Care International in collaboration with Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC), Ghana Audit Service and 25 other civil society organisations (CSOs) have organised a three-day workshop for members of the Public Relations and Complaints Committee (PRCC) located within six municipal and district assemblies (MDAs) in the Eastern region.

The workshop funded by the USAID was purposed to educate the participants on the Ghana Strengthening Accountability Mechanism (GSAM) Activity which sought to strengthen citizens’ oversight of capital projects implemented by the MMDAs to improve local government transparency, accountability and performance in 100 districts across the country of which Eastern Region is part.

At the end of the workshop, participants including presiding and assembly members, municipal and district engineers, planning officers, members of the planning and coordinating units, among others would share and receive knowledge on how to manage citizens’ complaints and develop policies to better improve citizens’ participation.

Participants from the six MDAs including KwahuAfram Plains North, Kwahu South, Birim North, Akuapem South, Lower ManyaKrobo and Suhum municipal and district assemblies participated in the workshop.

The Deputy Chief of Party on the GSM Activity under Care International, Mr Samuel Addai Boateng explained that his outfit in collaboration with other stakeholders who led the activity identified weak systems at MMDAs interms of managing citizens’ complaints and grievances.

“We realised that these complaints supposed to be handled by the public relations and complaints committee of the MMDAs were not being managed well, hence this was affecting citizens’ participation due to inadequate citizens’ engagement in the local governance process,” he stated.

Mr Boateng explained further that due to such weak systems in the assemblies, it has led to limited access to information on MMDAs development process and there has been real or perceived corruption due to weak oversight, thus leading to poor service delivery to the citizenry.

He added that the GSAM Activity was started in 2014 and supposed to end in September 2022.

It aimed at educating members of the PRCC on how to deal with such matters and identify the gabs between policies and implementations on the ground.

That, he said would lead to improve citizens’ participation and involvement in the development process of the assemblies, adding that improvement in service delivery would also be achieved.

FROM AMA TEKYIWAA AMPADU AGYEMAN, KOFORIDUA