Global Communities promote City-to-City visit among metropolitan assemblies

Sekondi (W/R), May 21, GNA - The Institute of Local Government in collaboration with Global Communities has introduced the City-to-City Exchange programmes among the five Metropolitan Assemblies to enable them to share ideas and implement best practices to improve local governance.

Mr. Frederick Agyarko Oduro, the Project Coordinator, said studies had shown that the five metropolitan assemblies had some developmental challenges in common, therefore, sharing ideas and learning from each other was imperative.

He said the exchange of visits and fora by the assemblies would also serve as platforms to evaluate performance, share information as well as introduce citizen engagement strategies in deepening the decentralization concept.

Mr. Oduro was speaking at a visit of some selected officers from Kumasi, Accra, Tamale and Tema Metropolitan assemblies to the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly to learn and share ideas.

The Inclu City programme, being implemented with funds from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is aimed at increasing constructive participation of slum residents in governance and ensure inclusive planning and budgeting processes, and building on the capacities of the assemblies to generate revenue.

Mr. Oduro said the project would continue to give training, technical assistance and knowledge management adding, 'Although the project ends in 2015, the ILGS is ready to provide the necessary technical backstop to ensure the success of the various activities.

Mr. Henry Owusu, STMA Development Planner, said the STMA had all it took to become a 'King City' and entreated investors to do business in the metropolis.

Captain Retired. Anthony Cudjoe, STMA Chief Executive Officer, expressed gratitude to the initiators of the project for playing a pivotal role in ensuring that best institutional governance was achieved.

He said such exchanges must be used to discuss practical issues and develop comprehensive strategies to deal with issues such as waste management, development control, traffic management, revenue generation, fire outbreaks and others such developmental issues militating against effective local governance.

The MCE also mention that the STMA had won 500,000 US dollars grant from the IBM to implement automated revenue management system.

He said the exchange programme had helped in solving waste management and revenue mobilization issues.

GNA