Platform to aid interaction between MMDAs, citizens
A platform to afford metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs), ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and citizens an opportunity to interact in real time has been launched.
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The online platform known as the “Social Accountability Report Card” has been created to respond to the growing need for duty bearers to be closer to citizens without incurring additional or transactional costs.
It is also part of activities under the ‘Making the Budget work for Ghana’ project spearheaded by SEND Ghana, a non-governmental organisation, and sponsored by the World Bank’s Global Partnership for Social Accountability programme that seeks to enhance accountability, transparency and improved service delivery in the budget.
The Country Director of SEND Ghana, Mr George Osei-Bimpeh, at the media launch of the platform in Accra on February 23 said budget governance continued to pose a strong challenge because citizens’ involvement in the budget throughout the various phases had been weak.
Consequently, he said, citizens perceived the budget as a technical tool for economists and people who had attained higher level of education because it was normally technical, making it difficult for citizens to appreciate it.
“The dashboard is going to be an instrument that will provide this platform for duty bearers. We expect that the platform will serve as a channel to build a critical mass of citizens who are holding duty bearers accountable. We hope it will enable citizens to be able to influence the development agenda, especially through the budget, “he said.
How the platform works
The Social Accountability Platform (haveasayghana.org) will receive phone calls and give feedback.
It is a two-way system that will receive citizens’ feedback and concerns on education and health service delivery in their districts and communities through voice messaging when individuals flash the number 0307-082-140 or when they send an SMS (SEND TEXT “HELLO” to 056-111-3182 ) or via the internet (Log on to: haveasayghana.org).
It aims at strengthening the citizens-government interface and enhancing monitoring and evaluation at the district and national levels.
The platform will create the governance environment, give voice to the voiceless and provide feedback mechanisms among state and non-sate actors to improve health and education service delivery at the local level.— GB
