Vice President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday called on political stakeholders to consider the election of District, Municipal and Metropolitan Chief Executives (MMDCEs) as the panacea for the
ailing decentralization programme.
"If we have to push decentralization to its logical conclusion, then we must begin to take a look at the election of District, Municipal and
Metropolitan Chief Executives, where the people on the ground will be given the opportunity to choose their own leaders."
Vice President Mahama made this call when he launched a book "Local Government and Decentralization in Ghana" authored by Mr. Kwamena Ahwoi, a former Minister of Local Government and Rural Development.
The book, published by UNIMAX Macmillan Publishers, among other issues, highlighted on the processes of decentralization in Ghana, its benefits, problems and challenges and various systems adopted by various governments to entrench and enhance its development in Ghana.
The book is also being toasted as a handbook of students and researchers in the academia and other realms of political development.
The Vice President said although the original objective of decentralization was to enhance development in all the districts, certain
areas needed to be reviewed to give meaning to the policy.
He named some of the areas to be reviewed as the Local Government Service Act, the practice of local governance and the reduction or abolishing of District Assemblies Common Fund retention.
"It is when these areas are reviewed to fit into the socio-economic demands of the country that decentralization will achieve its aims and
objectives in the country."
Vice President Mahama said the government would also adopt transparent methods such as the publication of expenditure of the District Assemblies Common Fund and pursue the remunerations of the Assembly staff to ensure
quality performance on the ground.
He regretted that years after the decentralization programme in the country, some districts were still struggling to be viable in terms of generation of funds on sustainable basis.
Mr. Kwamena Ahwoi, author of the book, said he was inspired by former President John Jerry Rawlings to go into documentations of local government and decentralization programmes as Ghana under him was a pioneer in the policy.
He commended various tertiary institutions, government Ministries, Departments and Agencies for providing him ample information to bring the
book into fruition and called on public servants to offer adequate support for people engaged in research to enrich the socio-economic debate of the country.
"I am very grateful to all the politicians, Directors and even all those who refused to offer me information for their indulgence to the
realization of my dream."
Dr. Esther Ofei- Aboagye, Director of the Institute of Local Government, who reviewed the book, gave the assurance that it would help
enrich the knowledge of students and researchers and serve as a guide to politicians.
She said the achievements, problems and challenges enumerated in the book would sufficiently equip countries yet to adopt the decentralization programme as part of their democratic dispensation.
Other speakers at the launch include; Professor Yaw Agyeman- Badu, Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration
(GIMPA) and Mr. Eddie Addo, Chief Executive Officer of the UNIMAX Macmillan Publishers.
ZOOMLION Ghana Limited bought the first copy for GHC 10,000.00, while Alhaji Asuma Banda bought a copy for GHC 5,000.00.
The Office of the Vice President and many other private institutions and individuals also bought copies for GH1,000.00 each.