So what was the point of the District League Table?

Recently, UNICEF and the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), Ghana, launched the 2015 District League Table. To say that it created a bit of a fuss is perhaps an understatement. Over 40 media outlets covered the launch, with an impressive range of opinions both in print and on air. Journalists worked their way through all the different angles and presented the District League Table to the country, shining a light on Ghana’s real level of development, from Accra all the way to Zabzugu. But putting the hype aside, what did we get out of the event? Is it just another report that will be filed away? Will people actually be able to use the league table for something? I think there are two main points to take away from the new District League Table this year – one, that its transparency is boosting accountability, and two, that we know so little about our own country’s development.

Competitive pressure

Firstly, although several stakeholders were at pains to point out that the District League Table is not an exercise in ‘naming and shaming’ and that Districts near the bottom of the League Table should be supported not sanctioned, the inherent competitive pressure was unavoidable. Tema, finding itself in first place, was repeatedly highlighted and celebrated. Gomoa West, finding itself in 216th position, was also picked out and lamented. Contrary to some opinion, the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Gomoa West, Mr Theophilus Adu Mensah, should be commended. According to his interviews, his immediate reaction was to look to the future and ensure that Gomoa West is supported so that “the ranking will rather encourage us to do more so we can be placed in a better place next year”.

But what was most encouraging was the emergence of citizen forums and public debates on development in Ghana, asking questions about why certain districts are doing so well and why others are struggling. It’s by asking these questions, publicly and based on solid evidence, that we can promote accountability for the level of well-being being delivered in every single district in Ghana.

Benefit of District League Table

Which takes me to my second point. Until we produced the District League Table we had no clear idea about how development varied across the country at the district level. We had no way of telling which districts were moving ahead, and which were falling behind. Indeed, in the District League Table’s launch last week, the Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Nii Lante Vanderpuye, announced that the ministry was now going to use the District League Table to assess the different levels of development and progress being made in districts across the country. This is important. The District League Table highlighted that even in poor regions in the north of the country there are districts that are doing pretty well – let’s learn from their success. And let’s understand why right next door to these high-ranking districts, there are districts that appear to be floundering.

Over the coming weeks and months, the District League Table will be disseminated and debated across every district of the country. But the real impact will come from what you do with it. The District League Table is a citizen’s tool and each and every one of us can use it to call for change. Let’s raise our voice and ask for the change that we want to see in 2016’s District League Table.