Mr Edem Elliot Amesu-Addor, a Public Financial Management Specialist and Development Planner, has urged Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to ensure inclusive planning and budgeting.
He said assemblies must engage all segments of population regardless of their geographical locations within the district in the planning and preparations of their budgets.
He said it was time the Assemblies found cost effective strategies to mobilise and engage citizens living in rural communities, hard-to-reach communities, people living with disabilities, women groups, and the youth in budgeting processes.
This is in line with demands of section 40 and 42 of the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936).
Mr Amesu-Addor was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency about improving citizens’ participation in budgeting at the sub-national level.
“All citizens regardless of their location within the district, pay every item on the list for Internally Generated Fund (IGF), but not many citizens are consulted in the fixing of these rates and fees to be paid,” he said.
“Some MMDAs usually gather a few vocal citizens and business groups residing in the District
and Municipal capitals to inform them about proposed new rates and fees to be paid in subsequent budgeting period,” he added.
The Assemblies, as expected by the Act, could partner with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Faith-based Organisations to mobilise community members for such consultations, he said.
Speaking about citizens budgets, he said they were less technically written summary of public budgets stating expected revenues and sources as well as proposed allocations of these revenues which is expenditure.
That, he suggested the salient points could be written in local languages backed with figures
and pictures that the lay man can appreciate and interrogate.