Citizens’ participation in governance is very necessary to ensure that services are delivered and are improved.

The demand side of accountability pushes for effective and efficient delivery of services such as health, education, sanitation, water, and infrastructure.

In view of this, SWEDEC-GHANA, Local Accountability network (LANET) and CDD-GHANA organized a forum to sensitize the citizens of mampong-Ashanti on “I AM AWARE” project which seeks to inform and educate the citizens on specific indicators to improve efficient service delivery in the districts.

CDD-GHANA uses data gathered from different district to assess the performance of the districts on service delivery on what is termed as district league table.

During the forum, Mr. Osei Bonsu indicated that the data collected give the true picture of the state of development of the district focusing on key social service indicators.

Mr. Osei Bonsu encouraged the citizens to be interest in the I AM AWARE project to be able to understand the service delivery in the municipality. He explained that the aim of this project is to empower the citizens, particularly the poor and vulnerable on how to improve and engage with duty-bearers to make them more accountable and responsive. The participants emphasized on some of the social services needed for development such as Roads, Health, Education, Sanitation, Water, Toilet, Market and others.




Mr. Osei Bonsu went further to explain what citizens can do to improve social service delivery and if citizens continue to check and report defaults to appropriate avenue, our social services will be improved.

The process of service delivery will be participatory to ensure transparency and accountability.

He said I AM AWARE data covers the state of infrastructure and its provision, how resources are allocated, and service delivery outcomes in the provision of basic education, agriculture, sanitation, roads, security, water and health in Ghana.

He explains that access to I AM AWARE data is easy for citizens to empower them to demand accountability and responsiveness from duty bearers. He stressed the need for such meeting and fora for the citizens and the media to educate the citizens on the information such as the I AM AWARE data to enable the citizens to audit some of the services the municipal assembly offer to them. He then seek for support and partnership to make the project successful.

He used the previous District League Tables in comparing the performance of the Municipal Service delivery in the previous and how citizens can ensure well improved transparent and accountable Service delivery for development of the Municipal.



Conclusion

Oxford concluded by adding that I AM AWARE has a data facility center that helps assemble, archive, and disseminate information on the state of socioeconomic and political development at the district level, that SWEDEC-GHANA will continue to collaborate with CDD and Ghana anticorruption coalition campaign to provide the need information and education to improve the engagement of the citizens and the duty-bearers.