He has observed most metropolitan, municipal and district assembly (MMDAs) officials are starved of the accurate picture of issues on the ground in their jurisdictions because they have detached themselves from the people they serve.
According to him, MMDAs will be efficient if MMDCEs spend less time at their offices and spend a more significant part of their time on the ground interacting with the people.
The Minister made the observation at a forum at Cape Coast for MMDCEs and their coordinating directors that focused on the effective engagement of key stakeholders in local government such as traditional rulers, people with disability, media practitioners and women.
The forum was organized on Wednesday by the Centre for Intercultural Learning and Talent Development (CILTAD/COASTAL TV) with support from STAR-Ghana and was also attended by the Regional Minister and his deputy, traditional rulers, civil society organizations and others.
One significant observation was that in most MMDAs people struggled to even name their MMDCEs, with some seeing the members of parliament in their areas as same as the MMDCEs.
Mr. Kwamena Duncan, who was taken aback by the development, advised that MMDCEs should not hide behind the demands the people make on them when they get to the ground to avoid regular on-the-ground interactions with them.
He said, “The district assembly concept is local government; it is about the people; it is about their welfare, that is, is the marketplace they want to sell in good condition? The clinic where they will go to seek medical care, is it in good shape? As the MCE, you need to know”.
In a communiqué submitted through the Regional Minister to the MMDCEs in the Region, participants implored MMDAs, among other things, to frequently engage “constituents including the most vulnerable in society, notably women and people living with disability” in a very sustainable way.
Again, the communiqué asked for a more intense education of the citizenry on the role of the assemblies for them to be clear about what their taxes are used for and why they should pay taxes. Read Full Story
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