LOCAL governance becomes effective when all the pillars in the decentralisation process, from the foundation to the roof, impact positively on the workings of the system.
However, for several years, some components of Ghana’s decentralisation system have not functioned as expected, thereby weakening the local governance process.
One of these components is the unit committee, which is required to monitor the implementation of development projects in its locality, mobilise the grassroots for self-help interventions and create the platform for participatory decision making.
These committees are again expected to assist in revenue collection and supervise the work of assembly staff working in their localities.
Therefore, when unit committees were virtually non-existent or malfunctioning, development in many local communities moved at a rather slow pace.
The recent election of new members to constitute unit committees has therefore restored hope in the decentralisation process.
It is however important to note that these unit committee members can not deliver as required of them if they do not understand the decentralisation process or lack the skills to function effectively.
It is in the light of this that a civil-society organisation in Tamale, the Wuni Zaligu Development Association (WUZDA), with support from GIZ, a German aid organisation, organised a training workshop for selected members of the newly-constituted unit committees in the Tamale metropolis.
The aim of the training was to build the capacity of the participants to play their role effectively in the local governance process and support the development of their respective communities.
A total of 63 unit committee members from 21 electoral areas participated in the training programme.
The Mayor of Tamale, Alhaji Abdulai Haruna Friday, who addressed the trainees during the opening ceremony, expressed hope that the training would impact positively on the work of the assembly.
He commended WUZDA and its sponsors for the initiative and entreated the participants to work towards finding regular meeting points or office to conduct local government business.
“You are the foundation of the decentralised local government pillar and so you have the power to be the initiators of all development projects in your respective areas,” the Metropolitan Director of the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE), Alhaji Abdul-Razak Saani told the trainees.
“You have to identify the development concerns of your people and push towards addressing them. You must also monitor the implementation of all development projects in the area and raise alarm when things go wrong,” he added.
Alhaji Saani implored the unit committee members to be proactive in seeking for support for local development instead of looking up to central government.
“Do not think that it is the President or your MP who would bring development to your area, because you know what is more important to you than them,” he stated.
Mr Adbullah Issah, one of the participants told the Daily Graphic that the training was beneficial since it served as a form of orientation for him.
“I have been schooled on how to track the progress of development projects and to ensure that things go in the right direction to the benefit of my community,” he stated.
The Programme Manager of WUZDA, Mr Abdul-Karim Ziblim mentioned that the trainees were now expected to mobilize their community folk to undertake needs assessment, identify and prioritise these needs and work with the assembly towards meeting these needs.
He said initially, when unit committees were ineffective in ensuring community participation in the development process, “many viable projects were abandoned and left to rot.”
Hopefully, with more of such training programmes, the work of unit committees in Tamale would improve and this would impact positively on the development of local communities.
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