Policy Research Think Tank, the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has revealed that an average of 73% Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies failed to organize the mandatory public hearing sessions during the planning processes of the Medium Term Development policy framework for the 2014/17.
According to the CDD’s validation draft observation report, Northern Ghana scored 50%.
It is against this backdrop the organization is advocating the need to fast track the formation of a Legislative Instrument to enable citizens hold local authorities accountable for the developmental deficits recorded nationwide.
The CDD’s Programs Manager, Paul Osei Kufuor in a Citi News interview on the sidelines of a day’s validation workshop in Tamale decried the social exclusion of primary stakeholders from the planning processes of the Medium Term Development plans for the 2014/17.
“We are recommending that for the planning guidelines and the planning acts to be very much enforceable we should speedup work on the implementation of the LI that will enhance the enforcement and give the right legal backing that people can hold the assemblies to task if they are not performing their mandate.”
According to him, the CDD’s objective on the draft observation report aimed at enhancing civil society monitoring of the preparation of the 2014/17 District Medium Development plans for evidence based advocacy.
“One of our main functions is to be tracking government policies and to see the extent to which they are being adhered to and one of the policies that we focused on this time around is the Medium Term Development Policy framework which places some obligation on MMDAs to involve citizens in the planning process.”
“CDD is also interested in policies that give voice, accountability and make citizens’ part of the governance and democracy process and so we wanted to monitor and track to what extent citizens are involved in the planning process of the assemblies using the 2014-17 Medium Term Development framework as the benchmark,” he explained.
Paul Osei Kufuor emphasized that citizens should be allowed space to make an input into the district assemblies’ blueprint to actualize decentralization at the local governance structure.
He tasked the district assemblies to strengthen their accountability and social auditing mechanisms as means of enhancing transparency.
He revealed that the District Planning Coordinating Units have been incapacitated because they lacked resources.
“We need to have a consultative discussion with stakeholders on the need to strengthen the district planning coordinating units because they are the flagship when it comes to planning in the assemblies.”
“Our report observed that most of the DPCUs suffered from logistical and funding constraints and so we are recommending that a centrally located account or monies from the district assemblies should be put in a separate account for the DPCUs to use in their planning and other community engagement activities.”
A Senior Officer of CDD, Benedict Yiyugsa presented the draft report and posited that lack of funds and resources undermined effective planning of local authorities.
He said the research concentrated on 40 out of the 216 MMDAs and that a questionnaire was administered to some selected 800 respondents.
It emerged that the MMDAs often alienated Civil Society Organizations from the planning activities.
It further exposed the assemblies’ inability to use the mass media and other channels of communication meant to dialogue with the citizens.
The study observed severe deficits in voice and space for citizens specially the vulnerable (women) during the planning processes.
Deputy Northern Regional Economic Planning Officer, Mumuni Damma commended the CDD for the in-depth draft report.
He said it was apt and recommended that the MMDAs should adopt the final report to improve their efficiency.
The CDD research was supported by GIZ, the National Development Planning Commission and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD).
Participants at the workshop included representatives of civil society organizations, assembly planning officers, the media and a cross section of the public from the three regions of the north.
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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana