A survey by CDD indicates that donor funding, which represents 70 to 80 percent of preventive and public health services, has dwindled over the years.

[contextly_sidebar id=”k2tFEytW1lefczbaAS0ztQuM1qyfgWTV”]Meanwhile, a large section of Ghanaians have opposed proposals to increase the National Health Insurance levy by 1 percent.

The CDD is therefore advocating for prudent financial mobilization and expenditure to save the healthcare system in Ghana.

A Research Fellow with the CDD, Dr. Kojo Asante, voiced these concerns to Citi News on the sidelines of a round-table discussion on resource allocation and utilization in Accra.

“The whole reason why we had the NHIS was to move from cash and carry but once you have the NHIS struggling to pay its service providers, then they have to pay out of the pocket and the trend is that, for a period, we were seeing an increase in out of pocket payments because the NHIS was under such dire stress.”

“We have to find a solution to making the NHIS work if we want to be able to provide healthcare, and that is why it is critical that it has to be replaced and maintained. We need to look at the amount we put into it,” he said.

Health insurance service providers have notably been complained about arrears owed by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

The Health Insurance Service Providers Association of Ghana in February 2018 threatened to return to the cash and carry system if arrears owed its members by the NHIA were not paid.

The Association said most of its members were owed about 20 months of claims.

Collaborating with private sector

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Private Health Insurance Association, Ronald Oppong Adom, believes the mutual collaboration between the public health sector and his outfit will augur well for the National Health Insurance Scheme.

He argued that though the 12 registered private insurance companies in Ghana only have 200,000 registered Ghanaians, it generates revenue of about GHc 200,000 million hence its importance.

“For the 200,000 and more that we are seeking to bring into our fold, once we collect a premium, the person is automatically covered on the NHIS for primary health care and we will in turn, take up the secondary and tertiary healthcare costs.”

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By: Caleb Kudah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The Centre undertook a monitoring exercise to assess, in particular, the level of stakeholder awareness and knowledge about the IPEP intervention and the work of the 10 member regional ad-hoc committees set up to
undertake the constituency needs assessment.

It has so far compiled a report which’s findings concentrated on three thematic areas comprising the level of
stakeholders awareness and knowledge about the IPEP policy and intervention, observation of the activities of
the 10 member Regional Ad-hoc committees and validation and reporting of District/Constituency Infrastructure Needs Assessment.

A Senior Research Fellow with the CDD-Ghana, Dr Kojo Asante, at the report’s official launch in Tamale, told Citi News on the sidelines that the Centre’s major concern is to avoid reports of financial misappropriation that characterized the implementation of projects earmarked for the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA).

“This report views and gives early warnings to government prior to the implementation of the program. This is a rare
opportunity for us to start with the program so that we can give early warnings about things that are not right and
correct them before it gets worse.”

He reaffirmed CDD-Ghana’s commitment to hold political office holders accountable for their stewardship.

“Early warnings will be sent to duty bearers. We will want to create a framework where we will get accurate information and demand action… We don’t want politicians to capture the projects for their political gains,” Dr. Asante cautioned.

Dr. Kojo Asante emphasized that, “this will also ensure that the objectives of the projects are met. So we think this is a unique opportunity for us to do this and that is why we took an interest in this very early and the whole idea of also
sharing the early information is that we want to give early warnings so that we can correct ourselves in time before we really get too far in terms of disbursing monies.”

The governing New Patriotic Party in their 2016 campaign manifesto pledged to allocate $275 million of the national capital expenditure through the IPEP to
expand and improve on existing capital structures at the district and constituency levels.

This is to accelerate growth, create jobs and reduce poverty particularly in rural and deprived communities.
Government in 2017 inaugurated a 30-member team to lead the implementation of the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme in Northern Ghana.

It was mandated to conduct community needs assessment in all constituencies in the three regions of the north.

The IPEP encompasses the one-district-one factory, one-village-one dam, one-constituency-US$1million and one-district one warehouse among other pro-poor programmes enshrined in the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) 2016 manifesto.

