Office of Administrator-General to ensure smooth transition
The Office of the Administrator General (OAG) of Presidential Estates Unit says it had requested all public offices to submit data on State/Government vehicles in preparation towards the 2017 transition of the Executive.
They include the Ministries, Departments and Agencies, Regional Co-ordinating Councils RCC), Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to submit updated data.
This is in line with the Presidential (Transition) Act 2012, Act 845 and the Office’s quest to compile data on State and government vehicles in order to ensure smooth transitions.
Mr David Yaro, Administrator General, said the request, which was part of the Unit’s mandate was to avoid a repetition of the situation from 2001 to 2009, where there were claims and counter claims of outgoing administrations of illegally acquiring State assets.
“This will enable the Office sanitise and update the data of vehicles belonging to the State,” he said.
Speaking during a press interaction organised by the Office to educate media personnel and create awareness about the Office and its work, he noted that in line with Section 6(1) of the Transition Act, which enjoined the President to provide a set of comprehensive handing over notes, the OAG had developed up-graded templates to guide preparation of the notes.
While the OAG had received some notes for the 2012 transition, they were not comprehensive or well – organised, thus the need for the templates, which should include a workshop with Chief Directors and Regional Co-ordinating Directors of MMDAs and RCCs to gather inputs to enrich and content of the templates.
A consultant also developed Quality Assurance guidelines for the preparation of the Handing-over notes which would reflect accurate developments during the tenure of the office of the President, while a Quality Assurance Team was set up to review the submitted notes.
Mr Yaro said final drafts of over 34 handing over notes would soon be forwarded to the Office of the President for further action.
He noted that in spite of challenges faced by the office, including lack of logistics for the running of the office, it had been able to develop an Organisational Manual which outlined its vision, mission, objectives and functions of the OAG.
The OAG has also initiated formal and informal interactions with the Lands Commission to compile a National Register of Public and Vested Lands in line with Section 9(1) of the Presidential (Transition) Act, which requires the Administrator-General to prepare a national register of all public lands and any other lands vested in the President by the Constitution.
Mr Yaro said in order to prepare the register, the Office needed to acquire Computerised Land Management Information System software which would help it to compile, update and store data on government assets and properties.
“This is pivotal for the OAG in the fulfilment of Section 9a and b of the Transition Act and integral to the enhancement of good governance in Ghana” he said.
He called on the media to take up it challenges with development partners, NGOs and others to assist in providing some of the things needed to ensure a smooth transition.
He also stated that the development of Regulations under the Act by the Attorney-General would help to facilitate its work by spelling out the role and support that OAG is to offer the Transition Team, processes of procurement and maintenance of government assets, define what constituted public lands, properties and assets of government and address duplication and conflict of functions in taking and keeping inventory of government assets and properties.
The Presidential (Transition) Act 2012, Act 845 is the outcome of the Transition Bill initiated by the Institute of Economic Affairs and political parties with representation Parliament to resolve transitional disagreements and prevent recurrence.
The Act, promulgated on 31st May 2012, provides for the establishment of the Presidential Estates Unit and the Office of the Administrator-General as an independent State agency to facilitate the smooth transfer of Assets. Properties and handing-over notes from one President to the other.
Source: GNA