Residents of Langogu community in the Karaga District of the Northern Region, have appealed to government and other stakeholders to construct a Community-based Health Planning Service (CHPS) Compound to cater for their health needs in the area.

This call came when the community members evaluated and assessed their needs, and identified the lack of health centre as their pressing issue, and therefore appealed to authorities of the Karaga District Assembly to provide lasting solution to the problem.

This need of the community was disclosed at a social auditing engagement programme, organised by the Karaga District Directorate of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE).

The programme was part of the NCCE’s Accountability, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme (ARAP), being supported by the European Union (EU), and aimed at promoting good governance, accountability and transparency by reducing corruption related practices in institutions.

It was attended by various interest groups in the community, and sought to allow members to assess their needs and prioritise them, and seek solutions from duty-bearers.

Mr Mahama Osman, Karaga District Director of the NCCE, explained the purpose of the social auditing to participants and said it was done to promote discourse among citizens and duty-bearers on planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects and programmes in the community.

He added that it was further to promote community ownership of development projects and policies, increase awareness of the operations of the Local Government, and empower the citizenry to demand accountability from duty bearers.

Mr Alhassan Yabdoo, the Karaga District Chief Executive (DCE), said plans had been put in place to build a CHPS Compound, and gave the assurance that work would commence in a period of about three months.

Mr Amidu Sugri Sulemana, Karaga District Officer of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), advised the people to be watchdogs in the community and report any form of corrupt acts they encountered to the appropriate institutions for actions.

Mr Banyala Joseph Nakoja, Representative from the Karaga District Health Directorate, encouraged residents to continue to observe the COVID-19 preventive guidelines to protect them from contracting the virus.

Mr Adam Mumuni, Official from the Karaga District Office of the Ghana Education Service (GES), advised parents to take care of their children's educational needs, adding that, they should find other alternative learning platforms to engage them until consultations were completed to reopen schools.