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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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“On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Wednesday, March 8, 2018, the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) celebrates women for their immeasurable contribution to the social, economic, cultural, and political development of Ghana”

The theme for this year’s celebration, “Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives,” provides an opportunity to reflect on the efforts and struggles of women activists to change positively, the overall status and circumstance of women and girls in Ghana.

While  CDD-Ghana commends the significant strides made in the fight for women’s rights, justice, and equality, and the various other attempts at bridging the gender gap in Ghana, CDD-Ghana notes, with concern, that progress towards gender parity remains slow.

According to them, inequality is very prevalent in women’s participation in politics, in spite of the policies introduced to increase women representation in key government offices.

A recent Afrobarometer survey indicates that a large majority (72%) of Ghanaians “agree” or “agree very strongly” that women should have the same chance of being elected to political office as men. However, women are rarely encouraged to compete for such positions.

“This was evident in the 2016 elections where there was only one female presidential candidate and only one female running mate, representing 14.3% as opposed to 85.7% male. Though there was an uptick in women representation in Parliament in the elections (37, compared to 29 in 2012) –  the highest in the country’s history –  this is still very low, compared to 238 elected male parliamentarians. “

CDD-Ghana also noted that Ghanaian women, both in the rural and urban settings are confronted with peculiar challenges which threaten their socio-economic and political development.

In spite of the contributions of rural women to agricultural production and the economy, most agricultural and economic policies are not women-inclusive.

Women continue to face diverse challenges, such as limited access to land, lack of access to credit, poor access to healthcare, particularly maternal healthcare.

According to the World Economic Forum’s 2017 Global Gender Gap Index, indicates that it will take an estimated 102 years for Sub-Saharan Africa to close its overall gender gap.

CDD-Ghana hopes that the nationally-adopted theme for this year’s celebration, “#WomenToo: Press to Progress as Game Changers,” will aptly motivate women and all stakeholders to strive for the much-desired change anticipated in the lives of women.

The Center wants the government to apply the appropriate policies and measures must to accelerate the realization of gender equality in Ghana.

Paramount among these is the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill, which will ensure 50:50 representations of women in key public appointments.

The center also calls for gender-responsive provisions in key government programs such as the Planting for Food and Jobs Program which has the potential to positively impact lives of millions of Ghanaian women, and the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Program.

According to the Center such efforts will enable women to overcome existing barriers to economic emancipation while realizing socio-economic potentials.

CDD-Ghana has also called upon women-interest stakeholders, particularly the Government of Ghana, the Parliament of Ghana, the Ministry for Gender, Children and Social Protection, civil society organizations, the media, and the public to intensify efforts at addressing challenges confronting women in Ghana.

They also urge and encourage women to participate actively in politics, at all levels of government, and demand the adoption and implementation of policies and programmes that will unburden and transform the lives of women.

By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Speaking to students during a Humanities Day Forum organized by the SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College in Tema, Dr. Asante said it is dangerous for the youth to isolate themselves and look on unconcerned about issues affecting their immediate societies and the country as a whole.

“The problem we have in Africa is that when you talk about leadership, it is all about political leadership. We need to create leaders in every facet of our society. Don’t wait for that future that is to come. Wherever you are start being a leader and make a change,” he challenged the youth.

He asserted that it is time for Africa’s youth to contribute their quota to addressing the continent’s challenges.

“I want people to start thinking and believing that they can make a difference no matter how overwhelming the challenges of Africa are,” he said.

Dr. Asante further advised the youth to be patriotic and commit to serve others, if they want Africa to be able to overcome its numerous challenges.

“You need to care about your society; it is not an option. Unemployment is not going to disappear anytime soon. Care about how that society will be inclusive, equitable and progressive enough, so that whether you are rich or poor, you will still be taken care of by that society,” he said.

The Humanities Day Forum is organized biennially by the SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College as a way of introducing students to varying perspectives on topical issues affecting African societies today and their impact on the development of the continent and the world.

