs. Manage: The Board sets strategy, appoints and evaluates the CEO/ED, approves budgets, and holds management accountable. Management implements, delivers, and reports. The Board should never become a "second management team."
2๏ธโฃ Decision rights must be explicit: A healthy organisation maps out clearly what's owned by the ED, what's delegated to managers, and what requires Board approval or consultation.
3๏ธโฃ Bad news needs a process, not panic: A strong Board response to a missed target or donor risk should identify what information is still needed, the immediate risk, what management must handle, what the Board must oversee, and what should be communicated โ and to whom.
4๏ธโฃ Accountability works best when it's collective: Departmental KPIs should reflect organisation-wide outcomes (programme quality, financial sustainability, safeguarding) that the whole leadership team is responsible for, not just isolated departments.
5๏ธโฃ Root causes run deeper than they appear: Surface symptoms often trace back to systemic issues, such as governance systems built around donor requirements rather than organisational simplicity, or limited investment in structured induction and leadership development.
6๏ธโฃ Representation is not the same as influence: A Board can have full attendance without members having any real decision-making power. True inclusion means building a path from representation to attendance to participation to genuine influence.
7๏ธโฃ Don't solve systemic problems with training alone: When barriers are structural, the institution, not the individual, should be the one to remove them.
8๏ธโฃ Simplicity should be the default: Ask "what is the minimum system needed to manage this risk?" A decision log, a one-page dashboard, or clear expenditure thresholds often outperform lengthy protocols and multiple layers of approval.
9๏ธโฃ Leadership must be deliberately built: Strong organisations map a clear leadership pipeline (from volunteer to executive) and identify the competencies, experience, and authority required at each stage.
๐ Give people real authority early: Growth accelerates when people are given genuine responsibility and defined decision-making power, not just tasks to complete.
Global Action for Women Empowerment is grateful to West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) and STAR-Ghana Foundation for creating this platform for civil society organisations to learn, connect, and collectively strengthen the sector. We remain committed to applying these lessons as we continue our work advancing gender equality, inclusive governance, and women's empowerment across the Volta and Oti Regions.
Follow along as the bootcamp continues!
