The Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) is urging citizens, particularly members of Social Auditing Clubs, to actively leverage legal provisions to demand transparency, strengthen accountability, and combat corruption at the local level. This call to action followed a recent refresher training and capacity-building program in Sogakope, South Tongu Municipality, under the European Union-funded Strengthening Accountability, Rule of Law, and Institutional Responsiveness in Ghana (SARIS) Project.
Context: The SARIS Project and Citizen Engagement
The SARIS Project, a collaborative effort by CDD-Ghana, Transparency International Ghana (TI-Ghana), and the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), aims to foster a society where citizens are proactive participants in governance and anti-corruption initiatives. Operating across 24 districts, the project targets a broad spectrum of stakeholders, encouraging them to move beyond passive observation and embrace civic action within Ghana’s established legal framework for local governance and decentralization.
Empowering Citizens with Legal Tools
During the training, Mr. Jacob Tetteh Ahuno, Assistant Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist at CDD-Ghana, highlighted key provisions within the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936). He emphasized that Sections 40 to 46 of the Act mandate Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to promote public participation. This includes publishing draft by-laws and fee-fixing resolutions through various media at least 10 working days before deliberation.
Citizens possess the right to submit memoranda, attend assembly sittings as observers, engage with sub-committees, and participate in town hall meetings and budget validation forums. Mr. Ahuno stressed that these are legal obligations, not discretionary choices, and any assembly failing to involve citizens is in breach of the law.
Furthermore, the training underscored citizens’ right to request information from public authorities under the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989). Assembly Secretaries are mandated to ensure compliance with these requests. The law also allows citizens to petition assemblies on matters within their mandate, with officials required to acknowledge petitions within seven days and respond within three months. Annual reports on stakeholder participation by MMDA Chief Executives serve as a public accountability mechanism.
Combating Corruption: Understanding and Action
The training also delved into the definition and impact of corruption, describing it as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. Various forms, including bribery, fraud, embezzlement, nepotism, extortion, conflict of interest, and abuse of power, were discussed.
A practical framework, the
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