This year’s Forum, themed “Taking Ownership of Our Own Development,” was inspired by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

Other key speakers included Shamima Muslim Ishmael, award-winning journalist and convener for Alliance of Women in Media Africa (AWMA).

On her part, Mrs. Ishmael noted that, the single threat to the existence and security of the African continent is youth unemployment. She therefore challenged the students to begin to care about the state in which the continent finds itself, and assist by putting their talents and knowledge to good use.

“You have to use your environment and create opportunities for yourself and others,” she said.

“It’s either you care now or you will be made to care at a time that may be too late; your care will stand for nothing.”

Stressing that the greatest resource any country or continent can boast of is in the depths of the minds of its people, Mrs. Ishmael also charged African leaders to concentrate on developing its ever-increasing human resource base.

Participants of the Humanities Day Forum were drawn from, Tema International School, Ghana Christian International High School, Tema Senior High School, Chemu Senior High School, Methodist Senior High School and the host school, SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College.

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By:citifmonline.com/Ghana

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In 2017, the Ga South District ranked 203th nationally with a district league score of 55.7%, a decline from their 191th position in 2016.

The district performed well in areas such as governance (98%), education (87.5%) and health, which more than doubled from 27.7% recorded in 2016 to 67.3%.

[contextly_sidebar id=”qnyeYTBX0hT3QQJGRBsJRDO1Ax7H3s72″]However, in what seems to be a threat to public health, the district scored 0% in sanitation.

Explaining the rationale behind their visit to the Center, Francis Abofrah, Development Planning Officer of Ga South District said the Assembly is confident that the discussions held with CDD-Ghana will provide valuable input for the district’s medium-term consolidated plan, and help them perform better than their current 203th rank.

“The DLT has highlighted the weaknesses in our planning and overall performance. It has prompted us to want to re-strategize, refocus and resolve the issues that we have control over, such as, education, health and sanitation,” he said.

According to Patience Ackah-Tyireku, the Ga South Municipal Environmental Health Officer, the data from the DLT has spurred them on to put more effort into the promotion of toilet facilities, so as to attain Open Defecation Free Status.

“We have started actively engaging residents in the community about the importance of putting up toilet facilitates, while prosecuting households who refuse to do so,” she said.

Speaking on behalf of CDD-Ghana, Ambassador Francis Tsegah, Senior Research Fellow at the Center advised local government authorities to see the league table as a tool for development and not a means to name and shame districts that are not doing well.

He explained that the DLT provides a tool for accountability and supports citizens’ access to information and knowledge on rights on development in their Districts. He said it is also aimed at helping government better understand and monitor development across the country.

“Our decentralization system is not yet perfected and central government is still very much involved in the allocation of resources. The aim is not to name and shame district assemblies because we know that most of the work that should be done is based on the resources that come from central government.

The DLT rather enables you to find out how you are doing, compared to other districts in the country and stirs the citizens to put a little pressure on the local assemblies with the hope that the central government will allocate the resources to districts that need to improve,” he said.

He added that poor performance of districts on the league table can be attributed to inequity in the allocation of resources, inability to raise Internally Generated Funds, or poor leadership.

Produced by CDD-Ghana and UNICEF Ghana, the District League Table (DLT) ranks the level of development in each of Ghana’s 216 Districts, in the bid to strength social accountability between the state and its citizens for development.

Produced annually with the support of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) and the Office of the Head of Local Government Service., it ranks them in terms of their delivery in six key sectors: health, education, sanitation, water, security and governance.

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Source: CDD-Ghana

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Lauding the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) for the initiative when he paid a courtesy call on the Center, Mr Amoah who was accompanied by the District Planning Officer Mr. Mahama Abu, said the project has effectively facilitated the Assembly’s planning and budgeting functions.

