NCCE urges citizens to show interest in government projects

The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has called on Ghanaians to show an active interest in government projects within the communities to ensure accountability.

"For the nation to progress, we need to hold our duty bearers to their mandates," Madam Lucille Hewlett Annan, the NCCE Greater Accra Regional Director, stated during a durbar within the La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipal Assembly.

The durbar was to school the citizenry on Social Auditing which forms the broad framework for evaluating, reporting on, and improving performance, especially with project execution.

The NCCE Greater Accra Regional Director noted that the durbar formed part of the Accountability, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme (ARAP) which seeks to promote good governance, reduce corruption and improve on accountability.

The ARAP project is being sponsored by the European Union (EU).

The durbar, which was on the theme: “Citizens for Transparency and Accountability,” sought to promote community ownership and engagement in development projects and policies.

It was also to increase awareness of the operations of local government and to empower the citizenry to demand accountability from duty bearers or government agencies.

Mrs Annan reminded the people that by failing to show interest in government projects, one would indirectly be endorsing corruption.

This, in the long term, causes national retrogression and creates fertile grounds for corruption.

The NCCE Greater Accra Regional Director encouraged citizens to get involved in developing their various communities and to do their best to ensure that the community's needs were met, saying, "do not just sit down and leave things to leadership."

She called on the citizenry to safeguard the prevailing peace to ensure violence-free Presidential and Parliamentary elections in December.

Madam Annan said peace is a prerequisite for successful elections and development, therefore the citizenry needed to avoid acts that tended to plunge the country into chaos.

She said the nation’s quest for accelerated socio-economic growth and development could only be achieved in an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity.

She said resorting to violent means to address grievances was not helpful in the nation’s quest for accelerated growth and development.

Madam Ophelia Ankrah, the NCCE La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipal Director, said the event sought to empower community members to own their projects.

She said most people played the blame game without participating in the actual process of nation-building.

"If we are ready to develop, we should participate in the developmental process of the nation, and make our duty bearers know exactly what our needs are," Madam Ankrah said.

The event which was organised by the NCCE evaluated the developmental needs of the Municipality and how to address them.