Abstract

The contemporary political milieu suggests that the socio-economic development of a nation does
not wholly depend on the government alone. The crucial role which civil society organizations can
play in this has been widely acknowledged. The emerging consensus posits that any nation which
desires to exploit and utilize the potentials of the citizens for a broad based national development
and effective governance, in the overall interest of the people must give due recognition to CSOs
and provide them a free political and legal space to operate. This paper discovers that CSOs
engagement with the government in Ghana to seek political concession and socio-economic reforms
dated back to the colonial era when CSOs initiated and sustained the agitations that led to the
country’s independence. After political independence, CSOs in the country sustained their vibrancy
to hold the new government accountable to the citizenry. Their struggle for social justice and
political liberalization continued even all through the harsh political environment foisted on the
country by incessant military interregnums. However, the emergence of the Fourth Republic has
changed the fortune of CSOs and the friendly political environment which they enjoy now
encourages them to complement the development efforts of the government and this has resulted in
better polity in Ghana. The unrelenting oversight and complementary roles which CSOs have been
playing to bridge the gap between the government and the citizenry is part of the reasons Ghana is
portrayed as a beacon of democracy in Africa. The paper nonetheless identifies some factors which
hinder the optimal performance of CSOs in Ghana and makes recommendations that would enhance
their engagement with the government for better impact. Secondary source of data collection was
used.