Mehoso International Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Thomas Benarkuu, says the Social Audit Committee (SAC) in the Tano North Municipality of the Ahafo Region is improving the oversight of development projects to meet communities' needs.

According to him, the committee’s monitoring has helped identify shortcomings in project implementation and pushed relevant authorities to take corrective action.

Mr Benarkuu made the remarks at Tanoso, during a visit by a delegation from the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) and other partners to inspect the impact of SAC and examine how citizen-led monitoring can contribute to improved accountability, project quality and development outcomes at the local level.

Mehoso International Foundation, with funding support from GIZ and partners, is implementing the Participation, Accountability and Integrity for a Resilient Democracy (PAIReD) project through SAC.

SAC, an independent watchdog committee established in 2025, monitors development projects in the Bono and Ahafo Regions as part of efforts to strengthen citizen engagement, improve accountability, and reduce corruption and waste.

So far, the committee has monitored eleven health and educational infrastructure projects in the Tano North Municipality and discussed its findings and actions taken on eight of them.

One of the projects is the Tanoso Presbyterian Basic School, which stakeholders say has now been brought to a standard conducive to teaching and learning.

Mr Benarkuu said the initiative was designed as a model that could be adopted and scaled up across other communities.

"The GIZ delegation saw it and were ready to come and see how the SAC committee works. I believe everybody here is satisfied with the work done so far".

He called on the Tano North Municipal Assembly to formally integrate the committee into its systems to ensure the sustainability of the initiative, promote value for money and deepen citizen participation in local governance.

"Once we are making this case that it's workable, we think that the government can retain this and scale it up.”

Mr Benarkuu stressed that effective monitoring must cover the entire project cycle, including procurement.

"Monitoring starts from procurement. When was it done? How was it done? Is there value for money? The Assembly should be able to integrate the SAC committee into their system. That is the major thing we are looking for.”

He added that strengthening citizen participation could also improve relations between local government authorities and residents and result in increased revenue mobilisation.

Tano North Municipal Coordinating Director, Alhaji Abubakari Musah, acknowledged the benefits of the collaboration between the Assembly and SAC.

“With the support of the PAIReD programme and Mehoso, members of SAC have been equipped with knowledge and skills to monitor the implementation of development projects".

He said SAC's recommendations enabled the effective response to concerns and priorities of communities, "ultimately contributing to improved governance and better development outcomes.”

He said the Assembly had also taken steps to make provision for the maintenance of development projects in the 2027 budget.

Headmaster of Tanoso Presbyterian Basic School, Emmanuel Owusu Boadu, said improvements to the school’s infrastructure had contributed to increased enrollment.

"The entire learners, KG 1 and 2, were only 20, but now we can boost up to 65 learners. All because of the nature of the building and how beautiful it looks. All parents want to bring their words here.”

Mr Owusu Boadu expressed appreciation to SAC, GIZ and the Assembly for the collaboration.

He, however, appealed for additional support to provide recreational facilities for the children.