Before elections take place, some politicians make promises they obviously do not want to, or cannot keep after winning the mandate of the electorate. That is why the Ghana Post-Elections Intervention Project was launched in Accra yesterday. The Ghanaian project is part of the broader African Elections Project, established in 2008. The Ghanaian project aims to promote the culture of political accountability; it wants to support processes that lead to fulfillment of electoral promises. The project uses various sources to prove if elected officials act like promised during the electioneering campaigns.
The sources include president's sectional address, budget statements by the president and sector ministers as statements by the president and sector ministers as captured by the media, statements and publications by the World Bank and the IMF. Field officers also furnish the project with research work undertaken in the various government agencies. As a pilot, the project is using two geographic areas of Ghana –Accra Metropolitan Assembly and the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Assembly – as the focus areas of study. The project is being undertaken by a coalition of civil society organisations, technology firms and academia partners, including Centre for Democratic Development, African University College of Communications, SMSGH, Edge Cube and Frontline SMS, with funding from Open Society for West Africa.
Kwami Ahiabenu II, President of Penplusbytes, said "This is a pioneering project in that it focuses on how the media can become more effective in holding elected officials accountable."
Also launched was a book entitled, "Because Accountability Counts: A Journalist Guide for Post-elections in Ghana". It provides an insight into how journalists can effectively cover post-election issues in Ghana.
The new Crusading Guide 2nd December 2010 Vol 2 No 180
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