CDD-Ghana empower citizens to demand accountability from MMDAs

The Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) in collaboration with the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) is supporting civil society organizations in twenty (20) selected Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to educate citizens on the planning and budgeting process at the MMDAs.
This is to empower citizens to demand accountability from MMDAs by monitoring budgetary allocation and spending at the local level.
The project, slated for the period between August and October, 2017, would be in the form of sensitization programs on various local radio stations across the country.
It is being implemented by CDD-Ghana in twenty (20) MMDAs across the country in partnership with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), and other key Ministries, Departments and Agencies that are key stakeholders in Ghana’s decentralization process, local/CSO partners and the media.
A statement from CDD-Ghana said the initiative forms part of CDD-Ghana’s project dubbed “promoting social accountability through citizens’ participation in local governance in Ghana”.
As part of project implementation, CDD-Ghana in partnership with the beneficiary districts has constituted District Education Committees (DECs) in all twenty (20) project districts who have been taken through intensive training and capacity building program to empower them to implement the public education and sensitization component of the project.
CDD-Ghana observed that various research findings, such as the 2014 Afrobarometer Ghana Survey and the 2015 Open Budget Index, point to the lack of engagements and consultation with citizens in the design and implementation of MMDAs programs such as budgets and plans.
“The education and sensitization activities are therefore aimed at equipping citizens and stakeholders with the requisite knowledge and understanding of the planning and budgeting system of MMDAs so that they can effectively engage with the process; prepare them to respond to the right of participation, demand accountability and promote inclusion in the local governance process,” the statement said.
It said the sensitization activities would focus on issues such as, modalities for stakeholder and citizens engagements in the preparation of the Medium Term Development Plans including the conduct of the public hearing, post plan implementation engagement with citizens as required by the planning guidelines, budget hearing, and how citizens can follow the budget and its implementation at the local level to demand accountability in public spending among other things.
CDD-Ghana said the 4-year project (2015-2018), funded by OSIWA, is also expected to develop an informed citizenry and build coalitions among local citizen groups and media with the goal of enhancing transparency, participation and feedback around local government budgeting and planning systems.