The European Union (EU) and the German Government (GIZ) paid a courtesy call on the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD) on the 18^th of April 2024 at the Ministry.

The meeting discussed the new EU Regional Programme, and the preparations towards the implementation of the programme in Ghana. The Programme seeks to dwell on Local Governance and Social Cohesion in the Upper West Region, Wa.

The programme is set to build on Social Cohesion and Resilience and it is implemented across border countries. The Countries to benefit include, Burkina Faso, Mali, Ivory Coast and Ghana (SKBoWa).

The Chief Director of the Ministry, Mr. Amin Abdul-Rahaman, expressed his gratitude to the EU and the German Government team for seeking to implement such a good initiative in Ghana. He mentioned that, the Programme is a laudable idea and the Ministry is ready to support and give the best to help develop and improve the programme.

He explained that, programmes that dwelled on Local Governance and Social Cohesion are always welcome because it paves the path for good governance and development. He assured the EU and the German Government team of the unwavering support from the Ministry 

In their presentation, the team from EU and the German Government expressed appreciation to the Ministry for the support. According to them, preparations for the start of the programme started two years ago and all potential beneficiaries have been involved in the process.

They mentioned that, the objective of the programme is to reduce risk for human safety, improve on good Local Governance, Social Cohesion and Economic Development across border countries. The Duration of the programme is 2024 to 2027 and the funding involved is a technical support fund from the EU and the German Government.

In explaining their next course of action for the programme, they stated that, the selection of the intervention zones is needed. They also reiterated that; the programme is going to build on some interventions already been initiated.

The Minister for MLGDRD, Hon. Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, received the programme with much gratitude and mentioned that, this is very crucial at a time when our borders are not safe and much intervention was needed. He also assured the EU and German Government team of the coordination between them and the Ministry to help implement the programme successfully.

Source:             RHODALINE ABBA
                              (Public Relations Unit, MLGDRD)

A private operating organization with an approach to provide clean, affordable, and sustainable water in rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa using smart pre-payment solar taps has visited the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development to introduce their services.

The eWATERSystem, an Australian-owned biotech company that supplies electrolysis units to generate simple, sustainable and alternative clean water, operates in Ghana, Tanzania and has over ten years of presence in the Gambia.

MLGDRD PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT

The Executives of the Association of Retired District Coordinating Directors (ARDCoD) called on the Hon. Minister-Designate for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, to formally introduce the Association to the Ministry.

According to the President of ARDCoD, Mr. Kenneth Osman, the Association is incorporated under the Company Act. 2019 (Act 992) and the current membership stands at 85, made up of retirees who served as Chief Directors and Coordinating Directors with knowledge and experience in the local governance.

He assured the Ministry that with their expertise and experience in local governance, they were ready to contribute significantly to the growth of Ghana in their retirement.

He said the Association was open to sharing such experiences and could be relied on in policy formulation and implementation in Engineering, Development Planning and Administration.

The ARDCoD could also be relied on to assess the performance of Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies  (MMDAs) staff performance and capacity-building training.  

The Chief Director of the Ministry, Mr. Amin Abdul-Rahaman, suggested to ARDCoD to consider bringing on board retired Directors from the MMDAs to bring their expertise to bear, as some of them almost rose to the rank of Chief Directors before retiring.

The Minister, Hon. Korsah, assured them of the Ministry’s support to work to achieve its objective.

Source:                MATILDA TETTEY
                             (PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT, MLGDRD)