This directive is to propel them to fast-track the implementation of government’s pro-poor programmes such as the one-district, one factory, one-village, one dam and one-constituency, one million Dollars.

The Northern Regional Minister, Salifu Sa-eed officiated the exercise and reminded the local government authorities of the exigency to achieve government’s set objectives and targets in line with the “Ghana beyond Aid” mantra.

“We remind you that the MMDAs are the wheels of development of our nation and therefore we must seek what is best for their effective functioning. It is in that vein that the MMDAs must take these performance contract seriously. In so doing, Coordinating Directors must commit themselves to achieving the targets in the contract,” he said.

“At the same time, Chief Executives also have a responsibility to support Coordinating Directors to achieve these targets set. MMDCEs should also see the achievement to these targets as one that will enhance the overall functioning of the assembly and therefore these contracts must be seen as one that calls for teamwork by all departments of the assembly under the leadership of the Chief Executive.”

Salifu Sa-eed served notice that he will constantly visit all the MMDAs to enforce strict compliance with government’s development agenda.

“I would like to indicate that I am going to take a keen interest in the accomplishment and execution of the contract. And as part of my mandate and that of the Regional Coordinating Council, I would be embarking on a regional tour of MMDAs in early April,” he added.

“That tour will focus on monitoring of projects and programmes that MMDAs have embarked on since 2017. We want it to serve as a tour of accounting on what we have been doing at our MMDAs level for the past one year.”

–

By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post N/R: MMDCEs sign performance contracts appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

She also advised the MMDCEs to strive to overcome the developmental challenges in their respective areas by adopting modern strategies to generate adequate internally generated funds to prosecute their development agenda.

These two pillars, according to her, will form the criteria for the assessment and evaluation of the MMDCEs and urged them to be committed and professional in the discharge of their duties.

“So for your tenure as MMDCEs, these are the two areas that we want to see results. Of course you must continue with your administrative work as MMDCEs but we are saying that these are the two things you will be marked on. Your ability to increase revenue generation capacity in the district and your ability to work, mobilize the committee to work against illegal mining activities and it’s not for nothing the President has mandated the inter-ministerial committee to come and inaugurate your committees and give you training to discharge your duties”, she emphasized.

Hajia Mahama was speaking at the opening day of training for members of the District Committees Against Illegal Mining (DCIM) drawn from the Asutifi North, Asutifi South, Tano North, Dormaa Central and Dormaa East held in Kenyasi in the Brong Ahafo Region

The Committees are aimed at equipping its members with the requisite skill to combat the illegal mining menace.

The committee are Chaired by the Municipal, Metropolitan and District Chief Executive (MMDCEs), with representation from the traditional authorities, Environmental Protection Agency, Minerals Commission, Forestry Commission, Security Agencies, Immigration Service and three nominees from the assemblies.

She observed the MMDCEs were responsible for the total development of their areas and urged them to collaborate with their various DCIM, to fight galamsey which is a priority project of the President.

The Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Kofi Dzamesi commended the chieftaincy institution for their constant and dedicated support to tackle the problems caused by illegal mining and encouraged them to continue to extend that support to the DCIM.

He noted big empires and society in history had collapsed due to community’s destructive of the vegetative cover and water bodies.

“This is the first time in the history of Ghana that we have about four ministries coming together to a form an Adhoc committee and demonstrates the commitment of the President. So if you are a DCE and Chairman of the Security Council and fail to use this power to affect change, the nation will be disappointed in you”, he charged.

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Asutifi North, Anthony Mensah, on behalf of his colleagues pledged their commitment to partner all stakeholders to arrest the dangers of illegal mining and protect the country’s lands, forest and water resources for generations yet unborn.

He hoped the work of the various DCIM will demonstrate commitment by monitoring and reporting on anti-galamsey activities and prayed the work of Operation Vanguard and the Media Coalition against Illegal Mining will continue to complement the committee’s work.

–

By: Mashoud Kombat/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Help fight galamsey – Local Gov’t Minister to MMDCEs appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the General Secretary of the NPP, John Boadu, the resignation should be at least three years before the ensuing national election in 2020 to avoid challenges.

[contextly_sidebar id=”118aKjDG1wSYhH02DPQqTHilxBjqT6Bl”]”The National Council, which is the second-highest decision-making body pursuant to Article 9 B of the party’s constitution, has unanimously resolved that all persons serving as Metropolitan, Municipal, District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) who wish to contest as parliamentary candidates in constituencies where the party has sitting members of Parliament are not illegible to contest unless they resign from their current positions at least three years before the ensuing general elections,” he said.

