By Mildred Siabi-Mensah
Sekondi, April 24, GNA – The 51st Infrastructure Transparency Initiative (CoST) International Board Meeting has opened in Sekondi in the Western Region of Ghana.
The CoST approach, mainly focusing on the infrastructure sector of national and subnational members, helped to improve Transparency, and Accountability, which eventually culminated into quality Infrastructure that bettered the lives of citizens.
The approach also supports open and competitive procurement practices.
The meeting, under the theme: “Enhancing Infrastructure Transparency Through the CoST Approach-Achievements and Lessons from Sekondi/Takoradi and across the Globe” would be used as a moment of reflection on past activities of both sub and national governments activities and ways civic participation could help improve it even better.
The hosting of the 51st CoST International Board Meeting in Ghana served as an opportunity to showcase the subnational experience of CoST Sekondi-Takoradi and facilitate peer learning for other subnational programmes within the CoST network.
The meeting would highlight impact stories, adoption of CoST tools and standards, and successful multi-stakeholder collaborations to enhance capacity and promote effective governance in local infrastructure projects.
The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly Manager for CoST, Mr. Isaac Aidoo, welcoming the international board members at the opening ceremony, mentioned how the CoST programme had contributed greatly to the development of the infrastructure sector in the metropolis.
The STMA is the first subnational entity to be accepted into the CoST and had driven positive Infrastructure delivery since its participation in 2018.
Mr. Abdul-Mumin Issah, the Chief Executive Officer of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, said the programme had helped to spur changes in the metropolis.
He said the programme had propelled the metropolis to work tirelessly in-line with most of the aspirations of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The MCE promised that the City would continue to be accountable to its people so that together the Assembly could deliver better Infrastructure that uplifted the standard of living translating into stronger economies and better lives.
Mr. Chris Portman, the Chair of the Board, who was obviously impressed about the ongoing projects in the metropolis, said, “your city have shown a real commitment to Infrastructure development and is actively buoyant “.
He encouraged the team to continue to strive in attaining quality Infrastructure for its people.
Mr. Portman said sustaining the CoST project in the Sekondi-Takoradi was becoming a challenge since many projects that had been rolled out required financial assistance.
He prayed that consultation and bilateral talks with some partners would yield some fruits to ensure that the programme was sustained.
CoST is a global initiative with 20 members across four continents.
Ms. Olive Kabatwairwe, CoST Regional Manager for Africa, noted how the STMA had worked with the CoST commitments points to improve upon project publishing to enhance Infrastructure Transparency.
She said the multi stakeholder group had largely helped to build integrity and control the crisis of trust issues between government and the citizenry.
Ms. Kabatwairwe called on the team in Ghana to effectively use technology to ensure proactive disclosures.
Mr. Innocent Haligah, the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly Coordinating Director, who received a plaque of appreciation from International Secretariat on behalf of the Assembly for supporting the project, said the STMA was focused on project implementation.
Equally, the Multi-Stakeholder Group was also honoured for directing the affairs over the last five years of CoST in the metropolis.
The Board Meeting itinerary would include various sessions and engagements, with STMA officials, CoST Sekondi-Takoradi’s Multi-Stakeholder Working Group, site visits to infrastructure projects, and the official board meeting sessions.
GNA