Decentralise PIAC operations for transparency, accountability — Participants

Participants in a day’s forum have called on the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC) to decentralise its operations across the country to effectively deliver on its mandate.

That, they said, would enable the state institution to properly monitor the execution of developmental projects being partly funded from petroleum revenue to ensure transparency and accountability.

“The current architecture where PIAC is only stationed in Accra is not the best as it has made it difficult for the organisation to supervise the execution of projects funded through petroleum revenue to achieve value for money,” they stressed.

Forum

The participants were speaking during a public forum organised by PIAC at Paga in the Kassena Nankana West District in the Upper East Region last Thursday.

The forum enabled the organisation established under section 51 of the Petroleum Revenue Management Act (PRMA), 2011 to provide additional oversight on the management and use of petroleum revenue to educate the public on its operations and activities.

Proper oversight

A former Assemblymember for the Kajelo electoral area, Hilary Aniakwo, stated that the committee’s presence at the district level would enable it to carry out its oversight in the usage of petroleum revenue.

He stressed that the availability of PIAC at both the regional and district levels would make it more responsive in the monitoring of all infrastructural projects being wholly or partly funded through petroleum revenue.

“Together, PIAC’s work can be consolidated towards achieving the goals and objectives for which it was established by an Act of Parliament,” he said.

Mr Aniakwo explained further that it would enable PIAC to properly and regularly engage the people to understand that irrespective of their geographical location, they were benefiting from the nation’s oil discovery.

 Abandoned projects

A representative of the Paramount Chief of the Mirigu Traditional Area, Roland Anyedina, expressed worry about the numerous abandoned developmental projects spanning several governments.

He mentioned that the situation was very troubling as huge sums of funds, including loans, had been invested in projects and abandoned several years, stressing “As I speak, many of them which are dotted across the country are at the mercy of the weather and deteriorating as well”.

Mr Anyedina suggested to the government to consider dedicating petroleum revenues to complete all abandoned projects to enable such projects to be put to good use, saying “as a country, we should complete such projects for the benefit of the citizenry.”

 Consideration

In response, a Technical Manager at PIAC Secretariat, Mark Agyemang, said the issue of the need for PIAC to decentralise its operations had been a proposal that had come up since its establishment.

However, he stated that as a first step, the committee was in the process of organising the media nationwide into zones so that they would constantly be fed with information on projects being partly funded with petroleum revenue.

“We believe that such a move would enable the media who are on the ground to effectively monitor the projects and give feedback to the committee when necessary,” Mr Agyemang said, adding “it is something that has come up and we are working towards deepening our activities in the districts.

Blind eye

A member of PIAC, Nana Kweku Dei, cautioned the people against turning a blind eye to developmental projects when they were being undertaken within their communities.

He said citizens’ lack of interest in such projects often contributed to shoddy work by contractors.

Nana Dei entreated them to take an interest in such projects and ensure that they were professionally executed. “You are the final beneficiaries of the project and you must ensure that they are done according to standard,” he said.