Ghana’s Vice President, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has called on stakeholders to deepen democratic decentralisation, strengthen accountable public service delivery, and accelerate development throughout the country.
She made the call when she joined stakeholders to open the second National Dialogue on Decentralisation and Responsive Governance.
The event was held on the Africa Day of Decentralisation and Local Development, under the theme “Resetting Democratic Decentralisation for Accountable Public Service Delivery and Accelerated Local Development.”
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang expressed satisfaction with the exhibition showcasing the tangible progress across local communities, emphasizing the need to document and communicate the less visible outcomes of decentralisation, including jobs created, service delivery, and community participation.
She added that the data generated by these interventions must be properly harnessed to assess progress, identify gaps, and tell the full story of local development.
Highlighting measures to strengthen local governance, the Vice President pointed to the re-energisation of the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation, increased direct transfers from the District Assemblies Common Fund to MMDAs, and policy and legislative work to deepen functional devolution, particularly in education, health and roads.
She noted that Government’s Position Paper on the Constitutional Review recommendations also offers an opportunity to pursue reforms that strengthen local governance and accountability.
Turning her attention to environmental challenges, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang stressed that effective decentralisation must also be reflected in the everyday conditions of communities.
She observed that recent challenges with flooding and sanitation are sober reminders that responsive local governance also requires collective responsibility, maintaining that cleanliness must ultimately become a daily discipline within communities.
She acknowledged that Ghana has made significant progress on its decentralisation journey through sustained collaboration among Government, traditional authorities, local government institutions, civil society and development partners.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang stated that the next phase must be anchored in stronger institutions, greater accountability, adequate resources, and reforms that enable local authorities to respond effectively to citizens’ everyday needs, while commending all stakeholders and calling for their continued participation.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
