‘Promote c’nity ownership of devt projects, policies’

The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has urged residents of communities to promote community ownership of development projects and policies to increase public awareness about operations of local government establishments.

It also encouraged the citizenry to empower themselves in order to demand accountability, probity and transparency from public office holders.

Emmanuel Der Tambile, the Nadowli/Kaleo District Director of the NCCE, made the call at a social audit activity with residents of Nadowli/Kaleo in the Upper West Region to promote community ownership of projects for sustainable socio-economic development which sought to give an opportunity for the citizenry outside government operations to influence policy-making, implementation and evaluation.

The participants identified five major issues of concern in Nadowli/Kaleo that covered education, women and children, agriculture, health, taxes and tariffs and expressed worry about falling standard of basic education and charged duty bearers to take concerted action to remedy the situation.

At least 69 participants comprising 35 females and 34 males patronised the programme seeking to deepen ownership of development projects.

Madam Katherine Lankono, the District Chief Executive for Nadowli/Kaleo, encouraged the citizenry to get involved in issues about developing their communities for effective and efficient implementation and sustenance.

“The government will continue to work with institutions and civil society organisations to increase active participation of the citizenry in governance, especially in the planning, implementation and delivery of public goods and services at the national, regional and district levels,” she noted.

Madam Katherine Lankono lauded the commission and the European Union for promoting social accountability, probity, transparency, mobilising the citizenry to take ownership of government programmes and projects to ensure improvement in service delivery.

She assured of the Assembly’s commitment, determination and dedication to “initiate policies and programmes that will contribute immensely to women empowerment in communities and also consider the district for their dam re-construction in the government’s ‘one community, one dam’ project”.

Members of the community also called for the institution of measures to monitor tractor service providers during the farming season since they often ”cheat poor and illiterate farmers” in the community during the season. –GNA