NGO organises validation meeting

Tamale, Aug. 14, GNA - SEND-Ghana in collaboration with the Institute of Local Government Studies on Wednesday held a validation meeting on the draft guidelines of managing Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) regarding their relationship with the Civil Society Organisations CSOs.

The meeting was also meant to review the draft guidelines on managing the relations between MMDAS and the CSOs so as to deepen the decentralisation in the country and empowering local structures to cater for their development needs.

The event was on the theme: 'Maximizing the participation of non state actors in local governance for increased accountability, transparency and responsiveness'.

Mr Simon Boker, Dean, Management Development and Training at the Institute of Local Government Studies, said the draft guidelines would inform MMDAs on how to go about formulating and implementing their governance and management arrangement with the CSOs.

He said local government was required to partner with the CSOs for regular interactions to enhance the quality of life and the involvement of people in the local governance process.

He said, 'As part of the National Decentralization Policy framework of 2010, it has become necessary that a deliberate effort was made to capture the areas of partnership and collaboration between MMDs and CSOs'.

Mr Boker said the CSOs and MMDAs would be able to engage on policy matters and other relevant issues to successfully deploy their specialised skills towards the developmental efforts of their localities.

He said some of the benefits of the guidelines were to reduce alienation of CSOs and citizens especially at the District Assemblies level.

He said it was to increase levels of transparency and accountability particularly from the local authorities.     

Mr John Nkaw, Northern Regional programme Officer of SEND-Ghana, said the traditional leaders and civil society have roles to play in the conduct of local governance in the MMDAs draft guidelines.

He said it was a challenge for traditional leaders and CSOs to be involved in local administration of the MMDAs for the past few years.

GNA