Ministry set up units to check corruption

The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development is to set up internal audit units to check corrupt practices in the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies.

Sector minister, Charles B. Bintin, told journalists in Accra on Tuesday that local government was no more immune to the dangers of loss from thefts, frauds and corrupts practices than any other organization.

He, therefore, stated that it was essential that every assembly be seen to take strong action to safeguard its resources and its reputation against those practices.

Mr Bintim said his outfit is collaborating with the Internal Audit Agency Board and the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to institute the audit units.

He said release of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) was characterized with delays, which affected the work of the districts and in an attempt to solve that problem, the government had been prompt this year by releasing the first three quarters of the fund as at the end of October.

The total amount for the first three quarters is ¢701.917 billion. On the sub-structures, the minister stated that the sub-metropolitan councils had been increased from 13 to 31 and a Legislative Instrument had been passed to add some executive functions to their administrative functions.

Mr Bintim said to make the sub-metropolitan councils more manageable and functional, Deputy Chief Executives were going to be appointed soon as provided for in the Legislative Instruments (LIs) to achieve the objective.

He disclosed that with the support and collaboration of the Electoral Commission (EC), the unit committees whose numbers and membership were unwieldy would be reduced from a total figure of 16,000 to 5,000 and members of a unit committee reduced from 15 to seven.