About

The Platform

Omanba is a secure discussion platform through which Ghanaian citizens can submit  proposals collectively, or initiatives, to the Parliament and local governments. Omanba participation platform is based on the goal that argumentative discussions help create proposals to improve living conditions in Ghana. High-quality initiatives raise the level of the procedural process and the reputation of the law, contributing to the emergence of a more open state and stronger participatory democracy.

Omanba

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Ghanaian citizens to propose ways to change current regulations or better organize social life

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After submitting your proposal, invite others to discuss it by either to support/oppose to collect the required vote to prepare a joint appeal as a result of the discussion.

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Collect digital signatures from Ghanaian citizens and submit an appeal to the Parliament or local government with one click

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Use the platform to monitor what happens next with the proposal, what the parliamentary committee(s) think about the proposal, and how the proposal will be resolved.

Omanba is intended

For citizens interested in social issues to create discussions and submit collective proposals

For advocacy and umbrella organizations to create discussions and submit proposals

For interested citizens to participate in discussions and create collective change

To provide digital signatures to support/oppose of citizens

Omanba's Benefits

Members of Parliament and other politicians

Receive input on discussions raised by citizens

Local Government

Receive input to be aware of discussions and issues that affect the local community

Ministries and Agencies

Can stay up to date with sectoral proposals

Journalists

Can take up discussions and proposals that attract public attention and to monitor the progress of the proposals

Proposal stages

Creation

In the creation stage, after the proposal is made public, a discussion takes place between users and the initial proposal is improved. The initiative remains in this stage for at least three days. The mandatory three-day rule has been set by the administrators of Omanba to give community groups time to discuss and share ideas. The initiator can then send the initiative for signature.

Signing

The proposal will be open for signing for a maximum of 12 months. During this period, all Ghanaian residents aged at least 18, citizens of any other country permanently residing in Ghana can sign. In order to forward the proposal to the Parliament, it is necessary to collect at least 10000 signatures. To send the proposal to a local government, at least 1% of the signatures of the residents of that district or municipality with the right to vote are required. Once the required signatures are collected, the proposal can be sent to the desired destination.

Procedure

The initiator will send the proposal to Parliament as a private member bill, Parliament committee has 30 calendar days to decide whether to accept the proposal for consideration. If the proposal is accepted for consideration, the parliament committee must discuss it and take a decision. When forwarding the initiative to the Parliament, the initiator, as the contact person or his representative, is obliged to appear at the committee session to explain the proposal.

Archiving

The proposal will be archived by the administrators of Omanba once the procedure in the government agency has ended and all procedural information has been uploaded to the document register or forwarded to Parliament. Check out the Parliament archive here

The following describes how to prepare a proposal that comply with good practice.
  • The proposal is based on relevant laws of Parliament or local government
  • The initiative is accompanied by a constructive proposal of up to three pages explaining why the current situation is unsatisfactory and how the proposal will improve the situation.
  • The proposal and arguments are based on verified facts and references are made to the sources used.
  • The proposals do not contain obscenities, call for physical violence against specific individuals, or spread slander.
  • The platform allows the creation of local or foreign language proposals to engage a larger audience, but it is not possible to send them to the Parliament or local government without an English translation.
  • In the interest of transparency, it must be stated if an organization is represented (interest organization, political party, NGO, company etc.)
  • The initiators have taken into account the arguments and amendments collected from like-minded people during the co-creation stage before sending the initiative for signing.
  • During the creation stage, like-minded people refrain from comments that contain swearing or slander.
  • The initiator is responsible for ensuring that the interests of the signatories of a successful proposal are represented in the local government or the Parliament.

We recommend that political parties and members of the Parliament use their parliamentary mandate and the opportunities arising from the rules of procedure and procedures instead of the participation platform to initiate a discussion. Omanba is not responsible for the content of the proposals or the comments given to them.

The platform administrator treats suggestions democratically, preferring advice over moderation. The platform administrator has the right to remove posts that violate good practice, without giving a reason.

Processing of personal data

Personal data is data about a registered user on the Omanba platform.