Taking Responsibility for Government Policy on Holistic Development… Minister Calls on MMDCE

Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development Martin-Adjei Mensah Korsah has appealed to the heads of metropolitan, municipal and district governments (MMDCEs) to take responsibility for the numerous government policies aimed at developing their spaces.

According to Mr Korsah, the government has introduced a number of policies over the years to support the ongoing urbanisation of the country and stakeholders need to support actions aimed at making urban centres resilient to human settlement.

Speaking at the opening session of the Ghana Urban Forum in Accra yesterday, MP Techiman South said the importance of metropolitan, municipal and county assemblies for the overall development of the country cannot be overemphasized.

“As the ministry responsible for coordinating the implementation of urban development policies, we would like to appeal to stakeholders to take responsibility for policies focused on urban development in order to bring about the necessary changes and transform our urban areas,” he said.

He said, “In accordance with Section 12 of the Local Government Act, 2016 (Act 936), I would like to appeal to the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to support the urban development programme in their jurisdictions. Urbanisation creates many opportunities that can change the face of our development.”

The policies he listed included: the Ghana Urban Management Pilot Programme, the Local Government Capacity Support Programme and its successor: the Ghana Secondary Cities Support Programme and the Ghana Urban Mobility and Accessibility Project.

The other projects are the Greater Accra Resilient Development Project and Participatory Slum Upgrading Project, Tamale Urban Resilient Project and Sustainable Cities Project – Phase one.

He said the impact of these interventions was increased revenues, better solid waste management, local economic development, improved mobility and accessibility, improved living conditions in slums, improved infrastructure and service delivery and ultimately improved living conditions.

He reiterated the government’s commitment to holistic urban development to address the problems affecting urban centres due to rural-urban migration.

The UN Permanent Coordinator in Ghana, Dr Charles Abani, said the need to address urbanisation is important because it cuts across all issues, including the fight against crime.

Dr Abani said the government must take vulnerable groups into account in its policies because “the future undoubtedly belongs to cities and we need to prepare for it and not be caught by surprise”.

Catherine Lynch, senior urban specialist at the World Bank in Ghana, said Ghana needs to focus on climate resilience, land efficiency and closing the service delivery gap between the poor and rich.

The Forum, with the theme “Enriching Roots, Developing the Future: Connecting Policies and Partnerships for Urban Resilience and Transformation”, is an open platform where representatives from many stakeholders come together to discuss important issues related to urban development and governance and to share a common vision for sustainable urban development.

The meeting was attended by representatives of ministries, departments, agencies, non-governmental organisations, civil society organisations, the private sector, development partners and traditional authorities.