Gov’t to provide resources to make systems work

Alhaji Amidu Sulemana, Upper West Regional Minister, said government was more committed to providing the needed resources to support local government structures and systems to work efficiently, to enhance development at the grassroots level.

He said government was aware of the resource constraints and low capacities of some staff in the District Assemblies, and would not relent in its efforts to improve the efficiency of structure and systems at the Assemblies

Alhaji Sulemana urged Municipal and District Chief Executives to ensure that the required resources were made available as and when they were required, for the execution of planned programmes of their Assemblies.

The Regional Minister was speaking during the signing of a performance contract agreement between Municipal and District Chief Executives and their District Co-ordinating Directors in Wa.

He noted that the performance contracts would become mere paper tigers if those who were to implement them were denied the required resources for their implementation.

He explained that as implementors of government policies, programmes and projects at the local level, the District Assemblies were obliged to deliver services within certain time frame as required by law.

The Regional Minister said, with determination and teamwork, the Assemblies could work to salvage the region from the shackles of poverty and other socio-economic conditions, which had militated against the development of the people.

Alhaji Sulemana urged the Assemblies to adopt pragmatic strategies to ensure that they met the aspirations of the people.

‘Let the implementation of the performance contract agreement bring about effective transformation of the communities, so as to improve the lots of the people, and ultimately, the agenda the government had set for itself,” he said.

Naa Seidu Braimah, Guli-Naa, who chaired the function, challenged District Assemblies to work harder than before, to change the negative perceptions in the public domain, that the Assemblies were not working in the interest of the people.

He said the fulfilment of the aspirations of the people would make them see the Assemblies as their own, pointing out that failure in achieving set targets would be suicidal, since that would worsen the relationship between them and the public.

The district chief executives complained about the lack of procurement officers in the Assemblies, and appealed to the Local Government Ministry to consider providing them with such critical personnel.