About 40 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) from the three regions of the north, have attended a day’s workshop on decentralization, local governance and social accountability organized by the USAID.
The workshop organized in Tamale was in line with the USAID’s funded poverty alleviation programme codenamed, “Northern Ghana Governance Activity.”
The five years project is being implemented by a consortium of Non Governmental Organizations led by CARE International.
Action Aid Ghana, the West Africa Network for Peace-building Ghana (WANEP), and SEND-Ghana are the implementation partners.
Seeking to ensure more responsive governance for improved agricultural development in Ghana, the project is rolled out in 28 districts.
The target population of beneficiaries is 1.5 million people through 59 government bodies, 130 community and civil society organizations, 500 women associations and three traditional authority councils.
Chief of Party with the USAID, Michael Alando at the workshop urged the MMDCEs to act as agents of change.
He bemoaned the development disparities in the three regions of the north despite Non Governmental Organizations’ intervention over the years.
He made reference to the 2018 UNDP report which revealed that 44% of people in the three regions of the north were poor, and called on the MMDCEs to help overturn the situation.
Mr. Alando emphasized the need to use agriculture which is the economic mainstay of most rural dwellers to transform Northern Ghana.
He said US 140,000 grant was given to smallholder women farmer groups to acquire farm inputs to improve their yields.
According to him, a revolving fund has been established to sustain the project.
He raised concern about the allocation of a minimal percentage of foreign direct investments to the three regions of the north which are poorer.
He however lauded government’s Planting for Food and Jobs programme.
Michael Alando underscored the need for the MMDCEs to keenly monitor NGOs working in their jurisdictions as means of improving their coordinating efforts in the development process.
The Head of Local Government Service, Ing. Dr. Nana Ato Arthur implored the MMDCEs to provide effective leadership required to improve the living standards of the masses and reduce inequalities.
He said it behoved on the MMDCEs to replicate the Ghana Beyond Aid agenda by speeding up sustainable development especially in the agriculture sector.
“Be committed to achieving the Ghana Beyond Aid agenda. Leave a remarkable footprint in your districts when your tenure of office is over.”
He charged the MMDCEs saying, “Let’s fight the common enemy of poverty and lack of infrastructure and economic activities in your areas.”
Dr. Ato Arthur reminded the MMDCEs of the performance contract they signed and hinted that their individual assessments would soon be published.
Some of the participants on the sidelines in a Citi News interview commended the USAID and its partners for the initiative taken to empower MMDCEs to improve their performance.
They promised to be guided by the tenets of effective leadership, accountability and social auditing.
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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citinewsroom.com/Ghana