Social Accountability Necessary For Ghana's Development

Mrs Sarah Naa Deede Agbey, Project Manager for the Social Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (SPEFA) Project, has said it was within the rights of the citizens to demand accountability from duty bearers. She appealed to Ghanaians to regularly monitor development projects in their areas and said Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) were obliged to be accountable to their people. Mrs Agbey was addressing stakeholders at the launch of the SPEFA project being implemented by AMPA Resource Organisation, a non-governmental organization (NGO) based at Nsawam. The SPEFA is a component of the Local Government Capacity Support Project funded by the World Bank through the Royal Netherlands Development Agency (SNV). It is aimed at improving citizens� perception of urban management and to increase participation in the policy formulation processes of the MMDA�s. According to Mrs Agbey, social accountability was working effectively in most African countries and that it could as well be successful in Ghana if only �our policies are implemented judiciously.� She appealed to duty bearers as well as the citizens and the media to �grow� Ghana with knowledge, stressing that, �if citizens have enough information about governance locally, Ghana will progress.� �Citizens must be involved in the Assembly�s Medium term Development Plan (MTDP) since the best form of development is collaboration between the authorities and the people,� she said. Mr Mark Dompreh Amoako, Municipal Chief Executive for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, pledged his outfit�s commitment to remain accountable to the people of his Municipality. �Our books are always opened for accountability, however, let us all collaborate to stop politicizing issues and do the right things for our own progress,� he said. Mr Emmanuel Kwafo Mintah, the Executive Director of AMPA Resource Organisation, said citizens played a critical role in reducing corruption and leakage of funds and improving public services delivery. He therefore thanked the World Bank, SNV and all those who played roles for the implementation of the project.