Volunteers to hold district assemblies accountable

Kenyasi (B/A), Jan. 20, GNA - The 40 volunteers of the District Accountability Project in Asutifi and Tano South districts have commended the Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD) for organizing training sessions on how to hold districts accountable. The District Accountability Project was initially introduced in 2007 by the Centre for Active Development (CAD) through Action Aid Ghana, with funding from RAVI, an international NGO with CSD being an implementing partner.

Objectives of the three-year project, amongst others are to equip the citizens to participate in all aspects of revenue mobilization and utilization for development in their districts. The volunteers made the commendation at separate forums organised by the CSD at Kenyasi Number Two in Asutifi and Techimantia in Tano South to phase-out the project. They said through the training they had been able to dialogue with the district assemblies over fee-fixing resolutions and have become well informed on the need to pay their taxes for the assemblies to generate enough revenue for community development. "We wish we can get such periodic training when the next phase of the project begins so we can contribute our quota", Mr Yaw Ntow, chairman of the Tano South volunteers, said. He said through the project the District Assembly was putting up an eight-unit teachers' bungalow at Subriso.

The project had also empowered some of the community members to monitor contractors working in the district. Mr Ntow added. Mr Peter B. Subaab, Executive Director of CSD, said district assemblies had depended so much on the common fund that quite often development came to a standstill if it is not released. He said "This is because community members are not aware that the locally generated revenue is also to be used for development and since community members are ignorant about this they are not able to hold district assemblies accountable".

Mr. Subaab said this had continued to create a situation where tax payers did not see the benefit of paying taxes. He said the NGO hoped that the funding agencies would appreciate the impact of the project and release resources so that other districts in the region would benefit in the next phase.