By Stanley Senya
Accra, Nov. 8, GNA – SEND Ghana, a subsidiary of SEND West Africa, focused on social protection and inclusive governance, has organised a forum to gather citizens’ input for the 2025 National Budget Statement and Economic Policy.
The event, held on Thursday, in Accra, was part of an annual initiative to ensure that the needs and priorities of citizens influence the national budget planning and allocations.
The forum brought together participants from diverse backgrounds, including representatives from various ministries, municipal and district assemblies, market women, disability advocates, and civil society organizations.
The aim was to examine service delivery gaps and propose realistic solutions for critical sectors such as health, education, social protection, and water and sanitation.
Mrs Harriet Nuamah Agyemang, the Country Director of SEND Ghana, expressed the importance of inclusive governance, saying, “we have gathered here to be part of our government forces and to strengthen the country’s public financial management system, which allows citizens to be part of its planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation processes.
She said it was important for the voices of the citizens to be heard amid any economic crisis or development to aid in effective governance for a good standard of living.
“For the past 10 years or more, we have been doing this each year. We bring together citizens across the three zones… and we have realized that irrespective of which party is in office, the government have listened to the views we shared, indicating that our voices and always being heard”, she added
The Country Director said in previous years, up to 50 per cent of citizens’ suggestions were reflected in the final budget.
Mrs Agyemang encouraged participants to actively contribute ideas for sustainable development.
Nana Kwasi Biney, a Program Officer at SEND Ghana, who spoke with the media during the event said, in the development of government budget, citizens were allowed to make contributions.
He explained that communities, groups and organizations from various districts and assemblies were invited to allow them to share their views and concerns to address alarming and potential needs.
The Programs Officer added that SEND Ghana focused particularly on amplifying the voices of vulnerable groups, he said: “our position is that any policy the government comes out with should reflect the needs of the vulnerable and the poor in
society”.
Participants at the forum broke into groups to assess their specific sectors and propose initiatives and interventions into the budget.
SEND Ghana committed to consolidating the feedback from all groups and will present comprehensive reports to the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Gender and Children Protection, and other relevant agencies.
GNA