Ghana’s decentralization is constitutional – Prof Ahwoi

Prof. Kwamena Ahwoi
Prof. Kwamena Ahwoi

Professor Kwamena Ahwoi,  Lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) on Thursday stressed that decentralization is no longer government policy, but constitutional directive backed by legal sanctions.

He asked various departments decentralized into the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to conform with operational framework to ensure that the concept achieve desire goals and objectives.

Prof Ahwoi, a local government expert, stated this at the opening session of a day’s workshop for heads of department for Urban Roads in Sunyani.

It was organised by the Local Government Service, and aimed at sensitizing participants drawn from all the 10 regions in country on the decentralization concept.

Under the Legislative Instrument (LI 1961), Urban Road is now a decentralized Department within the MMDAs.

Prof Ahwoi explained that decentralization was very crucial in facilitating accelerated national development, and it was obligatory that all decentralized departments complied and worked within the purview of the MMDAs.

He said under the decentralization concept, resources were being allocated locally for the execution and implementation of programmes and projects.

Dr Callistus Mahama, Head of the Local Government Service emphasised that Urban Roads was a newly decentralized department which meant recruitment, postings and promotions would be done by the local government service.

He warned that any of the newly decentralized department within the MMDAs which failed to work according to the assembly’s framework would be sanctioned.

Dr Mahama asked the assembly’s Coordinating Directors to facilitate effective supervision and monitoring of the departments to promote local participation of programmes, and the  strengthening of accountabilityl.

Participants would be taken through topics such as decentralization in Ghana and the implication of the LI 1961, composite budgeting and local government financial management and local government service protocols and human resource management.

Source: GNA

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