NEFSA trains local board, VDC on good governance and public accountability

Karamo Demba, the coordinator of Nyodema Environment and Food Security Association (NEFSA) has commended the Community Driven Development Project (CDDP) for supporting the organization in building the capacity of local board on good governance and public accountability. He said that the support provides opportunity for the organization to strengthen the human resource development of Village Development Committee (VDC) in Jokadu in order to enhance their effective participation in promoting socioeconomic development.

Speaking at the start of a two-day capacity development programme for local board, Demba said the training would enhance the ability of the trainees to fully understand the need to support the organization in promoting public accountability, citing that the annual general meetings of his organization are in a bid to make them accountable to members. He said the over the years the organisation continues to contribute to environment protection by encouraging members to raise tree nursery and plant it along farm boundaries.

He noted that good governance and public accountability is crucial in promoting and building trust, confidence while it strengthens peace among beneficiaries towards the realization of sustainable development and poverty reduction.

Commenting on the rationale of raising awareness among the Village Development Committees, he said this would go a long way in ensuring that all development projects implemented by development partners at grassroots level operate in an open and transparent manner. He then assured of his organisation’s continued support to the VDC in the implementation of lessons learnt with the objectives of ensuring that public accountability continues to be upheld at community levels.

For his part, Ebrima Jammeh, assistant community development officer for North Bank Region underscored the importance the project attaches to good governance and charged the board of NEFSA and the community to always exercise high sense of promoting public accountability in all spheres of national development agenda. He noted that this contributes in building ownership and contributing to poverty reduction. 

Mr. Jammeh also said that the objective of the CDDP is to empower the communities to design and implement their own development projects, with emphasis on promoting the involvement and participation of grassroots community to fully take charge of their own development projects.

He said as local board, they should continue to be accountable to the people and tasked them to always pay their membership dues to the community based organisation, as it would provide the opportunity to always challenge and advise the management to always live up to expectation.

“Good governance is a cross cutting issue and as a result the organisation should show bright example in their day to day administration and keep proper record and documentation of all transactions at all times,” he said, noting that the CDDP would continue to support CBOs to build their capacity with the ultimate objective of encouraging vibrancy and responsiveness to the development aspiration of the member communities as well as contributing to poverty reduction and enhancing the livelihood of grassroots peoples. 

He concluded by expressing concern for proper dissemination of Local Government Act and the decentralization process to the beneficiary communities. He then called upon NEFSA to advocate for resource mobilization towards community-owned projects.