NetMAC to champion monitoring and evaluation

By Ebenezer Hanson

Stakeholders at Ghana Monitoring and Evaluation Forum in Accra have unanimously welcomed the proposal to form a Network of Media for Accountability (NetMAC) to champion social accountability at all levels of governance “to ensure value for money”. Accountability is key in Monitoring and Evaluation.

The formation of NetMAC, according to the proponents, is in harmony with Article 1 of the 1992 Constitution, which declares that the sovereignty resides in the people, and it is on behalf of the people that government is established.

“What this means is that the people own the state and its resources. Therefore, public office holders must necessarily be accountable to the people,” Mr. George Sarpong, Executive Secretary of the National Media Commission (NMC) pointed out to the forum.
He was speaking on the topic: “The Role of the Media in promoting evidence-based decision making at all levels of the economy”.
He advanced the argument further when he added that Article 162(5) also provides in explicit terms that the media must uphold government accountable to Ghanaians. It states, “All agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold principles, provisions and objectives of this Constitution, and shall uphold the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people of Ghana.”

Mr. Sarpong divided the relevant actors relative to accountability into three, namely, the government, businesses and civil society, and observed that it is the media that which provides the platform for that actions and activities of all the groups.

Speaking to the same issue, Mr. Kofi Tsikata of the World Bank, Ghana Office, suggested that NetMAC should be district-based with a journalist from each district and should focus on “Development Monitoring”, “Development Dialogue”, “Training and Orientation”

He recommended that NetMAC should liaise with institutions such as the Judiciary, Parliament and the District Assemblies.

He noted that often, we confront ministers on issues rather than civil servants who might be the culprits thereby letting them off the hook.

During discussions, Dr.Tony Aidoo of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), stressed that it was important for somebody to champion the outcomes of Monitoring, Evaluation and Accountability else not much would be achieved, a proposal agreed to by Mr. Sarpong.

Mr. Sarpong disclosed that there are plans to establish media ombudsman in communities to which persons who feel have been treated unfairly by the media could report to.

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