A two-day workshop on Strengthening Transition Partnership (STRAP) and Networks for enhancing Participatory Local Governance project has ended in Suhum, the capital of the Suhum Municipality, with a call on the need for members to be committed to improving local democratic governance.
The workshop was organised by the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG), in collaboration with the Urban Association of Zimbabwe (UCAZ) and the Gambia Association of Local Authorities (GALGA).
The programme, which started with a regional inception workshop with the official launch on March 2011 in Harare, is being implemented in the three aforementioned countries in Africa with a grant from the European Union (EU).
Five Assemblies, that of Adenta, Atebubu Amantin, Gomoa West , Nadowli and Suhum, are beneficiaries in the country.
Speaking at the function, the Programme Manager, Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe, Mr. Tserayi Machinda, stated that the objective of the programme was to strengthen regional local government association networks.
This, he said, would improve local democratic governance, by increasing citizens’ participation to enhance regional solidarity in the partner countries, and strengthen capacity for sustainable development in local communities.
On his part, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Suhum, Samuel Fleischer-Kwabi, on behalf of the Assembly, expressed their profound gratitude that out of a total of 261 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the country, the Suhum Municipality was the only Assembly in the Eastern Region, and one out of five in the country, to be selected for the pilot project.
According to him, as part of programme activities, funds would be made available for the participating authorities to be used for an area of intervention to enhance sustainable development, and called on the participants to extensively brainstorm and identify specific areas of intervention.
Touching on the workshop, he said it was most important as it was geared towards broadening the horizons of the participants on governance issues affecting our communities, as well as train them on how to use scientific means in assessing the performance of the local authorities.