The Commission has been engaging citizens of Nandom District in the Upper West Region on the importance of social auditing for national development as part of the second phase of its Accountability, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption programme (ARAP).

Several of such fora organised by the District NCCE brought together traditional leaders, persons with disabilities (PWDs), Civil Social Organisations (CSOs), students and Heads of departments of the Assembly.

The Officer in-charge of NCCE for Nandom, Ms Esther Suglo, said in a statement to the Ghana News Agency that social Auditing was aimed at increasing public awareness of the operations of local government establishment.

It is also for citizens to demand accountability from duty-bearers, she added, and encouraged citizens to participate in the processes of development policies and projects in their respective communities.

The NCCE and European Union were applauded for promoting social accountability and also for mobilising citizens to take ownership of government programmes to improve service delivery.

The statement said five peculiar issues of concern were identified by the citizens in the Nandom District, which covered Education, Health, Agriculture, Sanitation and Tax and Tariffs.

According to her, stakeholders were worried about high rate of school dropout due to teenage pregnancy and urged local authorities to take pragmatic steps to remedy the situation.

A total of 111 participants comprising 71 males and 40 females patronised the forum organised early this year.