The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has encouraged communities to initiate self-help projects instead of relying solely on government for all social interventions to effectively improve their standard of living.

According to the Commission, the over-reliance on Central government for developmental projects had affected local initiative, slowed community development, transparency and accountability.

"Government resources are limited to carry out all of its mandate therefore communities should not renege on their traditional and communal roles and responsibilities to ease development efforts," Mr Nicholas Ofori Boateng, Central Regional Director of NCCE has said.

He was speaking at a durbar of Chiefs and people of Otsir, a farming community near Saltpond in the Mfatseman Municipality of the Central Region.

The public engagement was to school the people on the essence of social auditing and the urgent need for all to get involved.

It formed part of the Accountability and Rule of law and Anti-Corruption Programme (ARAP) initiative by the Commission to promote good governance, reduce corruption and improve on accountability.

Social auditing promotes community ownership of development projects and policies, increase awareness of operations of local government and empower the citizenry to demand accountability from duty bearers.

Mr Boateng explained that self-help approach would be a mechanism where the community members would by themselves, identify a need and mobilize resources to start for the municipal assembly to assist with technical advice, equipment and other support.

This according to him that would speed up development at the grassroots and compliment government’s efforts to concentrate on big projects as well as commit the people to take good care of their own projects.

To ensure effectiveness of the social auditing to enhance probity and accountability, a seven member committee was inaugurated to develop an action plan and to show interest in the execution of projects by the Assembly or government.

The Social Audit monitoring committee, which included a women leader, the Unit community Chairman, Assembly Member, a representative of the Chief and two members of the community was to monitor the implementation of the community action plan.

A social auditing was undertaken at the end of the programme, where the stakeholders identified public place of conveniennce as the most paramount need of the Otsir community and a district hospital among others.

Mrs Judith Adomako-Ofosua, Mfanteman Municipal Director of the Commission said governments all over the world were confronted with demand for accountability by the citizenry who were becoming more informed through social auditing.

She said social auditing was not meant to find faults in leaders, but to draw the people closer to their leaders to ensure accountability and transparency in the handling of community funds and associated projects.

Nana Anwhere, an elder in the community who represented the Chief of the town pledged their commitment to support the committee to work to ensure social auditing.