Assessing the monitoring and evaluation roles of regional co-ordinating councils in Ghana. A case study of Ashanti region co-ordinating council

Abstract

The RCC is mandated by the Local Governance Act 2016 (Act 936) Section 188(1) RCCs to monitor, co-ordinate and evaluate the performance of District Assemblies, monitor the use of moneys mobilised by the Assemblies, allocated and released funds from central government and agencies and as well review and co-ordination all public services in the region. In view of the oversigh responsibility of the RCC, the primary aim of this research is to assess the effectiveness and impact of the RCCs activities on local governance performance. The study adopted a quantitative research methods and gathered data using quantitative surveys (questionnaires) administered to officials of the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council (ARCC) and to officials from MMDAs under the jurisdiction of the ARCC. Data analysis techniques include statistical analysis using bar charts and tables. The study concluded that the ARCC plays a significant role in the overall performance of MMDAs. However, MMDAs in the Ashanti Region are still faced with several challenges including uncompleted projects, misappropriation of funds and lack of accountability. This can be attributed to challenges such as inadeaqaute M&E personnel, inadequate funds and inadequate logistics for the M&E team of the ARCC