Suraka Saani, Old Tafo Municipal Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in the Ashanti Region, has challenged Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to be more accountable and transparent in their activities as they work for the development of their communities.
“Assemblies exist to serve the interest and welfare of the citizenry consequently, they must always know as to how the state resources are utilized, we need to promote regular discourse between them and office bearers on planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects and programmes.
Mr Saani threw the challenge at Pankrono-Abed in the Old Tafo Municipality of the Ashanti Region, on sidelines of the launch of NCCE’s ‘Public Engagement on Social Auditing’ intended to enhance participatory governance by bringing together at the community level, office bearers and masses, to enable the former explain how Assemblies were implementing development projects and programmes.
According to him, it would help engender community ownership of development projects, policies, programmes, social interventions, increase awareness on operations of local government system and also empower the citizenry to demand accountability and transparency from duty bearers.
“It will also give opportunity for persons outside government operations to influence policy-making, implementation and evaluation of projects pertaining to issues such as education, health, roads, infrastructure, social services and employment, executed under ‘ARAP’, a joint anti-corruption initiative between Ghana and the European Union designed to foster good governance and rule of law.
“Under ‘ARAP’, NCCE is required to campaign, advocate and lobby for increased accountability, transparency, probity and reduction in corruption, to improve accountability and compliance with rule of law,” Mr Saani noted.
Richard Appiah, Presiding Member of Old Tafo Municipal Assembly, and also Assembly member for Pankrono-East, said the Assembly would not neglect the people in their activities.
Isaac Ellimah, the Municipal Planning Officer, disclosed that the authorities had executed a number of projects in the area of education, health, security and infrastructural development for residents since the Municipality was created about two years ago. -GNA
