Former District Chief Executive of Akatsi North, James Gunu, has said the current framework of the Ministry of Inner City and Zongo Development isolates it from key government structures making it difficult to effectively harness its objectives.
[contextly_sidebar id=”emDbpBeuNtaawbjRWisrMt4BIawzuDNn”]According to him, decoupling the Inner City and Zongo Development from the local government structure will not ensure effective policy implementation in various zongos across the country.
“The Inner City and Zongo Development Ministry Created by the President Nana Addo Government is overly suspended, hanging, centralized and too far from the Zongo, and is crying for urgent integration into the Country’s local governance and decentralization system in order that its objectives can be effectively and efficiently met for the benefits of the Muslim communities across the country”.
James Gunu who holds a Masters in Local Government Development from the Institute of Local Government, Madina, is calling for an integration of the new Ministry into the local government structure under a special department with the proposed name ‘Zongo Department’ to encourage participatory democracy by the people in the zongo communities.
“There is an urgent need for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to constitute Zongo Development Sub Committees to give meaning to the local governance and decentralization in the Zongos across the country taking Section 23 of the Local Governance Act of 2016, Act 936 into consideration. This would ensure participatory democratic governance by the people of the Zongos, where the people can participate fully in the Medium Term Development Plans MTDP and the Animal Action Plans and Composite Budget of the Assemblies”.
Mr. Gunu, who is also contesting for the position of the Volta Regional Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) said he would wish the National Democratic Congress [NDC] government adopts this policy to improve the lives of the people in the Zongo Communities.
“These are some of the things I would love to see the NDC government led by H.E President John Dramani Mahama do to improve on the lots of the Muslim Communities in particular and the country at large.”
Per the current structures, Metropolitan Assemblies have sixteen departments while Municipalities have thirteen and District Assemblies with eleven. Departments of Education, Youth and Sports, Health, Agriculture, Trade and Industry in the ongoing decentralization process, have all been integrated into the local governance.
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By: King Norbert Akpablie/citinewsroom.com/Ghana