As part of the mandate of the district assembly in the Local Government Act 2016 (Act 936). The District Assembly organized a one-day Annual review workshop in collaboration with USAID Advancing Nutrition Ghana. The purpose of the review was to assess the implementation status of the District Annual Action Plan, assess the impacts of some developmental interventions initiated by the District Assembly and other Development Partners over the past six (6) months, and draw a way forward to ensure that efficient and effective results are achieved at the end of the year.
The main aim of the review was to provide a forum for all departments of the District Assembly, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), other Development Partners, and the beneficiary communities in the district to assess the performance of the district in terms of the implementation of its Composite Annual Action Plan and analyze the development trends using certain key indicators, the development gaps to be filled and the key priority concerns that need to be addressed.
More specifically, the review sought to:
- Provide an update on the levels of development initiated by the diverse development actors in the district.
2. Establish the gaps and development concerns that still need to be addressed.
A total of seventy (70) participants attended the review comprising various stakeholders and key actors in the district. The review was participatory and output-oriented and took the form of presentations on the development situation, using a common template. This was followed by a general discussion where participants critically examined the presentations and made inputs. This method was found to be very useful as it provided all the stakeholders the opportunity to make comments, suggestions, contributions, criticisms, and recommendations.
Assessment of progress of implementation of the agenda for jobs: creating prosperity and equal opportunity for all, of the 2023 composite Annual Action Plan is based on the analysis of indicator achievement, as well as progress made in implementing key programmes and activities outlined in the 2023 composite Action Plan.
Data gathered concerning the set targets and actuals indicates that 92% of planned programs in the District’s 2023 Composite Annual Action Plan have been implemented. The level of success chalked in the implementation of the plan was due to the active participation of key stakeholders in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of programs and projects.
In the year under review, some development partners collaborated and supported the Department of Agriculture in the production of quality produce along the agricultural value chain to meet international standards. Also, they train both agricultural officers and farmers in Good Agronomic Practices to develop their capacities, and fund projects that are into strengthening the governance responsiveness to agricultural development and the involvement of farmers, especially women, in the decentralized system during planning and budgeting.
The Department of Social Welfare and Community Development carried out activities under Child and Family Welfare services in the social welfare unit mainly focusing on solving issues of Child Maintenance, Child Custody, Paternity, General Welfare, and Family Reconciliation. These activities were carried out by the Social Welfare Unit successfully. Sensitization on Child Protection cases was conducted in schools using the child protection tool kits. This was to educate the adolescent on personal hygiene, gender roles, balloon games on career development, and the rights/responsibilities of children. Ten (10) selected JHS that were engaged included Nadowli RC JHS ‘A’and ‘B’, Goriyiri JHS, Kalsegra JHS, Kaleo Tendaama JHS, Loho JHS, Gbankor JHS, Kaluri JHS, Nadowli DA JHS ‘A’ and ‘B. General issues observed in the schools included School drop-out, teenage pregnancies, and Truancy.
In the year 2023, ten (10) Child Protection Committees were monitored. These committees were formed in the first quarter and trained on how to identify, handle, and report cases. It constituted five persons with the assembly members being the Chairpersons. The communities monitored include Goli, Serekpere, Sombo East, Piree, Gbankor, Ombo, Kaahaa, Kaleo East, Kaleo West, and Loho. The issues identified and recorded by these committees included:
- Child neglect
- Teenage pregnancy
- Child abuse
- School dropout
- Domestic violence, and Child labor
The committee members provided tremendous services to persons affected by some of the above issues by providing guidance and counseling, engaging family members in protecting the children, doing follow-ups, the inclusion of the chief in solving issues, and reporting cases to police to arrest offenders.
In addition, one hundred and fifty (150) Persons with Disabilities were supported to undertake their activities in their respective fields, with a total amount of Two hundred and thirty-nine thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven Ghana Cedis (GH₵ 239,777.00). The following are the activities supported.
- Farming and Animal rearing, forty (40) were supported.
- Income income-generating activities, seventy-nine (79) beneficiaries were also supported in their various income-generating activities.
- Medicals, three (3) PWDs were supported with their medicals.
- Aid equipment and assistive devices, five (5) PWDs were assisted with equipment to aid them in their movement and other forms of living.
- In education, twenty-three (23) PWDs were assisted in their educational needs.
Sensitization was conducted in fourteen (14) communities, two (2) communities from each area council, to sensitize PWDs and other relevant stakeholders on how to access the Disability Common Fund. A livelihood empowerment training on Soap and other detergent making was organized for forty (40) women with disability to build their capacity to increase their income generation status. This has improved the knowledge and skills of women with disability in soap making which in turn elevated their income level and as such, ensured a poverty reduction. Two women have received funding support from the Disability Common Fund while other applications are still pending.
The Ghana Safety Net Project is aimed at complementing the efforts of LIPW and LEAP by providing income-generating activities to extremely poor households to increase their income level sustainably with its objective to assist extremely poor households in establishing and engaging in an enterprise or livelihood activities that will generate them a sustainable income. The Department of Social Welfare and Community Development in collaboration with, Agric and the planning unit undertook these tasks at the Konni community.
