The leadership of the Local Government Service played host to a 5-Member delegation of the Planning Class. The purpose was to discuss proposals to revive the Association for Planning Officers in the Service. The meeting took place in the Conference Room of the Local Government Service Secretariat (LGSS) on Monday 22nd August, 2016. Present at the meeting were the Head of Service (HoS), Dr. Callistus Mahama, the Chief Director, Mr. Joseph M. Dasanah and other Directors of the Secretariat.
The spokesperson for the delegation, Mr. Z. A. Labaran Fuseini, a Senior Development Planning Officer at Komenda-Edina- Eguafo-Abirem Municipal Assembly (KEEA) said, over the years, the number of Planning Officers in the Service had surged upward without an association to create a learning platform for these officers. He added that the situation had resulted in the inability of Planners to contribute meaningfully to policy and management among others.
It was against that backdrop that the Planners in the Service have already created a platform and also constituted a regional co-ordinating team. The mandate of the team was to draft a constitution and organize a Conference for the adoption of the constitution for the association. A concept note for the Conference had therefore been developed which would be shared with Management of the Service. The meeting therefore was intended to remind Management of an earlier correspondence.
The team members identified the following as challenges they face in their various operations:
- Inability of officers to acquaint themselves with all communities;
- Inadequate number of planning officers at the MMDA level particularly in the Central Region;
- Inadequate logistics for planning officers.
Observations by LGSS’ Management
The Chief Director indicated that it would have been ideal for the Secretariat to have been furnished with copies of the draft constitution and Conference concept notes by the team to enable the Secretariat review, provide inputs and advice as appropriate. However, he was of the opinion that, having a strong association that seeks to foster the ideals of the Service was a step in the right direction.
The Director for Policy Planning Budgeting Monitoring and Evaluation (PPBME), Mr. Gregory Addah on his part, said, “the idea of an association, the constitution and Conference are all in order, the ultimate goal of which must be consistent with that of the Service.” He urged the executives to use the Conference as a learning platform to build the capacities of their members in areas such as land use and sanitation among others. He also advised the Association’s executives to refrain from mobilizing their members to undertake issues that were untoward or likely to hamper the activities of the Service.
Actions to be undertaken by the LGSS
The HoS directed as follows:
- The Director, Human Resource Management (HRM), Mrs Petrina Rose Etu-Mantey Parkins should identify five (5) planning officers for reposting to the Central Region.
- The Director, PPBME should liaise with the Regional Economic Planning Officer in the Central Region to post one of the officers to KEEA.
Conclusion
The HoS thanked the delegation for their effort in providing the Secretariat with update on their activities and said ample notice should be provided to the Secretariat to enable management participate in the Conference. He advised the planners to use their gathering for knowledge sharing. Finally, he also challenged officers to seek professional affiliation as they improve upon their academic qualifications.