INVOLVE   CHIEFS IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE

BY: Patrick Baidoo.

The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) has been urged to consider the inclusion of chiefs in decision making structures of the decentralization system as part of the process of reviewing it.

Dr. Mahama Collistus, Deputy Director of the Institute of Local Government studies, who made the call, said defining a clear cut role of chiefs within the assemblies would remove obstacles associated with the local government structures since they have a direct contact with the grassroots.

He said this in Accra yesterday, when delivering a paper on 20 years of local governance in Ghana, at a consultative forum aimed at finding ways to accelerate decentralization. He said that the full involvement of all persons within the communities would ensure that policies are clearly explained to accelerate achieving the goals and objectives of governance.

Among other things he said as the MLGRD embarks on consultations to review the Act establishing local government system, a critical view should be taken of avenues to create employment for people by district assemblies.

“As we find ways to accelerate the involvement of people in the decision making process, the creation of an environment to ensure sustainable employment for the people in the communities is necessary,” Dr. Collistus said.

In that vein, he said the empowerment of the majority of the people in the informal sector to enable them to access and gain income for a sustainable livelihood was very important.

“Supporting the informal sector and meaningful groups to access and gain income has to be fashioned into the whole process,” he said.

He said the development of strategies to mobilize funds, the involvement of private sector, and a social agenda to address sanitation, disability and management of projects and infrastructure, should be considered in the review process.

The Greater Accra Regional minister, Nii Armah Ashiettey; acknowledged that the process of decentralization had been slow; hence the need to find ways to accelerate it. He said that the pillars on which the concept of decentralization was formulated were democratization and promotion of political power at the grassroots and this involved popular grassroots participation in the administration of various areas concerned.

“It is the transfer of planning, programming, budgeting and implementation of polices at the district and sub-district levels which will enhance development.

SOURCE: Ghanaian Times                Page17          Tuesday October, 27, 2009