UNICEF commends Gomoa West Assembly for response to District League Table
The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has expressed appreciation for the positive way in which the Gomoa West District Assembly has responded in the media to its ranking on the 2015 Ghana District League Table released by the UN agency.
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The league table placed the district as the last of the 216 in the country in terms of development.
The 2015 District League Table was launched on November 25, 2015 by UNICEF Ghana and the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, to assess and rank the development status of all the districts.
Media spotlight
A letter dated December 18, 2015 and addressed to the Gomoa West District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Theophilus Aidoo-Mensah, stated that following the launch, there had been several discussions in the media focusing on the Gomoa West District because it placed last, but the management of the assembly took time to explain matters without being offensive.
The letter, which was signed by the Chief of Social Policy, UNICEF Ghana, Ms Sarah Hague, said UNICEF was impressed with the assembly’s positive response to the media attention and made particular mention of the constructive reservations with the District League Table registered by the District Planning Officer, Mr Daniel Baah Tenkorang, during a panel discussion on GTV.
It noted further that the reservations, as well as support for the initiative, were well noted.
“As a social accountability tool, the District League Table is designed to be used by all stakeholders in Ghana’s development to highlight the fact that some districts face substantial challenges and, therefore, require better targeting of resources, particularly from the central government,’’ the letter said.
Assembly’s reaction
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, Mr Aidoo-Mensah thanked UNICEF for commending the assembly’s position concerning the league table but explained that “the ranking does not mean our district is not doing anything by way of development; it is not actually the true reflection of what is on the ground, since the assembly has undertaken numerous projects to improve the lives of the people”.
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He stated that the assembly had done a lot in the areas of health, education, sanitation and road construction, all meant to enhance the lives of the people in the district.
Mr Aidoo-Mensah acknowledged the challenges facing the assembly but said it would continue to work hard to ensure the betterment of the people in the area and expressed the hope that the district would be ranked better in the next edition of the District League Table.