Africa-Press – Ghana. Mr Solomon Nyankah, the Monitoring and Evaluation officer for Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), has called on citizens to engage in the local governance process to build stronger and more resilient communities.
He explained that the officers who worked in the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDA’s) might not be natives in those communities.
“They might have been posted from Accra or elsewhere, so they are not well-versed in local issues. Therefore, it’s important for us, the local citizens, to be involved in the development process” he said.
Mr Nyankah offered the advice in Ahwietieso during a one-day training programme on Resource Governance Issues and Mining in Ghana for traditional authorities, faith-based organizations, artisans, staff of Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipal Assembly and Persons with Disabilities.
According to him, the training was to enhance the district assembly’s ability to determine their Minerals Development Fund (MDF) allocations and utilized them effectively.
He added, “We are not only building the capacity of the assembly; citizens will also be educated to understand resource governance and the revenue generated from local mining activities.”
He said “Our approach goes beyond the normal training where people come to talk and go. GACC hope to empower the residents to ensure transparency in the use of the Minerals Development Fund” (MDF).
Also, Mr Nyankah stated that due to financial constraints the Local Accountability Network (LANet), called the citizens angle, could be found in only 34 out of the 261 districts in the country.
“The LANet do follow up on anti-corruption governance issues and ensure that the local people participate fully in the governance process within their respective districts,” he explained.
Mr Nyankah announced that the LANet chapter in Tarkwa would be established to enable members to keep a close watch on the assembly’s activities.
The GACC in partnership with the Centre for Extractives and Development Africa (CEDA), Africa Disability Initiative (ADI) and Northern Patriots in Research and Advocacy (NORPRA), organized the training programme.
It formed part of a project titled, “Improving the Efficiency in the Disbursement and Utilization of MDF by Mining MMDA’s to accelerate Socio-Economic Growth in Resource-rich Communities.”
The project was funded by the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) and aimed to enhance accountability mechanism, develop financial forecasting tools, and establish community monitoring networks.
The GACC is a unique cross sectorial organization and its focus is to promote good governance and fight against corruption.
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