Promoting active citizens participation, inclusion and accountable governance at the local level

As part of efforts to increase citizens’ participation and improve service delivery at the local level, CEDEP and its associate local partners rolled out the local governance project in the Asante Akim South and the Bosomtwe districts with support from STAR Ghana. The project sought to build on the gains made by local governance initiatives in the districts by focusing on inclusion of vulnerable groups, transparency and accountable governance and effective service delivery at the districts. 

The key project strategies focused on providing spaces for active engagement between citizens and duty bearers through town hall meetings, community interface meetings, meetings in alternative spaces with women, youth and Persons with Disability (PWDs). The project also focused on building the capacity of citizen groups on the use of community scorecards to assess the performance of their respective district Assemblies, the Planning and Budgeting processes, monitoring of capital projects by citizens among others.

Ghana’s Strengthening Accountability Mechanism (GSAM) Project is USAID-funded project that seeks to ’strengthen citizens’ oversight of capital development projects to improve local government transparency, accountability and performance. 

CEDEP is implementing the GSAM project in four (4) District Assemblies in the Ashanti Region under two (2) project components. CEDEP disseminated results of performance audit carried out by the Ghana Audit Service (GAS) on capital projects in Offinso North and Asante Akim South districts under component one.

CEDEP under component two assists district stakeholders and community members in Bosomtwe and Sekyere East districts to undertake social accountability activities to promote transparency and accountability. These activities include:

The title of the project was ‘PROMOTING PEACEFUL, VIOLENCE-FREE AND CREDIBLE ELECTIONS IN GHANA THROUGH CIVIL SOCIETY AND CITIZENRY INVOLVEMENT IN TARGETED ELECTION PROCESSES IN THE 2016 GENERAL ELECTIONS AND BEYOND’

The project was funded by USAID-West Africa and it was implemented between September 2016 to January, 2017 across 15 constituencies in the Ashanti region; all 10 constituencies in KMA and 5 others adjoining districts (Ejisu, Kwabre East, Bosomtwe, Atwima Nwabiagya & Asokore Mampong).

The overall goal of the project was to promote peace before, during and after the 2016 general election in Ghana. CEDEP collaborated with Peace Council, Electoral Commission (EC) and National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE). The collaborators also included National Youth Authority (NYA), Regional House of Chiefs and Queen Mothers Association, Department of Gender, CSOs and citizens to roll out strategies to promote peace across the 15 target constituencies.

Social Public Expenditure and financial Accountability (SPEFA) project started in 2013 and ended in April 2017 with funding from GOG through SNV. 

The project sough to ‘improve citizen’s perception of urban management and increase active citizen’s engagement in the development process of their metropolitan and municipal areas’. 

CEDEP implemented the project in Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Ejisu-Juaben Municipal Assembly (EJMA) and Asante Akim Central Municipal Assembly (AACMA). 

Project strategies consisted of a quarterly SPEFA Fora which targeted 120 MMAs stakeholders to build their capacity on District Assembly’s processes and a half yearly Town Hall Meetings (300 people) which bring both duty bearers and rights-holders together to share information directly and openly on developmental issues which ultimately affect citizens.

The SPEFA project has empowered citizens; especially marginalized groups (women and PWDs) to engage with their respective MMAs to demand for improved service delivery.