The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey has charged all the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District assemblies to deploy citizens’ engagement as an effective tool for local development.
He said citizens’ engagement is a requisite ingredient of good governance, as it ensures active participation of the citizenry in the development process.
Reading a speech on behalf of H. E President Akufo-Addo during the inauguration of Assemblies at the La Dade Kotopon and Ledzokuku Municipalities in Accra on Monday, Hon. Henry Quartey stated that citizens’ participation in governance could be achieved through town hall meetings, durbars among others.
This notwithstanding, government has keen interest to build the capacity of the assemblies to provide local leadership adding that “We have retooled the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS) with the state-of-the-art facilities and other training resources to enable them effectively provide the needed training for your competence enhancement”.
“As a first step, the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development through ILGS, will in the next few weeks organise your orientation and training to enable you appreciate your expected roles and responsibilities.”
The minister recognized the shortcomings of the assembly members in the discharge of their duties and responsibilities to their electoral areas, a situation which has caused disaffection and cynicism about the important roles that Assembly members play in participatory governance and local development.
“While efforts are being made to address these resource constraints, you should also acquaint yourselves with all the relevant laws on local governance to avoid unneeded conflicts with your Hon. District Chief Executives, traditional authorities, opinion and religious leaders and other key stakeholders in your localities,” he stressed.
He also commented on unplanned and haphazard development springing up within the jurisdiction of most District Assemblies in the region which he found problematic, as it has serious implications for national development and public safety.
To address the challenge, the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development together with Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA) is expected to hold consultative meetings to apprise the citizenry on guidelines for planning and development permitted in Ghana.
The minister urged the enforcement of planning standards and compliance of the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016 (Act 925) as well as other regulations governing human settlements and spatial planning.
Hon. Solomon Kotey Nikoi, Municipal Chief Executive Officer (MCE) for La Dade Kotopon appealed to the Assembly members to help implement the policies and programme guidelines as stipulated in their 2024 Annual Action Plan, for effective economic development.
According to him, the Action Plan has enablers for job creation, income generation, poverty reduction among others.
Similarly, the effort to develop a long-term plan for LaDMA is underway to serve as a blue print for development.
While LaDMA was successful in electing Emmanuel Nyarko Baah as the Presiding Member, same could not he said about Ledzokuku as some Assembllies excuse themselves from the election.