“We are not going to give you a chance to hold a position to use it for your own advantage and cause a lot of disaffection in the constituency, and wait till a month to primaries and say I am resigning to contest. We have seen such things for far too long,” Mr. Boadu added.

Mr. Boadu indicated that the directive also applies to executives who have ambitions of becoming Members of Parliament.

“The Council also resolved that regional chairpersons, regional secretaries, regional treasurers, constituency chairpersons, constituency secretaries and constituency treasurers, are also not eligible to contest as parliamentary candidates in constituencies where the party has sitting Members of Parliament, unless they resign three years before the national general elections.” he said.

He further clarified that “these decisions only apply to constituencies where the party has sitting Members of Parliament, and does not apply to orphan constituencies- that is constituencies where the party does not have sitting Members of Parliament.”

For many years now, there have often been concerns about the misuse of state funds by MMDCEs to fund their political campaign to become MPs, whiles still serving as MMDCEs.

–

By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Resign if you want to contest as MP – NPP to MMDCEs appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

At a seminar with officials of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), IDEG made a strong case for active partisan involvement in local governance which focuses on development.

[contextly_sidebar id=”5qWZrzcrkPecikcKQ5AS0JZgMuDYpAEe”]The Executive Director of IDEG, Dr. Emmanuel Akwetey, also urged government to adopt what he termed as the mixed member proportional representation to encourage more women representation, and marginally deprived within the country’s local governance system.

“We think that if the assemblies are going to be elected, how we would strengthen women’s representation, how we would strengthen youth, disability and other marginal groups including even that epic minority, if there are situations like that. So let’s do the first past the post, but let’s also introduce mixed member proportional representation,” he said.

Debate over MMDCEs election

The debate of election of MMDCEs has lingered for some time, with some Ghanaians looking forward to its implementation.

The proposal has received varied views from analysts in the field of local governance.

Whereas some have complained that the country’s local governance system risk sabotage if MMDCEs are elected, others think otherwise.

The fear of sabotage stems from the fact that, an MCE could be elected from an opposition party, whereas the Central government will be controlled by another party.

The suggestion is that, such an MCE may be sabotaged by central government, by way of they refusing to allocate the necessary resources to him or her to achieve the Assembly’s set objectives.

NPP promises to make it possible 

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) in its 2016 manifesto, promised to “oversee the direct election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) within 24 months of election into office, to coincide with the next District Assembly elections in 2019.”

This was reaffirmed by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who promised that “In 2018, we are going to move to fully elected District Assembly representations including the choice of the District chief Executive (DCE). It is going to be done by the people of the districts and no longer by the nomination of the President.”

–

By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post MMDCEs election: IDEG allays sabotage fears appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

“In terms of the chiefs, we may have to set up a different structure like the local development advisory committee which will have chiefs,” he said.

[contextly_sidebar id=”mcrzEdouObEklnqS68qMvSWYIsgtsBB0″]He said they [IDEG] want to make local government inclusive and make sure all Assembly members and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) are qualified.

According to a promise by the NPP government, Ghanaians should start electing their Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in 2018 or 2019.

Decentralization and involvement in local governance through popular election of metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs), has been a key concentration on Growth and Development (GGDP) since July 2016.

He also stressed on the visibility of political parties engaging in local government reforms, and how issues regarding women and children with disability are being addressed.

“If you look at the structure of the assemblies, they have been excluded, there are fewer women at the local government level, and we want to make local governance more inclusive,” Dr. Jonas said.

IDEG will hold a seminar today [Friday], with the governing New Patriotic Party to propose that the government ensures the election of all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives n 2019

IDEG held a similar seminar with the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Dr. Kwesi Jonah said the seminar will seek to engage all political parties to solicit their inputs to make the policy far-reaching.

–

By: Farida Yusuf/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post IDEG meets NPP on election of MMDCEs appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

His approval on Friday was the fourth in series of attempts to get President’s nominee approved by the assembly after two nominees were rejected.

The first nominee, Josephine Ohene-Boateng was outrightly rejected by assembly members. The second, Kate Ametepe also a female couldn’t meet the percentage requirement.

Hon Donkor after a failed attempt was granted a second chance to secure his nomination.

At the end of the election conducted in the District Assembly Hall today, Mr Kadey Donkoh polled 14 out of the 18 valid votes cast representing a 77.7 percent approval.

The Deputy Volta Regional Minister, Mr Maxwell Blagoggie who was accompanied by the Deputy Interior Minister, Henry Kotei has expressed his appreciation to the people for finally approving the President’s representative.

Phanuel Kadey Donkoh is a teacher by profession and 33 years of age. He is said to be one of the youngest Chief Executives to have been appointed. Until his approval, the Regional Coordination Council was playing an oversight responsibility for the administration of the area.

