She said the institute was a strategic partner to the government and must, therefore, play a strategic role and function in the growth and development agenda of the government.

The minister made the call when she inaugurated an 11-member council of the institute in Accra yesterday and charged them to work hard in order to position the institute at its rightful place.

Council members

The council has Naba Moses Abaare Appiah IV, Binaba, of the Bawku Traditional Area as its Chairman.

It also has Mr Kwame Anyimadu Antwi, Ms Agnes Talata Chiravira and Rev. Mrs Eva Asare Bediako as government appointees.

Other members are the Director of the Institute of Local Government Studies, Dr Dadson Awunyo-Vitor; a representative of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC); Mr Jonathan Azasoo, a representative of the National Association of Local Authorities in Ghana Mr Kokro Amankwah; and a representative of the Public Service Commission, Dr Lawrence A Kannae.

The rest are Dr Stephen Nana Ato Arthur and Alhaji Yar Ishaq Alhassan from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) and Prof. Imoro Braimah from the National Council for Tertiary Education.

Diverse background

Hajia Mahama indicated that the ILGS was established with the aim of training members of the regional coordinating councils, district assemblies and lower local government units.

She emphasised that the ILGS was the only institution in Ghana that was devoted to building the capacity of the local government authorities to plan, coordinate, manage and execute policies.

The role of the ILGS was, therefore, extremely important, she observed, and urged the council to address the key challenges of the institute, including the inadequate support from some key stakeholders and the limited number of professionals on the staff.

Government subvention

The minister also said the institute had operated without government subvention, as well as critical investment, to perform the range of functions spelt out in the law establishing it she, therefore, charged the council members to rise above the challenges and provide support for the overall policy direction of the institute.

“Your membership of the council is to tap into your expertise and experiences to ensure that management upholds high standards in the performance of their duties so that the institute stays relevant and competitive,” she observed.

The chairman of the council, on behalf of other members, expressed appreciation to the President for the confidence reposed in them and assured all Ghanaians that they would work diligently to ensure that the objectives for which the institute was set up would be met.