By Albert Futukpor, GNA
Daboya (S/R), Dec 02 – Mr Abdulai Nashiru, North Gonja District Chief Executive (DCE) has commended the Empowerment for Life (E4L) Programme for undertaking a training for Assembly Members in the area on the functions of the District Audit Committee (DAC) and the Right to Information (RTI) Law.
Mr Nashiru, who was speaking to journalists at Daboya following the training for the Assembly Members of the district, said it was timely, especially “As all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) across the country including the North Gonja Assembly are receiving significant allocations from the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF).”
He said as MMDAs had begun receiving significant allocations from the DACF, “It is time that we needed to be very prudent and transparent in our financial activities. This training will empower our Assembly Members to understand how the DAC functions and to ensure that the right things are done.”
The day’s training, held at Daboya, was undertaken as part of the Governance thematic area of the E4L Programme, which is led by the Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA) focusing on good governance issues such as equity, inclusiveness, active participation, transparency, responsiveness and accountability at both local and national levels.
The training sought to improve participants’ understanding of the functions and mandate of the DAC and how they could contribute to strengthen the DAC in the area to help reduce the infractions recorded in the Auditor-General’s annual audit report on MMDAs.
They were taken through various concepts in auditing including the planning stage through to the reporting stage.
On the RTI Law, they were taken through procedures for accessing information and responding to applications/requests for information, review and appeal process, annual reports, fees and charges amongst others to enhance their knowledge on the Act.
Similar training was also held for Assembly Members in nine other MMDAs namely West Gonja and Sawla-Tuna-Kalba in the Savannah, Yendi, Gushegu, Zubzugu, and Tatali-Sangule in the Northern Region, and West Mamprusi, East Mamprusi and Yunyoo-Nasuan in the North East Region.
The E4L Programme seeks to ensure that civil society organisations in northern Ghana contribute to improved resilience, equity, and more accountable governance in the country.
It is being implemented in the 10 MDAs in the three regions by four local partners; GDCA, School for Life, Changing Lives in Innovative Partnerships, and YEFL-Ghana with funding support from Civil Society in Development (CISU), through Ghana Venskab, a Danish organisation.
Mr Nashiru said many residents of the area were not familiar with the RTI Law describing the training as “An eye-opener for our Assembly Members to know that they have the right to demand information and to demand accountability. It is their right.”
He urged the participants to apply the knowledge gained to improve governance, accountability, and service delivery in the district.
Mr Nashiru also encouraged residents of the area to participate in the governance of the area, saying “It is time for the public to push for their right to information. Whatever we are doing, they have the right to walk to any Assembly Member or any officer to demand information.” This keeps all of us including myself, on our toes.”
He thanked the E4L Programme and its partners for their continued support for improved local governance and community empowerment in the district.
Mr Sumani Hudu, Presiding Member, North Gonja District Assembly also lauded the training saying it had helped the Assembly Members to know and understand their oversight responsibilities about the functioning of the DAC.
He said, “There are a lot of issues concerning auditing that the Assembly Members were not aware of, but the training has come to enlighten them on things that they needed to know, which they did not know.”
Mr Issahaku Imoranu, North Gonja District Internal Auditor, who facilitated the training on functionality of the DAC, said with the training, the participants would perform their roles as expected to help strengthen the work of the DAC.
Salome Kipo, Savannah Regional Field Facilitator, E4L Programme, was confident that the knowledge gained would help ensure increased transparency and accountability in the area for the benefit of the people of the area.
GNA
Edited by Eric K. Amoh/Kenneth Odeng Adade