In his acceptance speech, the District Chief Executive has promised to work closely with stakeholders in the area to enhance the government’s development agenda.

–

By: King Nobert Akpablie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Adaklu finally gets DCE appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The seminar, under the auspices of Breast Care International, was also attended by the Regional Minister, Eric Kwakye Daffour, and his Deputy, Joseph Tetteh.

Addressing the second and final seminar on National Basic Oncology training for community based nurses, Founder and President of Breast Care International, BCI, Dr. Beatrice Wiafe Addai, called on the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives to embrace the project aimed principally at breast cancer awareness creation and the provision of jobs for unemployed nurses at the community level.

Under the Project, the first of which took place in Kumasi earlier this month, one hundred and twenty unemployed nurses drawn from all the Districts in the two pilot regions of Ashanti and Eastern, would be equipped with the know-how on diagnosing breast cancer and referring same to Hospitals for further checks and examination.

Dr. Wiafe Addai explained the project was underpinned by the knowledge that early diagnosis was critical in the breast cancer treatment chain, hence the placement of these nurses at the community level to readily  diagnose the condition in a grand scheme to curtail prevalence.

Dr. Wiafe Addai said fighting breast cancer required a multi-facetted approach which took on board the contribution of all stakeholders, noting “no effort should be spared in the struggle to free our women from this ignoble disease.”

She said BCI was introducing the oncology module as a sequel to the hugely successful annual flagship program, “BCI Ghana walk for the cure” with its attendant showcasing of survivors and weekly free breast screening programs across the length and breadth of the country.

“The project would be forward-looking and proactive in character to the extent that these nurses would go knocking on doors to carry out free screenings in homes. We are convinced women apprehensive of stigmatization among other wrongly held notions would be covered under this novelty”. She explained.

The Eastern Regional Minister, Eric Daffour and his Deputy Joseph Tetteh, associated themselves with the need to intensify breast cancer awareness creation programs in a region endemic with cases.

Frequently asked questions including the risk factors and management of the disease were addressed by Dr. Beatrice Wiafe Addai.

–

Credit: Breast Care International

The post E/R MMDCEs schooled on oncology appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

“A lot of the tension that arises in the districts and frustrates the work of government comes from the at times fractious relationship between Members of Parliament and Chief Executives. Please avoid such conflicts and let the MPs get their share of the Common Fund timeously,” the president said.

[contextly_sidebar id=”ZmXCNqBrJKPbuvVtpaCjEmZGZ2JbtqH1″]President Akufo-Addo indicated that “the new paradigm of effective governance demands maximum co-operation between Chief Executive, MPs and the new kids on the block, the officials of the Development Authorities. The closer and more sincere will be the co-operation, the greater and more extensive will be the development.”

The president made the statement on Wednesday, 5th July, 2017, when he addressed an orientation programme organized for the 199 approved MMDCEs by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Government, at the Institute of Local Government Services, at Ogbojo in Accra.

Akufo-Addo reminded the MMDCEs that whereas the Minister for Local Government, Hajia Alima Mahama, has oversight responsibility for decentralization implementation and local government, Regional Ministers are also required to monitor and evaluate their performance and submit periodic reports to him.

“I expect you to accord Regional Ministers all their due respect, as they are the President’s representatives in the Regions,” he added.

The President also reminded the MMDCEs of their responsibility for accountability to the government through the Ministry of Monitoring and Evaluation.

Use Common Fund Judiciously

With a lot of funds soon to flow into the districts, President Akufo-Addo assured that every attempt will be made to get the Common Fund allocations to the Chief Executives regularly and on time.

He, however, urged the Chief Executives to work on their internally generated funds, as they will not make the progress they should if the development programmes of their localities are solely dependent on the relatively meagre sums they get from the Common Fund allocation.

“Please apply your DACF judiciously towards the execution of planned and approved projects. It is not for recurrent expenditure. It is not for recurrent expenditure and should not be misused or abused. It is a good idea quickly to get your Assemblies to restructure your financial operational system and targets, to take advantage of the new initiatives introduced by government to promote accelerated economic growth,” he added.

President Akufo-Addo also urged the MMDCEs to help build the capacity of unit and zonal councils of the MMDAs, and also allocate resources to allow them play their proper roles in the local governance system.

“I do not intend to start any new controversy, but I will say this: we need to take a closer look at the unit committees and zonal councils especially, and see how effective they can be. If we need to do some radical realignment of the structures, we should not be afraid to do so. This would be a good time to take a close look at the things that work and those that do not, and not carry a lot of baggage simply because they are on the books,” he added.

