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The Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Kathleen Addy, has challenged the 261 local Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to liaise with their diaspora constituents to give back to the communities that "nurtured them."
She said development was not the sole responsibility of the government but a shared responsibility for every Ghanaian.
Ms Addy was speaking at the launch of the first-ever Community Partners' Fund (CPF) under the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF).
The fund is to provide a credible, transparent and nationally backed platform for stakeholders to contribute to development.
She lauded the initiative meant to augment the government's revenue and to make the assemblies more viable.
The chairperson, however, called for judicious use of "the sweat of the people" while urging the DACF to be more transparent and build trust to encourage more people to contribute towards it.
The fund is a community-focused financing mechanism that empowers individuals, corporate organisations and the Ghanaian diaspora to support development projects in local communities directly.
It is designed to accelerate grassroots development across Ghana.
The Administrator of the DACF, Michael Harry Yamson, who launched the fund, said it would serve as an additional resource to the five per cent share of national revenue established under Article 252 of the 1992 Constitution.
The fund is to catalyse local development projects across the districts and enable direct participation of citizens and organisations in national development.
The DACF was established under Article 252 of the 1992 Constitution and its operations are guided by the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936).
It operates under a legal framework that ensures fairness and efficiency, thereby promoting trust and integrity in all its activities.
Under the new initiative, contributions to the fund would be classified as a tax-deductible donation, approved by the Ghana Revenue Authority and supported by an official certification issued to contributors.
Mr Yamson said the CPF adopted a digital-first approach to ensure efficiency and accessibility, and all contributions are made via the official platform —contribution.commonfund.gov.gh.
The goal is to ensure accessibility for individuals, corporates and diaspora communities.
Mr Yamson said the fund was underpinned by, among others, strong institutional oversight by DACF.
He said 80 per cent of the contributions earmarked for specific districts would be given directly to them, while districts without any contribution but with developmental needs would share the remaining 20 per cent.
"The initiative will bring all Ghanaians together to support local development.
"It is a response to the strain on the ability to fund development. It is a voluntary and transparent initiative," he said.
The launch brought together MMDCEs, corporate organisations, business executives and ordinary Ghanaians
Contributions could be made through either bonds or direct donations.
It is not to replace the common fund but serve as an additional means of revenue generation.
