STAR-Ghana Foundation, with support from the Botnar Foundation, has convened key partners and stakeholders in the New Juaben South Municipality for the inception meeting of the KofKro II Cost-Extension Phase, a one-year bridge period running to July 2027 that will consolidate the gains of the project's first phase while laying the groundwork for a redesigned, more sustainable next chapter of youth-led development.
The KofKro Project was launched over three years ago with a vision of a municipality where young people actively participate in identifying, advocating for and contributing to the priorities that shape their lives and communities.
Opening the inception meeting, Joan Vivian Koomson, Head of Partnerships and Resource Mobilisation at STAR-Ghana Foundation, reflected on a first phase that met and in some areas exceeded its original expectations, with the project's donor expressing satisfaction with the outcomes achieved.
Implemented with partners across the New Juaben South Municipality, the project collectively reached about 28,000 young people through interventions spanning economic empowerment and youth engagement. Among the milestones achieved were fruitful partnerships built with the Municipal Assembly and other stakeholders; youth priorities embedded in the Municipality's 2026–2029 Medium-Term Development Framework; the KofKro Youth Manifesto developed and adopted by the Municipal Assembly; youth representation on the Municipal Assembly growing from three to eleven; and a working relationship established with the National Youth Authority.
The results generated interest in extending the KofKro approach to another municipality or region.
The KofKro Project was originally envisioned as a five-year intervention. However, shifts in the global development financing environment have prompted donors and implementers to rethink how development interventions are designed and delivered. While the donor remains committed to the project, the next phase requires redesign, and to avoid a gap that could stall momentum, a one-year bridge grant to July 2027 has been provided.
This bridge phase serves two purposes: completing outstanding activities from Phase One, and creating space to reflect, innovate and plan with sustainability at the centre.
Raymond Danso, Portfolio Manager for Rights to Services at STAR-Ghana Foundation, outlined four intervention areas that will guide implementation through July 2027.
A Labour Market Information System is being developed collaboratively by STAR-Ghana Foundation, young people, the Municipal Assembly and the private sector to close the gap between youth skills and available job opportunities. The platform is expected to launch for testing by December 2026.
On mental health and youth well-being, the project will work to institutionalise mental health interventions at the basic and secondary school levels in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service and Ghana Education Service.
On local governance and youth participation, the project will strengthen youth engagement through town hall meetings, dialogues and a proposed municipal youth desk, complete with standard operating procedures. An annual Youth Summit is also envisioned as a platform to review priorities and track progress.
A Youth Well-being Index will be developed to build an evidence base on the challenges and opportunities facing young people in New Juaben South, including access to health and education services and the state of youth mental health.
Through this next phase, STAR-Ghana Foundation, with the backing of the Botnar Foundation, is working to move the KofKro model from a time-bound project into a lasting, sustainable approach to inclusive, youth-led municipal governance in New Juaben South.
