Tamale, Jan 20, GNA – The National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG) has held its Northern Regional delegates’ conference in Tamale to plan towards the way forward of the association.
The event, held in Tamale, was on the theme: “Transforming Local Economies for Inclusive and Sustainable Recovery”.
It was aimed at taking stock of the year under review, plan for coming years and also to afford the delegates the opportunity to elect a representative of the region to the National Executive Council.
Mr Amankwa Kokro, General Secretary of NALAG advised the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives to collaborate with Presiding and Assembly Members to work as a team to bring development to the people at the district level.
According to him, MMDAs should strategise and focus more on the natural resources in their districts to create further employment for the citizenry especially the youth to enhance their livelihoods and also to reduce poverty.
He called on women to participate in decision-making processes to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
He said “Male patriarchal systems, customs, religion and social roles assignment have been used to rationalise and perpetuate the differential roles to the extent that women themselves seem to have accepted and internalised them.”
Mr Kokro urged stakeholders to support government to build the capacity of women especially in the districts for them to effectively have the equal opportunity for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.
He said Federation of Canadian Municipalities had partnered NALAG to implement a six-year project namely the Partnership for Municipal Innovation-Women in Local Leadership aimed at increasing the participation of women in local governance and inclusive service delivery at the MMDAs in five regions.
Mr Kokro urged MMDAs within the selected five regions including Upper West, Northern, Greater Accra, Eastern and Bono East to apply for this project.
Mr Bismark Nkum Besie, President of NALAG called on MMDAs to promote popular participation, strengthen responsive governance, accountability, transparency and participatory planning.
He called on the Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, to ensure that the Sub-District Structures were operational to play their role as enshrined in the Local Governance Act 2016 (Act 936) and Legislative Instrument 2010 (L.I. 1967).
He also appealed to government to implement policies that would enable Assembly Members to earn monthly salaries to enhance their work for the development of the country.
GNA