An Implementation Support Mission meeting on the Ghana Productive Safety Net Project (GPSNP) led by the World Bank with the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD) and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) has opened in Accra.

The five-day mission was scheduled from Monday, 15th to Friday, 19th August 2022 to assess the progress of GPSNP (in operation) and GPSNP 2 (to commence) as well as to review GPSNP in readiness for the project closure.

The meeting was set to review the progress of work on the results framework, Labour Intensive Public Works (LIPW) and Productive Inclusion (PI) activities - components under the Project- on the MLGDRD side with Ghana National Household Registration data collection activities and Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) cash transfers operations and reassessment - components under the Project -  on the MoGCSP side.

In a speech read on behalf of the Hon. Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD), Mr. Daniel Botwe, expressed the Ministry’s appreciation to the World Bank for their continued support for Government’s priority development areas; particularly, Safety Nets for the poor and vulnerable in Ghana.

He said “we are excited about our collective achievements under the GPSNP and confident that the lessons learnt will translate into a more effective and efficient delivery of GPSNP 2”.

 Touching on the achievements on the project, the Minister mentioned that since its effectiveness from June 2019 and scheduled to end by December 2022 with 80 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) across the country; the Ministry has disbursed a total amount of GHS 91.8 million as direct grants to beneficiaries under both the Productive Inclusion (PI) and Labour-Intensive Public Works (LIPW) components.

He expressed Government’s appreciation to the Bank, for agreeing to scale-up the Project GPSNP 2, which became effective in January 2022 and will now cover 100 MMDAs, including urban Districts.

He gave an assurance on behalf of the Ministry to take on board feedback in all the areas that will be discussed as part of the mission to improve delivery at all levels.

The GPSNP and GPSNP 2 projects were designed to alleviate extreme poverty and enhance the productivity and incomes of the poor in the country.

SOURCE: PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT- MLGDRD

The President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Saturday, 7^th August 2022 commissioned an ultra-modern office complex for the administrative use by the North East Regional Coordinating Council (NERCC).

The Office Complex is part of a number of projects being executed in the six newly created regions in Ghana, to see to the facilitation of bringing efficient governance and development closer to the people through the decentralisation agenda.

The complex will house all the essential and required state departments and institutions for the necessary participatory and collaborative effective administrative running of the region for an accelerated development.

The President in his address recalled that the Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD) Hon. Daniel Botwe was appointed to see to a regional reconstruction in the first tenure of his administration;” that is why he has been given the added responsibility of making sure that the decentralisation exercise and the revolution we have seen in the administration of our state becomes firm”.

He added that “we can’t build a region without creating the institutions that will make the regional development a success which is why the NERCC office complex has been provided”.

According to the president, the decision to accept the idea of creating new regions was to bring government closer to the people and to also accelerate the process of social and economic progress in the various regions to engender national development.

In order for that to happen, the president mentioned that “we need to be able also to have some focal points around which governmental action can take place, this building we are commissioning today for the NERCC is one of such important focal points for governmental work”; expressing happiness that the seed of sod-cutting which he undertook some years ago, has ended up in a magnificent edifice that will run the development affairs of the region.

He was full of commendation to the Over-Lord of Mamprugu Traditional Area, Naa Bohagu Abdulai Mahami, who has been a strong supporter of government in development for the region and the role he has played in brokering peace in Dagbon. The president was hopeful he will again help in securing peace in Bawku also.

He assured the people of the North East of having taken note of other developmental concerns in various sectors raised to be addressed in due course.

The Hon.  Minister for MLGDRD, Mr. Daniel Botwe in an address on his part remarked that it has been the deep aspirations of some sections of the country to have their own region dating back to pre-independence, citing the Oti Region as a case study. Successive governments he said have also received petitions in the same regard.

He mentioned that reasons cited for the above aspiration was for government to be felt closer to the people and vice versa for decentralisation to take place to accelerate development, which is why according to the Minister, government heeded and complied and created new regions.

The creation of the regions he said has brought with it the provision of critical administrative and infrastructural projects that will fulfil the aspirations of the people in nation building and socio-economic growth for national development and progress.

He was optimistic that this achievement has come to be a catalyst that will continue to spur the people and government on to do more for the good of the region and for the country by extension.

The commissioning ceremony was attended by the Over-Lord, Sub Chief and elders of Mamprugu Traditional Area and the Leadership of the NERCC and other Sector Ministers of State.

Source:          Public Relations Unit (MLGDRD)

A Five-Member Audit Committee of the Births and Deaths Registry (BDR) has been inaugurated with a call on members to ensure that the Registry upholds high standards in the performance of its functions.

A Deputy Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD), Hon Osei Bonsu Amoah, who made the call said that the Committee was to ensure that the Registry stayed relevant and competitive in the discharge of its mandate.

The BDR Audit Committee is chaired by Mr. Kena Ofori-Atta, a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ghana (ICA) and former Chief Internal Auditor at the Ghana Post.

Other members are Mr. Quatada Nashiru Mohammed, Internal Audit Agency, Mr. Kwame Atsiavor, Institute of Chartered Accountants (Ghana), Mr. Nicholas Osei-Bonsu, Deputy Director -BDR and Mr. Baron Nii Marte-Martey, Administrator-BDR.

The rest included; Madam Henrietta Lamptey, Acting Registrar,-BDR, Mr. Kofi Afrifa Agyen, Head of Accounts- BDR, Saint Patrick Agbenafa, Head, Internal Audit- BDR and Aneesa Naa- Angeley Tronou, Secretary who are all co-opted members on the committee.

Hon. Osei Bonsu Amoah in his inaugural address after members have been taken through the various oaths, including the oaths of office and secrecy by the Deputy Director General, Internal Audit Agency (IAA), Mr. William Offei-Mensah, congratulated and thanked them for putting their services at the disposal of the BDR and to the country at large.

He charged the committee to live up to the role of fulfilling the responsibilities in Section 86(1) of the Public Financial Act, Public Financial Regulations 2019, LI 2378, the Public Procurement Act, 2016 (Act 914 )as amended and the guidelines for effective functioning of Audit Committees and applicable financial laws.

He added that “What is critical for us is that, there are high expectations from the Minister for Finance and MLGDRD, IAA and ICA; you are therefore expected to play your role in order to curtail audit infractions.

He commended the IAA for the good wok they are doing to ensure the agency is playing the effective role in ensuring public accountability and efficient use of state resources.

Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta, the Committee Chair in an acceptance address on behalf of the members,  he pledged the full assurance of the team to put up their best to work to add value to the operations of the BDR by providing the necessary oversight of financial reporting processes, audit processes and the organisation’s system of internal controls and compliance with laws and regulations.

Present at the inaugural ceremony were; the Chief Director of MLGDRD, Madam Marian W. A. Kpakpah, the Deputy Director General, IAA, Mr. William Offei-Mensah, the Acting Registrar, Madam Henrietta Lamptey and the outgone Audit Committee Members of the BDR.