By Edward Dankwah, GNA
Accra, Oct. 1, GNA – Mr Mahama Ayariga, the Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, has called on development partners to share global best practices and practical experiences to help Ghana transform local governance and deepen decentralisation.
He said Ghana needed to leverage not only the financial resources of development partners but also their knowledge, expertise and experiences from countries where decentralisation and local governance systems had delivered efficient public services.
Mr Ayariga was speaking at a special breakfast meeting with development partners, heads of departments and agencies under the Ministry in Accra, on the theme; “Strengthening Partnerships for Sustainable Local Governance and Inclusive Development.”
He said development partners had made significant contributions to local governance through interventions in urban development, sanitation, climate resilience, social protection, social cohesion, and local economic development.
“I am not interested in your money. I am more interested in what you have done in your countries that is making decentralisation work,” he added.
The Minister said the Government was interested in developing a stronger partnership with development partners to share knowledge, build consensus, and identify practical ways of deepening decentralisation.
He said President John Dramani Mahama had, upon swearing him into office, directed him to ensure that citizens had a positive experience in their interactions with local government because the quality of citizens’ experiences at the local level could significantly shape their perception of governance as a whole.
He cited the punctuality of public transportation in Japan as an example of how simple systems, when consistently implemented, could transform public behaviour and perceptions.
The Minister said he had therefore urged the management of the Greater Accra Passenger Transport Executive (GAPTE) to ensure that Aayalolo buses departed at their advertised times, whether full or empty.
Mr Ayariga said such consistency could encourage commuters to plan their movements around reliable public services, and that his vision was to see Accra and other Ghanaian cities operate with greater efficiency and effectiveness, adding that Ghana could learn from cities in countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom.
He expressed concern about the dependence of many assemblies on central government transfers and development partner funding, stating that local authorities must work towards becoming functioning economic entities.
Mr Ayariga said local economic development was particularly important because young people and women increasingly looked to local governments for opportunities to earn livelihoods.
He also announced plans to introduce regulations and directives requiring assembly meetings to be aired live on local FM stations to promote transparency and accountability since assemblies were local legislative bodies, and that their proceedings should be accessible to citizens in the same way proceedings of the national Parliament were made public.
Mr Ayariga further called for targeted capacity-building and support for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) and assembly personnel, since some assemblies might not be failing because of unwillingness but because they lacked the capacity, systems and support required to perform effectively.
The Minister also highlighted the potential of traditional authorities and religious institutions to contribute to national development.
He called for greater investment in traditional governance systems and efforts to harness the capacity of religious institutions as partners in advancing social and economic development through effective local governance.
GNA
Edited by Christabel Addo