Tamale: The Nanton District Assembly has emerged as the top-performing district in the Northern Region in the 2024 Public Financial Management Compliance League Table (PFMCLT). The district, which leaped from its fourth-place ranking in 2023, scored 41.06 percent to secure the first position.
According to Ghana News Agency, the rankings were unveiled at a regional town hall meeting in Tamale, attended by various stakeholders, including civil society organizations, government agencies, traditional and religious authorities, and persons living with disabilities. The PFMCLT initiative, funded by the European Union, was organized by the Centre for Local Governance Advocacy (CLGA) to disseminate the findings and promote citizen participation in public financial accountability.
The PFMCLT is a comprehensive monitoring tool designed to assess how effectively District Assemblies comply with Ghana's Public Financial Management (PFM) laws and regulations across the entire cycle, including planning, budgeting, procurement, accounting and reporting, and internal and external auditing. Madam Gladys Gillian Naadu Tetteh, Deputy Executive Director of CLGA, whose speech was read on her behalf during the meeting, highlighted the tool's role in promoting transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement in local governance.
She emphasized the importance of managing public funds effectively, stating that when assemblies do so, everyone benefits through improved infrastructure and services. The PFMCLT not only highlights best-performing assemblies but also exposes areas needing urgent improvement to ensure that vulnerable groups are not left behind due to mismanagement of public resources.
Mr. Herbert Apaloo, Programmes Manager at CLGA, who presented the findings of the assessment, noted that Sagnarigu Municipality retained its second-place position in the region with a score of 36.03 percent, while Nanumba South District Assembly dropped to the bottom, ranking lowest with 15.50 percent, down from 12th place in the 2023 assessment. At the national level, La Dade Kotopon Municipal Assembly was the best-performing district in the country, improving from second position in 2023 to first with a score of 57.50 percent. Akatsi South Municipal Assembly, Bawku Municipal Assembly, and Nkwanta South Municipal Assembly were the worst-performing districts nationally, each scoring zero percent.
Mr. Apaloo explained that the tool empowers citizens to demand accountability from their local authorities and track the utilization of public funds for development purposes. Mr. Mohammed Mutaru Alhassan, Advocacy and Policy Influencing Officer at School for Life, praised the initiative as a game-changer in holding local authorities accountable. He noted that the rankings provide evidence for citizens to ask the right questions and motivate assemblies to improve, knowing that citizens are observing. He also emphasized the need for CLGA to include sanctions and recommendations in subsequent assessments to enforce effective performance and compliance.
