Give adequate resources to governance institution - Kyerematen

Accra, Sept. 13, GNA - Mrs Leonora Kyerematen, Head of the National Governance Programme, on Wednesday said Ghanaians should be prepared to pick up the price for entrenching democracy by ensuring that governance institutions were adequately resourced. She said it was only when governance institutions such as Parliament were well resourced that Ghanaians could demand accountability from these institutions.

Mrs Kyeremanten was speaking at the 20th Speaker's Breakfast Forum in Accra organised by Parliament in conjunction with UNDP and National Governance Programme.

It was on the theme; "Financial Autonomy for Governance Institutions: A Justifiable Means of Asserting Legislative Independence - A Case Study". She said there was the need to redirect attention to ensure that key governance institutions such as Parliament, Judiciary, Electoral Commission and National Media Commission became financially independent. She said Ghana had over the years received donor support during general election and it was now time to fully fund the country's electoral establishments.

Mrs Kyerematen called on Parliament to team up with State and Non-State institutions in tracking resources, including budgetary allocations, debt relief funds and resources under the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) to ensure proper resource management and good governance. She also urged Parliament to network with anti-corruption bodies to check financial leakages in the system.

Mr Christophe Bahuet, Deputy UNDP Resident Representative, cited a 2003 study carried out in Ghana that identified inadequate funding as a big problem to the effective running of governance institutions. He said the African Peer Review Mechanism Report had also come out with similar findings and had recommended that an effective system of funding be established and implemented to offer financial support to these governance institutions to make them effective in the country's democratisation programme.