Assemblies tasked to ensure proper constitution and functioning of sub-structures
Mrs Lucy Awuni, Upper East Deputy Regional Minister, has asked Municipal and District Assemblies in the Region to ensure that the Assembly sub-structures were well-constituted and made functional.
She said it would assist in the implementation of the decentralization concept, and ensure the popular participation of the people in decision-making at all levels as demanded by the 1992 Constitution.
Mrs Awuni was addressing a two-day Mid-Year Regional Partners Forum of the Ibis Public Participation in Local Governance (PPLG) Phase two programme, in Bolgatanga on Friday.
The event that attracted members of Municipal and District Assemblies and Civil Society Organizations from the Region, which were partners of Ibis, in the implementation of the PPLG, was to take stock of their past performance, share ideas on and experiences and disseminate information on new strategies and policies on the PPLG Programme.
The PPLG programme aimed at ensuring that the marginalised participated actively in the decision-making process and to ensure that sub-structures of the Assemblies were well-constituted and functional.
Mrs Awuni lamented over the abysmal performance of women at the last District Assembly and national elections, and said government was doing everything possible to reverse the trend.
She said government has taken steps to support civic education programmes, to raise awareness on the decentralization process and development issues.
Mrs Awuni said government would ensure adequate funding of constitutionally mandated bodies such as the National Commission on Civic Education and Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, to enable them to carry out education on decentralization throughout the country.
The Ibis West Africa is supporting civil society organizations to sensitize and create awareness to complement government’s efforts.
Mrs Awuni said that government had also instituted public hearing, town hall meetings and social auditing for Assemblies to seek inputs from communities.
He said the Assembly Members had been strengthened and provided with motorbikes to be able to engage effectively with people at the grass roots level.
Mr Charles Wontewe, Country Programmes Director of Ibis Ghana, said the group was working to ensure that Civil Society Organizations engaged in advocacy to ensure that the District Assembly Common Fund was released on time without unnecessary deductions from the headquarters before getting to the Assembly level.
He said Ibis was also supporting civil society organizations to sensitize and create awareness on governance.
Mr Wontewe said the group would soon conduct a research to establish the abysmal performance of women in election.
He expressed surprise that even though the population of women stood at 51 per cent, they performed abysmally in elections, and said Ibis would carry out a research to identify the problems and suggest ways of solving the problem.
Source: GNA