Accra – Tuesday, December 5, 2023: The Head of the Local Government Service, Ing. Dr. Nana Ato Arthur has identified the disconnect between institutions at the local and national levels as a major challenge confronting decentralization in Ghana. Another major challenge, according to the Head of Service, is the duplication of efforts by institutions due to overlapping roles and mandates. He made the call out at a policy dialogue organized by the Chartered Institute of Local Governance and Development (CILGD) in collaboration with the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) and the Ministry of Local Government Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD) in Accra. The policy dialogue was under the Theme: 35 Years of Local Government Administration in Ghana; Thus Far (Successes, Challenges and The Way Forward).
The Head of Local Government Service, Ing. Dr. Nana Ato Arthur delivered his presentation on the Topic: 35 Years of Local Government in Ghana: Political, Fiscal and Administrative Decentralisation, The Journey So Far.
He also listed issues such as conflicts in the various laws on decentralization and local governance, side stepping key implementing agencies such as the RCCs and MMDAs in the planning and implementation of major projects, many committees and teams as well as poor coordination among actors in the development process at both sub national and the national levels as some of the challenges confronting decentralization.
Successes
According to Dr Ato Athur, some successes chalked over the past 35years included: all Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs) and Metropolitan Municipal and District Assembly (MMDAs) currently having Development Plans and Budgets to guide their development plans; discerning Citizens as right holders to demand accountability from duty bearers; the existence of representations for participation in decision making at all the levels; High Human Resource base due to timely capacity building for practitioners; improvement in development over time e.g. Basic Infrastructure; a significant number of development projects undertaken by MMDAs; and improved service delivery at the local levels.
He said, from 1988, the number of Assemblies has progressively increased from 65 to 261 in 2023. This he believes is an indication that the Government of Ghana is committed to trickle down governance and services to the doorsteps of the people through decentralization reforms.
Recommendations
Ing Dr. Nana Ato Arthur recommended that: the roles and relationships in the various levels of government be clarified for effective coordination, the local government administrative areas be redefined for adoption by all agencies and institutions, there should be intensive initial capacity building for staff and targeted ones for existing staff, there is the need to strengthen provisions for Inter-service and sectoral coordination, ensure inclusivity in the Development process for sustainability and ownership, while resourcing new institutions created, existing ones must be resourced as well and include Development Plan with plans to finance the Plan.
Dr. Ato Arthur posited that, an effective local government system, remains the surest way to ensure the total development of the country.
He insisted that, our development efforts must evolve because the world around us is changing and fast in terms of Technology, Social/Cultural, Geo-political, Economic Challenges, Climate Change issues among others.
The programme was chaired by Dr, Esther Offei Aboagye, Council member of the Local Government Service Council.
Other speakers were the Director General, Internal Audit Agency (IAA), Dr Eric Oduro Osae, the Acting Chief Executive Officer; Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA), Dr Kwadwo Yeboah and a representative from GIZ; Governance, Mr. Charles Abbey.