Local Development : Community-based Assistants Equipped For Service

Some 105 community-based assistants of the Office of the Public Independent Conciliator for the North West Region drawn from the 34 council areas of the region are currently undergoing training on how to effectively carry out their duties. This is within the framework of a three-day capacity building workshop organised by the institution from August 7-9, 2024. 
Presiding at the opening ceremony, the PIC for the North West Region, Tamfu Simon Fai, said the workshop was prompted by observations from a survey conducted some two years ago which shows that there is little or no consultation in project identification, prioritization and implementation as council development plans are rarely implemented or ceased to exist in many councils. The survey also revealed ineffective or nonexistent platforms for citizens participation, limited access to information on council functioning, inadequate involvement of the population in decision making, passive engagement of councilors as well as non-representation of some communities.
As such, the training is aimed at enabling Community-based Assistants to know their role in the community as well as acquire strategies to educate the masses on citizen participation in local development and governance. They will also be drilled on how to administer upcoming questionnaire...