We need to intensify education on local level elections - UG don

Professor Seidu Alidu, Head of the Political Science Department, University of Ghana, has attributed the decreased enthusiasm amongst citizens toward local assembly elections to the low level of education regarding local governance systems.

He has, therefore, called on the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and other stakeholders to intensify education on the benefits and rationale behind the establishment of the local governance system.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday, Professor Alidu observed that the politicisation and monetisation of national elections had attracted attention and full participation of citizens to the neglect of the local-level elections, hence the need for intensified education.

“Unfortunately, the people haven’t reaped the benefits that the local governance system was supposed to provide. People don’t understand the real intention for the establishment of the centralised system and the role it plays in our democratic development, as such, they often ignore it because there are no quick benefits or dividends in engaging in local level politics.”

He urged the various Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to organise periodic town hall meetings, fora, and other interactive sessions to engage the top hierarchy of the local level establishment with the grassroots.

“There shouldn’t be a huge gap between the people and the Assembly. Neither should the Assembly just come in only when they are coming to take market tolls or revenue. There should be that deliberate democratic engagement between the people and their duty-bearers at the local level,” he said.

Ghana’s District Assembly Elections Act of 1994, stipulates that “District Assembly Elections (DLE) are held every four years and shall be held at least six months apart from parliamentary elections.”

District assembly elections in Ghana, have been held in 1988/89, 1994, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2015, and 2019; obviously showing a certain pattern by Ghana’s EC to hold the elections average the year preceding the general presidential and parliamentary elections.

The Electoral Commission (EC) has picked October 3, 2023, as the date for this year’s election of members into the District Assemblies and as members of Unit Committees across the country.

The Commission said the date was, however, subject to change depending on the early approval of the Constitutional Instrument (C.I 91) currently before Parliament.

The elections would take place in all 6,272 electoral areas and 38,622 polling stations nationwide.

Prof. Alidu urged Government to hasten the release of district assembly common funds to allow the MMDAs to provide the needed development required to encourage citizens’ participation in development at the local level.

“Local-level government forms the basis and foundation for democracy. Democracy is a bottom-up process and not the other way around. When local people are empowered, they get excited and naturally want to contribute to development. We’re losing a lot by undermining local structures and not giving them the necessary facilities and resources to be able to perform to the best of their abilities,” he noted.