HEAD OF SERVICE INTERACTS WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF A UK FIRM

OHLGS – Wednesday, November 28, 2019: The Head of Service, Ing. Dr. Nana Ato Arthur, the Acting Chief Director, Mr. James Oppong Mensah and some directors of the Office of the Head of the Local Government Service (OHLGS) interacted with a three-member delegation from the United Kingdom (UK) Government Digital Service (GDS). The interaction sought to shed light on how the UK has leverage on digital technology to solve challenges and how it can best be replicated in Ghana.

The head of International Delivery, Alex Segrove who led the delegation said the organization has educated the public on user needs with regards to digital technology; and is willing to offer digital support particularly in data management to the Government of Ghana in underserved areas of the country. She indicated that the team has also interacted with other government agencies to build consensus on the way forward.

The Director of Management and Technical Services, Mrs. Mabel Amoako Atta said institution of proper data management mechanisms especially at the subnational levels is critical to ensure the gathering of relevant information to inform policy and decision making. She shed light on areas at the local levels where digital technology has been deployed to achieve results. She said that currently all the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) have IT and Statistical Officers to help facilitate data collection. She added that the capacity to transform data into meaningful outputs is a challenge and the Service needs to institute mechanisms to build capacities of staff to appreciate digital technology.

The Head of Service also indicated that, the way and manner in which records are managed in the Service is not the best and was optimistic that the collaboration will help to address it. Additionally, he drew attention to the need to train staff on e-learning. He was however grateful for the interaction and hopes that the team and the Service would have a fruitful correlation.

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