[contextly_sidebar id=”4TL9b1D73oyApKgcznGFp7w7iIg0f0yV”]“The support you provided has enhanced the preparation of the District’s Medium-Term Development Plan for 2018 – 2021 and also provided for the Assembly, a rare opportunity to share the draft plan with stakeholders and seek their input for its finalization,” he said.

Mr. Amoah further indicated that ‘I Am Aware’ is helping the Assembly to engage more effectively with its stakeholders on matters bothering on the development of the District due to the high quality of data they get from the project.

He appealed for CDD-Ghana’s continued assistance to the Shama District Assembly as they set out to implement key strategies to aid citizen participation, promote transparency and accountability in order to deepen good governance and ultimately improve service delivery.

In response, Mr. Awal Mohammed, Team Lead for the ‘I Am Aware’ project, pledged that ‘I Am Aware’ project, through its regional and district partners will continue to engage citizens at the local level, and arm them with the needed information and ideas to empower to demand accountability that contributes to improved social development outcomes in their districts.

The ‘I Am Aware’ project is a non-partisan citizen empowerment campaign instituted to provide free, accessible and user-friendly data on the state of public goods and public service delivery in all 216 districts across the 10 regions of Ghana.

The data covers the state of, and provision of basic education, health, water, sanitation, security, roads and agriculture in the country. The goal of the project is to increase the awareness of citizens, particularly the poor and vulnerable to empower them to engage with duty bearers to ensure that public services are delivered and improved.

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Source: CDD Ghana

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Speaking at a public discussion on the assessment of President Akufo Addo’s first year in office, the Executive Director of CDD Ghana said although his hopes have been rekindled, the actions of current government officials still cast some doubts about the government’s overall anti-corruption fight.

[contextly_sidebar id=”Vi5Y4oBWhJJEAoaMe5sc2lNL4PUvOVZW”]“Until yesterday, in my view, credible actions to curb corruption and address other governance challenges lagged behind…yesterday’s nomination of Mr. Amidu for the special prosecutor’s position has rekindled my hope that Nana Addo means business when he talks about combating corruption,” he said.

Prof. Gyimah-Boadi explained that Amidu has proven to be a very courageous person describing him as someone who has the tenacity to pursue corrupt officials from any side of the political divide.

“I say so because of Mr. Amidu’s pedigree, his track record of anti-corruption and public interest litigation, his courage, his independence mindedness, his tenacity – all the attributes you will need for a job like that. And I also believe that this is an appointment that has the potential to strike fear in the people within and outside the president’s own party. And we believe we can now look forward to robust actions to corruption,” he added.

Amidu heads Special Prosecutor’s Office

Martin Amidu, a member of the NDC and a former Attorney General, was named as the Special Prosecutor by the President today, Thursday, January 11, 2018.

He is expected to be vetted and approved by Parliament in the coming days.

Amidu’s appointment has been hailed by many as a masterstroke giving his own outspokenness against perceived acts of corruption by state officials.

‘Wise and prudent’ 

A former Commissioner on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Emile Francis Short, commended the President on the appointment of Martin Amidu as the country’s first Special Prosecutor.

According to him, this is a clever and judicious decision on the side of the President in his efforts to fight corruption, saying the President should be congratulated.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Amidu’s appointment rekindles hope for corruption fight – CDD appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

In a statement marking International Anti-Corruption Day, the CDD urged President Nana Akufo-Addo “to take decisive and concrete action on the growing list corruption cases in the country.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”J0zIuzGk2EQKUzm7J1QUrcUmVYLUD8Pc”]This list includes allegations of corruption against two deputy chiefs of staff. the sale of contaminated fuel involving the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company, government’s handling of the review of the AMERI Power Deal and the accusations of cronyism levelled against the Finance Minister over the issuance of a bond.

The Akufo-Addo Administration was also hit with a scandal when Boakye Agyarko, now Energy Minister, was accused by some Minority MPs of trying to bribe them to enable him to pass his vetting.

Probes into some of these cases have been seen to be unsatisfactory by some stakeholders.

