The Northern Regional Minister, Shani Alhassan Shaibu has reminded Local Government actors in the jurisdiction, to at all times ensure active participation of the citizenry in all stages of development planning and. Implementation of activities on the ground.
He said especially for those activities such as providing physical infrastructure or development projects for communities; the respective Local Assemblies should include inputs from the targeted beneficiaries in order to ensure judicious use of funds, ownership and sustainability.
Alhaji Shaibu gave the reminder this in a statement read on his behalf in Tamale at a Regional Sensitization Workshop on the Ghana Performance Accountability Activity (PAA), which is a USAID funded program undertaken by Democracy International with Norsaac, an Advocacy NGO as the implementer.
The 19 million dollar activity spanning five years will rally both state and non-state actors on the ground to work together to ensuring responsive service delivery and accountability.
According to Alhaji Shaibu, planning, resource mobilization, implementation and equally important, the monitoring and evaluation stages, require citizens participation and direct involvement saying; “under the Directive Principles of State Policies; as enshrined in the constitution, these are rights that citizens enjoy and should be respected at all times.”
The Regional Minister reminded local government actors that their mandate has service delivery standards which enjoin them to be transparent, accountable and to engage the citizens actively.
“Citizens are supposed to demand these and they equally have a right to reject such development projects if they are not a priority to them,” he added.
Giving an overview on the Performance Accountability Activity (PAA), the Deputy Chief of Party, Democracy International, Madam Linda Ofori–Kwafo, said 70 districts with 46 in Northern Ghana are the primary focused.
The objectives of the PAA include; supporting the capacity of local organizations. “It also seeks to improve the efficiency of government service delivery by promoting more rigorous regulatory standards and good governance capacity as well as emboldening public service providers at the local level to adhere to quality standards by deepening the links between core Ghanaian values and standards of performance,” Madam Ofori-Kwafo stated.
She added that using Behavior Led Approaches, priority will be given to improving accountability for the delivery of Basic Education, Health, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Agriculture and Fisheries services.
Earlier the Executive Director, Norsaac, Alhassan Mohamed Awal in a remark stated that; “for the next five years, the programme will help build on the existing Ghanaian strategies, programme and capacities and leverage on related support being provided by USAID and other donors to reinforce ongoing Ghanaian efforts to promote transparent, accountable and inclusive governance.”
According to Mr. Mohamed Awal the sensitization and brainstorming were meant to garnering ideas; identify potential barriers and strategies to overcome and explore ways to sustaining the program’s outcomes.
The workshop brought together representatives from the Department of Agriculture, Local government, Education and Health as well as Association of Contractors, Civil society groups including youth and traditional authorities who deliberated on their roles and how to make inputs for effective execution of the activity when fully rolled out.
Story By: Nelson Adenuti Nyadror |www.diamondfmonline.com |Ghana.
