Poor relationship affecting citizens’ participation in local governance – CDD-Ghana

Mrs Regina Oforiwa Amanfo-Tetteh, Programmes Officer, CDD-Ghana, has observed that the absence of “professional working relationship” between local assembly administrators, assembly-members and community-based civil society organisations,  was affecting effective citizens’ participation in local governance.

She said the “ineffective” working relationship was distancing the assemblies from the citizens, and must be worked on.

Mrs Amanfo-Tetteh made the observation at an “interface engagement meeting on promoting social accountability through citizens’ participation in local governance,” for political party activists and assembly officials, at Kadjebi.

She said what was more disturbing was the lack of effective system of information-sharing, regarding the operations of the District Assemblies, leading to the emergence of unaccountable structures and poor service delivery at the local level.

Mrs Amanfo-Tetteh said as a result, issues of responsiveness and accountability remained elusive in the country’s local government administrative system, though comprehensive structure of accountability existed in the 1992 Constitution.

She, therefore, underscored the need for commitment in local political leadership and “desired political will” in involving locals in decision-making and accountability.

Source: GNA