Metropolitan, Municipal, and Districts Assemblies staff are expected to supervise and monitor projects undertaken in their jurisdictions to ensure value for money.

Section 12 of the Local Gpovernance Act, 2016 (Act 936) provided District Assembly to exercise political and administrative authority in the district, promote local economic development and provide guidance, direct and supervise other administrative authorities.

Hon. Daniel Botwe, Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development said this at a Financial Management training on the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) project for Assembly staff from Northern and Oti Region in Tamale.

He cautioned District Chief Executives to familiarised themselves with all projects in their communities whether initiated by their Assembly or not.

To ensure that the Social Cohession project is managed effectively, the Ministry of Local Government has provided office equipment and logistics to the Zonal Coordinating and Satelite Offices in Nalerigu, Tamale, Wa, Dambai, and Damongo.

Additional logistics such as vehicle, motorbikes and tablets will be made available to the Regional Coordinating Councils, MMDAs and Community Facilitators for improved project facilitation, monitoring and evaluation.

Alhaji Shani Alhassan Shani, the Northern Regional Minister, was hopeful that the training would provide the needed guidance in handling every financial aspect of the SOCO project.

Source:                PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT (MLGDRD)

Four Hundred and Thirty-Two Community Facilitators have been recruited and employed through the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) Project in beneficiary Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

Also, the Community Project Implementation Committee (CPIC) for 217 clusters of communities is formed under the project.

Hon. Daniel Botwe, Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation, and Rural Development, disclosed these at a Financial Management training at Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region for staff from MMDAs in the Upper  East and  North East.

The training was to prepare SOCO beneficiary district assemblies on the allocation and disbursement of funds and deepen their knowledge on key financial management areas of disbursement and funds flow, accounting and records keeping, documentation and reporting, internal controls and audit on the project.

Participants included District/Municipal Chief Executives, Municipal/District Coordinating Directors, Planning Officers/SOCO Focal Persons, Financial Officers, and Internal Auditors from SOCO Beneficiary MMDAs.

According to Hon. Botwe, field appraisal of 551 proposed sub-projects comprising culverts, community centres, youth centres, Schools, CHPS/Health Centres, Energy, Markets, Dams and Feeder Roads were prioritised under the project.

A total of 371 projects, made up of 168 boreholes (60 mechanised, 108 hand pump); 68 classroom blocks; 60 markets; 50 CHPS Compounds; and 51 roads subprojects, have passed the environmental and social safeguards screening as well as an appraisal for implementation.

He assured an increase in funding for the project next year after successfully implementing the year 2023 activities.

Hon. Stephen Yakubu, Upper East Regional Minister, was hopeful the project will improve regional collaboration and the socio-economic and climate resilience of the border communities in the targeted Northern Regions exposed to conflict and climate risks.

Hon. Yakubu described the theme for the workshop “Financial Management of Donor Funded Projects (IDA) within the Context of Current Public Financial Arrangement-the Case of the SOCO Project" as appropriate and key to the project’s success.

He lamented that some projects in the past suffered setbacks due to misappropriation and misapplications of funds, which he said would not happen under SOCO because the Regional Coordinating Councils would ensure the appropriate use of funds.

Describing the project as a game changer, Hon Stephens said the training would enlighten participants about the broad objectives of the financial management arrangements, processes and project controls.

The Financial Management training under the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion Project (SOCO) is part of the components of the Project Implementation activities to build the capacity of implementers of beneficiary communities.

Source:                PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT (MLGDRD)

The five-member Committee set up by the Minister for Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development (MLGDRD), Hon. Daniel Botwe to probe the fire that gutted parts of the newly constructed Kejetia market in Kumasi, Ashanti Region presented its report to the Sector Minister this morning of 5^th May, 2023.

The Committee comprise; Professor Theophilus Adjei-Kumi, a lecturer at the Department of Construction Technology and Management at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) as Chair, Mr. Francis Koffie-ESQ, private legal practitioner and managing director, M/S Koffie and Partners, Mr. Kofi Ampong; valuer, property manager and real estate consultant,  Mr. Daniel Kwaku Denteh, deputy director general- National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), and   Mrs Emelia Ayebeng Botchway; regional coordinating director at the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council  as members.

Presenting the report, the chairman thanked the minister for the opportunity given them to do this work, which involved several engagements with several users and stakeholders of the market to arrive at its findings and recommendations.

Receiving the report, Hon. Daniel Botwe thanked the committee members for the quality of the report and their dedication, which resulted in its timely submission.

He assured the committee of his commitment to taking serious actions in consultation with the relevant government agencies and other stakeholders to follow through with the implementation of the recommendations contained in the report.

Government takes serious view of occurrences of fire disasters in major markets across the country in recent years, considering the huge investments made by government into these markets.

He urged the Board and Management of the various markets to be proactive and innovative their work to forestall any future disasters in the markets and also safeguard such national assets.

Source: PRU-MLGDRD