Veep calls for bold action in decentralisation programme

Accra, Jan. 19, GNA - Vice President John Dramani Mahama, on Monday appealed to all stakeholders engaged in the review process of the decentralisation programme to come out with functional and workable actions that would accelerate development. He asked them to identify local resources that could empower the district assemblies to implement the decentralisation process for the improvement in the living conditions of the people. The Vice President, who was opening a two-day stakeholders' conference on decentralisation in Accra, said the conference was in fulfilment of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) campaign promise to hold consultative meetings to review the district assemblies governance system.

He expressed dissatisfaction that Ghana had to take lessons notes about the decentralisation programme from Uganda, which understudied the process from the country.

Mr. Mahama said government would provide a platform for the debate on whether to appoint or elect district chief executives, but would have to start the process by addressing the weaknesses that had been associated with the position in the 1992 constitution. Mr. Joseph Yieleh Chireh, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, mentioned lack of effective collaboration between the assemblies and traditional authorities and insufficient consultations on the provision of development projects as some of the pertinent issues identified during the regional consultative meetings. He said the review of the decentralisation programme would serve as a framework to improve on the current governance system and called on the stakeholders to fine-tune the programme to make it attractive to the people at all levels.

Mr Yieleh Chireh said gender issues that were prominently identified during the consultative meetings would be addressed to make governance convenient and comfortable for all those engaged in the decentralisation programme.

The two-day programme would among other things discuss political and legal issues, administrative decentralisation, decentralised planning, popular participation and accountability. It would also delve into issues concerning empowerment of the sub-structures, assembly elections, issues affecting persons with disability, involvement of non-state actors and motivation and remuneration of assembly members and staff.