Mr. Jerry Sam, Executive Director of Penplusbytes has emphasized the need for government to engage citizens in policy implementation, while ensuring access to information to foster transparency and accountability.
He said government should empower citizens to advocate for improved public service delivery in the public sector, within the framework of political and social accountability.
Mr. Sam made the call during inclusive social accountability forum in Tamale organised by Penplusbytes in collaboration with Songtaba and SEND-Ghana.
The event was on the the theme: Institutionalizing social Accountability in Local Governance: The success Grapes and the Way Forward.
The program under the “HERE and NOW” project which is conceptualisted to leverage on Right to Information, promote citizens access to quality, inclusive public health and education.
Mr. Sam noted that here is a needs for government to strengthen citizen agency to hold state and corporate actors to accountable and make economic development work for poor in the country.
He said a research conducted by Penplusbytes indicated that there is low participation of citizens in policy implementation and inadequate budgetary allocation for social protection programmes.
According to him, the research also indicated that there is high incidence of corruption which affects the quality health and education service delivery which needed to be address.
Mr Sam urged Parliament to ensure of the passage of the Social Protection Bill and the Right of Information (RTI) Law to be implemented fully to promote transparency and accountability and to fight against corruption in the country.
He appealed to government to increase the cash grants under LEAP to meet current inflation rate.
He advised the duty bearers to implement a new policy to address health and education infrastructure improvement programme to deal with the shortfalls in health and education resources and infrastructure in most of the rural areas.
Alhaji Razak Saani, the Former Northern Regional Directoror of the National Commission for Civic Education said good ethical behavior is one of the keys which can fight against corruption especially in the public sector.
He noted transparency and accountability should be used as one of the tools to reduce corruption in the public sector and also to increase ethical behavior at the work place.