Parliament approves over 320 million cedis for Local Government Ministry

The Parliament of Ghana has approved an amount of three hundred and twenty one million, eight hundred and thirty thousand, six hundred and ninety eight cedis (321,830,698) for the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development for the 2017 fiscal year.

Before the approval, the Parliamentary Select Committee on Local Government and Rural Development informed the august house in a report that, the vision of the ministry is to achieve a sustainable, equitable economic growth and poverty reduction through citizen participation and accelerated services delivery at the local level within a decentralized environment.

The Vice Chair of the Committee, Kwasi Boateng Agyei, indicated that this ties in with the vision of the ministry: to ensure good governance and equitable development of Metropolitan , Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAS) through the formulation of policies, programmes and projects and ensuring efficient monitoring and evaluation.

The committee announced the intention of the ministry to implement certain activities:

To provide formal training for 1,500 youth in technical and vocation.

Train 450 Technical Instructors on TVET Reforms by August 2017.

Complete the construction and rehabilitation of 101 feeder roads and also rehabilitated 67 Small Earth Dams in Rural Communities under the Ghana Social Opportunities Project.

Provide inputs (fertilizer, seedlings etc) to at least 4,000 farmer groups and other actors along the agriculture value chain under the Social Investment Fund (SIF) Integrated Rural Development Project. (IRDP)

Expand the Community Population Registration Programme in 30 Communities by establishing Registration Centers in 26 Communities.

The Committee also noted that the budget for the ministry is heavily dependent on donor support, representing 85% of the total budget of the Ministry.

The Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Hajiah Alima Mahama appealed to the house to consider the approval of the amount since it will go a long way to help the ministry undertake all its activities. Members of Parliament after thorough consideration, approved the 321,830,698 cedis on Tuesday.