Accountability project launched in Agona West
Social Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (SPEFA), a project being implemented in some selected districts across the country, has been launched in the Agona West Municipality in the Central Region.
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The municipality is a beneficiary of the second phase of the project, which has been successfully implemented in some metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs).
It is being actualised through a grant facility by the World Bank to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.
It has the objective to improve citizens’ perception of urban management and increase their engagement with assemblies.
The launch was attended by farmers, youth groups, driver unions, officials of the municipal assembly, artisans and opinion leaders.
Demand accountability
Addressing the gathering, the Project Manager of SPEFA, Mrs Sarah Naa Dedei Agbey, said the project had the objective to educate the citizenry to always demand accountability from those in authority to promote development.
According to her, the citizens must be well informed, so that they would be in a position to ensure that public office holders were accountable to them in the usage of their taxes.
Mrs Agbey noted that most of the people did not understand the local government system, hence their inability to call upon officials to account for their stewardship.
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She stressed that if the public were knowledgeable about the local government system, it would help enhance the public administration system in the country.
She, therefore, called on the public to monitor the activities of the assemblies to ensure that funds released were used for the intended purposes for the benefit of the citizenry.
Governance system
The Executive Director of the Progressive Excellence Youth Organisation (PEYORG), Mr Philip Bosomtwe Amoah, called on the citizenry to always avail themselves and participate in forums of the organisation.
He said such an action would make the people well informed about the governance system to promote accountability.
The PEYORG is a civil society organisation partnering the Netherlands Development Organisation to implement the project in the municipality.