Lack of transparency in the implementation of social
protection programmes by some Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies
(MMDAs) in the Northern Region of Ghana appears to be causing agitation and
mistrust among beneficiaries, who are mostly persons with disabilities (PWDs).
For this reason,
government has been asked to put in place a criterion for the disbursement of
the 2 percent share of the district assembly common fund (DACF) allocated to
PWDs since there was no such thing in place, thereby always creating confusion
between MMDA officials and the PWDs and vulnerable groups such as mentally ill
persons and epileptic patients.
This came to
light during series of interface meetings organized in seven MMDAs by
Gub-Katimali Society, a non-governmental organization in the Northern Region,
as part of the implementation of a three-year project funded by the European
Union Commission in Ghana. The MMDAs include East Mamprusi, West Mamprusi,
Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo, Nanumba North, Nanumba South, Central Gonja and Tamale.
The project,
dubbed “Promoting an Inclusive and Empowered Civil Society to advance
Socio-Economic and Political Development in Ghana” aimed to build an
inclusive and empowered civil society well aware of their needs and rights,
including existing and contemplated public policies and programmes and increase
their debate as well as lobby and advocate in their favour.
It also intended
to contribute to increasing awareness and capacities of Community Based
Organisations of men and women with mental illness or epilepsy, PWDs, women,
youth and farmer groups to influence policy planning and implementation.
Some of the
beneficiaries who spoke during an open forum at one of such meetings in Tamale,
complained that the PWDs Fund was managed by a committee put in place by the
assembly of which they have a representative, but their representative was not
part of the signatories to the bank account opened for the Fund.
They also
disclosed that PWDs had no knowledge of how much money was always transferred
into their bank account at the end of every quarter and as a result, the lack
of transparency here was breeding mistrust between PWDs and assembly officials.
Other
participants also bewailed the manner in which assembly officials had succeeded
in politicising almost all social protection programmes and development
projects being implemented, saying mostly certain programmes intended to
benefit them were rather given to other group of people based on political
favouritism and not because they deserve to benefit.
On the other
hand, MMDA officials complained bitterly about the late transfer of their DACF
which negatively affect their planned activities in every quarter, thereby
portraying assembly officials as liars to the people particularly those who
were entitled to some form of monies allocated to them in the DACF.
Besides, some of
the MMDA officials expressed concern about the dishonest nature of some PWD and
other vulnerable groups, saying most of them squander their money anyhow on
alcohol, mobile phones and other trivial things instead of investing it in
income generating activity since the Fund was a revolving one and others were
on standby expecting to benefit.
It also emerged
that there was discrimination and stigmatisation among the PWDs as the physically
challenged, visually and hearing impaired did not want mentally ill and
epileptic persons to benefit from the Fund because they perceived them not to
be PWDs.
Meanwhile, the
Executive Director of Gub-Katimali Society, Sheik Yakubu Abdul-Kareem expressed
satisfaction about the MMDAs efforts to meet the demands of their people in
spite of the difficulties they faced.
He however,
wished the PWDs and other vulnerable groups in various MMDAs could cooperate
with officials so that they could deliver on their mandate.
A grassroots
development organization founded in 1991 to help promote rural development in
Northern Ghana, Gub-Katimali Society seeks to sensitise, empower and enable
local communities to realize their own development through collective participation,
partnership and pooling local resources together for sustainable development.
Gub-Katimali
Society currently operates in nine MMDAs in the Northern Region and has since
its establishment and with the support of its partners such as Trull Foundation,
Charity of Rebecca and Hope for Children, supported over 70 students some of
whom have completed tertiary and secondary education. It has also supported
children with mental illness to enroll in or go back to school after
stabilizing, and provided their parents with small ruminants to rear in order
to cater for their children’s education.
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