FFP launches "Electorate meets elected" project

Kumasi, Nov.17, GNA- The Foundation for Female Photo Journalists (FFP), a non-governmental organization (NGO) on Friday launched its "Electorate meets Elected" Project at a ceremony in Kumasi. The project, an initiative of FFP, is aimed primarily to help the electorate in making decisions affecting them at the local governance level.

The programme is being sponsored by Rights and Voice initiative (RAVI), an NGO and would be implemented in the Ashanti, Greater Accra, Western and Eastern regions.

In an address, Miss Mardey Ohui Ofoe, Executive Director of FFP, said the project was intended to bring together assembly members and electorate from district assemblies and identify the challenges confronting the assembly members which prevented them from meeting their electorate on regular basis as enshrined in the local government act 462.

She stressed that it was also designed to promote the deeper understanding of the district assembly concept among the electorate with the view to inculcating in them the need to appreciate the work of their assembly members.

Miss Ofoe said there was the need to create a platform for the electorate to make consistent contributions to the deliberations of assemblies through the assembly members on regular basis. Such a move, she noted, would help reduce the perception among the electorate that, "the assembly was a far away institution from the people", thereby reducing the level of apathy towards development projects and activities of the assemblies.

The Executive Director expressed the hope that the project would, at the end of its completion, help to ensure clarity on the roles and responsibilities of assemblies to provide the people with the tangible basis for assessment for the success or failure of the assembly members for the nation's progress.

Mr Francis Dorpenyoh, District Chief Executive (DCE) for Adansi South said there was the need to involve local people in the development of strategic and development plans for the electoral areas, stressing that this would provide them with a sense of belongingness and responsibilities towards development projects in their areas.