Ghanaians apathetic towards development – Study

A study conducted by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), has revealed citizen apathy towards development at the district level.

Mr Maxwell Ashon, Research Officer of CDD-Ghana, a think-tank, said on Wednesday that the study discovered that knowledge about development at the district level was weak amongst the citizenry.

Speaking at a workshop to build the capacity of traditional authorities in Accra he said, promoting public participation in local governance using effective social accountability tools is very apt.

The workshop was organised by the CDD-Ghana in collaboration with the Institute of Local Government Studies.

Mr Ashon said:  “When governance of a locality is entrusted into the hands of an elected few, it is incumbent on them to explain issues of management while citizens also have the right to asks question and demand accountability.”

The effective and efficient means of managing state resources for the betterment of the citizens is what constitutes good governance, he said

Mr Ashon said good governance is achieved when stewardship is based on mutual agreement between the rulers or leaders and the ruled or citizens and expressed in a social contract.

The social contract involves the retaining of certain natural rights, an acceptance of restriction of certain liberties, the assumption of certain duties, and the pooling of certain powers to be exercised collectively.

For this reason, the workshop was to augment citizens’ understanding and participation in the governance process in their communities as well as assisting traditional authorities in increasing their understanding and knowledge in local governance.

The workshop is being funded by the European Union under the support for Non-State Actors and Local Authorities in Development Actions in Ghana, which seeks to assess the extent to which citizens participate and engage with the current local governance system and structures.

Source: GNA