Minister tells MMDCEs – Leave your offices and go to the ground

• Posted on July 6, 2018
• by Ellsamwise King
• Comment

The Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan, has said it is unproductive for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), to operate mainly from their offices instead of getting to the ground to deepen interaction for the enhancement of development at the local level.

He said most officials of the assemblies do not have a good appreciation of issues on the ground in their jurisdictions because they have detached themselves from the people they serve.

According to him, MMDAs will be efficient if MMDCEs spend less time at their offices and spend more of their time on the ground interacting with the people.

The Minister made the observation at a forum in Cape Coast for MMDCEs and their Coordinating Directors, which focused on the effective engagement of key stakeholders in local government such as traditional rulers, people with disability, media practitioners and women.

The forum was organized on Wednesday by the Centre for Intercultural Learning and Talent Development (CILTAD/COASTAL TV), with support from STAR-Ghana, and was also attended by the Regional Minister and his deputy, traditional rulers, civil society organizations and others.

One significant observation was that in most MMDAs, people struggled to even name their MMDCEs, with some thinking that the members of parliament are the same as the MMDCEs.

Mr. Kwamena Duncan, who was taken aback by the development, advised that MMDCEs should not hide behind the demands the people make on them when they get to the ground to avoid regular on-the-ground interactions with them.

He said, “The district assembly concept is local government; it is about the people; it is about their welfare; is the marketplace they want to sell in good condition? The clinic where they will go to seek medical care, is it in good shape? As the MCE, you need to know”.

In a communiqué submitted through the Regional Minister to the MMDCEs in the Region, participants implored MMDAs, among other things, to frequently engage “constituents including the most vulnerable in society, notably women and people living with disability” in a very sustainable way.

Again, the communiqué asked for a more intense education of the citizenry on the role of the assemblies for them to be clear about what their taxes are used for and why they should pay taxes.