FOREWORD
This
Report
is
the
Third
Annual
Progress
report
submitted
by
the
National
African
Peer
Review
Mechanism
-‐
Governing
Council
(NAPRM-‐GC)
to
the
APR
Panel.
The
Report
covers
the
period
January
–
December
2008
and
provides
an
overview
of
Ghana’s
progress
in
implementing
the
National
Programme
of
Action.
The
period
under
review
will
witness
an
election
which
will
transfer
power
from
one
government
to
another
government.
This
comes
as
a
result
of
the
current
government
having
successful
served
two
consecutive
4-‐year
terms.
The
election
will
be
an
acid
test
to
the
steadfastness
of
governance
institutions
in
the
country,
particularly
for
the
Electoral
Commission
and
security
institutions
as
well
as
for
political
parties.
These
institutions
have
to
date
performed
creditably
and
it
is
the
hope
and
wish
of
Ghanaians
that
they
continue
to
do
so.
The
APRM
is
providing
institutional
space
for
civil
society
dialogue
with
the
public
sector.
The
Governing
Council
has
been
creating
platforms
for
non-‐partisan
discourse
amongst
the
citizenry
through
its
dissemination
and
validation
workshops.
The
participation
of
the
citizenry
in
the
APRM
is
being
deepened
with
the
formation
of
district
APRM
Oversight
Committees.
These
are
voluntary
associations
of
civil
society
and
public
sector
actors
ho
undertake
education
and
sensitization
activities,
as
well
monitor
the
implementation
of
the
Programme
of
Action
at
the
local
level.
Stakeholders’
maintain
that
freedom
of
expression
and
the
protection
of
human
rights
are
Ghana’s
most
spectacular
successes
since
the
return
to
democratic
rule
in
1992.
Whilst
this
is
heralded,
stakeholders
are
also
quick
to
add
that
a
great
deal
needs
to
be
done
to
improve
and
strengthen
human
rights,
particularly,
of
vulnerable
groups
like
women
and
children.
Laws
passed
during
the
period
since
Ghana’s
ascension
to
the
APRM
include:
the
National
Health
Insurance
Act
(Act
650);
the
Human
Trafficking
Act,
2005
(Act
694);
the
National
Identification
6