Fewer Ghanaians participate in MMAs budget process

Ms Fati Lily Soale, an official of the local Government and Rural Development Ministry, has expressed concern that only two percent of Ghanaians participate in the budget process of the Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies (MMAS).

She said 98 percent of the citizens have never participated in the budget process of the MMAs; three percent saw the budget presented in pictorial templates; 21 percent heard about it on local radio news channels; and 64 percent saw it on the MMAs notice boards.

Ms Soale, who is the Head of the Social Accountability Unit (SAU), said this when she presented the Mid –term citizens’ Perception of Local Government Public Financial Management and Urban Services at the Metropolitan/Municipal Assembly survey report in Cape Coast.

The day’s programme was attended by MMAs coordinating directors, budget and planning officers, market women, traditional authorities, persons with disabilities and members of the Central Regional Media Network on Social Accountability.

Ms Soale said the survey, conducted under the Local Government Capacity Support Project (LGCSP), covered a nationally representative sample of 1,490 households, randomly and systematically selected, from 149 enumerated areas of 23 selected MMAs across the 10 administrative regions of Ghana.

She said the survey among others covered citizens’ perception of MMAs responsiveness, understanding of public financial management process as well as citizens’ perception of the availability, quality, efficiency and equity of core services such as education, health, roads and sanitation with emphasis on public toilets.

Ms Soale said on citizen understanding of public financial management processes only 12 percent had participated in a planning meeting of the MMAS, whiles 62 percent attributed their inability to participate in planning meeting of MMAs to their inability to get a schedule for the meetings.

The Head of SAU said about 70 percent of the respondents were not satisfied with the way MMAs accounted for public funds and would want them regulated by a social accountability process.

On visit to the various MMAs she said 86 percent of respondents said they had not visited the MMAs offices in the last 12 months whiles 75 percent said they had no need to visit the MMA.

On citizens’ perception on availability, quality, efficiency and equity of core services such as education, she said 81 percent of households had public and private primary schools in their communities.

Ms Soale said the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) dues and the printing of exam papers were the common additional fee payments parents made and that 44 percent of the respondents cited financial challenges including fees, textbooks and uniforms as reason for their wards not being in school.

On citizens’ perception of public health service, about 56 percent confirmed that they have at least one type of health facility including government hospitals with 68 percent noting that public health facilities were far from their residents.

On citizens’ perception of public toilets, she said a third of the respondents living in MMAs of the six regions relied on public toilets facilities and this included: Eastern region recorded 53 percent, Upper East 40 percent, Brong Ahafo 39, Central 36 and Western 36 percent; whiles 61 percent had toilet facilities at home.

Ms Soale said more than 10 percent of citizens in the six regions practiced open defecation with the Upper East recording 20 percent, Central 13 percent, Upper West 13 percent and Volta region 11 percent.

On roads, Ms Soale said 82 percent said they had road networks in their communities whiles 18 percent did not and that about 58 percent had access to tarred roads near their homes.

Mr Aquinas Tawiah Quansah the Central Regional Minister, said citizens’ participation in development projects have become a major yardstick for public measurement of the performance of a Government and urged all the MMAs to make more efforts in that regard.

He said the growing perception of corruption was on the increase in the country because people failed to demand accountability from duty bearers.

Mr Quansah commended the MLGRD for coming up with the survey adding that it would bring about confidence in MMAs.