In order to deepen decentralization and local governance in the country, the government has pledged to continue to strengthen the capacity of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) for accountable and effective performance and service delivery.
In addition, the government is determined to move beyond composite budgeting to the larger issue of fiscal decentralization to ensure the finalization and implementation of the inter-governmental fiscal transfers.
Akwasi Opong-Fosu, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development disclosed this at the 2013, 3rd Ghana Urban Forum held in Takoradi.
He mentioned that the provision of public infrastructure and services in the urban areas had typically been viewed as the responsibility of government, adding that given the limited budget resources, the country’s huge deficit in infrastructure could not be met by the public sector.
“It is government policy therefore, to encourage the use of Public-Private Partnership as a means of leveraging private sector resources and expertise in order to close the infrastructure gap,” he added.
He mentioned for instance that government was seeking technical assistant to fully implement the street naming and property addressing system, countrywide.
This, according to the Minister, would enable the Assemblies to mobilize more revenue from property rates, business operating licenses and have a coherent street addressing system in the urban areas.
Mr Opong-Fosu noted that in order to ensure integrated development planning, the government’s human settlements programme would focus on ensuring that all human activities organized in the communities were undertaken in a planned spatially manner to guarantee equity for enhanced social and economic development.
He explained that the government’s urban policy was meant to promote well-structured and integrated urban development as well as provide a framework for well-coordinated approach towards urban development in Ghana.
The minister noted that to promote an integrated hierarchy of urban settlements throughout the country, consultants had been engaged to undertake the study of hierarchy of urban settlements with supporting growth.
The Western Regional Minister, Ebenezer Teye Addo noted that over the past decade, the country had witnessed an improvement in the general economic conditions of the citizenry with a trickledown effect in the rural areas.
“There have indeed, been a much significant improvement in the living conditions of our rural communities, particularly, in the provision of sanitary facilities, water supply, electrification, schools and hospital,” he said.
