Participating for development; The LANet Concept
Promoting health service delivery and sanitation, monitoring the use of public goods, engaging all in resource mobilisation at the assembly… the list goes on and on.
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These are but a few of the success stories of communities whose members have since April 2014 been engaged by the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) to effectively participate in local governance.
By building their ability to engage, dialogue, communicate, inform and lobby for the common public goods, citizens’ participation in local level development has been deepened.
The initiative has realised the constitutional recommendations to make development a shared responsibility of the government, local authorities, civil society organisations (CSOs), communities and the private sector.
The Local Government Act 1993 (Act 462) requires district assemblies to collaborate with the various associations, organisations and individuals at the local level in planning, coordinating and implementing development programmes.
The duty calls for greater participation in local governance and monitoring, service delivery and development projects by citizens and civil society. However, constitutional provisions and laws seem not to have delivered enthusiasm for participation among citizens.
To contribute to the resolution of the challenge, GACC with funding support from the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), implemented a one and half year social accountability project titled “Enhancing Civil Society (CS) capacity to engage MMDAs to promote transparency, accountability and efficient service delivery at the local Level”.
The LANet initiative
In the quest to promote transparency and accountability in local governance, the GACC sought to deepen citizens’ participation in local governance through a demand-driven accountability strategy.
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Among others, the strategy sought to strengthen civil societies’ capacity to promote transparency and accountability and enhance service delivery at the local level.
This was achieved by the formation of a novel citizen initiative by GACC known as the Local Accountability Networks (LANets) in selected districts in seven regions of Ghana.
The concept has received support from donors such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)USAID/Local Governance and Decentralisation Programme (LOGODEP) and OSIWA over the years.
The LANets in the eight OSIWA-supported intervention districts included Konongo-Odumase Municipal, the Ejisu-Juabeng Municipal, the Atwima Nwabiagya District and the Kumasi Metropolitan, all in the Ashanti Region.
The rest are the Berekum Municipal, the Sunyani Municipal, the Kintampo District and the Techiman North District in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The OSIWA-supported LANets received training from GACC and local government experts on corruption and its debilitating effects on society and development, the importance of participating in decision making at the local level, and engaging effectively with local authorities and community members on common development goals.
They were also supported in the development of action plans as the basis of their activities. Armed with the findings from the monitoring exercises, they engaged the MMDAs to seek redress on the challenges identified.
There were also higher level engagements, where GACC created platforms for the LANets to engage the Regional Coordinating Councils of the two regions to share key findings in the implementation of their action plans.
Success stories
Analysis of project implementation reports show that the LANet concept has clearly revived waning interests in local development and governance issues in project areas. In all, the eight OSIWA-supported districts and community members were enthusiastic in promoting development.
In Konongo-Odumase for instance, the LANet engaged local authorities, chiefs and opinion leaders in some selected communities to repair a non-functioning ambulance that served a number of communities.
The absence of the ambulance had been a challenge for the sick, especially, pregnant women for more than a year. The group was able to mobilise the chiefs and people of the area to make voluntary contributions and pledges of GHC760.00 towards an Ambulance Maintenance Fund.
Similarly, the Berekum LANet’s intervention resulted in an improvement in service delivery at some selected Community-based Health Planning and Service (CHPS) Compounds in the municipality. As a result of the work of the LANet, the municipal assembly graded a major road to one of the CHIP Compound to improve easy access to the facility.
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The assembly also repaired Anyinasu Nurses’ Quarters and Akroforo CHIPS ZONE facilities through the LANet’s intervention. These improved facilities enhanced the services provided by the health personnel.
In Techiman, the LANet engaged the media to sensitise and educate citizens to stop indiscriminate waste disposal. That contributed to an improvement in sanitation in the municipality.
Additionally, PWDs in Kintampo South and Techiman districts were empowered through LANet activities, with one deciding to contest for a position in the district assembly elections. “The education and capacity building I received from joining LANet has inspired me to serve my community ” Mr Amoah Ernest, a LANet member contesting for the position of assembly member for Kuntunso/Tadieso/Bomiri Electoral Area in Techiman said.
The Kumasi Metro LANet’s intervention promoted dialogue between the market women and the assembly. “If you are developing projects for us, we like it, but use the right processes and involve us to promote peace”, the Tafo Market Queen, Nana Afua Serwah, said in deliberations.
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Conclusion
Being non-partisan, LANets facilitated dialogue and collaboration among community members.
Assemblies were also receptive to their initiatives because of their make-up, although access to information from some assemblies was a challenge.
The Executive Secretary of GACC, Mrs Linda Ofori-Kwafo, in an interview, stressed the need to strengthen civil society, capacity to demand accountability from duty bearers. She called on donors to support such citizen mobilisation efforts at the local level to ensure that Ghana’s decentralisation goals were achieved.
GACC/OSIWA’s LANets concept has played out the desire of Ghanaians for a system of local governance in Article 240 (2) (e) that ensures the accountability of local government authorities and affords the opportunity to participate effectively in local government.
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Writer’s email: caroline.boateng@graphic.com.gh