Mr Sebastian Tiah, Country Director of Oxfam, an international non-governmental organization (NGO), on Friday called for accountability in the disbursement of funds allocated by donors to support the needy in society.

He asked: "Accountability to the poor is very crucial. How do we manage the resources of the poor?"

Mr Tiah made the request at the closing session of a week's review meeting of Oxfam in Accra.

It reviewed its activities in the past, and planned ahead to improve its performance in future.

Mr Tiah said there was the need to create platforms that would enable communities and groups for whom funds were allocated, to demand accountability.

He said: "It is unfortunate that organisations such as NGOs, did not involve the communities or people they were supposed to assist in a manner that also made them part of their projects".

Mr Tiah said for a true reflection of the fact that the funds were indeed for the good of the communities and people for whom they were meant, "The NGOs should be in complete alliance with the communities and be sensitive to their plight".

On other sectors in need of support, Mr Tiah said a lot of investment had to be made into small-holder farming by government and other stakeholders "if we have to reduce poverty".

He said food security formed a basic pillar of any nation's progress, and once it was achieved, "Great strides would have been taken towards solving the problem of poverty in the country."

Mr Tiah said, "We are also seeking to invest into infrastructural development in health delivery for rural dwellers, as well as the training of medical professionals, who would help deliver efficient health care within rural areas that are particularly deprived, especially in the area of maternal health care".

The Oxfam Country Director noted that mining activities by companies, had the tendency to disrupt the livelihood of inhabitants that lived close to their mining concessions.

He said sometimes, the source of drinking water to some of these communities could be contaminated as a result of mining activities, exposing the inhabitants to dangers such as epidemics and even deaths.

"I believe the right kind of legal framework should be put in place to guide the activities of mining companies in order to minimise some of these abuses," Mr Tiah said.

Oxfam operates in more than 100 countries, and is dedicated to fighting poverty and related injustices all over the world.**