Nsawam-Adoagyiri Municipality in the Eastern Region has been ranked the first on the 2014 District League Table, (DLT), an initiative of the Centre for the Democratic Development (CDD) as a tool for ranking progress in key basic services in each of Ghana’s 216 districts.
The municipality scored 75 percent out of the six indicators used, including Health (skill delivery), Governance (minimum requirement for FOAT), Education (BECE pass rate), Sanitation (open free defecation) and Water (rural water coverage).
The Nsawam-Adoagyiri constituency was carved out of Akuapem South and scored 100% in skill delivery, 100% in BEC E pass rate, 80% in rural water coverage and 95% in police coverage resulting in an overall score of 75% and the second on the league table nationally after Tano south in the Ashanti region.
Denkyembuor, carved out of the Kwaebibrem district came second with 74%, followed by Kwahu West municipal with 69%, Lower Manya Krobo with 66%, Asuogyaman 65%, New Juaben 63%, Kwahu South 63%, East Akim 62%, Suhum district 61% and Birim Central, 61% in that order.
Birim North scored 61%, followed by Akuapem South 60%, Akuapem North 58%, Atiwa 57%, West Akim 57%, Fanteakwa 55%, Birim South 54%, Kwahu East 53%, Kwahu Afram Plains North 53%, Ayensuano 51%, Akyemansa 51%, Upper West Akim 50%, Kwahu Afram Plains South 48%, Yilo Krobo 48%, Upper Manya Krobo 46%, and Kwaebibrem 43% on the table.
The marks scored by all the 26 municipalities and the districts in the Region were also based on the six indicators above but in the case of Open Free Defacation under the sanitation indicator, all the districts including even the first on the league table scored 0%.
Presenting the report at a regional dissemination in Koforidua, Ms Mavis Dome a research officer, CDD-Ghana, explained that with a target score of 100% in the DLT, the Eastern Region scored 58% placing sixth out of the 10 regions in terms of development levels.
She mentioned that all the districts in the Region at least managed to score above 50% except for the last four on the DLT, however she noted there was a wide range of development level between the districts at the top and those at the bottom.
She cited Nsawam-Adoagyiri which topped the DLT with a score of 75% and Kwaebibrem which is the last on the DLT scored 43% with a difference of 32% was worrying.
Ambassador Francis Tsegah, a Senior Research Fellow CDD-Ghana, stressed that the DLT was aimed to empower and mobilize support for areas where development levels were low and not intended to name and shame.
He said the DLT would help highlight the iniquities in local development and the challenges faced by the districts that performed poorly on the table and encourage stakeholders to give more support where it was needed.
Ambassador Tsegah urged the media, civil society organizations, and community based organizations in the regional and district capitals to stimulate dialogue on how best citizens and duty bearers could cooperate towards enhanced public goods and services delivery.
