The Rural Initiative for Self Environment (RISE-Ghana), a Non Governmental Organisation, has called on the public to use credible data to engage duty bearers to improve on service delivery.
RISE-Ghana, working to promote human rights and sustainable environment for all, noted that as part of efforts to improve governance and to provide quality service at the district level, there was the need for the citizenry to use evidence-based data from reliable sources to hold the duty bearer accountable.
That would help keep the people well informed and be part of the development process to make the duty bearer in health, education, security, governance, water and sanitation provide the needed services to the beneficiary.
Mr Awal Hamed, the Executive Director of RISE-Ghana, made the call at a day’s workshop aimed at creating awareness and identifying key service areas such as education and health to champion for improved service delivery in Bawku in the Upper East Region.
Mr Hamed said RISE-Ghana was focused on using the project dubbed; “I Am Aware,” to collect data from reliable sources including the various sectors to feed the citizenry and to keep them informed so as to engage the duty bearer in times of service delivery.
He said if the duty bearer was well informed that the people were equipped with evidenced based data, the bearer would be forced to satisfy their demand which would eventually bring about uniform development to the community.
Mr Hamed said based on RISE-Ghana rating, statistics made available by the Ghana Education Service in the Garu-Tempane District indicated that more than half of the candidates who sat for the 2013 and 2014 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) performed poorly in Mathematics and Science.
Also in the Binduri District the Health Directorate indicated that there were no health records because there was no hospital.
He said with such information, RISE-Ghana was able to educate the citizenry so that they would advocate for the improvement of quality service delivery for the development of the area.
Mr Hamed called on the participants including civil society groups, people with disabilities, assembly members, traditional rulers and heads of departments from the various sectors to partner with the project by making available the necessary data.
The workshop was organised by RISE-Ghana and funded by Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana).
Source: GNA