On VSLA activities under the period in review, routine Monitoring, and coaching visits of mother-to-mother support groups VSLAs in twenty (20) selected communities were done in support of other departments (central administration and department of cooperatives). These same community mother-to-mother support groups VSLAs groups were trained on shared-out as well as supporting them to share-out for their first cycles. It was realized that these associations have made a total of Two Hundred and Three Thousand, Nine Hundred and seventeen Ghana cedis (GH₵203,917.00) money mobilized and shared among 593 beneficiaries with an average take-home as GH₵343.80. Out of the 593 members of group beneficiaries, only nine (9) are males, and the rest are females. Beneficiaries were urged to put the monies received to good use as the purpose of the support from Advancing Nutrition (USAID) is to improve the nutritional status of their households and the living standard of children under five and mothers of reproductive age. Beneficiary communities are as follows; Chaang, Kaahaa, Kpadinga, Korinyiri, Loho, Samatigu, Papu, Chaangu, Duong, Piree, Wechima, Saan, Yaali, Vogonni, Kpazie, Sankana, Gyilli, Siiru, Pennitobo and Dapuo. This is a government flagship program aimed at reducing poverty to the barest minimum of the populace who are poor.
Furthermore, This year LEAP, the 83rd to 87th payment cycles were completed successfully, and disbursement was done in fifty-five communities within the Nadowli-Kaleo District to a household of four thousand, one hundred and seventy-three (4,173) beneficiaries.
Summary of activities undertaken by the Department of Health in the year 2023 under review
- Provided technical support visits to facilities on EPI and IDSR.
- Carried out monthly data validation to ensure the accuracy and completeness of reports.
- Supplied logistics and working tools for service delivery.
- Conducted both National and Global Community COVID-19 vaccination and still ongoing
- Conducted EPI and Covid-19 mop-ups.
- Radio discussions and announcements on health issues and campaigns in the district.
- Capacity of CHOs was built on community engagement and mobilization, data utilization, development, and review of CHAPS.
- Development, validation, and launch of CHAPS at all the CHPS zones in the district.
- District-level CHAPs review meeting was organized.
- Awareness creation on breast cancer at Radio Tumpaani.
- Organized breast cancer screening for the public.
- Audited all maternal, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths and implemented the recommendations.
- Monitoring /supervision carried out to some facilities.
- Build capacity of 15 staff on FP (LARC) services with support from MCGL.
- Build the capacity of 5 Adolescent health providers, district focal persons as well as in-school adolescent health ambassadors in some selected schools with support from UNFP.
- Had a stakeholder engagement with stakeholders on the way forward to reducing adolescent pregnancy.
- Organized radio discussion on the effects of self-medication during pregnancy.
The National Health Insurance Scheme is a Pro-poor Policy Programme aimed at providing financial access to basic healthcare to all person’s residents in Ghana, especially the poor and the most vulnerable in society. At the end of the year, 2023, the Nadowli-Kaleo District of the NHIA registered a total of 89, 363 members representing 84% of the annual target.
2023 On-Going Programs being implemented by the District NHIS Secretariat
- BMS registration and instant issuance of membership cards.
- Free registration of LEAP beneficiaries, Pregnant Women, and indigents.
- Free registration of school children under the school feeding program.
- Free registration of the aged.
- Mobile Renewal.
- Instant benefit by pregnant women, children under 5yrs, and the aged.
LED has been high on the district development agenda. The district recognizes local economic development as a tool and approach to achieving its development priorities as well as other national and global development indicators such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Agenda 2063. The objective is to empower local communities and the private by creating an enabling environment for businesses to strive. The district has been fortunate be benefit from a local economic development program by the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF).
The Business Advisory Center (BAC) of the district has conducted several skills training for groups and organizations in various income-generating areas including Soap making, Batik tie and dye, shea butter production, soya bean processing, smock making, etc.
Climate change has become one of the major development concerns and the Nadowli-Kaleo district over the years has developed and implemented programs to help respond to the challenging and emerging issues of climate change. The main areas of concern as contributors to climate change in the district are deforestation (charcoal production and rosewood harvesting), bush burning, farming along rivers and water bodies, etc. The resultant issues are conflicts among local people and against Fulani herdsmen, erratic rainfall patterns, heat stress, drying up of water bodies, etc. The Assembly implemented several activities to combat and adapt to the effects of Climate change. Key among them are Sensitization on flood risk disaster prevention, training disaster volunteers, Dialogue sessions with Nadowli and Kaleo traditional council on bush burning prevention, conducted Community Vulnerability And Risk Assessment (CVRA) for Climate Change Action plan formulation, Alternative livelihood training, organization of Participatory Scenario Session (PSP), etc.
The experience with the District level monitoring has brought to the fore the following key issues that need to be addressed.
- Inadequate budget and release of funds for M&E activities.
- Low motivation to M&E staff/actors.
- Difficulty in retrieving information from Departments and Agencies.
- Low political commitment to M&E activities.
- Poor institutional capacity of the DPCU.
These issues among others must be addressed to facilitate and sustain effective M&E activities at the local level. The following recommendations are made to facilitate participatory M&E.
- Make sufficient budgetary allocation to implement the training needs recommendations in the District M&E Plan to build local capacity for M&E.
- Integrate M&E into District core programs and provide adequate resources for its activities.
- Fully decentralize the District Departments to be primarily accountable to the Assemblies.
- Adequately motivate M&E officials to be committed to M&E programs and activities.
- Logistical needs of the DPCU such as Vehicles, Computers and accessories, Scanner LCD Projectors, Photocopiers, Digital Cameras, and Data Processing Software should be available to facilitate effectiveness and sustainability.
In conclusion, the goal of improving the socio-economic conditions of people will be reached through continuous development and implementation of social and economic infrastructure and the development of human capital whilst enhancing good governance. The realization of this goal, however, will depend heavily on the effective mobilization of local resources and efficient utilization of same. Monitoring and evaluation are key to the realization of development meeting both short and medium-term objectives and goals.