By Godfred Aaneamenga Polkuu
Bolgatanga, Oct. 27, GNA – The Participatory Action for Rural Development Alternatives (PARDA), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has launched a project to promote resilience in citizen-led accountability and performance in Bolgatanga.
The project dubbed “Promoting Resilience in Citizen-Led Accountability and Performance (PRICLAP)” was intended to promote democratic governance and community empowerment.
The PRICLAP project would be implemented in five municipalities and districts in the region, including the Bolgatanga and Kassena-Nankana Municipalities, the Bongo, Nabdam and Kassena-Nankana West Districts.
The initiative was supported by the Participation Accountability and Integrity for a Resilient Democracy (PAIReD) programme, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
It was co-financed by the European Union (EU) and Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs and implemented by GIZ in cooperation with Ghana’s Ministry of Finance.
The launch brought together representatives from GIZ, District Chief Executives, traditional leaders, management and staff of PARDA, Regional Directors of the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture among others.
Addressing participants, Dr Michael Wombeogo, the Executive Director of PARDA, said the goal of the PRICLAP project was to support good and accountable governance at both the District Assemblies and the Regional Coordinating Council.
He said beyond the good and accountable governance, the project was to build resilience in institutions, communities and in citizens ability to demand and deliver better public service outcomes.
He said the beneficiary Municipalities and Districts represented a vibrant tapestry of 50 communities, each with its own voice, challenges, and aspirations.
Dr Wombeogo said: “As we launch PRICLAP today, 15,850 direct community members are beneficiaries out of 144 electoral areas across the five MDAs.
“Let us therefore commit, not just to the activities and timelines, but to the values that underpin this project. Let us commit to listening, learning, and leading with integrity.”
The Executive Director acknowledged that governance was not a spectator sport noting that, “It thrives when citizens are informed, engaged and empowered to hold duty bearers accountable.
“This accountability is a paradigm shift that is geared towards service delivery, community engagement, strategic planning and shared responsibility with community-wide stakeholders,” he said.
He cautioned that the initiative was not an opportunity for community leaders and representatives to constitute themselves into an Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) team, but an avenue for all stakeholders who held the tenets of probity and accountability at heart to drive the engine of good governance and social transformation.
“PRICLAP will provide the tools, platforms, and capacity-building needed to make this a reality. From community scorecards to participatory planning, from feedback mechanisms to performance tracking, this project will ensure that governance is not only inclusive, but also responsive.
“It is the call of PARDA and her partner, GIZ to you the organs of government to maintain the true values of social accountability and good democratic governance for the people you serve and for the sake of Mother Ghana,” Dr Wombeogo said.
Mr Emmanuel Aboagye Odoom, the Technical Advisor of GIZ, noted that accountability was not just a principle, but the foundation of good governance, trust, political legitimacy and sustainable development.
He said if citizens saw how resources were used, transparency in leaders’ decisions and actions, and if communities had the space to engage and demand accountability from their leaders, development outcomes would be more responsive and impactful.
“It is our hope that this project will deepen citizen participation, improve service delivery and engender trust between Assemblies and the citizens.
“We believe that through this initiative, accountability will no longer be seen as an unnecessary demand from citizens, but as a shared responsibility among local leaders, citizens and development partners,” Mr Odoom said.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Benjamin Mensah