Accra – Tuesday June 21, 2022: The Chief Director at the Office of the Head of the Local Government Service (OHLGS), Mr. James Oppong-Mensah accompanied by some management staff of the OHLGS, led a six- member Zimbabwean delegation to pay courtesy calls on the Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD); and the Director of the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS).
The visits forms part of a week-long benchmarking tour of Ghana to learn at first–hand and interact with heads of some institutions in the local governance sector to share knowledge, experiences and best practices.
At MLGDRD, the delegation met with a Deputy Minister, Hon. Collins Ntim who underscored the important role of local governments in the country’s development. He said the Ministry’s role is primarily policy formulation and this is done in collaboration with sector Departments and Agencies. He added that the Ministry currently runs some programmes aimed at deepening decentralization and local development; improve service delivery; and institutional strengthening.
He mentioned the Assemblies Common Fund-Responsive Factor Grant (DACF-RFG); the Planting for Export and Rural Development to promote private investments in the agricultural sector through sustainable value chains to meet international standards; the Modernising of Agriculture in Ghana (MAG) programme to improve the productivity of farmers as some programmes being pursued by the Ministry. He expressed appreciation to the delegation for the visit and said the visit would also be retaliated.
The Director of ILGS, Professor Nicholas Awortwi together with the Registrar and some management staff met and interacted with the delegation. Professor Awortwi briefed the delegation on its core business and reiterated efforts being made by his outfit to ensure the continuous provision of structured training to all categories of local government functionaries. He mentioned that the Institute has initiated the introduction of a local governance index and citizens score cards to facilitate direct citizens engagement on pertinent issues. He used the opportunity to disclose the Institute’s interest to explore possible areas of partnership with Zimbabwe.
Other key issues discussed during the meetings at the various institutions bothered on the collection of property rates by local authorities; relationship between the central, local governments and traditional authorities; and funding of infrastructural development by Assemblies.
While in the country, the delegation would also pay working visits to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Adentan Municipal Assembly and the Central Regional Coordinating Council (CRCC). They would also use the opportunity to explore tourist sites including the Cape Coast Castle.