GNA
Tamale, Aug. 15, GNA –
Some 350 local government officials in the northern part of Ghana have
undergone training on social accountability and the use of Public Financial
Management Template.
The officials are to
be equipped with industry leading knowledge, skills and tools to strengthen
their technical capacity to be accountable to citizens.
The two-day training
was also to improve governance responsiveness to agricultural development in
the country, and it was held concurrently in 28 Metropolitan, Municipal and
District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions.
It was organized by
the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Northern Ghana
Governance Activity (NGGA) through U.S Government’s Feed the Future Initiative
in collaboration with the Office of Head of Local Government Service (OHLGS).
Dr Nana Ato Arthur,
Head of Local Government Service, whose speech was read on his behalf at the
training in Tamale, said improved agricultural productivity was of prime
importance to the country since majority of the people were engaged in the
sector, hence the OHLGS’s collaboration with the NGGA.
Dr Ato Arthur said the
training would ensure efficient functioning of MMDAs in terms of their response
to the needs of the citizenry in relation to agricultural productivity.
The training was also
to help government increase the space for inclusive agricultural governance by
providing timely and right information to citizens and enhancing citizen-led
planning, budgeting, implementation, performance monitoring and expenditure
tracking process.
It was in line with a
collaborative Memorandum of Understanding the NGGA signed in May, this year,
with the OHLGS to strengthen the capacity of the MMDAs and Regional
Coordinating Councils, to enhance coordination, improve service delivery and
increase governance responsiveness to agricultural development.
In a press statement,
the NGGA said, “This support to government is based on the premise that if the
performance of key regional and district level governmental actors is improved,
then the space for interaction is enhanced for civil society and private sector
actors to contribute meaningfully to development.”
The statement said “It
is also on the basis that if agricultural investments in the north are
safeguarded, then agriculture sector governance will be strengthened for
improved agricultural productivity and food security.”
Mr Chimsi Musah,
Kumbungu District Coordinating Director, who was a participant, said MMDAs
would promote more engagement with the people to ensure accountability.
The NGGA is a
five-year project to strengthen responsive governance for improved agriculture
development in the country through strengthening institutional capacity for
effective coordination and integration of key actors in decentralized
agricultural development in the country.
The NGGA is supported
by the American government through USAID in Ghana and it is implemented by a
consortium of non-profits, led by CARE International and other implementing
partners include Action Aid Ghana, SEND-Ghana and WANEP-Ghana.
GNA