Capacity of communities:To demand accountability from assemblies

The capacities of some selected communities in the Northern Region are being built upon to better inform them on how to demand the provision of basic social services such as water and proper sanitation from their respective district assemblies.

The project titled “Empowering local communities and civil society to demand accountability," is to empower the people and civil society organisations (CSOs) to engage in monitoring, rights-based advocacy and policy to ensure that the rights of citizens are met by the assemblies.

A total of 30 communities in four districts and two municipalities in the Northern Region are benefiting from the project being organised by Friends of the Earth (FoE) Ghana in collaboration with the Rural Development and Youth Association (RUDEYA) , both NGOs with support from the European Union (EU). The beneficiary districts are Bimbilla, Zabzugu, Kumbungu and East Mamprusi. The municipalities are Yendi and Savelugu/Nanton.

Other beneficiar

Importance

Addressing the topic, “Community empowerment and governance" at the workshop in Tamale for 30 participants from the beneficiary communities, the director of the FoE, Ghana, Dr Theo Anderson, indicated that the project would not only enable the communities to demand the provision of basic amenities but would also ensure the effective functioning of the assemblies to deliver development to the communities.

According to the director, there was not enough collaboration between the people and the assemblies in the choice and implementation of development projects at their respective communities. That sometimes led to confrontations between the people and development partners.

He explained that the project had   therefore been designed to promote good working relations between the assemblies and the people to fast-track growth in the communities.

Participation

The Northern Regional Coordinator of the FoE, Dokurugu Abukari, in an interview, said the project was also building the capacities of the communities to enhance their participation in local governance.

The participants were also taken through the district assemblies’ budget processes and how to build and sustain coalitions.