Media personnel in Brong-Ahafo educated on LGCSP

Abesim (B/A), March 4,  GNA - Mr Elvis Otu, an  official at the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, has appealed to the media to equally publicize other relevant national issues and not to only dwell on politics and sports.

He said it was equally important for the media to also focus on development and social issues as well as social accountability.

Mr Otu was speaking at a day's sensitization workshop on Social Accountability (SA) under the Local Government Capacity Support Project (LGCSP) at Abesim in the Sunyani Municipality.

The workshop, aimed at developing media network to strengthen their knowledge and capacity to report on local government financial management issues, was attended by more than 30 media personnel from the Region.

He Otu urged the participants to be part of media network to be able to give voice to different parts of the society, including the marginalized groups and provide channels for local government actors to communicate and interact with citizens on Social Accountability (SA) activities under the project.

Mr. Otu emphasized the media network would not only help to increase citizens' awareness of their entitlements but also assist in managing their expectations.

He explained LGCSP is a 175 million dollars government of Ghana/World Bank initiative, targeting 46 Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies (MMAs) to be implemented over a five-year period.

Mr. Otu said the project intends to address some of the weaknesses of the current Ghana's Decentralization Framework and also seeks to strengthen the MMAs for Accountable Local Governance and improved service delivery.

He said LGCSP would reinforce local Public Financial Management and Accountability for improved infrastructure and services in MMAs and enhance citizen's engagement with MMAs and their perceptions of urban management.

GNA