Government budgets are to be presented to the public in picture as part of the social accountability initiative.

These pictorial budgets will be displayed at public places in the communities for the people to view.

“Social Accountability refers to the ability of citizens, civil society organisations and other non state actors to hold the state accountable and make it responsive to their needs.”

Mrs Irene Odokai Messiba, Head of Social Accountability Unit of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) announced this at a sensitization workshop under the Local Government capacity support project.

The workshop was attended by staff of the Ho Municipal Assembly and representatives of Ho traditional Council, disability and special interest groups and the media, identified as important stakeholders in giving effect to social accountability in the country.

Mrs Messiba appealed to traditional authorities to help state actors to reduce the cost of engaging with them regularly.

She said state officials have abundant information to share with the traditional authorities but the cost of logistics was the limiting factor to such engagements.

Mrs Messiba observed that out of frustration the citizenry resort to “demonstrations, strikes and shit bombing” while journalists put up stories to compel authorities to furnish them with information.

She therefore advised officials of the Assemblies to demystify government information and let the people know the facts and the truths which are most often straightforward.

Mrs Messiba said the relationship between the citizenry and civil and public servants is one of shop-owners and shop attendants.

“We are the shop attendants,” she said.