About

Background
The integration of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Systems in all facets of project planning and implementation has become a prerequisite for donor support. This is against the backdrop that M&E provides an efficient budgeting system, focuses on results beyond just implementing the activities and promotes organizational learning amongst others. Driven by the desire to ensure that all ACDEP member stations/projects have the requisite knowledge and skills to implement projects effectively and in a result oriented manner, ACDEP has been in the process of building the capacities of its members since 2000.

To ensure that there is a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system in place in all the stations/projects and all the staff being part and parcel of it, a resource team was put in place to provide relevant and efficient technical backstopping to member stations. Currently, there are about twenty four (24) ACDEP member NGOs implementing agricultural, health and community-based rehabilitation programmes have been trained in M&E systems. A fourteen-member resource team drawn from the three regions of northern Ghana (Northern, Upper East and Upper West) has been constituted to provide technical support to the ACDEP members.

Between 2001 and 2006, ACDEP has organized a series of training courses on Monitoring and Evaluation with the assistance of external consultants from I/C Consult of the Netherlands and CHF of Canada for the M&E Resource team, programme managers and officers and staff of ACDEP Secretariat. Indeed, M&E within the ACDEP context has over the past five years metamorphosed from Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation (PM&E) to Result Based Management (RBM). The resource team and project managers/officers have all gone through this transition and are currently incorporating RBM in all programmes, projects and activities.

Programme Purpose
To improve the organizational effectiveness, efficiency and capacity of the church development programmes as effective and important agents of change in northern Ghana.

Programme Objective
To facilitate the development, integration, internalization, and use of M&E mechanisms amongst the church development projects for effective and results-oriented grassroots development.

Program Implementation Approaches

ACDEP is recognized not only as a highly skilled program delivery partner, but also as an acknowledged innovator and leader in the design and delivery of successful, sustainable development programs.

This delivery is underpinned by our 40+ member NGO's across the 3 northern regions of Ghana. These NGO's or stations are based in the communities and consequently know and understand the communities they serve. Recently, we have taken further steps to streamline and strengthen these connections with the opening of new branch Secretariat offices in Bolgatanga and Wa.

We recognise that there is no such thing as "one size fits all" implementation model and so at ACDEP we have developed a variety of implementation approaches which we tailor to each individual requirement:

"Lessons learned" based approach:

Perhaps our most used approach consists of the following flow:

We begin by conducting a detailed discovery phase to create a benchmark report. We then create a number of different approaches aimed at resolving the issue at hand. These approaches are in turn tested amongst different stations and communities and the outcomes clearly documented which in turn enables us to recommend a single effective approach which we then implement.

This implementation can be managed either through our network of stations or directly with the communities as required. Whenever possible we mainstream this outcome with other development actors in similar practice areas to assist with the adoption of successful development practice.

Programmes using this model include FAMAR and ASRH.

Implementation Only Approach

Out of the many, wide-ranging programmes ACDEP has been involved in over the past years, we have managed to develop a core expertise around the implementation of development programmes. This is supported by a broad geographic distribution through the Secretariat's own branch offices within the 3 regions we serve, and through our partner stations. This is in turn underpinned by a strong organisational capacity around programme administration and cost tracking, reporting and personnel management.

We are now in a position to leverage this infrastructure to deliver implementation programmes. In this scenario ACDEP operate as "the ground force" for other NGO's who share similar values and development strategies. We are able to build up programme teams very quickly based around our own core employees and manage them effectively to successfully deliver clearly defined objectives. ADVANCE is an example of this approach.
- See more at: http://www.acdep.org/content/program-implementation-approach#sthash.YBtOs3eW.dpuf

Governance and Transparency

The ACDEP Secretariat aspires to the very highest ethical levels of governance and transparency in all their dealings both internally and externally.

The Secretariat is ultimately responsible to the ACDEP members for all of their work. In order to facilitate matters an active Executive Committee has been created by the Members to oversee ACDEP Secretariat activities.

The current members of this board are:

Joshua Nyaaba – Chairman

Rita Ayeebo – Vice Chair-Person

Malex Alebikiya – Secretary and Executive Director of the ACDEP Secretariat

Timothy Kipo – Member

John Awumbilla – Member

Rudolf Abanga – Member

This board meets every 1-2 months and has fiduciary responsibility for all ACDEP activities.

Our auditors are Sappor & Agyekwena, Chartered Accountants, PO Box 3, Tamale, Ghana and we hold bank accounts with Standard Chartered, Bonzali Rural Bank, Barclays and Stanbic.

Registration and Tax Compliance

ACDEP was first registered as an NGO on 19th August 1994 registration number C-56907

As legislation has developed ACDEP has also registered a certificate to commence business with a tax reference of TIN: 624V050963.

ACDEP operates in full compliance with all Ghanaian laws governing NGO's and is fully registered at the Department of Social Welfare "rendering selfless social services to humanity" under certificate of recognition number 642.

As part of this process audited accounts are submitted to the Registrar General every year to ensure the renewal of this mandate. In addition a standard, signed management letter is produced by, our auditors.

As a legal requirement audited accounts are submitted to the Registrar General every year to ensure the renewal of our legal status. ACDEP prepares final accounts at the end of December each year. The accounts are audited by our auditors, Sappor and Agyekwena Chartered Accountants. A standard , signed management letter is produced by our auditors which, together with copies of our audited accounts are sent to our funding partners.
- See more at: http://www.acdep.org/content/governance-transparancy#sthash.hMlxSEr5.dpuf

ACDEP, established in 1977, was transformed from a loose, informal network into an independent NGO in 1995. It established its own Secretariat in 1997. Its first direct funding for the establishment of ACDEP as an NGO with the necessary administrative structures was provided by ICCO and CORDAID in 1999. This transformation has been progressive with cautious growth towards:

• Becoming an independent, autonomous, formal organization (as an independent NGO).

• Defining a vision, mission, and role in the overall development effort of the churches and the needs of the poor in northern Ghana

• Defining areas of development intervention

Defining Our Strategic Vision and Development Priorities
The process of defining our philosophy, vision, mission, and role as a development actor has been an intensive and extensive process. It required a series of consultations, reflection and debate involving the member NGOs, the churches, other NGOs and relevant government institutions. We received the support of organizational development experts and the wise counsel of the churches.

ACDEP’s Vision, Mission, and Role

Our Development Philosophy

ACDEP is a development network. It is a Christian organisation affiliated to the member Churches of the Christian Council of Ghana, and the Catholic Bishop’s Conference. Consequently ACDEP draws its development philosophy, policies, and working principles from the teachings of the Churches; the same principles that guide the work of member NGOs (stations) or projects. As a development network, ACDEP believes in the principle of co-operation among members and between development institutions. As a network ACDEP believes in the principles of democracy, transparency, cost effectiveness, accountability, and collective responsibility. The association is managed by the members themselves. ACDEP is not a channel for direct funding to the stations / projects of the churches. ACDEP is concerned about effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, and impact of the member NGO’s or projects in particular and development assistance in general. We believe that the church-based NGO’s collectively are an important and effective means for reaching out to people. The promotion of socio-economic development and social justice is a Christian responsibility. In the present circumstance where the capacity and resources of government institutions are limited, the churches’ participation in socio-economic development of the citizenry is a moral obligation on the church. In this effort, we believe that the individual actions are enhanced by an effective collaboration, co-operation, sharing, learning, and mutual support while respecting the individuality of the projects, stations, and the churches.

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Our Location

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Phone: +233 37 202 3245

+233 37 202 3807

E-mail: info@acdep.org