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Dan Botwe urges MDAs to promote decentralisation agenda
The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Daniel Botwe has called on Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs) to exercise their functions well as slated in the Local Governance Act 2016, Act 936, to promote the decentralisation initiative.
He noted that the assemblies, as part of the Local Governance structure, were mandated to bring local governance to the people, adding they were in charge of the departments and all government projects in their jurisdiction.
“We all think there is an unfinished business in this decentralization thing. We have not paid much attention to it,” he said and called on the assemblies to be up and doing and ensure they go by their functions as stated in the Local Government Act, as well as take control of their development plan.
Mr Dan Botwe made these statements when he toured three municipalities including Lower Manya Krobo, New Juaben South and Abuakwa South in the Eastern region to inspect the progress of work made on the Ghana Secondary Cities Support Projects (GSCSP) which was funded by the World Bank.
The three municipalities, were among five other municipalities, including Upper West Akyem and Birim Central, in the region to have been selected to benefit from the project that was purposed to help to improve urban management and basic urban services in the beneficiary municipalities.
Construction of lockable stores, hostels, ultramodern markets, shopping mall, and redevelopment of the Koforidua Jacksons Park among other ongoing projects in the three municipalities were among 582 projects ongoing in 48 districts in the country.
Mr Dan Botwe also paid courtesy call on the Okyenhene,Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin in Kyebi and Nene Sackitey II,Konor of Lower Manya Krobo.
Speaking further, Mr Botwe explained that per the Act, “an Assembly member cannot go for an assembly meeting without meeting the people in their jurisdiction and after every assembly meeting, the person has to go back to meet the people again. It is in the law.”
“Decentralization occurs when the people in the assemblies take their own decisions, prioritize their needs and take annual action plans to ensure their needs are met,” he said.
He called on the assemblies to ensure that they account to the people in their jurisdiction and make them aware of the many projects ongoing in their communities that were meant to benefit them.
Speaking on the GSCSP projects, he was glad about the progress made and called the assemblies to own the projects and ensure that they yielded the needed results.
He noted that capacity building of the Local Government Service staff was necessary to enable them to deliver quality services to the people in their jurisdiction and hence the need for more education and sensitization.
He revealed several collaborations have been made with the Local Government Service to build the capacities of staff of the assemblies to enable them to deliver quality services needed for accelerated development in their communities.
“Some Assemblies are doing well in terms of ranking, but in totality, the average person should feel the presence of government and they can feel the government through government structures like the assemblies, unit committees and through other sub-structures of the assembly,” he said
He called on the media to also ensure that they hold the assemblies accountable and ensure they performed their functions based on what has been slated in the Local Government Act.
For his part, the Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin noted that the centrality of governance was outdated and called on the government to ensure that decentralization was embraced to ensure accountability, transparency, ownership and development.
“It is when the people own their projects that we can ensure the development of this country,” he said and called on the government to emulate other developed countries that have embraced decentralization.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Seth Acheampong said he was encouraged by the progress on the (GSCSP) and said if they continued in the region would achieve the needed development in the area.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
Ghana’s First Lady, Lordina Mahama, has made a generous donation to the country’s national female Under-17 and Under-20 teams – Black Maidens and Black Princesses- as they continue preparations for major international assignments.
The donation, made on Friday, May 22, was presented on behalf of the First Lady by the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, at the GFA Technical Centre in Prampram.
The gesture forms part of efforts to motivate and support Ghana’s young female footballers as they prepare to represent the country on the international stage.
The donation included essential food items and toiletries aimed at supporting the welfare and well-being of the players and technical teams.
The donation included cartons of Milo, T-rolls, soft drinks, toiletries, and a range of essential supplies aimed at supporting the welfare of the players, enhancing camp conditions, and easing preparations ahead of their respective assignments.
The Black Maidens are currently engaged in preparations for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers and are set to take on Liberia women’s national under-17 football team in the second-leg encounter in Liberia this weekend.
Meanwhile, the Black Princesses have already secured qualification to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after overcoming Uganda in the qualifiers, extending Ghana’s remarkable record to eight consecutive appearances at the tournament.
The donation by the First Lady was expected to boost morale within both camps while reinforcing national support for the young female footballers who continue to make the country proud.
The prosecution has officially rested its case in The Republic v Solomon Asamoah & Another, the high-profile legal battle commonly referred to as the “Sky Train” case.
The Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai announced the development, praising the state’s team of hard-working prosecutors for successfully anchoring the state’s evidence before the High Court.
The criminal trial centers on the former Chief Executive Officer and the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF).
The duo stands accused of illegally authorizing and paying out US$2 million to a foreign company without obtaining board directives or other mandatory statutory approvals.
State investigators have confirmed that the disbursed millions cannot be found.
Following the closure of the prosecution’s case, the accused persons moved the court for an opportunity to file a submission of no case.
The presiding judge granted the application, ordering the defense to submit their arguments by June 8.
The outcome of the June 8 filings will decide the fate of the trial:
With this, if the judge finds the defense’s submission convincing, the accused will be acquitted and discharged however, If the judge dismisses the submission, the court will order the accused officials to take the stand and explain why they should not face prison sentences.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
