UN delegation calls on Local Government Minister

The Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama has called on the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support the Government’s priority projects.

She mentioned the Planting for Food and Jobs policy as rural-driven that needed support to improve the livelihood of the rural people.

Hajia Mahama said this when the UNDP Resident Coordinator led a delegation made up of representatives of the UN Agencies in Ghana to pay a courtesy call on her in Accra.

She said one of the United Nation’s agenda was on climate change of which the focus should be at the local level and therefore pledged the readiness of the Ministry to work with the UNDP through the District Assemblies to ensure the achievement of the desired results.

The Minister said one other area looking for support is on how to increase the internal revenue mobilization capacities of the Assemblies, since Governments is of the view that the Common Fund should not be the only source of revenue for the assemblies.

She mention the ‘one district, one factory’, ‘planting for infrastructure for poverty alleviation and the national address and digitized system as other areas the UNDP could collaborate to support the Ministry.

Hajia Mahama revealed that the decision of Government was to have Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives elected through the Universal Adult suffrage and this requires a lot of work especially the Constitutional Amendment through a referendum and called for sharing of ideas to ensure that whatever is put in place will be acceptable by all.

She said there was the need for the two institutions to collaboration and in the areas of capacity building of Assembly members, Presiding members and even the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, since the quality of human resources at the district level will impact positively in the quality of the services rendered.

Hajia Mahama said her Ministry through the Department of Community Development has been tasked to come out with alternative livelihoods for illegal miners and called for support especially from the UNICEF and FAO.

She pledged the preparedness of her Ministry to work closely with UNDP to ensure that the government’s priority programmes became successful.

Madam Christie Evans-Klod, UN Resident Coordinator, said the UN priorities was on three areas namely, sustainable socio-economic development, decentralization and the environment.

She said their mission was to identify the Government’s priority projects and harmonized them in their work programme.

Madam Evan-Klod said as part of the UN Reforms, it was expected to listen to country specific needs and how best to integrate them into their goals for smooth implementation.

She said one area of interest was on women’s health and gender equity and it was gratifying that President Nana Akufo-Addo was a strong gender advocate.

“We will therefore focus our efforts in community development towards women and children issues.”

The UN Resident Coordinator said: “At the moment most of the agencies under the UN are working with the assemblies in the areas of adolescent sexual reproductive, teak extension and improved farming methods.

Members of the delegation were ERIKA GOLDSON and Niyi Ojuolaa of UNFPA, Abenaa Ntori of UN-Habitat, Rushnan Murtala, UNICEF and Tadria Sophie of FAO.

The Ministry was also represented by Mr O. B Amoah, Mr Collins Ntim, Mr Boateng Adjei, all Deputy Ministers and the Mr Charles K. Dondeiu, Chief Director of the Ministry.