The Kwahu East District Director of the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE), Abigail Nkansah has urged people in rural and deprived communities to put their political affiliations aside and ask questions related to developmental projects in their areas.
“There is the need for residents in communities to demand probity, accountability and transparency from political leaders to avoid taking them for granted thereby depriving them of social amenities to deepen their plight,” she noted.
Mrs Nkansah made the call when the NCCE organised a social auditing programme for the chiefs and people of Yaw Tenkorang in the Kwahu East District of the Eastern Region and inaugurated a seven-member committee to monitor all developmental projects in the area.
Explaining the importance of social auditing to residents, she said it was geared towards accountability, probity, transparency, rule of law and anti-corruption programme (ARAP) occasionally organised by her outfit to promote dialogue amongst the citizenry and duty bearers on planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects and initiatives.
Mrs Nkansah intimated that it was to increase awareness of operations of local governance in rural communities, promote community ownership of developmental projects, policies, programmes, social interventions and encourage citizens to demand accountability, transparency, probity and rule of law from duty bearers.
Nana Boamah Yeboah, a sub-chief of the town, commended NCCE for organising such a programme to open up their understanding on procedures and practices of local government in the town and enumerated challenges facing the people in the community such as poor education and health infrastructure, lack of potable water and sanitation.
Joshua Voradam, District Planning Officer, explained some social interventions and programmes of the assembly and employment opportunities available to them and appealed to chiefs and land owners to encourage the youth by making lands available for them to venture into agro-business to ameliorate their plight.
Rita Adwoa Boatemaa, the Programmes Officer at NCCE, educated and sensitised participants on COVID -19 pandemic and advised them to observe all health protocols by washing their hands with soap under running water ,wearing of nose mask, observing social distance and the use of hand sanitiser.
FROM SAMUEL OPARE LARTEY, YAW TENKORANG
