TRAINING OF ISD REGIONAL & DISTRICT OFFICERS ON SWCES AWARENESS CREATION

As part of efforts to intensify awareness creation on grievance redress and expand the operations of SWCES in the Southern Zone, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), through its Single Window Citizens Engagement Service (SWCES), has organized a one-day training workshop for regional and district Information Services Department (ISD) Officers on Wednesday 27th August 2025 in the Eastern Region.

The Southern Zone consists of the (Oti, Volta, Ashanti, Central, Western, Western North, Greater Accra, and Eastern Regions)

The workshop sought to strengthen the capacity of the ISD officers to effectively create awareness on the operations and benefits of the SWCES in their various districts.

It was also to increase awareness of SWCES among the officers, especially at the districts level, facilitate responses to grievances and complaints related to social protection and other social issues under the mandate of the Ministry.

SWCES provides a one-stop platform, including the Helpline of Hope, for citizens to access information, lodge complaints, and seek redress on social protection programmes.

In an opening remarks on behalf of the Chief Director for the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Afisah Zakariah, the Head of LEAP Secretariat, Dr Ongoh Myles commended the ISD Officers for an excellent work done during the Northern Zone awareness creation on SWCES engagement in 2024.

“That sensitization effort on SWCES made remarkable progress in expanding public awareness, expectially to the vulnerable on the existence of SWCES and how to channel their grievances to the helpline of hope toll free number 0800-800-800/0800-900-900 for redress,” he stressed.

According to him, ISD success in 2024 reaffirmed the strategic role they play as key partner in bringing the SWCES closer to the people, particularly to the hard to reach communities.

Dr Ongoh Myles tasked the officers to have an improved understanding of SWCES system, build stronger collaboration with stakeholders, and a renewed commitment to ensure that citizens everywhere are fully aware of their rights and the channels available to seek support and redress.

He urged the participants to actively engage, share knowledge and experiences and bring out strategies that will make the sensitization exercise a success.

Addressing the ISD staff at the training, the Ag. Director for the Information Services Department, Dr Nafisah Mahama lauded the partnership existing between ISD and the Ministry. She expressed confidence in the ability of the trained officers to support MoGCSP in delivering coordinated, impactful awareness campaign.

Dr Nafisah Mahama charged the staff to exhibit professionalism and expertise on the field to enable the public understand the SWCES message effectively.

On her part, the Head of Single Window Citizens Engagement Service (SWCES) Unit, Madam Naa Dedie-Antie stated that effective collaboration between SWCES and ISD is crucial for nationwide citizen engagement. She therefore encouraged the participants to fully grasp the objectives and processes the service inorder to relay the accurate information to the public.

The training equipped the officers with knowledge on the mandate of the SWCES, its case management systems, and communication strategies to ensure accurate and consistent messaging during community sensitization. Participants were trained on how to use the Information Education and Communication Materials (IEC) to engage households and communities, with emphasis on reaching poor and vulnerable groups.

Presentation and discussions focused on SWCES and playing of SWCES Jingles and the ISD Road map for awareness creation.

Source: MoGCSP