MMDAs asked to establish client services

Dr Callistus Mahama, Head of the Local Government Service (LGS), has directed the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) to establish client services units to receive complaints and petitions from the public.

Dr Mahama gave the directive on Monday in Sunyani during an address of municipal and district chief executives in the Brong-Ahafo Region, at the signing of a Performance Contract Agreement introduced by the LGS.

He said it is important for the MMDAs to promote and strengthen their relationships with the public so that they would be able to access and address their immediate developmental needs.

Dr Mahama said the LGS has introduced the contract agreement as an index to assess the performance of the MMDAs in all areas of development, saying the assemblies could achieve development targets if they regularly interacted with the local people.

He therefore directed the MMDAs to set targets for the departments under them based on their annual action plans and put in place effective monitoring framework to achieve of their goals.

Dr Mahama commended the Regional Coordinating Council and the region’s 27 assemblies for their readiness and commitment in deepening the decentralisation concept.

Mr Eric Opoku, Regional Minister, observed that the Local Government Act 462 (1993) mandates the assemblies to provide the necessary services and infrastructure towards the overall development of their various communities.

This, he said could be achieved by the mobilisation of adequate resources and the adoption of innovative strategies and plans to transform their areas, thereby leading to the creation of jobs and opportunities in the assemblies.

Mr Opoku entreated the chief executives to make all the requisite resources available to the coordinating directors to enable them to meet their targets to achieve the objectives of the performance agreement.