TEPPCON Launches Good Governance Project

A project has been launched to promote opportunities for political and administrative leadership to value the inputs of local citizens in local development and empower citizens to counter-balance the power of decentralised authorities.

The project, which spans 2017 to 2020, is also to promote the provision of relevant, transparent and accountable development services to people in the beneficiary areas, which include; Tamale, Yendi, and Damongo, Navrongo and Bolgatanga, and Wa Dioceses of the Catholic Church.

The project dubbed: “Strengthening Citizen Participation in Local Governance,” is being implemented by the Tamale Ecclesiastical Province Pastoral Conference (TEPPCON) with funding from the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.

Most Reverend Vincent Sowah Boi-Nai, Vice President of TEPPCON, who gave details of the project during its launch in Tamale on Saturday, said it was aimed at contributing to reverse the low/weak citizens’ participation in development decision-making processes.

Most Reverend Boi-Nai said the low and weak citizens’ participation in development decision-making was worsened by inadequate citizen awareness and capacity to demand accountability from political and administrative leadership – duty-bearers.

He said the project would undertake interventions such as; mobilising and strengthening citizens and citizen groups to engage district assemblies, making available information about district assemblies’ operations to citizens through the media and durbars to promote citizens’ participation in development decision-making.

Most Reverend Boi-Nai said “We believe this intervention will build citizen capacity and awareness to demand accountability from local government leaders by helping to create model platforms for interface and dialogue between citizens and leadership of local government authorities.”

Mr Rockson Bukari, Upper East Regional Minister said government was working to expand the frontiers of citizen participation in governance by working to ensure that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executive (MMDCEs) were directly elected to make them more accountable to their communities and citizens.

Mr Salifu Saeed, Northern Regional Minister urged MMDCEs of the project districts to collaborate effectively for the successful implementation of the project.

Professor Gabriel Teye, Vice-Chancellor of the University for Development Studies, who chaired the launch, urged all to change their mindset towards development by doing the right things to ensure accelerated development.

Source: GNA