Accra – Friday July 6, 2019: The Head of the Local Government Service, Ing. Dr. Nana Ato Arthur interacted with Regional Heads of the Department of Agriculture at a conference held at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) Project office. The conference is a quarterly meeting of regional heads of the Department of Agriculture to discuss agricultural service delivery especially in relation to the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) progamme. Also present at the meeting was the Acting Chief Director of the Office of the Head of the Local Government Service (OHLGS), Mr. James Oppong – Mensah.
Dr. Arthur admonished the Directors to espouse the highest standards of professionalism in the conduct of duties as bureaucrats. He said reports available to him suggests underperformance by some officers and this according to him can undermine the PFJ programme. He also highlighted plans by the Service to ensure that those eligible for the post of Co-ordinating Directors are adequately prepared for the duties of the grade. To this end, he stated that the OHLGS together with the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS) would introduce a certificate course in Local Government Management at the institute as part of measures to provide local governance practitioners with basic knowledge in the decentralized local governance system in the country.
The Head of Service added that record keeping and reporting is key for improved public service delivery and this according to him can be achieved through concerted and co-ordinated efforts. He therefore entreated the Directors to give off their best and co-operate with other stakeholders to ensure the achievement of the mandate of the Service.
The Ag. Chief Director of the OHLGS, Mr. Oppong – Mensah commended the leadership of the agriculture officers for the organization of the conference. He said the meeting was a success as the issues deliberated upon and the momentum exhibited can help spur the Service forward. With regards to the new entrants, he said the OHLGS would organize an orientation workshop for the newly recruited agriculture officers and implored the regional heads to facilitate the organization process.
On behalf of the regional heads, the Regional Director of Agriculture for the Eastern Region and Dean of the Regional Directors of Agriculture, Mr. Henry Crentsil thanked the Head of Service for his support. He indicated that they had learnt a lot and that will inspire them to give-off their best.