For instance, the eight-member investigative committee set up to determine the circumstances that led to the controversial sale of 5 million litres of contaminated fuel to two unlicensed firms by BOST has been alleged to have not had a single meeting by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Bongo Constituency, Edward Bawa.

Some signals coming from the government, like the Special Prosecutor Bill being passed or the President’s directive to have all corruption allegations against government officials probed, have been viewed by some as adequate steps in the anti-graft efforts.

But the CDD has said the government’s commitment to fighting corruption should go “beyond the rhetoric, the mere setting up of institutions and enactment of laws.”

Commitment to the anti-corruption could come in the form adequately resourcing anti-corruption bodies, the CDD noted.

“While we recognize weaknesses in some existing anti-corruption legislations, the Center is of the view that sufficiently resourcing existing public anti-corruption institutions, such as the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Economic and Organized Crimes Office (EOCO), Auditor General Office, State Prosecution Department, and the recently enacted Special Prosecutor’s Office; strengthening their independence; and having leadership with integrity for these institutions can lead to significant progress in the fight against corruption in Ghana.”

“On its part, CDD-Ghana and its CSO partners, as well as the media will continue to be at the forefront of the campaign against corruption in the country. CDD-Ghana and its partners will again continue to unearth and magnify cases of corruption, educate the public, advocate stiffer punishments for officials who engage in corruption and present policy guides to aid stakeholders demand for accountability in the fight against corruption,” the statement concluded.

Find below the CDD’s full statement

INTERNATIONAL ANTI-CORRUPTION DAY, 9TH DECEMBER 2017

STATEMENT BY THE GHANA CENTER FOR DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT

The Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) calls on the government to seize the current pro-anticorruption political moment to take decisive and concrete action on the growing list corruption cases in the country. On the occasion of this year’s International Anti-Corruption Day, which is being commemorated under the theme, “United Against Corruption for Development, Peace and Security,” CDD-Ghana urges the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to take advantage of the collective public support in the fight against corruption to tackle pervasive corruption in Ghana.

This year’s international anti-corruption day advocates for resilient collaborative efforts by all sectors in the economy to eliminate corruption. Accordingly, the Center calls on the government, all state anti-corruption bodies, the private sector, media, civil society organizations (CSOs) and citizens to unite in the fight against corruption and create a zero tolerance approach to corruption.

The Center believes government’s commitment to fighting corruption goes beyond the rhetoric, the mere setting up of institutions and enactment of laws. While we recognize weaknesses in some existing anti-corruption legislations, the Center is of the view that sufficiently resourcing existing public anti-corruption institutions, such as the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Economic and Organized Crimes Office (EOCO), Auditor General Office, State Prosecution Department, and the recently enacted Special Prosecutor’s Office; strengthening their independence; and having leadership with integrity for these institutions can lead to significant progress in the fight against corruption in Ghana.

We equally believe that government’s ‘Ghana beyond Aid’ agenda and the mission of achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development can only be met if resources are not plundered for private gains and that public institutions are transparent and accountable. As noted by António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, “We can only achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development if every nation has strong, transparent and inclusive institutions, based on the rule of law and supported by the public.”

It is important to note that Ghanaians are no longer passively watching corrupt acts manifest before their eyes. The latest Afrobarometer Survey (2017) revealed that a vast majority (64%) of Ghanaians want corrupt officials prosecuted, stolen monies recovered and offenders named and shamed. This is a clear indication that citizens are united in their views for corrupt officials to be punished and looted resources retrieved. CDD-Ghana therefore, calls on the government and all anti-graft state institutions to be cognizant of the willingness of Ghanaian citizens to fight corruption, and put mechanisms in place to empower citizens to voice out “NO” to corrupt acts.

On its part, CDD-Ghana and its CSO partners, as well as the media will continue to be at the forefront of the campaign against corruption in the country. CDD-Ghana and its partners will again continue to unearth and magnify cases of corruption, educate the public, advocate stiffer punishments for officials who engage in corruption and present policy guides to aid stakeholders demand for accountability in the fight against corruption. We believe that we can unite in our collective quest to address the growing menace of corruption in our society so as to channel national resources to propel development.

