A new study by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has revealed that more than 76 per cent of citizens support the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).
It said that although there was broad support for the election of MMDCEs, there was no consensus on whether the process should be partisan or non-partisan.
Engagement
The Programmes Manager and Team Lead for Security Sector, Local and Urban Governance at CDD-Ghana, Paul Kwabena Aborampah Mensah, announced this at a stakeholder engagement on resetting Ghana’s local governance system for enhanced effectiveness in Tamale.
The engagement was organised by CDD-Ghana with support from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) as part of efforts to generate knowledge to inform ongoing local government reform discussions and implementation.
It brought together policymakers, civil society organisations, technical experts and the media to deliberate on reforms to improve the effectiveness of Ghana’s local governance system.
Reforms
Mr Mensah said concerns remained over proposed reforms to the electoral system.
He explained that the Constitution Review Commission’s recommendation to pilot MMDA elections in selected districts, particularly those with larger populations, while maintaining the current system in others, had not been well received.
He said many stakeholders and citizens had raised concerns that the selective approach could create inconsistency and inequality in local governance.
Mr Mensah observed that the findings strongly supported growing public demand for the election of MMDCEs on a non-partisan basis.
“Across multiple studies by institutions such as CDD-Ghana, Afrobarometer and others, citizens continue to clamour for the election of MMDCEs as a way to enhance accountability at the local level,” he stated.
Accountability
Mr Mensah said the current appointive system weakened accountability, as MMDCEs tended to be more answerable to the central government than to residents, whom they are supposed to serve.
He said the research findings further revealed that limited financial capacity remained a major constraint on effective local governance at the MMDA level.
In addition, he said, the study called for the full devolution of staffing to assemblies, enabling them to recruit and manage their own personnel to improve discipline and performance.
Mr Mensah noted that another major concern identified was the weak functioning of sub-district structures, including unit committees and area councils.
He urged the government to invest in training, logistics and better integration of these bodies into the local governance system.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh