The Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin says until the country abandons centrality of governance and embrace decentralisation, it cannot achieve its sustainable development goals.
He made the observation when the Minister of Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development, Dan Botwe called on him as part of his inspection tour of projects under the Ghana Secondary Cities Support Program (GSCSP) currently ongoing in some municipalities in the Eastern region.
“Centrality of governance is outdated, it’s not working. There’s no where in the world that they keep doing that. The British left us a system in 1957, we were four million people then, our population has ballooned to thirty five million; that system cannot hold the thirty five million so the Minister has a difficult task.”
“Busia said rural development and decentralisation must work. We cannot remain here, you can’t sit in Accra and control a school in Tamale.
“The good policies that will ensure the country’s progress can’t be achieved because centrality does not show, accountability does not show, it does not show ownership, it does not show fairness.
“The reason sustainable development is not working as much as it should is because there’s no ownership,” he explained.
The Minister’s visit was to inspect progress of projects in three municipalities including Lower Manya Krobo, New Juaben South and Abuakwa South.
These three municipalities are part of some 35 municipalities across the country benefitting from the Ghana Secondary Cities Support Program.
At Lower Manya Krobo Municipality, the Minister inspected a fully completed business centre on the premises of the Municipal Assembly, 188 lockable stores at the Agormanya Market, the construction of culvert at Manaam on the Odumase to Kpong road, the construction of the Atua government hospital road among others.
At New Juaben South, the Minister called on Daasebre Kwaku Boateng the third, the Paramount Chief of the Area, Omanhene of New Juaben Traditional Area, Daasebre Kwaku Boateng and later inspected the rehabilitation of the Koforidua Jackson Park.
At Abuakwa South, the Minister called on the Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin and, later inspected the fully completed ultramodern 44 hostel facility with auditorium for events and canteen, and an ultramodern market with shopping mall which is at window level.
The Sector Minister, Dan Botwe, although satisfied with progress of work in some areas, called for effective collaboration between the assemblies and traditional authorities.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Kwame Acheampong who joined the Sector Minister’s tour attributed the slow pace of progress of some of the projects to delays in raising of contract certification.
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