SOCIAL

Alima Mahama launches Secondary Cities Support Programme
The Minister for Local Government and Rural Development and MP for Nalerigu – Gambaga, Hajia Alima Mahama has launched the Ghana Secondary Cities Support Program.

Date Created : 5/17/2019 9:09:22 AM : Story Author : Sethlina A. Okai/Jeffrey Sarpong/Ghanadistricts.com

The programme has been initiated to curb urban development management and service delivery in Koforidua.

Hajia Alima Mahama speaking at the launch in Koforidua said, the program is a successor to the Local Government Capacity Support Project which ended in 2018 and it’s designed to improve urban development management and basic urban services in 25 participating Municipal Assemblies.

It was successfully negotiated by the Local Government Ministry in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and the World Bank, approved by Cabinet, Parliament and the Board of the World Bank, and became effective on February 5, 2019.

She added that, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Land Valuation Division of the Lands Commission, Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice are other participating institutions.

The GSCSP is designed on the World Bank’s unique concept of Program for Result. She explained that, participating Assemblies would only receive a grant for the second phase based on the positive results from the first phase. She added that, the four year programme would be funded by a One Hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) credit facility from the World Bank and areas such as waste management, drainage systems, roads, street lights, pedestrian walk ways, and market facilities will be their targets to focus on improving institutional performance of urban management and basic urban services in participating Municipal Assemblies.

The Minister added that her Ministry is committed to strengthening the capacity of officers in the participating assemblies to enable them improve infrastructure and service delivery and also urged the beneficiary Assemblies in the first phase to be grateful that they have been selected and must work hard to justify their inclusion.

She thanked President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the World Bank Team for their continuous support for the development of Ghanaians and assured them that beneficiaries are committed to ensuring a successful delivery of the Program.

She ended by saying that, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development is strongly committed to the overall development of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies and also committed to ensure that Decentralization is strengthened at all levels, especially at the Regional and MMDA levels.

The Eastern Regional Minister, Hon. Eric Kwakye Darfour said, citizens living in participating municipalities will have improved access to efficient urban services such as good roads, better education, healthcare, reduced flooding, employment generation and a generally well-built and planned environment.

The MCE for New Juaben South Municipal Assembly Hon. Isaac Appaw Gyasi stated that he is overwhelmed over his Municipality being part of the program. He thanked the Ministry and the World Bank for the opportunity and promised to work diligently in accordance with the performance assessment tool guidelines.

He congratulated his constituents for their numerous support to the Assembly. The MCE who expressed his gratitude to his constituents for their astounding support was confident that the facility would push the government's transformation agenda and the development of the area into a secondary city to propel more developmental projects

The Program Coordinator from the World Bank Mrs. Barbary Keller said the Ghana Secondary Cities Support Program would be implemented using the Government of Ghana’s system of assessing the performance of the Assemblies before funds will be released to various assemblies for the second phase of the program. She urged the government on the readiness of the World Bank to bring on board many more municipalities as soon as possible to enable them benefit from the program.

The Omanhene of the New Juaben Traditional Council, Daasebre Oti Boateng, on his closing remarks said that, the key to the resilience and survival of secondary cities in the country lies in the good governance of both community and national level.

He called for strong community partnership and linkages to be built with the Municipal Assemblies through communication and information flow mechanisms to strengthen the sharing of ideas and experiences to assist in upgrading of local capacities.

Professor Emeritus Daasebre Oti Boateng ended by pronouncing a few words on the government’s initiative of giving power to citizens on voting for their MMDCEs. According to him, the cardinal objective of this move is to ensure the entrenchment and advancement of democracy at the local level and allow grassroots participation in the governance process in the country

He added that, Ghana is on the path of deepening democracy and therefore “Power to the people means democracy”
World Bank Officials, Eastern Regional Minister, MCEs, MCDs, RCDs and MCDs from all the twenty five qualified Districts and Municipalities,

Heads of department, Planning officers, Works Engineers, Auditors and Staff from Local government head office were present to grace the occasion.