GII, GDCA hold forum to promote social accountability

Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) and Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA) have held a stakeholders’ forum towards increased social accountability and anti-corruption at the district level.

The forum created a platform for stakeholders to discuss identified governance and accountability challenges in the districts as well as identify strategies to address them.

It took place at Savelugu in the Northern Region as the second of its kind under the collaboration of the two organisations.

It was to commemorate the International Anti-Corruption Day (IACD) celebration, marked December 9, every year, to raise public awareness on anti-corruption.

This year’s IACD celebration was on the theme: “Uniting the World Against Corruption for Development, Peace and Security”.

Participants were drawn from civil society organisations, traditional and religious leaders, Assembly members and security services among others.

Issues of accountability, transparency and good governance were discussed with reference to the findings and observations that emerged from the 2022 social accountability monitoring exercise conducted by the GDCA.

The monitoring exercise undertaken at Mion, Kumbungu, Saboba, and Karaga Districts and Savelugu Municipality formed part of the activities of the Empowerment for Life (E4L) Programme implemented by GDCA in partnership with GII and other partners.

Alhaji Osman Abdel-Rahman, Executive Director of GDCA, speaking at the forum, said corruption was a vice that needed collective efforts to combat.

He urged citizens to actively engage in discussions surrounding the topic adding it was a relevant subject that must be addressed at diverse stakeholders’ fora.

Mr Joseph Makido Azam, Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre (ALAC) Officer at GII, who took participants through a session on the overview of corruption in the country, said reducing the canker to its barest minimum would secure the country’s peace and development.

He noted that everyone including state officials, media, public and private sector actors, civil society and academics had a role to play in uniting the world against corruption.

Madam Evita Emma Dunee, Governance Programmes Officer at GDCA, while presenting the 2022 accountability monitoring findings, indicated that there were inadequacies in furniture for health care, school staff and textbooks for schools among others.

She, however, mentioned that engagements with Parent-Teacher Association and Community Health Management Committees resulted in addressing several shortcomings identified by the monitoring exercise.

She said town hall meetings would be held moving forward to ensure greater participation of the citizenry calling on the citizenry to take interest in engagements that aimed at fighting corruption.