Globally, non-governmental organisations have established themselves as pace setters,
advocates, auditors and above all partners in various facets of development. While there is
evidence of the categorisation of NGOs at the international or global level, little is known of the
character of NGOs’ operations at the local level of development. Using an exploratory survey
design and a mix of qualitative and quantitative approaches, the paper presents a comprehensive
profile of the operations of NGOs in the Upper West Region. The study was conducted as a
background survey to guide later investigation on State – NGO partnership in local development
in the Region. It emerged that most NGOs were not duly registered with the Social Welfare
Department and the Registrar General’s Department as required by law. NGOs also adopted a
multi-sectoral approach to development mainly in order to open themselves to diverse sources
of funding. The integrated approach to development was also adopted by the NGOs. Most NGOs
were also involved directly in project implementation and had a rural focus. In the light of
increasing urbanisation and the persistent call for government agencies to be more responsible
in service delivery, there is the need for NGOs to reposition themselves strategically in the areas
of advocacy and watchdog roles as well as refocusing on urban areas in order to remain relevantto the current development discourse. Further research is needed to establish whether non
registration and renewal of registration by NGOs can be blamed on non-compliance by NGOs or
poor governance by the regulatory agencies.