Media, MPs schooled On Common Fund

A two-day sensitization workshop to enhance capacity building of MPs and parliamentary press corps was held last week at Elmina in the Central region.

The workshop was on the theme: “Strengthening grassroots participation in governance and accountability, role of the media, MPs and MMDCE” was sponsored by the Common Fund Secretariat.

In an opening remark, the Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, asserted that the prime object of government is to undertake initiatives aimed at deepening the fiscal, administration and planning dimensions of decentralization policy in order to achieve full decentralization by devolution.

He said the initiatives are geared toward ensuring that the inconsistencies and misinterpretations of the decentralization policy as prescribed by the 1992 Constitution are streamlined for smooth implementation.

Mr. Afriyie Ankrah charged the media to take interest and periodically report so as to help bring out developmental projects embarked by the various district assemblies, to ascertain the judicious utilization of monies expended on infrastructural projects.

He said as part of efforts to ensure full administration and economic decentralization, his outfit and development partners, have instituted what he described as “Functional Organizational Assessment Tool (FOAT) system with the aim of ensuring transparency and accountability on how MMDA’s resources are properly used.

“These challenges call for new working mechanisms between MPs, MMDCEs and the media to address these challenges through sharing of experience on viable options and explore practical approaches for solutions,” he stressed.

On his part, the Dean of Parliamentary Press Corps, Andrew Edwin Arthur, lauded efforts of the immediate past administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund, Joshua Magnus Nicole, for initiating steps to organise the media towards ensuring that a platform was created for the media, to discuss issues related to the disbursement and utilization of the fund.

According to Mr. Arthur, the collaboration has enhanced the capacity of the media to ensure that controversies and misunderstanding between MPs and MMDCEs over the utilization of the MPs share of the fund are addressed.

Other speakers at the function included Professor Kwamina Ahwoi, Hon. Dominic Azumah, Hon Kofi Jumah, MCE for Cape Coast, Mr. Joshua Magnus Nicole and several others.