Ahead of the Presidential and Parliamentary elections taking place on December 7, Ghana’s educational system has become the focus of controversial discussions between the two major parties, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC). Whereas the NPP advocates for free secondary education for all from 2013, the NDC calls for the creation of sufficient educational infrastructure – such as the building of more schools and teacher training centers – prior to abolishing fees for secondary education. The campaigns, however, do not address crucial problems in Ghana’s education system that affect mainly the poorest in the country. More...

In light of Ghana’s next Presidential and Parliamentary elections to be held on 7 December, 2012, security experts raised concerns over increasing political tensions and electoral violence in the country. If such security concerns are not addressed as part of the electoral preparations, the 2012 elections may end up in political turmoil. More... 

On Tuesday, 24 July 2012 in the late afternoon, radio stations in Ghana broadcasted almost simultaneously the message of President John Evans Atta-Mills’ death. Vice President John Dramani Mahama was sworn in as the new President of the Republic of Ghana in the evening of the very same day. The reactions to these events in the West African country were remarkably calm. more...

From the 24th to 29th of June 2012 a West African delegation visited the Federal Republic of Germany.  The study tour stems from an increased focus of the HSF’s on activities fostering the stronger engagement of West African countries in civic education. The purpose of the mission was to offer ideas to the participants how civic education curricula and institutions could potentially be build up in their home countries. more...

In March 2012, twenty-one Police personnel of the Ghana Police Service (GPS) underwent a two-week training course on ‘Citizen Friendly Policing’ at the Police College in Accra. Born out of the cooperation between the German and Ghanaian governments and sponsored by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. more ...

Currently more and more people in Northern Ghana are facing risks related to climate change disasters like soil erosion and flooding. This means that families in one of the poorest regions in the country who depend on their farm products to survive, fight a long term struggle against desertification. That is why the West Mamprusi District Assembly in cooperation with the Enviromental Protection Agency and with support from Hanns-Seidel-Foundation [HSF] launched in October 2011 the climate change initiative ‘Fighting climate change through forestation’, set in the two communities of Zua and Mishio along the White Volta river. more...

Together with their partners, the African Network of Constitutional Lawyers (ANCL) and the African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development (CAFRAD), the Hanns Seidel Foundation has been facilitating regional judicial dialogue to promote judicial exchange and cooperation in West Africa. As one of the foundation’s flagship programs, the project will contribute to democratic consolidation within the notion of regional integration in West Africa. more...