The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development has extended component III of its Local Government Capacity Support Project to the Upper East, Upper West and Northern Regions. The project is aimed at building the capacity of media practitioners on stimulating demand for accountable governance and service delivery.
The project seeks to strengthen intergovernmental fiscal framework; strengthen local public financial management and accountability for improved infrastructure and services; and improve citizens’ engagement with Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies and their perceptions of urban management.
Local Government Capacity Support Project is a US$ 175.0 million Government of Ghana-World Bank Initiative targeting 46 Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies (MMAs), aimed at addressing some of the weaknesses of the current Ghana’s Decentralization Framework.
It is implemented for a five-year period and modeled on the functional Organizational Assessment Tool (FOAT)/District Development Facility (DDF) initiative and built on the incentive-driven approach to enhancing MMAs’ performance through DDF performance grant.
The project targets key areas such as budgeting, auditing and reporting systems, revenue management, asset management, and social accountability identified in the National Decentralization Action Plan.
Facilitating a one-day workshop in Tamale on Tuesday, Mr. Elvis Otuo of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Social Accountability Unit, explained that, component I was focused on strengthening the fiscal framework for decentralization which supports the establishment of a predictable and transparent fiscal framework for local governance, through assisting the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to; develop an intergovernmental fiscal decentralization framework, introduce local government public financial management reforms in five key areas – budgeting, reporting, auditing, revenue and asset management.
Mr. Otuo said on the other hand, Component II is on enhancing decentralized urban service delivery. This component supports selected MMAs to improve their management capacities in the key reform areas identified under component I, through II sub-components.
In order to actively involve the media in the implementing strategies, the participants were required to form a Media Social Network on Social Accountability. The media network was organized at the regional level. Regional network members will engage directly with the MMAs and citizen groups in the regions while the national network will include all members of the regional network and seek to promote networking and lesson learning through annual events.
Another facilitator with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Accountability Unit, Mr. Jonathan Aboagye, urged media practitioners to always set the agenda for the masses on topical issues that will stir up their interest in fully participating in discussing their welfare and development.
The participants from the Upper East Region elected Mr. Eugene Dongpure, Information Services Department, Bolgatanga Municipal, and Mr. William N-lanjerborr Jalulah, The Chronicle, as their Coordinator and Deputy Coordinator respectively. Others were Mr. Isaac Asare, GBC, Secretary, Mr. Joshua Asaah, A1 Radio, Organizer and Madam Fati Astonga, Ghana News Agency, Treasurer.
Their counterparts from the Upper West Region did same on the Tuesday while the Northern network was formed on Wednesday.
Source: William Jalulah/The Chronicle
