info@businessghana.com
A new initiative to facilitate transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in local governance has been launched at Duayaw Nkwanta in the Tano North Municipality in the Ahafo Region.
It also seeks to build the capacity of public institutions to deliver citizen-oriented and trustworthy governance mainly at the local levels.
The project christened "Social Accountability for a Resilient Democracy project" (SARD), was launched by Mission of Hope (MIHOSO), an international foundation in partnership with the Participation, Accountability and Integrity for a Resilient Democracy (PAIReD) programme.
At the launch last week Monday, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MIHOSO, Thomas Benarkuu, explained that the first phase of the SARD project would be rolled out in five districts across the Bono and Ahafo regions.
They are Sunyani West and Dormaa West in the Bono Region, and Asutifi North, Asunafo South, and Tano North in the Ahafo Region.
The project will also empower citizens with increased knowledge to actively participate in local governance and demand accountability from local state officials.
It is an initiative under the PAIReD programme, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), co-funded by the European Union (EU) and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Cooperation (SECO), and implemented by GIZ in cooperation with Ministry of Finance.
Mr Benarkuu said the initiative had been designed to increase the revenue mobilisation of the district assemblies by 40 per cent while improving citizens’ awareness of their assemblies’ activities and planning processes.
“This project will strengthen participatory dialogue, promote transparency in public finance management, and enhance monitoring of local projects through social audit committees as watchdogs over district programmes and plans.
“We expect it to improve social accountability at the grass roots and reinforce the role of Client Service Units and Public Relations and Complaints Committees in reporting and feedback mechanisms," he said.
The Coordinating Director of the Tano North Municipal Assembly, Eric Adomako, said “The Assembly will give maximum backing to the project, as it will help us strengthen transparency and improve service delivery.”
He described it as a timely intervention to improve accountability and service delivery.
The Bredihene, Nana Yaw Nkrumah, expressed the Duayaw Nkwanta Traditional Council’s support to the project.
He urged assembly members to remain transparent and accountable in their dealings.
The Head of Programme at MIHOSO, Godfred Wuliyeng, said implementation of the project would include activities such as baseline surveys, accountability forums, town hall meetings, community dialogues, quarterly reviews, and validation sessions to ensure its successful execution.
“These engagements will create platforms for citizens to demand accountability from their leaders while strengthening trust in public institutions,” he said.
