The Koforidua Technical University in the Eastern Region has launched an online development transparency barometer index.
The Development Transparency Barometer index was developed by the Africa Development and Resources Research Institute (ADRRI).
Development Transparent Barometer Index is aimed at empowering communities to influence development projects in their communities while ensuring local participation in decision making.
The Barometer Index is merged with a community development reporting system hinged that links the citizen and government.
The system enables users to report and direct their development challenges to the appropriate development agencies.
The Development Transparency Barometer Index will then be generated by ADRRI based on the performance of the indicators gathered through similar government response.
Speaking at the launch, the Director of ADRRI, Dr Jamal Mohammed, said the well being of citizen was their ultimate aim.
“It [development] requires a conscious and regular incremental approach to ensure that as lives are being made better, any change will be an improvement and not retrogression.”
Dr Jamal noted the lack of citizen engagement as the cause of some failed development targets some communities face.
He observed that some initiatives “were designed from outside the communities without their participation.”
“Thus, such initiatives are either abandoned half way or never executed at all.”
“Local participation in community affairs was a necessary pre-requisite for community development, studies have revealed that the major agents of change in the local communities were the indigenous people since they may have the necessary knowledge, skills and willingness to drive development projects in their community,” Dr Jamal explained
“For Ghana to achieve uniform development to remedy the high level of inequalities in the nation’s development, it is imperative for active local participation in governance and development initiatives to be encouraged and practised in all circles.”
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By: Neil Nii Amatey Kanarku/citinewsroom.com/Ghana
