The Ministry of Inner City and Zongo Development in collaboration with Star Ghana, a non-governmental organisation, on Wednesday held a capacity building workshop for some selected Zongo community leaders in Accra.
It aimed at sensitising them on how to tackle problems confronting their respective communities.
The leaders were selected from Maamobi, Shukura and Nima, all in Accra.
This formed part of the sector ministry’s efforts to ensure problems facing Zongo communities were addressed appropriately.
Participants were also advised on how to lobby for development projects and have authorities respond swiftly to the needs of their community members.
Representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Zekora Venture, a waste management company and the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) took participants through the processes of channeling their concerns to them when the need arose.
Addressing participants, Mr Mohammed Alhassan, Director for Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of the sector ministry, said it was very important for community leaders to understand basic planning and accountability tools that they would require to be able to help in the successful running of affairs in their respective communities.
“We have observed that most leaders do not have any knowledge and skills about how to engage service providers in addressing theirs needs.
“The fact that the ministry was created to address the needs of the Zongo communities does not necessarily mean all needs should be directed to us,” he said.
He bemoaned that the journey to development, especially in deprived areas continued to be difficult, resulting in persons at the grassroots being left behind almost all the time.
This was because of the limited knowledge of leaders of these communities, resulting in their inabilities to channel their concerns to the right people for prompt response.
Mr Alhassan expressed gratitude to Star Ghana for the support and urged the public to contribute their quota towards the development of the country.
He assured that his outfit would keep building the capacities of the community leaders of Zongos and Inner Cities in its quest to transform their areas.
In an interview on the sidelines of the programme, a community leader of Maamobi, Mr Yahya Iddris, said the programme was beneficial to him, saying he now knows where exactly to direct his people to when the need arises.
He called on organisers of the event to extend the gesture to other Zongo communities and promised to use the knowledge acquired to promote development in his area.
BY RAISSA SAMBOU