A three-day procurement training under the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) Programme has been held for staff of District Assemblies (DAs) from the Upper East, Upper West, Savannah, North East, Northern, and Oti Regions implementing the programme.

The training programme would build the capacities of Procurement beneficiary MMDAsOfficers, Heads of Works, Finance Officers, Project Focal Persons from beneficiary MMDAs and heads of Procurementsfron the six beneficiary Regional Coordinating Councils and Engineers from the Zonal Coordinating and Satellite Offices of the Project Implementing Unit to ensure smooth procurement processes as well as the implementation of the project.

Participants underwent training on procurement Principles andSpecification Writing; Ethics; Procurement Pitfalls; Conflict of Interest; Understanding the Government of Ghana's Public Procurement Laws and Regulations; World Bank Procurement Framework, among others.

Source :               Public Relations Unit (MLGDRD)

The Ministry of Local Government Decentralisation, and Rural Development (MLGDRD) under the Ghana Urban Mobility and Accessibility Project (GUMAP) with support from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) is pleased to announce an upcoming Household Travel Survey (HTS). This is a unique effort to gather comprehensive data on travel patterns, behaviours, and transportation demands of residents of the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA), to inform transport planning and management.

This survey is set to contribute to the development of a sustainable and efficient transportation system that meets the needs of residents of GAMA.

The survey is scheduled to commence on [Monday 24^th July 2023] and continue to [Saturday 30^th September 2023], the HTS aims to collect information to understand how households move within and between communities as well as identify the factors influencing their travel choices.  The enumerators for the HTS will employ standard data collection methodologies to gather the data, ensuring statistical accuracy and confidentiality of respondents.

The survey will encompass a representative sample of 7500 households from various Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies (MMAs) in GAMA, considering urban, and sub-urban areas by examining travel patterns among residence across diverse communities. It will also provide crucial insights into the experiences of different households with regards to transport choices and trip satisfaction by helping policymakers develop efficient transportation strategies that cater for the unique needs of each MMA.

During the survey period, officially assigned and well identified enumerators will visit selected households across twenty-nine (29) MMAs in GAMA to administer questionnaires that comprehensively capture travel-related information. The questionnaire will cover topics such as travel mode preferences (trotro or private), trip duration, purpose of travel, frequency of travel, commuting habits, access to transportation options, and challenges faced during travel.

The MMAs include Accra metro, Tema Metro, Ga West, La Nkwantanang Madina, Ga Central, Ga East, Ga South, Tema West, Ashiaman, Kpone Katamanso, Ledzokuku, Krowor, Korley Klottey, La Dade-Kotopon , Ayawaso North, Ayawaso East, Ayawaso Central, Okaikwei North, Adentan, Ayawaso West, Ga North, Ablekuma Central, Ablekuma West, Ablekuma North, Weija-Gbawe, Gomoa East, Nsawam Adoagyiri, Awutu Senya East and Ningo Prampram District Assembly.

The Ministry has sworn in a twelve-member Ministerial Advisory Board as per Article 39 of the Civil Service Act, 1993 of the PNDC law 327, which charges all Ministries to establish a Ministerial Advisory Board to advise the Ministry on relevant policy issues.

The Ministerial Advisory Board will constantly interact with the Ministry and advise the Minister on adjustments in policy directions, plan objectives, and operational strategies.

 Hon. Daniel Botwe, the Minister, swore in the members noting that the technical capacity and expertise of the Board members will help the Ministry achieve its goals as a policy institution.

He emphasised that the Ministry's objective is to bring governance to the doorsteps of the people as stipulated in Chapter 20 of the 1992 Constitution.

He reminded the members to focus on helping the Ministry deepen local governance and decentralisation to achieve balance and equitable development.

The Board has the sector Minister as the Chair, with the Minister of State, Hon. Osei Bonsu Amoah, Hon. Colins Augustine Ntim, and Hon. Martin Adjei- Mensah Korsah, both Deputy Ministers of the Ministry, as members of the Board.

The Chief Director of the Ministry, Alhaji Amin Abdul-Rahaman, Prof Kwasi Adarkwa, Dr. Esther Ofei Aboagye, Hon. Dennis Aboagye, Dr. Nana Ato Arthur, Prof. Nicholas Awortwi, Ms. Florence Ayisi Quartey, Eric Tetteh-Addison and a representative from Parliamentary Select Committee on Local Government also as members.