NALAG signs sister-city MoU with Arkansas
The National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Municipal League of Arkansas, USA.
The MoU opens avenues for sister-city relations between the 216 metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) in Ghana and the over 500 municipalities in Arkansas.
Described as the single biggest relationship to be entered into by NALAG, the MoU, which was signed in Accra on Wednesday, covered capacity building, scholarships, socio-economic activities and other programmes intended to benefit communities and the people within the two localities.
Local government in Arkansas provides many essential services for the citizens in the communities, including road construction and maintenance, solid waste disposal, water and waste water treatment, police and fire protection, emergency rescue operations, among other things.
Officials of the league said they wanted their experience to bear on MMDAs in Ghana, while tapping into the unique experiences of Ghanaians.
A three-member team from the league was in Accra to seal the deal with NALAG.
NALAG President
Speaking at the ceremony, the President of NALAG, Alhaji Mohammed Kwaku Doku, described the agreement as historic because it opened the gates for all MMDAs to tap into Arkansas' buoyant economy.
He urged the various assemblies to take advantage of the exchange programmes within the agreement to build the capacities of their staff to enable them to deliver quality services to the people.
League officials
The President of the Municipal League of Arkansas, Mr Orville Freeman, indicated that municipalities in the league and MMDAs in Ghana had the common goal of improving the lives of their people and it was, therefore, refreshing that the two entities were going to work together.
He said there were unlimited possibilities in Ghana which Arkansas wanted to help develop.
For his part, the President Emeritus, Sister Cities Internal of Arkansas, Mr Banks Sherma, said they were excited to have the opportunity to partner Ghana.
In a statement, Mr Kwame Kludjeson of the Global Africa Cities Foundation disclosed that already one of the cities in Arkansas had expressed interest in establishing a Kente shop there.
