By Solomon Gumah
Tamale, April 22, GNA – Alhaji Alhassan Ziblim, Technical Advisor to the Evidence for Development (E4D) Project, has urged the citizenry to prioritise the use of relevant data and evidence as a powerful tool to demand accountable governance and promote sustainable national development.
He said leveraging data to hold duty-bearers accountable would enhance transparency and strengthen decision-making processes across the country.
Alhaji Ziblim made the call at a stakeholders’ engagement dubbed the Citizens Accountability Forum, held in the Sagnarigu Municipality of the Northern Region.
He emphasised that “Accountable governance helps to prevent corruption and ensures that public resources are used for their intended purposes. As patriotic citizens, we all have roles to play in ensuring the holistic development of our country.”
The forum brought together selected youth groups, persons with disabilities (PwDs), women, girls, and community members.
Organised by Simba Ghana in collaboration with the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), with funding support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the forum was part of the ongoing implementation of the E4D project in the Sagnarigu Municipality.
It served as a platform for stakeholders, policy actors, and citizen groups to strategise on promoting accountable governance at the local level.
The E4D project aims to empower policy actors by enhancing their capacity to access and utilise relevant data and evidence to inform policymaking and advance social development at the subnational level.
Miss Heskeya Salma, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning Coordinator at Simba Ghana, underscored need for greater public engagement in governance to ensure sustainable development.
She emphasised that when citizens were actively involved in decision-making, they could access critical information about government interventions and budget allocations, thereby fostering accountability and transparency, especially at the grassroots level.
Mr Abdul-Hamid Toyibu, Head, Planning Unit, Sagnarigu Municipal Assembly, commended Simba Ghana and its partners for organising the forum and encouraged citizens to prioritise tax compliance to enable government to effectively implement policies and programmes, especially at the grassroots levels.
GNA
EA/C