Public misconceptions impeding work of MMDCE’s – MFWA

Executive Director of Media Foundation for West Africa, Sulemana Braimah, has said that the many problems and hindrances to the development of most Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies are as a result of misconceptions speculated by citizens.

According to him, the lingering conception is that some Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives use the common fund from government meant for developmental project in the district for their private use.

“The problem starts with the misconception by the people, citizens refuse to do what they ought to do because they think the District Chief Executive or the Municipal Chief Executive is spending money which is meant for the district” he said.

Braimah added that, when citizens refuse to do what is required of them, the Assembly can only do little or less in developing the district or municipality adding that “capacity limitation by the assembly to engage citizens in many ways can help to develop the area”.

Sulemana Braimah noted that, through the work of the Media Foundation for West Africa the transpiring issues with all the district is the apathy of citizens.

“The problem of misconception by the people and the notion that money is been abused by the Chief Executives and workers of the Assembly makes it difficult for the assembly to get the citizens to do what they are required” he added.

He added that, when that happens it is extremely difficult for MMDCE’s to get citizens to do what is required of them. According to him, the spirit of communal labor is lost in the local governance because of the misconception of monies being misused by some Chief Executives.

“Not too long ago, sanitation problems and other issues in the community were addressed without waiting on the MMDCE or DCE to fix them but unfortunately, all these commitments are lost because of this misconception” he said.

Sulemana Braimah was speaking to some selected MMDCE’s and DCE’s on the theme” Promoting citizen’s engagement and participation in local governance in Ghana” in Accra.