The first Ghana District League Table (DLT) 2014, to strengthen social accountability was launched on Tuesday.

Tano South District in the Brong Ahafo Region scored the highest point of 76 per cent among the top 20 districts.

Karaga District in the Northern Region occupied the 216th position with the least score of 15 per cent.

The Ashanti Region garnered eight out of the top 20 districts while the Northern Region and Volta Region held 12 out of the bottom 20 districts.

The DLT is a simple ranking tool of progress towards delivering development and key basic services in each of the 216 districts.

It was conceived and developed by UNICEF and Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) based on the global practice of developing indices for measuring and monitoring progress.

Mrs Sarah Hague, Chief of Social Policy of UNICEF said six sectors, education, sanitation, rural water, health, security and governance were used to compile the league based on indicators such as district certification as open defecation free, coverage of rural water supply, skilled attendant at delivery, coverage of police service and minimum level for district administration.

Mrs Hague said the results are meant to provoke debate and dialogue between the state and its citizens to improve local development and service delivery.

She said the table which would be repeated on annual basis makes it possible to know which districts are doing well and could share lessons and which are struggling and need support.

Mrs Susan Ngongi, UNICEF Representative said social accountability is all about dialogue and not naming and shaming culture or simply pointing fingers at regions or institutions that are struggling.

She said the league table aims to support both policy-makers and citizens in understanding the state of development and service delivery across all of Ghana’s 216 districts and would throw light into obstacles such access to information and national inequities.

Mr Franklin Oduro, Head Research and Programmes at CDD-Ghana said the table is a result of meetings with civil service organisations, public officials and development partners that took place in February.

He said the DLT does not aim to rate districts by administrative compliance but in terms of their delivery in key sectors of citizens’ wellbeing.

Nii Lantey Vanderpuiye, Deputy Minister of Local Government who launched the report said people who have lived in or grow up in rural areas know what it means by poverty, saying there is obvious disparity in both economic and social development of the districts and commended districts which are in rural areas and have performed very well on the league table.

He said social accountability is of prime importance to government effort to bring development to the door steps of Ghanaians.

Nii Vanderpuiye said the districts lack adequate planning officers and which make it difficult for the few to reach other districts located far apart.