By Yussif Ibrahim, GNA
Accra, Dec. 18, GNA – The Centre for Local Governance Advocacy (CLGA) has organized a two-day capacity building training workshop for assembly members of newly-created district assemblies in the Ashanti Region in Kumasi.
The workshop, which was a collaboration between CLGA and the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralization, aims at preparing them for the challenges that comes with new districts carved out of existing ones.
Among the topics discussed were branding of the new assemblies, asset sharing and management, boundary re-demarcation, plan and budget disaggregation, human resource management, meeting procedures and assembly committee systems, revenue profiling and mobilization.
Dr Eric Oduro Osae, the Dean of Studies and Research at the Institute of Local Government Studies, said there is the need for the new assemblies to identify their uniqueness in the Legislative Instrument (LI) that established them and translate them into opportunities for development.
They should profile their areas of jurisdiction, identify and clearly mark their boundaries in order to avert the possibility of their mother assemblies trespassing into their territories, especially for revenue mobilization.
He said there is the need to raise awareness about the assemblies by promoting their logo, vision and mission on various social media platforms as well as the traditional media.
Dr Osae urged the leadership of the new assemblies to operate open and accountable governance system that would allow the citizenry to participate in the development agenda of the assembly.
This, he noted, could be achieved by adopting pre-budget consultations and inclusiveness in implementation as well as public hearings to discuss development plans and other issues affecting the lives of the people.
Mrs Gladys Gillian Naadu Tetteh, Deputy Executive Director of CLGA, said the training is critical to the smooth operation of the assemblies as it would equip participants to better understand their roles and discharge their duties efficiently.
She said the work of the assembly was governed by rules and procedures and that it is imperative for all assembly members to learn the processes irrespective of their qualification and background.
KOM/EKB/PDC
