MONITOR ACTIVITIES OF NGOS — MABENGBA (NOV 19, PAGE 39)

THE Deputy Northern Regional Minister, Mr Moses Mabengba, has called for the establishment of a regulatory body with legislative powers to monitor the activities of both local and foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in the country.
Such a body, he stated, should comprise representatives of NGOs and other major development partners to oversee the activities of the NGOs, and if possible, facilitate the passage of a law to make it mandatory for the organisations to register with the body.
Mr Mabengba who stated this at the fifth Tamale Learning Festival, expressed concern about a phenomenon where NGOs had become “profit-making entities at the expense of the poor communities”.
He deplored the emergence of “political NGOs that are either directly or indirectly linked to some political parties in Ghana, thereby polarising the communities”.
“Of equal concern is the duplication of work as seen in the activities of some NGOs; it is common to come across about 10 or more NGOs within the same geographical area, offering the same services at the expense of other areas that also require attention”, he said.
Mr Mabengba noted with regret that some of the NGOs had not been focusing on their main objectives while others had focused on making money out of the industry at the expense of the poor communities.
 The minister, therefore, stressed the need for greater “transparency in the activities of NGOs just like the banks and financial institutions”.
According to him, NGOs must be encouraged to publish their annual financial and audited statements in major newspapers while they establish a peer review mechanism to ensure that they remain honest and guide each other.
Mr Mabengba stated that one of the greatest challenges facing some international NGOs was administering emergency assistance in trouble-torn countries since most of them had been asked to leave for political reasons.
The Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Professor David Millar, mentioned lack of commitment and accountability as some of the major factors affecting the development of northern Ghana.
The Tamale Learning Festival is aimed, among other objectives, at assessing the contributions of NGOs and other private entities in the development of northern Ghana.
The Netherlands Development Organisation, in collaboration with Action Aid-Ghana, IBIS, New Energy, SEND Ghana, Savannah Fruits Company and AROCHA Ghana, organised the festival