The President also urged the Chief Executives, as chairs of their respective Security Committees, “to ensure peace and law and order in your districts. All our plans will only work if there is peace. I advise you to be careful and tactful in managing issues of intelligence and security.”

–

By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Don’t fight with MPs – Akufo-Addo advises MMDCEs appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to him, the election will lead to a deepening of the country democracy as well as promote accountability.

The President was speaking at an orientation event for newly appointed MMDCEs organized by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Government at the Institute of Local Government Services at Ogbojo in Accra on Wednesday, 5th July, 2017.

[contextly_sidebar id=”UvE5mwCJ9EkMoafEf8exB3W0qvKyELpf”]He gave the assurance that, the processes to amend the constitution to allow for the election of the MMDCEs will soon kick off.

“I belong to the group that has always advocated for the direct, popular election of Chief Executives. It is now a Manifesto commitment of the ruling party, the NPP, so you must be aware that it is going to be fulfilled…which will make you the last batch of Chief Executives to be appointed under the current system.”

He also advised the MMDCEs to conduct themselves in a worthy manner, stressing that, that will affect their chances of retaining the position

“Your conduct and performance will determine whether you will earn the confidence of your electorate…I do not believe there is anything to fear in the direct election of Chief Executives. On the contrary, it should lead to a deepening of our democracy and better accountability. It is time to make it work,” he added.

Good time to be in charge of districts

Stressing to the Chief Executives that this is a good time to be in charge of districts, municipal and metropolitan areas, the President noted that “you have the opportunity to transform the local economy and preside over the creation of jobs for our people.”

This, according to President Akufo-Addo, is because the district is the target for all the programmes (aggressive industrialization and value addition to agricultural produce, modernizing agriculture, improving production and efficiency and achieving food security) government has set and is introducing to grow the economy.

“The Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP) will be implemented at the constituency level, where the allocation of the equivalent of one million US dollars annually will be used to finance capital expenditure for infrastructure and other facilities in the localities” he said.

Once established, the Development Authorities for the northern, middle and coastal belts will serve as the primary executing agencies under IPEP to oversee the implementation of the “One Million Dollar One Constituency” programme.

Again, the President stressed that “the ‘One Village One Dam’ policy initiative, like all the other innovative introductions to the economy, are all very much local initiatives. I am hoping that a genuine sense of fair competition will come into the operation of the districts.”

With the coming into effect of these policies, President Akufo-Addo was confident that “we should be able to see the difference in the quality of schools from one district to the other due to the quality of the supervision.”

He continued, “We should be able to judge for ourselves quite soon what one district does with its one million dollars and compare it with what another district does with theirs. It is up to you in this hall to make the 1 district, 1 factory scheme a success.”

The challenge, the President noted, “is very much for the deprived areas to take advantage of these programmes to bring change to your districts. You have the opportunity to change your districts from places where people move from, to places where people move to. Let your factories thrive and you will soon discover that people will move to your districts, instead of the current position where all your young and strong people move away to Accra and Kumasi.”

–

By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Don’t be afraid of MMDCEs election – Nana Addo to appointees appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

His comments come in the wake of recent developments, where there were a lot of agitation and confusion over the acceptance of some MMDCE nominees across the country.

[contextly_sidebar id=”78FicxMcH6VrbVyjeObfgUUxQRettMCg”]It will be recalled that during the 2016 electioneering campaign, Dr. Nduom and his PPP had championed this course, calling for the political will to give the franchise to the people at the local level to elect their chief executives.

Speaking on Eezy FM’s Morning Edition, Dr. Nduom described the notion of the appointment of mayors and district executives by ruling political parties to advance their parties’ goals of re-election as archaic and fruitless, since incumbent governments have still lost elections despite such appointments.

Considering recent scandals that have rocked the appointments of some chief executives across the country, Dr. Nduom quizzed why MMDCEs are still being appointed when it has offered no incentive for development.

He said, “Ghana will benefit greatly when the people are able to cast a vote to elect their own metropolitan municipal district executives.”

He intimated that “Ghanaians are smart enough to vote for a president, smart enough to vote for a member of parliament, smart enough to vote for an assembly member and then they are certainly smart enough to vote for their own chief executive.”

He said the district assembly formed an integral part of the governance structure of the country, hence the need for successive governments to resource them.

Ghanaians to elect MMDCEs in 2018 – Nana Addo

President Akufo-Addo has already announced that Ghanaians would be electing their MMDCEs from 2018.

This was announced by the President in the Central Region, after he won the 2016 elections. The election of MMDCEs was one of the promises in the New Patriotic Party’s 2016 manifesto.
–
By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Elect MMDCEs or put up with the confusion – Nduom appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.