Nkwanta North Assembly to appear before Parliament over DACF sanitation spending

The Nkwanta North District Assembly is prepared to testify before Parliament’s Select Committee on Sanitation and Water Resources in Accra, following the Committee’s dissatisfaction with its presentation during a sanitation monitoring exercise. The Committee has expressed concerns regarding aspects of the Assembly’s report and seeks further clarification on the issues raised during its assessment of nine assemblies in the Oti Region.

Speaking on behalf of the Committee, Member of Parliament for Salaga South and member of the Committee, Ibrahimah Mohammed Zuwera, indicated that the Assembly would be invited back to furnish additional information. She emphasized that the Committee had identified issues with the presentation and would engage the Assembly further before making conclusions.

The matter is part of a wider accountability exercise by the Committee, aimed at examining how Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) are accessing and utilizing their District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) allocations for water and sanitation purposes. Zuwera clarified that the purpose of the inquiry extends beyond merely verifying whether the funds have been spent, highlighting that Parliament is also concerned about the effective use of the money and its tangible impact.

"Public funds are public funds. They are not funds for personal use," she asserted. She also warned assemblies against attributing implementation difficulties to delays in the release of the District Assemblies Common Fund when allocations have already been disbursed. According to her, the two quarterly DACF allocations for 2026 have already been paid.

Consequently, she urged Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives, along with their teams, to provide precise information during the accountability process. Zuwera stressed that MCEs, DCEs, and their respective teams must be truthful about the facts, stating that this is the only way forward. The Committee’s investigation aims to determine if the 10% sanitation allocation from the DACF is being utilized for its intended purpose and whether the funding is leading to discernible improvements in sanitation.

The outcomes will assist Parliament in identifying challenges that assemblies encounter when accessing and implementing the funds.