CEDEP comprises a Board of Trustees, which is the governing body, a management team headed by an Executive Director that sees to the day-to-day business of CEDEP and programmes and support units.
As a national NGO, our offices are strategically located in order to enhance our response to the development need of the country. Our head office and a branch office are in Kumasi in the central part of Ghana . There is another office in Wa in the Upper West Region that serves the northern part of the country and yet another in Accra that serves the southern parts of the country. The Accra office also serves as the nerve centre for advocacy and networking.
CEDEP currently (as at July 2006) has staff strength of more than 50 qualified, permanent and experienced professionals with varied backgrounds, who form a multi-disciplinary team. In addition, CEDEP maintains a directory of very experienced professionals as resource persons who it falls on to assist in the implementation of projects, should the need arise. This crop of professionals has varied backgrounds as well and includes university lecturers, bureaucrats and technocrats.
This document gives a profile of CEDEP. It outlines the mission, vision, strategic objectives, core values, some of the partners CEDEP works with and some of the programmes and projects which have been carried out / are being carried out by CEDEP.
Mission
The mission of CEDEP is to support, facilitate and build the capacity of marginalized and vulnerable groups, and influence policy, in pursuit of sustainable human development in Ghana . This mission is translated through the following programmes run by CEDEP:
• Poverty Reduction
• Sexual and Reproductive Health Education
• Prevention of HIV/AIDS and Care and Support for PLWHAs
• Community Empowerment and Mobilization
• Gender Mainstreaming
• Capacity building of sub-district institutions
• Computer-based Community Learning Centres
• Training and Research
• Sustainable Livelihoods
• Advocacy and networking
Vision
CEDEP has the vision of a society that promotes the social, economic, and civic rights of the people in pursuance of equitable and sustainable quality human development.
Strategic Objectives
The strategic objectives of CEDEP are:
• To empower disadvantaged groups, community-based organizations and institutions to work for the rights of their members and ensure the recognition of their needs and capacities by the structures of authority.
• To sensitize critical actors in society to protect the rights of the marginalized and ensure the recognition of the needs and capacities of the latter by the structures of authority.
• To enhance women's ability to improve the quality of their lives through participatory decision-making, access to and control of resources, skills and benefits.
• To improve the quality of life of the youth through the acquisition of relevant skills and knowledge to enable them make informed decisions in economic and social matters.
• To develop a strong network with other organizations in order to influence macro socio-economic policy
Core Values
• CEDEP believes that development is not just a condition defined by what people have, but also, and more importantly, is a capacity defined by what they can and are willing to do.
• CEDEP values the individual regardless of their age, sex, ethnicity, race, and religion and believes in the equal rights of all to realize their potential.
• CEDEP believes in the power of collective action and community initiative.
• CEDEP believes in participatory decision-making, approaches and processes.
• CEDEP is committed to being a responsible organisation whose activities are conducted with integrity, honesty, fairness, respect and accountability.
• CEDEP believes that development must be carried out in a sustainable manner that preserves and safeguards the environment for future generations.