A policy advocacy group, the Ghana Trade and Livelihood Coalition (GTLC), has espoused the need for the central government to enforce the implementation of Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) at the district assembly level.
The group has argued that GRB will among other things reduce inequality and increase quality of service delivery to the citizenry of Ghana.
The GTLC emphasized that gender responsive budgeting must be anchored by legislation to ensure accountability and the full implementation of government interventions at the local level.
Mr. Ibrahim Akalbila, Coordinator of the GTLC told THE CUSTODIAN that a survey conducted by Oxfam and UNICEF shows there is growing inequality in Ghana.
He attributed the situation to failure of duty bearers in the past to adequately target impoverished individuals and communities with development interventions.
Mr Akalbila explained that gender responsive budgeting allows for an assessment of a system that captures all categories of persons within the gender index so that government poverty alleviation interventions get to the underserved people.
“It also ensures political accountability in a way, so that, what we all agree as our development agenda is implemented. So reduction of inequality in our view would definitely happen when we begin to implement GRB, not only because it is backed with legislation but also because we have a system that works for the people”, he maintained.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals require member countries like Ghana to combat poverty and gender inequality as stipulated in goals one and five respectively.
Accordingly, Mr. Akalbila urged the government to ensure that Programme Based Budgeting (PBB) becomes the conduit through which the implementation of gender responsive budgeting is enhanced.
He indicated that implementing GRB within the context of PBB will actually promote the desired development agenda set out in the country.
Meanwhile, the Agriculture and Trade policy advocacy organization last week held a consultative conference with officials of the Savelugu Municipal and Kumbungu District Assemblies to discuss pertinent issues and the challenges pertaining to the GRB implementation in those areas.
The nongovernmental organization also held a Regional Policy Dialogue in Tamale to discuss the adoption and implementation of Gender Responsive Budgeting in corporate budgets of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
