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Assurance Committee of Parliament Embark on Citizen Engagement Roadshow

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Penplusbytes, with support from the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) is, today, Monday October 12th, 2015, holding a one-day forum for Citizens, Civil Society Organisations and the Media to interact with Parliament’s Committee on Government Assurance (CGA) at the Forever Young Conference Centre in the Twifo Hemang Lower Denyira District of the Central Region.

The forum is one of many being held periodically across the country to foster greater, direct collaboration between the CGA and major stakeholders on the committee’s prime business of exercising oversight responsibility of ensuring that promises and assurances made in Parliament are carried out to the letter.

As an integral part of the implementation strategy of the Connecting Citizens to Parliament project, the forum, like previous ones held in Ho and Tamale which produced a communique, is expected to enhance the ability of citizens to hold duty bearers accountable through increased interaction between them and Parliament. This is to ensure effective and timely public service delivery across the country. It is expected to provide an added opportunity for the stakeholders to put before the committee their grievances and feedback on developmental project.

The Central Region citizens’ engagement will have in attendance Hon. Joseph Foster Andoh, Member of Parliament for Hemang Lower Denyira constituency and a member of the CGA as well as other members of the project’s implementation team. It will provide stakeholders with an opportunity to have firsthand experience of the workings of the project including its multiple channels of engagement such as the short code 9030, web-platform www.assurances.gov.gh , mobile app admin.assurances.gov.gh/mobile, as well as social media tools such as Facebook www.facebook.com/govassurancesgh and Twitter @govassurance.

Kwami Ahiabenu II, Executive Director of Penplusbytes, describes citizens’ engagements as key to ensuring transparency and accountability is owned at the grassroots level, adding that, the Committee on Government Assurances seeks accountability to the Ghanaian people through their elected representatives as well as other officials who make assurances on various developmental projects that affects the people. “Providing opportunities for them to make their inputs known is only in order,” he said.

The goal of the project, “Connecting Citizens to Parliament”, is to contribute to the improvement of service delivery by amplifying citizen’s concerns, displeasures, complaints, satisfactions or suggestions as a means of holding duty bearers accountable.

 

Note to Editors.

Penplusbytes is a not-for-profit organization driving change through innovations in three key areas: using new digital technologies to enable good governance and accountability, new media and innovations, and driving oversight for effective utilisation of mining, oil and gas revenue and resources.

Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) is an open society foundations that works to build vibrant and tolerant societies whose governments are accountable and open to the participation of all people.