body-container-line-1
22.09.2018 Politics

Assembly's OGP Commitments Receive Strong Backing

By GNA
Assembly's OGP Commitments Receive Strong Backing
22.09.2018 LISTEN

Open Governance Partnership (OGP) commitments of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) has received strong backing by identifiable groups in the metropolis.

This was at a validation workshop held in Takoradi.

The commitments cover the areas of transparency and accountability in public infrastructure delivery, sanitation, public finance and billings, technology and innovation.

Mr. Anthony K. K. Sam, the Metropolitan Chief Executive, said validation of the draft commitments for the period 2018 to 2020 was important to enhance participatory governance.

Good governance required active participation of the governed in the decision making process.

He said the assembly had demonstrated its commitment at all levels to involve the people in decisions affecting them.

"We were therefore not too surprised at our inclusion in the selection of the local OGP programme in 2016, and two years on, we continue to feel honoured''.

As part of the programme, STMA is expected to submit its second OGP Local Action Plan in the last week of September - something that hinges on potentially high impact open governance commitments.

Mr Isaac Aidoo, OGP programme focal person, said three civil society partners - Friends of the Nation, Berea Social Foundation and S.T.M.A-CSUF, had received a grant from the OGP Trust Fund, managed by the World Bank, to facilitate the process for the new action plan together with the assembly.

In line with this, a nine-member working team made up of government officials, civil society organizations, the media, traditional leaders, some private organizations, community and vulnerable group representatives had been formed.

The team was engaging selected community members and other stakeholders to solicit their inputs for the second action plan.

The Focal Person said it had so far visited New Takoradi, Adakope, Nkotompo, Ngyerasia and Essaman to solicit views on building strong commitment areas.

He added that vulnerable groups including people with disability and those living with HIV had not been left out of the consultations.

He said "in furtherance to the co-creation process, the 40-member Multi-Stakeholders' Forum was tasked to maximize participation and cooperation between the government and civil societies".

The Forum would continue to ensure that relevant partners met and discussed issues that needed to be addressed to promote participatory governance.

The action plan was to significantly increase the level of public inclusiveness in governance.

He said the assembly was leveraging on the OGP core values to position itself to better respond to citizens' needs and aspirations to sustain their trust and confidence.

The OGP core values afforded the assembly the opportunity to stay on the course of good governance reforms, deepened the democratic' culture, documented achievements and shared experiences with the international community.

Ms Brittany Lane, the OGP Programme Local Manager, said she was impressed with the work done so far.

body-container-line