Techiman, Feb. 9, GNA - Mr. Isaac Owusu-Mensah, senior programme manager of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), a German political foundation, has applauded the role of civil society in pushing governments for social accountability.

He said social accountability should not be concentrated at the national level only but must trickle down to the community level. Mr. Owusu-Mensah said this at the opening of a three-day workshop on local governance for 120 participants from traditional rulers, traders, civil society organisations, assembly members, religious bodies and representatives of political parties from Nkoranza District and Wenchi and Techiman municipalities. The workshop under the theme, "Informal sector and local governance accountability", was organised by Ghana Union of Traders Association and sponsored by KAS.

The objective of the workshop is to create awareness, recognition and support for social accountability initiatives through participatory work and to also support them to identify follow-up action to strengthen social accountability at various levels of operations, community and district levels.

Mr. Owusu-Mensah said for any country to ascertain its economic development, the private sector and civil society must work alongside the state to promote and perform its role. He said the outcome of the programme would help promote decentralization as a key to development that offered an expansion of life's choices for people. Mr. Owusu-Mensah said civil society must be positioned to design efficient advocacy strategy to hold the new leadership accountable for their action and inactions.