The Techiman Civic Union (CU) in the Brong Ahafo Region, made up of 96 civic society organisations, on Tuesday called for an annual public budget hearing of the Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to ensure transparency and accountability.
This was contained in a position paper signed by Mr. Oliver Yeboah-Asuamah, Union Secretary, and presented at a day's stakeholders' regional consultative forum in Sunyani.
It was organized jointly by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) and the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) for the acceleration of decentralization in Ghana.
The forum, the seventh in the series, was attended by more than 250 participants including representatives of traditional councils, women and youth groups, non-governmental, public and civil society organizations, heads of tertiary institutions, municipal and district chief executives, presiding and assembly members.
It aimed, among others, at strengthening the effectiveness of decentralization for a pragmatic and realistic impact on the lives of the populace in the context of judicious utilization of resources.
The CU argued that since monies received by the assemblies were spent on behalf of the people, it would be in order to apply the greatest degree of openness to promote public trust and confidence in personnel at that level.
Mr Joseph Yileh Chireh, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, said after 20 years of decentralization, there was the need for a review so as to enrich the system as its application had not been 100 per cent perfect.
He said the forum was significant because it achieved government's wish of a broader mass participation and prepared the grounds towards a national consultative forum slated for Accra.
Mr Chireh said a review of the decentralization process was essential since the system remained a proper and reliable channel to provide quality health and education to the people among other things and that countries including Uganda, that under-studied Ghana for the operation of similar systems, had advanced greatly.
Mr Eric Opoku, Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, said Ghana's decentralization process had been hailed as one of the best in Africa but politicization had stifled its potential for greater improvement, particularly in the socio-economic lives of the people at the local level.
He emphasized that the inability of the present process to achieve the desired objective and impact necessitated the forum.
He expressed the hope that participants would come out with practical views and suggestions to enhance the system.
Dr Callistus Mahama, Deputy Director at the Institute of Local Government Studies, spoke about achievements, challenges and emerging issues in the decentralization process.
He said friction between traditional authorities, the assemblies and unit committee members were impeding the smooth practice of the process.
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