Good and Decentralized Governance: Social Accountability

Social accountability is very crucial to achieving good and decentralized local governance. This according to the Institute Capacity Building Coordinator of CARE International Northern Ghana Governance Activity (NGGA) will help Government increase the space for inclusive agricultural governance by providing timely and accurate information to citizens and enhancing citizen led planning, budgeting, implementation, performance monitoring and expenditure tracking processes. Mr. Samuel Owusu-Sekyere said this at a two-day training on social accountability for about 350 local government officials and provided them with industry leading knowledge, skill and tools in Tamale. The workshop themed USAID Strengthens Technical Capacity of Government for Improved Governance Responsiveness to Agricultural Development in Ghana. This forms part of USAID’s Northern Ghana Governance Activity (NGGA), through the U.S. Government’s Feed the Future Initiative, collaborated with the Office of Head of Local Government Service (OHLGS) to train Government officials on how to be accountable to citizens and better respond to their needs. Mr. Sekyere said this support to Government, is to enhance performance of key regional and district level governmental actors to collaborate with civil society and private sector actors to contribute meaningfully to development.  The Northern Ghana Governance Activity signed a collaborative Memorandum of Understanding with the Office of Head of Local Government Service in May this year, to train the Municipal Metropolitan and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and Regional Coordinating Councils (RCC) to enhance coordination, improve service delivery and increase transparency, accountability, and community participation in local governance. A resource consultant expressed the need to sensitize local government authorities to be accountable to the right holders

. Mr. Isisfu Lampo said, as duty bearers of various MMDAs, there is the need to engage citizens in the management of the assembly’s resources to harness development.

Participant in a dialogue session expressed various level of challenges they encounter in the discharge of their daily activities in the district and assembly level. Some participant shared their views on the workshop and its relevant to their relation as duty bearers to the right holders.