On 11th September 2026, a technical meeting was held at the Asutifi North District Assembly Hall, Kenyasi, to discuss the preparation of the Voluntary Local Review (VLR) for the District.
The meeting was attended by a team from the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), together with relevant technical officers of the Asutifi North District Assembly. The engagement formed part of efforts to support the District in documenting its development progress and contributions towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Voluntary Local Review is a process through which local authorities assess and report on their progress in implementing the SDGs. It provides an opportunity to highlight achievements, identify development challenges, strengthen accountability, and promote evidence-based local development planning.
The meeting commenced with an introduction to the Voluntary Local Review process. The team from the National Development Planning Commission explained the importance of the VLR as a tool for assessing local development progress and demonstrating how activities undertaken at the district level contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The NDPC team provided technical guidance on the preparation of the review and emphasized the need for the report to be based on accurate, reliable, and verifiable information. Participants were encouraged to document the activities, programmes, and projects implemented by the District Assembly and other development stakeholders.
The NDPC team emphasized the importance of collecting relevant data and supporting documents from departments and institutions.
The importance of collaboration among the NDPC, the District Assembly, decentralized departments, development partners, traditional authorities, civil society organizations, private sector actors, and community representatives was emphasized.
Such collaboration would ensure that the VLR reflects the actual development situation and captures the contributions of different stakeholders.
The successful preparation of the review will depend on the continued cooperation of all relevant departments and stakeholders. The Asutifi North District Assembly is therefore expected to continue coordinating the process to ensure that the report is comprehensive, credible, and reflective of the District’s development progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.