Efua Idan Osam

CDD-Ghana Communications Officer

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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According to CDD-Ghana, the likes of Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and the Tema Metropolitan Assembly, must be taken off government subventions and made to depend on their internally generated resources.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Friday, Head of Research at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), Dr. Franklin Oduro, said “It doesn’t make sense to some of us that resource-endowed districts that can generate enough IGF [internally generated funds] like AMA, KMA, TMA, should receive the same kind of allocations as other districts that are not doing well.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”5AmKKCPzaVAEFPIx10Tq8W7pmcu7RAdW”]“We have consistently made recommendations in terms of devising new ways of resourcing districts that are not doing well. We have consistently argued for the need to take a second look at the district assembly common fund formula. One way that the ministry or all of us can begin to look at this is that, we take a second look at the formula so we can have targeted resource allocation to districts that are not really doing well. So that we can ensure that citizens living everywhere can have the same facility,” he added.

Dr. Oduro made the recommendation on the back of the ranking of the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) tabulated  by CDD-Ghana in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, and UNICEF Ghana.

The CDD research head explained that, the District League Table is to ensure equity across the country.

“It is to find a way to measure whether the services that the government of Ghana including the local government institutions are mandated to provide, we are achieving that progress or not,” he added.

TMA tops 2017 District League Table, Krachi East last

The 2017 district league table, which was released on Thursday, saw TMA clinging to the topmost position with Krachi East district in the Volta Region languishing at the bottom.

The Tema Metropolitan Assembly overtook the La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipality which topped the 2016 UNICEF District League Table.

The Tema Metropolitan Assembly had previously topped the table in 2015.

MMDAs can survive without common fund

The Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, Felix Mensah Nii Anang-La, had in an earlier interview on the Citi Breakfast few weeks ago, stated that some of the MMDAs can survive without government support.

He noted that the funds they generate internally are even more than what they receive from government.

“In Tema, our IGF is always more than what we get from common fund. It has never been a case where common fund will be bigger than IGF. It is about four times what we receive from common fund,” he said.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post Stop giving AMA, KMA, TMA common fund – CDD-Ghana appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The volunteers were drawn from the Greater Accra, Volta and Eastern Regions.

The programme was organized to sensitize the volunteers on how to use IAA data to do advocacy at the local level.

The ‘I Am Aware’ project is a non-partisan citizen empowerment campaign instituted to provide free, accessible and user-friendly data on the state of public goods and public service delivery in 216 districts across the 10 regions of Ghana.

The data covers the state of, and provision of basic education, health, water, sanitation, security, roads and agriculture in the country.

The goal of the project is to increase the awareness of citizens, particularly the poor and vulnerable to empower them to engage with duty bearers to ensure that public services are delivered and improved.

Mawusi Dumenu, team lead for the IAA volunteers’ engagement, lauded the engagement level of the participants and their zeal to make a difference in their communities.

“Participants shared their experiences about previous efforts in engaging duty bearers,” he said. “The IAA team and district partners also shared useful lessons with the participants. I believe the foundation has been laid for volunteers to begin to conduct well informed advocacy for improved public service delivery in their various districts.”

Akim Djaneye-Kpandja, Project Coordinator for Omega Project Management Foundation, a district partner of IAA in the Central Tongu and Adaklu districts in the Volta Region was optimistic that the involvement of community members in the project will keep public service providers on their toes.

The participants described the training programme as enlightening and pledged their commitment to work towards achieving the goals of the project in their respective districts.

“The training was very beneficial because it has helped me to understand what is expected of me as a volunteer. I am more poised to detect the deficiencies in the provision of public service in my district and demand accountability from my leaders,” Charity Ayitey, an IAA volunteer from Ablekuma South said.

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Source: CDD-Ghana

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