Assembly members schooled on policy formulation

Tema, May 13, GNA - The Corporate Social Responsibility Movement (CSRM), an Environmental NGO has suggested to the Tema Municipal Assembly to set up a Desk in the Assembly to handle issues raised in the Acre Report on the Chemu Lagoon.

The Acres report is a feasibility report on the resuscitation of the Chemu Lagoon, and according to the Executive Secretary of the CSRM, Richster Nii Amarfio, since the report was issued in 1998, nothing has been done about it.

Following the deplorable state of the Chemu Lagoon. the government requested the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct a research into it and commissioned an International Consultant to take up the task.

He was addressing the Executive and Environmental/Sanitation committees of the TMA at a three-day workshop organised by the Movement to educate the participants on policy formulation of some pertinent issues like that of the environment.

With sponsorship from the Fredrich Ebert Stiftung, the workshop was to help build capacity of members to understand law making and policy formulation, so that they could come out with relevant laws to handle the report.

He called for the collaboration of Members of Parliament in the Municipality, Municipal Chief Executive, EPA, Industries and the Kpone and Tema Traditional Authorities to discuss the possible way forward on the policy.

A legal practitioner with the Legal Resources Centre, Mr Rowland Atta-Kesson, reminded members on the Rule, Opportunity, Capacity, Communication, Interest Process and Ideology (ROCCIPI) as a guide in making laws.

He said in enacting laws, there was the need to put the necessary tools in place to create the awareness, consider the interest and ideologies of the people and ensure that there is compliance.