Local Government Minister Mahama Ayariga has signalled a major shift in how local assemblies are evaluated, declaring that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) will no longer receive financial rewards simply for convening their mandatory meetings.
The current District Performance Assessment Tool (DPAT) framework ties grant allocations partly to whether an assembly conducts three statutory meetings annually.
Addressing development partners, agency heads, and ministry officials at a breakfast meeting in Accra on Wednesday, September 30, the minister rejected the notion that public officers should be financially incentivised for performing duties already prescribed by law.
Questioning the logic behind the existing criteria, Mr Ayariga noted the double standard in how assembly members approach their legal mandates.
He pointed out their enthusiasm for constitutional procedures regarding presidential nominations and assembly confirmations, while neglecting basic obligations like quarterly meetings unless monetary perks are attached.
“Why are you happy with the one about the President nominating you and the Assembly approving you? And yet the one that says that you hold meetings three times a year, that one, you are not happy about it and you won’t do it,” he said.
Firm in his resolve to reform the assessment process, the minister confirmed that the incentive metric will be scrapped entirely from the DPAT grant criteria.
“That particular provision in the DPAT, I’ll remove it,” he stated.
Rather than offering financial sweeteners for basic compliance, Mr Ayariga cautioned that local authority officials who neglect these statutory gatherings risk severe administrative sanctions, including being reported directly to the President.
The declaration was made during a stakeholder engagement held under the theme, “Strengthening Partnerships for Sustainable Local Government and Inclusive Development.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
