Study finds Area Councils non-functional

Wa, Aug. 5, GNA - A research into the strengths and weaknesses of the local government systems in five selected districts found out that apart from Sissala, no Area Council was found to be functioning in the other districts, indicating a general trend nation-wide.

It was undertaken in Asutifi District in Brong-Ahafo, Bawku West in the Upper East Region, Tamale Municipality and Saboba-Chereponi District in the Northern Region and Sissala District in the Upper West Region. The study, which was commissioned by Action Aid Ghana (AAG) and carried out by the Centre for Development Studies of the University of Cape Coast, identified lack of funds, staff and logistics as contributing to the ineffectiveness of the councils.

Dr. Stephen Kendie, Director of the Centre made the findings known at a two-day workshop for district directors, planning officers, heads of decentralised departments and chairpersons of sub-committees of the assemblies in the Upper West Region at Wa.

The workshop was organised by Action Aid Ghana to disseminate the finds to the participants.

Dr Kendie noted that in areas where the councils were functioning, they were found to lack orientation on their roles and responsibilities. He said the Area Councils should be made operational by making it possible for each district to disburse its share of the common fund to the councils based on the criteria used at the national level.

He also urged the district assemblies to streamline the procedure for the disbursement of the poverty alleviation fund in order to increase its recovery rate.

"The national average recovery rate of the fund of 33.9 percent can be improved if the assemblies learn from Action Aid Ghana and Centre for Active Development Micro-Credit procedure which has a high recovery rate of 90 percent," Dr Kendie stated.

Welcoming the participants, Mr Billy Abimbilla, Upper West Regional Programme Manager of Action Aid Ghana, said his organisation spent five billion cedis within the last two years in support of poverty reduction activities in the region.

These included the construction of classroom blocks for deprived communities, financing of the rural volunteer teacher programme and construction of small-scale irrigation schemes to promote dry season agriculture.

Mr Abimbilla said AAG had so far funded programmes to the tune of 29 billion cedis in its operational areas throughout the country between 2000 and 2002.