By Joseph Agrace Wiyorbie
Gwollu (UW/R), Feb. 26, GNA – Mr Mustapha Iddrisu, the Sissala West District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has said holding public officials accountable for the judicious use of public resources is crucial to accelerating development and fighting corrupt practices.
He said public accountability enabled citizens to track the use of public resources and engage duty-bearers in informed and constructive dialogue, leading to transparency and accountability in local governance.
Mr Iddrisu made this statement in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Gwollu after a day’s workshop on social auditing and civic engagement ,where emphasised the importance of citizens’ responsibilities in holding duty-bearers accountable.
He urged citizens to take ownership of their communities and demand transparency and accountability from public officers, noting that this would enhance development in their areas.
He also called on government to introduce a comprehensive and institutionalised approach to dealing with corruption, stressing that aggressive efforts to reduce corruption in public service would save the government additional revenue loss at all levels in the country.
He emphasized that citizen participation in local governance would promote good governance and enhance development at the local level, providing opportunities to identify gaps and adopt new measures to fight corruption.
“Citizens have a key role to play in helping to fight corruption and its related practices at all levels,” he said and encouraged individuals to report any acts of corruption to the appropriate bodies for immediate action.
Mr Iddrisu urged citizens to demand accountability on projects implemented with funding from Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and Internally Generated Funds (IGF) as a way of reducing corruption.
He called on citizens to engage in the planning and implementation of policies and projects to ensure value for money and accelerate development.
“You have to demand accountability from all public officials, during and after their terms in office, to reduce the loopholes that contribute to corrupt practices, while putting them on track to account for their stewardship to combat corruption “, the director stressed.
He advised citizens to exercise its powers with discretion saying, “It must be demonstrated with full commitment to the principles of accountability and transparency, to put public officers on track to account for their stewardship”.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali /George-Ramsey Benamba