Star-Ghana is to pump about US$600,000.00 to support the media to work more effectively with other Civil Society Organisations to provide information and analysis on key issues during the election process and to stimulate debate and discussion.

In a statement to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, Star-Ghana said it has tagged the media as an important stakeholder in achieving peaceful, credible and inclusive elections in 2016.

“Elections are the hallmark of representative democracy, allowing the people’s regular input in choices about leaders and policy and yet they are also competitive processes, unleashing conflict and tensions that, if not constructively managed, could potentially destabilize the fabric of states and societies,” the statement said.

The statement said STAR-Ghana aims to improve media access and voice to all citizens, particularly the poor and socially marginalized/excluded groups and those living in deprived areas of the country.

The STAR-Ghana media initiative is part of a £22 million multi-donor funded programme supported by DFID, DANIDA, and the EU, which aims to support the creation, utilisation and institutionalisation of spaces for collective civil society engagement in order to increase the responsiveness of the executive and key state institutions at both local and national levels.

The long-term programme goal is to develop a vibrant, well-informed and assertive civil society, able to contribute to transformational national development for all Ghanaian citizens in an inclusive manner.

STAR-Ghana invites interested and eligible media organisations and media houses to submit project proposals aimed at helping to achieve peaceful, credible, issues-based and inclusive elections in 2016.

Applicants are particularly encouraged to explore opportunities for formal/informal alliances/networks/ coalitions in the implementation of their proposed actions.

The main areas for consideration are: Peace and security; Voter education; Electoral reform; Adjudication of disputes; Observation and monitoring of elections; and Inclusiveness and participation.

Interested and eligible organizations are invited to design and implement projects aimed at achieving the purpose of this call.

The proposed projects can have a maximum duration of 10 – 12 months but could be of shorter duration.

They may either be new initiatives or build on ongoing/previous actions to achieve greater results and impacts.

Applicants are particularly encouraged to submit proposals for projects that aim to achieve the following results: Generate critical and high quality evidence for policy advocacy and influencing, particularly around the elections.

Other areas are: Provide platforms that raise and amplify the voices of vulnerable, marginalized and deprived communities and groups, and enable them to define and articulate issues of importance to them.

Deepen and increase media capacity, including local language media, to generate and circulate quality information, with which citizens can make informed decisions and choices and hold duty bearers accountable for their actions.

Strengthen the ability of media to expand and improve coverage and public discussions relating on policy issues.

Enable collaboration between different types of media (print, radio, television, Internet, commercial, community, public) working on complementary issues.

Interested organisations should visit www.star-ghana.org and complete the online application form which must be submitted on or before 11.59 hours on Sunday, January 17, 2016.