Bongbini (N/ER), Aug 29, GNA – The Bongbini Community in the East Mamprusi Municipality of the North East Region and the Municipal Assembly have signed an agreement for the construction of a Community based Health Planning Services (CHPS) Compound in the area.
This came to light after the East Mamprusi Municipal office of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) with funding from the European Union (EU) engaged residents of the community on their flagship programme.
The CHPS Compound would help the community access quality health care service, which was identified as its greatest development need. It was followed by potable water, a Junior High School block, farm inputs for farmers and public toilet facility.
The programme, which sought to deepen local governance and citizens’ participation in governance system was part of the implementation of the Commission’s flagship programme Accountability, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme (ARAP).
The programme brought together identifiable Groups such as the traditional authorities, women groups, persons with disabilities, faith based Groups, the youth, political party activists, the Assembly Person and Unit Committee members and representatives of the Municipal Assembly.
Mr Abu Nassam, the East Mamprusi Municipal Director of the NCCE, who took the participants through social auditing, said the aim of engaging the people was to promote community ownership of development projects and policies, increase awareness of the operations of the Local Government and empower the citizenry to demand accountability from duty bearers.
He explained that when citizens were familiar with the tenets of the various local governance systems, especially the District Assemblies, they would be involved in the implementation of projects and policies in their jurisdiction.
Mr Nassam noted that it was within the right of the citizenry to hold their leaders to account for their actions over the implementation of certain projects and therefore encouraged the residents to be abreast with the local government norms so as to enable them demand accountability.
This would enable you protect community owned development projects, so as to reduce corruption, deepen decentralization process and achieve participatory democracy, he added.
Mr Wilberforce Zangina, the North East Acting Regional Director of the NCCE, who graced the occasion, urged Ghanaians to be interested in their development and support any development project in their communities so as to ensure quality work.
Mr Andani Iddi Haruna, the Assemblyman for the Bongbini Electoral Area commended the NCCE and the EU for the education and said it would enable the citizens to demand for their fair share of development projects.
A seven-member social auditing committee was inaugurated as part of strategies to engage stakeholders to ensure that the CHPS compound was constructed to provide quality health services for the community.
GNA