Sustaining governance accountability

President John Dramani Mahama ticked one important box in the governance accountability protocols when he made himself available for media scrutiny in Accra last Wednesday at his Presidential Media Encounter.

The event, an elevated version of the government’s accountability series that hosts the various sector ministries in turns, was the first by President Mahama since he began his second term in office on January 7 this year.

From the economy to currency stability issues, the fight against illegal mining to national security, youth employment and empowerment to education, the anti-corruption fight to holding state officials accountable, among others, the President provided the most current update on the circumstances of the country he presides over, offering also hints of the direction and intended destination of his tenure.

It was encouraging, for instance, to hear the President on how he had set in motion various mechanisms to check potential excesses of his appointees, tackle corruption and strengthen state institutions, all under the Reset Agenda.

Amid the bright signs of an improving economy, a commitment to youth empowerment through various schemes of support for students and the education system, including the No Fees Stress policy for first-year tertiary education students and an expanded budget allocation for the Free Senior High School programme, as contained in President Mahama’s address during the encounter with the media, it was telling that the subject of illegal mining, commonly called galamsey in local parlance, remains a big subject.

Indeed, galamsey and the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) campaign were perhaps the highlights of the presidential media encounter.

On illegal mining, President Mahama discussed alternative livelihood ventures for those currently involved in illegal mining, including striking a deal with the large-scale mining concessions to cede small portions of their respective sites for community mining, and training small-scale miners on responsible mining processes as part of the campaign to overcome the illegal mining scourge and its consequences.

He further revealed a benevolent gesture by the Australian government to train Ghanaian artisanal small-scale miners on responsible mining, enforcement of regulations regarding the importation of heavy machinery, including excavators, and tracking of such machines to ensure they are not diverted into the wrong business as part of the multi-pronged effort to win the fight against illegal mining.

While the interaction would not provide all answers to the pressing needs of society, it certainly was a useful platform to disseminate important national information that otherwise would require a journalist’s individual creativity or probing to get to the public.

It is always a matter of delight, from a media perspective, when duty bearers offer to render an account of their stewardship to the people on whose behalf they exercise power and authority.

Such events are not to be occasional gestures offered by those in charge of power and authority, but a standard requirement, particularly in advanced democracies, that strengthens the relationship between those with executive power and those on whose behalf the executive governs and exercises power.

These events are common in the more mature democracies, such as the United States, especially.

In Ghana, it has elicited interest from the public across the period of the country’s return to democratic governance.

From the era of presidential debates that lined up presidential aspirants seeking the high office to answer questions on various national issues on a single platform to the town hall meetings, the public’s interest in these events has given meaning to their relevance.

But for such platforms, the public gets to hear about the state of the nation once a year when the President fulfils the constitutional mandate to Parliament at the beginning of each year and one more time at the end of a full term.

But those events do not offer the opportunity for follow-up questions and timely feedback.

The presidential encounters do provide that opportunity, with journalists asking questions on the concerns of the public about the governance of the country.

This meeting can be held more regularly than once in a blue moon or at the convenience of the Presidency.

It shows the maturity of the country’s democracy, and must be sustained.