KMA enters into partnership with CVRD

Kumasi, April 1, GNA- The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has entered into a partnership with the Cowichan Valley Regional District of (CVRD) of Canada to improve the capacity of its staff and enhance its capacity to brand and market Kumasi as a tourism and investment destination in Ghana. This followed a series of meetings held between officials of the CVRD, Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the KMA in the city of Duncan during a visit by a delegation including Mr Maxwell Kofi Jumah, the Metropolitan Chief Executive to Canada recently.

The delegation was led by Mr Issah Ketekewu, Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development and officials of National Association of Local Authorities (NALAG). The invitation forms part of a six million dollar Africa Local Government Programme (ALG) instituted by the Canadian Government to improve Local government system in Africa.

A statement issued in Kumasi on Thursday said Mr Jumah described Kumasi as a "a city of the future". He said with the construction of the Boankra In-Land Port and greater integration of the ECOWAS Sub-region, Kumasi was strategically located to play a more active role in the socio economic development of Ghana.

Mr Jumah said the administrative machinery of the Assembly and competence of its staff must to be sharpened in order to keep abreast with the challenges. He said it was for this reason that his administration was pursuing linkages with a number of international organisations including the Federation of Canadian Municipalities so as to tap its expertise. "We are glad that the FCM shares our vision and has facilitated our partnership with CVRD, a partnership that holds a lot of promises for capacity building in the area of municipal administration branding and investment promotion", he said.

Mr Jumah said the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) was eagerly looking forward to the return visit by officials of CVRD in about two months time to pave the way for the signing of the necessary protocol agreement to formalize the partnership. The Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive observed that the fact that KMA was the only Assembly invited to Canada alongside the sector Ministry and NALAG for the partnership programme is an indication of its rising international profile.

Officials of the CVRD, which is in the Province of British Columbia also presented the structure, functions and operational strategies of the various departments and units under their Local Government System. The delegation also toured some of the facilities of CVRD including a waste management and recycling unit, a multi-purpose recreational cum sports complex and some industrial establishments.