By Edward Dankwah
Accra, July 19, GNA-Mr Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, the Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD), says the proposed University for Local Governance and Development will improve the human resource needs of the local governance system in Ghana and beyond.
He said the premier University, which is expected to replace the Institute of Local Government Studies, would be a Centre for specialised learning and teachings of Public Sector Management, Local Government Administration, and Urban Government and Management.
The Minister added that it would also specialise in areas such as Local Economic Development, Development Management, Procurement Contracts Management, Governance and Development Studies, Community Development and Social Development, among others.
He said local governance held significant importance in the country, standing prominently alongside national governance as one of the primary spheres of governance.
“Local governance employs about 40,000 people in our local government spaces, that tells you the strength of local governance and how essential it is in Ghana,” the Minister added.
The Minister was speaking to the media after paying a working visit and inspection of the construction of Phase II, III and IV of the Institute of Local Government Studies in Accra.
He said the President of the Republic had given the approval for the setup of the University, upon making the request to the government, and that it was expected that the project would end in November 2024.
Mr Korsah said he was also in the process of introducing a bill to Parliament to finalise it, with the hope that before it would get parliamentary approval, the project would have been completed on time for the school to commence.
The Minister said there was a need to make sure that there was adequate human resource development and training before people are enrolled into the local government sector, and even those already on board.
“There must be periodic training to improve their capacity, their knowledge to be able to give up their best. I will not be surprised that we get people coming from other neighbouring countries to come and enrol to better themselves in local governance,” he added.
Mr. Korsah said the Government had released the funds with no hitches, adding that they were beckoning the contractors to expedite action and make sure that deadlines were met, to get the school operating as a full-fledged University for local governance and development.
“It will be my greatest pleasure to commission this project, which is the first of a kind and we are hoping that the contractors will meet it,” he stressed.
Mr David Osei-Wusu, the Registrar of the Institute of Local Government Studies, said the Institute upon completion of works would become the premier University for Local Governance and Development Studies in Africa.
He said the future of the Institute was bright, which was meant to cater for persons interested in local government, especially the Media, Traditional Authorities, Regional Ministers, and District Chief Executives, among others.
The Registrar said the Institute was affiliated to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology responsible for awarding degrees at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
“By the close of this year, we anticipate that when this full edifice is commissioned, the Institute will award its own diploma and degree certificates,” he added.
Mr Osei-Wusu said the current student intake was about 800, pursuing six main academic programmes, with an average class size of about 100 students.
The Registrar said they were hoping to experience a drastic expansion once the University began operations, with a student intake of not less than 3000.
GNA