Demand Quality work on Projects

The Central Regional Minister, Mr Aquianas Tawiah Quansah, has asked Ghanaians to demand quality work on projects executed in their communities. He said it was important that people showed interest in developmental projects around them by constantly monitoring the work of contractors and their respective district assemblies to ensure value for money. The minister indicated that it was the community that would ultimately suffer if the people displayed a lukewarm attitude and allowed shoddy work to be undertaken on projects in their areas. This was contained in a speech read on his behalf at the opening of a two-day workshop on the Ghana Strengthening Accountability Mechanism (GSAM) project at Cape Coast. Participants included district chief executives and some officials from selected district assemblies in the Central Region. GSAM Project The five-year project, which began in November last year, is to educate and empower citizens to play an oversight role over capital developmental projects in their communities to ensure accountability and transparency. Under the project, call cards, e-platforms, cameras and mobile phones would be provided to the people for the effective advocacy and monitoring of projects. The project is being implemented with support from USAID, CARE, IBIS and the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC), all NGOs and the Ghana Audit Service. Mr Quansah said capital projects were undertaken with the taxpayers’ money and, therefore, required supervision to ensure transparency. He said effective supervision would help clear the perception that, capital projects were avenues for technocrats and public officials to enrich themselves. Social Accountability Gap The chief of party of the GSAM, Mr Clement Nana Tandoh, said there was still limited information flow from the national to the community level. “There is a social accountability gap and there is still low participation in local governance,” he noted, and indicated that there was the need for more community participation in governance. He therefore expressed hope that the GSAM would enhance the participation of communities in local governance. The Paramount Chief of the Efutu Traditional Area, Neenyi Ghartey VII said citizens deserved to be informed of decisions that affected them.

Source: Daily Graphic