By Bertha Badu-Agyei
Dominase, Nov 15, GNA – The Hunger Project-Ghana (THP-GHANA)’s Strengthening Sub-district Institutions Project is improving communities’ participation in governance and development.
The project which sought to empower Epicentre Committees/Area council’s unit committees and community leaders to participate in the development of their communities is increasing the community’s awareness of their rights and responsibilities and mobilizing them towards community development.
This was made known during a results sharing forum attended by Community and opinion leaders and other stakeholders at Dominase Epicentre, a cluster of farming communities near Akyem-Begoro in the Fanteakwa North District.
The community leaders as well as the epicentre Committee members and project animators in the communities indicated that through the training and sensitization of the citizens’ rights and responsibilities, they had been able to get involved in the local assembly’s developmental projects and made inputs as well.
“We were only seeing government officials coming to this our deprived communities during elections, but with the coming on board of this project, we see the Assembly officials often and engage them on our developmental projects” Dademantse Teye Tetteh remarked.
Madam Zenabu Teye, one project’s community animator said through the project she could now mobilize community members especially her fellow women to get involved in issues affecting them and brought them to the attention of the Assembly.
“I have not been to school before but through the education and training received under the project, I can now voice out our concerns and also rally my fellow women to take part in decisions in our community” she said
The project titled “Strengthening Sub-district Institutions for Community-led Public Services in Ghana “is being funded by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation Development (BMZ) for three years from 2021-2024.
The project is being implemented in five epicentres within five districts in the Eastern Region and the beneficiary epicentres are Baware in Okere, Konkoney in Upper-Manya krobo, Apau-Wawase in Ayensuano, Akpo-Akpamu in Yilo-Krobo and Dominase in Fanteakwa North districts.
The project seeks to address the poor access to public services, especially in rural areas which has directly affected the economic productivity and well-being of the people and the critical focus areas include roads, education, health, water, and sanitation.
In 2019, the District League Table (DLT) ranked the Eastern Region where this project is being implemented as the worst performing region in the country in terms of service delivery, with total score of 38.8 percent and the target districts of the project also performed poorly in service delivery with scores ranging between 29-39%.
Mr Solomon Amoakowa, the Project coordinator noted that although the Local government Act 936 mandates Local government authorities to hold public hearings to discuss plans and budget, “it hardly takes place, and most people are not aware to utilise the law to hold government to account”.
Additionally, “the town and area councils and unit committees which have been created at the Sub-district levels to facilitate the participation of citizens in the planning and budgeting as well as monitoring and evaluation by the district assemblies are not functioning.”
That, he said was one of the key gaps the project intended to fill by engaging the people and empowering them in line with the guiding rules and principles as per the local government act to increase their participation in governance and development.
The project coordinator emphasized that the only pathway to sustainable development is to “shift the power” and make communities lead the way and be part of the solutions to the myriad of the problems they face.
Mrs Consolata Dassah, Programmes Director at the Hunger Project-Ghana who was at the forum commended the community leaders and members for their commitment and active involvement in the project so far adding “you are the beneficiaries and therefore cannot afford not to be fully involved.”
She was particularly happy with the involvement of women who were championing the community-led activities such as house to house animation and sensitisation because women suffer the most in deprived communities and in unpleasant situations and hoped that the project will change their living conditions as well as livelihoods for improved living conditions.
GNA