The Swiss Ambassador to Ghana, Mrs. Simone Giger has called on the Honourable Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD), Daniel Botwe at his office in Accra on 6^th September 2022.

Receiving her, Hon Botwe described Switzerland as an important partner in the area of decentralisation for Ghana and expressed the government’s appreciation for the Swiss support.

He said the District Assemblies Common Fund and Responsive Factor Grant (DACF-RFG) by the Swiss Government have supported the machinery for his Ministry to ensure systems were put in place for efficient and effective domestic revenue mobilisations at the local level and the Government desired to ensure measures were put in place to satisfy the aspirations of the people at the local level. He called for an extension of the DACF-RFG for a year.

He gave an assurance that government prioritises decentralization; thus, new appointments have been made for the Inter-Ministerial Steering Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation which was responsible for the coordination of all decentralization reforms initiatives to continue its work.

Hon Botwe disclosed that the Committee would start work with its Technical Working Group by October to ensure decentralisation work well. Also, work on the Local Governance Finance Bill is being expedited to be passed as soon as possible.

In her remarks, The Ambassador, H. E. Mrs. Simone Giger said the SECO mission was satisfied with the work the Assemblies have done with the DACF-RFG support funding and promised to consult on the one-year extension for the DACF-RFG.

Source: PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT (MLGDRD)

The Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD) has benefitted from ICT equipment from the Public Sector Reforms for Results Programme (PSRRP) aimed at digitising the public service to improve service delivery.

The ICT equipment were presented by the Senior Presidential Advisor, Hon. Yaw Osafo-Maafo included laptops, computer printers, and a projector.

Presenting the equipment, the senior advisor noted that the ICT equipment were procured to help the Ministry effectively execute its activities through modernisation which is essential to the growth of the public sector adding that the programme which was funded by the World Bank started in 2019 and would end in 2023.

Hon. Osei Bonsu Amoah, a Deputy Minister for MLGDRD, who received the equipment on behalf of the sector Minister, Hon. Daniel Botwe expressed the Ministry’s gratitude to the Senior Advisor and noted that the equipment would improve the collation of data from the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

He explained that financial statements from all the MMDAs were received by the Ministry in a manual format; a process which makes work difficult for staff, hence the timely intervention of the presentation of the equipment which will go a long way to improve work output.

Source: PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT (MLGDRD)

His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo has inspected the Savannah Regional Coordinating Council (SRCC) project in Damongo, the regional capital on Wednesday 24^th August 2022.

The building is part of a number of projects being constructed in all the six newly created regions in Ghana, to see to the efficient governance administration of development through the decentralisation agenda.

The project when completed will see the administrative work to bring accelerated development and socio-economic growth in the Savanah Region.

The Savannah Region of Ghana is one of the two regions that was couched out of the Northern Region. The Region is divided into seven districts; Bole, Central Gonja, North Gonja, East Gonja, Sawla/Tuna/Kalba, and West Gonja, as well as seven constituencies such as Bole/Bamboi, Damango, Daboya/Mankarigu, Salaga North, Salaga South, Sawla/Tuna/Kalba and Yapei/ Kusawgu.

Other projects ongoing alongside the RCC are the   Regional Administration Blocks and some Departments such as Health, Agriculture, Education Security Services, and Staff Accommodations among others in the Savannah Region.

 Source: PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT (MLGDRD)