Respond to warning signals - RCCs urged

The Chief of Staff, Mrs. Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, has charged regional coordinating councils (RCCs) to respond promptly to early warning signals and other issues that have the potential to undermine peace and security in their respective regions.

She mentioned chieftaincy and land disputes, illegal mining, armed robbery, invasion of farms by herdsmen and the influx of 'questionable' foreigners as some of the issues of national interest that needed prompt action.

"It is expected that regional security coordinating committees (RSCCs) will pursue such matters with urgency to ensure sustained peace, a key ingredient in the march towards the accelerated development of the country," she added.

Conference

Mrs. Osei-Opare was speaking at the Conference of Regional Ministers and Regional Coordinating Directors organised by the Office of the Head of the Local Government Service (OHLGS), in partnership with the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, in Accra yesterday.

It was on the theme: “Developing decentralisation and local governance for accelerated development in Ghana: The role of key stakeholders”.

The conference was attended by major stakeholders in the decentralisation and local governance sector, as well as representatives of both national and sub-national institutions who discussed issues pertinent to local governance.

Evaluating performance

Mrs. Osei-Opare urged RCCs to take seriously the responsibility of monitoring, coordinating and evaluating the performance of metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) as mandated by the Local Government Act, 2016.

She also asked RCCs to conduct quarterly assessment of MMDAs to “put them on their toes” and cause them to perform diligently to deepen the decentralisation process, adding: “A very important office such as the RCC must show leadership in public service and move away from business-as-usual practices to professional business models and customer-service regiments.”

She further entreated regional ministers to build cordial relations with chiefs and opinion leaders in their various regions to elicit support in pursuit of their developmental agenda.

“The government is aware of the need for more logistical support to run your offices, including vehicles, the renovation of residences, among others. I assure you of the President’s commitment to improve the working and living conditions of our staff,” she said.

Human resource

The Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Mr. Dan Botwe, said the LGS possessed “rich human resource” which could be leveraged to make decentralisation work.

He urged stakeholders to support the efforts of the President to ensure an effective local government structure that would deliver quality services to the people.

For his part, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr. Henry Quartey, called for a review of the mandate of the RCCs to correspond to modern-day dynamics of local government administration.

He expressed concern over the fact that in spite of an increase in the number of MMDAs and their operational responsibilities, “funding for our activities has been dwindling”.

“Our office buildings are collapsing and our residences nothing to write home about. Something needs to be done quickly to avert any danger to lives and properties,” the minister added.