Unit Committee members seek stronger role in local development
The National Dialogue of Unit Committee Members has called for urgent reforms to provide Unit Committee members with the resources, capacity and clear mandate required to effectively drive development at the grassroots. The call was made at the three-day National Dialogue of Unit Committee Members in Accra yesterday, where members and other local government stakeholders … The post Unit Committee…
Unit Committee members have urged for reforms to enhance their role in local development initiatives. This demand was made during a three-day National Dialogue of Unit Committee Members held in Accra, where members met with other local government stakeholders. The dialogue aimed to address challenges in grassroots governance and explore ways to bolster community development.
Reverend Augustine Saakuur-Karbo, the General Secretary of the National Dialogue of the Unit Committee Members Association, highlighted the critical role of Unit Committee members as the "ears, eyes, legs and hands" of the government at the community level. However, many of these committee members lack the necessary resources and capacity to effectively carry out their mandated functions.
This situation has left some feeling neglected, despite their recognized place within Ghana's decentralized governance system. Saakuur-Karbo called for a review of existing constitutional and legal provisions to ensure Unit Committee members receive the recognition, resources, and operational capacity needed to contribute meaningfully to national development.
He emphasized that community-level actors should be treated as co-developers, positioning them to identify and report local challenges such as illegal mining and flooding. Rev. Saakuur-Karbo also expressed concerns over the lack of coordination among Unit Committee members, Assembly Members, and Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs), which creates gaps and fragmentation in community development.
He called on various institutions, including churches, traditional authorities, and businesses, to support the dialogue as a non-partisan platform for addressing community-level issues. A Unit Committee Member from Gbalonyo Electoral Area in the Upper East Region, Mr Ayariga Fredrick Apini, echoed the need for ongoing dialogue among local representatives to tackle community challenges.
He stressed that the initiative is aimed at identifying and addressing community issues, not benefiting individuals. Apini urged all local stakeholders to participate actively in the dialogue to find lasting solutions to developmental challenges.
Written by urgent.news from Ghanaian Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
