The contemporary political milieu suggests that the socio-economic development of a nation does not wholly depend on the government alone. The crucial role which civil society organizations can play in this has been widely acknowledged. The emerging consensus posits that any nation which desires to exploit and utilize the potentials of the citizens for a broad based national development and effective governance, in the overall interest of the people must give due recognition to CSOs and provide them a free political and legal space to operate. This paper discovers that CSOs engagement with the government in Ghana to seek political concession and socio-economic reforms dated back to the colonial era when CSOs initiated and sustained the agitations that led to the country’s independence. After political independence, CSOs in the country sustained their vibrancy to hold the new government accountable to the citizenry. Their struggle for social justice and political liberalization continued even all through the harsh political environment foisted on the country by incessant military interregnums. However, the emergence of the Fourth Republic has changed the fortune of CSOs and the friendly political environment which they enjoy now encourages them to complement the development efforts of the government and this has resulted in better polity in Ghana. The unrelenting oversight and complementary roles which CSOs have been playing to bridge the gap between the government and the citizenry is part of the reasons Ghana is portrayed as a beacon of democracy in Africa. The paper nonetheless identifies some factors which hinder the optimal performance of CSOs in Ghana and makes recommendations that would enhance their engagement with the government for better impact. Secondary source of data collection was used.

The contemporary political milieu suggests that the socio-economic development of a nation does not wholly depend on the government alone. The crucial role which civil society organizations can play in this has been widely acknowledged. The emerging consensus posits that any nation which desires ...