Support MMDAs in ICT use
Participant at the 66th Annual New Year School have urged the government to support Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) with guidelines and directions to embrace Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in their functions.
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They mentioned resource mobilisation and dissemination of information to stakeholders as some functions of the MMDAs that could be facilitated by ICT.
These were part of the recommendations contained in a communique adopted at the end of the six-day New Year School at the Business School of the University of Ghana, Legon, last Thursday.
Held on the theme: "Improving the Performance of the Local Government System in the Era of E-Governance," the event was organised by the Department of Adult Education and Human Resource Studies of the University of Ghana.
It was attended by metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs), teachers, traditional and religious leaders.
Other recommendations
The communique asked the government to lay e-infrastructure at the various MMDAs, and called for periodic training of staff of MMDAs in ICT.
"This will eventually create a working environment that will be technologically inclined to deploy the use of ICT in the most efficient, reliable and effective way," it said.
The communique tasked MMDAs to build strong partnerships with telecommunication companies to provide technical support, such as the installation of Wi-Fi service to ensure Internet connectivity.
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It requested that citizens should be involved in preparing and analysing public budgets, as well as in the implementation and evaluation of programmes and projects by the various MMDAs.
It also asked the government to resource institutions responsible for policy initiation and implementation, such as the Electoral Commission (EC) and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), to be able to carry out their mandates.
The communique stressed the need for MMDAs to find avenues to increase their incomes such as through establishing their own companies and building strong partnerships with non-governmental organisations and faith-based organisations.
It recommended the involvement of members of communities in the construction of community infrastructure, instead of hiring workers from outside the community.
The communique charged MMDAs to address the low representation and participation of women in decision-making.