Sagnarigu: Miss Heskeya Salma, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning Officer at Simba Ghana, has emphasised the need for increased public interest in accountable governance as a crucial step towards achieving sustainable development. She highlighted that citizen involvement and awareness are essential for accessing information about government interventions, budgets, and decision-making processes, thereby promoting transparency and accountability, especially at the grassroots level.
According to Ghana News Agency, Miss Salma was speaking at a citizens accountability forum in Sagnarigu, Northern Region. The forum, which included selected youth groups, persons with disabilities, women, and girls, was organised by Simba Ghana in collaboration with the Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) with funding from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. It is part of the Evidence for Development (E4D) project being implemented in the Sagnarigu Municipality.
The forum, themed 'Developing Local Accountability through Citizen Participation and Evidence-Based Dialogue,' served as a platform for stakeholders, policy actors, and citizen groups to devise strategies for promoting accountable governance at the zonal council level. The E4D project aims to empower policy actors by enhancing their capacity to access and utilise relevant data and evidence, thereby informing policy-making processes and enhancing social development at the subnational level.
Alhaji Alhassan Ziblim, a retired educationist and Technical Advisor for the E4D project, highlighted the importance of accountability among duty-bearers. He stated that accountability fosters active citizen participation in national development and urged community members to prioritise demanding their rights, especially concerning development initiatives, to address the challenges facing their communities.
Mr Abdul-Hamid Toyibu, Head of the Planning Unit at the Sagnarigu Municipal Assembly, emphasised the importance of tax compliance, noting that revenue generation is vital for implementing development projects. Participants expressed appreciation to Simba Ghana for organising the forum and called for more such engagements to raise awareness among citizens about their role in the country's holistic development.
