The newly elected Assembly Members and Civil Society Organisations within the Asokore Mampong Municipality have been equipped on various ways to lobby for constructive deals from major decision-makers and other prominent investors.
The day’s workshop was held on 26th February 2020 within the Asokore Mampong Municipality at the hub of No Business as Usual (NBU).
This was a brand new move adopted by executives of the European Union-funded Project, NBU geared toward feeding civil society organizations (CSOs) and members of the assembly with ideas on the way to persuade authorities of other agencies except for the assembly as the source for projects as result of inadequate social amenities and other resources characterizing most assemblies in the face of competing for developmental needs of communities within their jurisdiction.
During the workshop presented the opportunity for the Assembly members on various techniques of lobbying and advocacy, processes of lobbying, avenues to lobby for developmental projects, the various ways to be a good lobbyist. This follows the challenge of limited resources characterizing most assemblies within the face of competing for the developmental needs of communities.
The workshop also included exposure to skills needed for real and good advocacy for development. A key component of the foregoing was the way to prioritize problems facing citizens and present them to authorities for redress.
In his presentation during the workshop, an official of Asokore Mampong Municipality Assembly Mr. Francis Asokwa- Sarpong indicated that members of the assorted assemblies have the responsibility to boost their lobbying skills considering the criticality of their role in community development.
As captured in his presentation, Assembly members need some personal qualities including assertiveness, self-confidence, and passion for the cause, dedication, and persistence to be a good lobbyist.
Other relevant skills as highlighted by Mr. Francis Asokwa-Sarpong were good interpersonal skills, good communication both written and verbal, good conflict resolution, good networking skills, planning and organizational skills and many more.
