Decentralisation Policy takes effect next year

Prof. Kwamena Ahwoi, a Local Government expert to the Local Government Ministry, has said the ministry will from next year decentralise public institutions in the country to accelerate development and enhance the economy.

This is to enhance the capacity of relevant institutions to deliver on their spatial planning mandates.

The centralisation of governance has for the past decades delayed progress in the country, and decentralising institutions will bring governance to the doorsteps of ordinary people in the country -- creating opportunities for people at the district level to participate in the decision-making processes that shape their localities..

Speaking at the National Decentralisation Policy Framework in Tamale, he said the 4-year National Decentralisation Policy Framework (NDPF) developed after an extensive bi-partisan stakeholder consultation in 2010 agreed on the decentralisation of various public institutions to ensure efficient and effective delivery of services.

The forum was on the theme ‘Accelerating Decentralisation and Local Governance for National Development’ and aimed at effective local governance, which is critical to any country’s quest for development.

Mr. Ahwoi said before implementation of the policy, power was concentrated at the national level -- where decisions regarding development are taken by those at the national level.

He said implementation of the policy has encouraged other countries to study Ghana’s local governance concept and replicate it in their respective countries.

The decentralisation, he said, will ensure enforcement of bye-laws at the district level.

He stressed that most institutions like the Ghana Education Service, Ghana Health Service and the Ghana Statistical Service are critical in the country, and need to be decentralised to enable assemblies mobilise funds to enhance their activities.

He urged the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to develop programmes that will create more jobs for the youth.

Alhaji A. B. A. Fuseini, Deputy Northern Regional Minister, commended the Local Government Ministry for such an initiative, saying it will go a long way to enhance the country’s economy.

The Deputy Minister expressed hope that decentralisation will help address specific needs of the districts and design policies that address their problems, and thereby increase job-creation.

He said the policy will prevent any future hindrance, so that needs of the local people can be addressed at the district level -- allowing them to implement their own specific projects and not just policies handed down from the national level to them.