Carenet Ghana, one of the local implementing Partners of the GSAM Project has made some strides in awakening the spirit of communal and participatory democracy among citizens in the Volta Region.
Social accountability does not only facilitate social development but provides an avenue for awareness creation amongst citizens on issues such as allocation of budgets and development plans to help them contribute meaningfully to the effective management of resources.
Ghana’s Strengthening Accountability Mechanism Project (GSAM) is a 5-year USAID Project managed by a consortium of partners IBIS, ISODEC, Care International and implementing local Partners which does a performance audit of some selected District Assemblies and sensitizes residents on citizen participation in the governance process.
Carenet Ghana in implementing their Social Accountability Projects in the Agortime-Ziope District of the Volta Region has educated some communities to actively take part in government’s projects and also carry out self-initiated projects.
As a result, 3 Unit Classroom Block, office, store and library project at Adzonkor Communities, CHIPS compound at Agorhome and a school project at Nornyikpo community all in the Agortime Ziope district were constructed through initiatives of the communities with support from the Assembly.
The Monitoring and Evaluation Officer from IBIS Ghana Mr. Samuel Asamoah, on his monitoring visit to the beneficiary communities, said, the project has encouraged grassroots participation from the citizens.
He said citizens now have access to the contractors on their projects, the cost involved in the projects and those who funded the project, which has not been so in the past.
Meanwhile, speaking to the DCE of Agortime Ziope, Mr. David Dickson Dzorkpe has promised to take care of the projects in his district and also partner with the CSOs to bring development closer to the people.
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By: King Nobert Akpablie/citifmonline.com/Ghana