The Jophus Anamuah – Mensah Conference Centre at University of Education, Winneba in the Effutu Municipality was the venue for this year’s Seminar on “Good Governance in Traditional African Society” organized by the Department of African Studies of the university held on Friday, July 21, 2023.
The Seminar which was to build the insight of students on local governance as well as stir up their interest in local government practice brought together local Government Practitioners including the Head of Local Government Service of Ghana Ing. Dr. Nana Ato Arthur, Mr. Banini Dzorgbenyui Kwadwo, the Effutu Municipal Coordinating Director, Mr. Samuel K. Kittah, Gomoa East District Coordinating Director as well as persons from academia in the University including, Prof. Anselm Abotsi – Dean Faculty of Social Science, Prof. George Kamkam, Senior Lecturer-Department of Counseling Psychology and Mr. Richard Agyepong, Senior Lecturer-Centre for African Studies.
Speaking at the event, Ing. Dr. Nana Ato Arthur who was the Guest Speaker laid the foundation with his background in local governance to motivate students to be proud of Ghana’s exploits in local governance practice which has caught the eye of most Sub-Saharan African Countries to adopt the country’s best decentralization and local governance style to govern their people.
Touching on the core mandate of the Office of the Head of Local Government Service as the entity that provides technical and operational support to the 261 MMDAs across the country, In. Dr. Nana Ato Arthur mentioned participatory governance and access to public information, accountability and inter service collaboration and cooperation within Metroplitan, Municipal and Distrct Assemblies (MMDAs) in the country as some of the best practices of local governance in Ghana.
He encouraged students to see local governance as the platform for solving social problems and stated that district authorities played vital roles in the local governance system and democracy, leading to development at the local level.
According to him the basic focus of decentralization policy implementation in the country depended heavily on five dimensional reforms namely, legal and policy, political and administrative, fiscal, human resource development and institutional change.
STORY BY: CHARLES BAAH ABOAGYE – ISD
Last modified: July 23, 2023
