The Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) is championing proposals towards reforms of the country’s local government system.
The reforms are to ensure inclusive governance and the regulation of post-election behaviour of political parties and effective public service delivery.
Among the proposals by IDEG are the creation of a Council for Land Development and Governance (CLDG) to integrate traditional leaders into the development process, recognising their pivotal role in the societal fabric and the introduction of the Mixed Member Proportional Representation system (MMPR) to enhance the representation of often marginalised groups in local governance.
The School of Continuing and Distance Education (SCDE) of the College of Education at the University of Ghana is collaborating with various partners and institutions for the 75th edition of the Annual New Year School Conference (ANYSC) on the theme: “Nurturing Resilience: Adopting Technology And Embracing Humanism For Sustainable Development”.
Dr Emmanuel Akwetey, Executive Director of IDEG, speaking at panel discussion on “Local Government System, Election 2024, Security and Peace building” at the 75th ANYSC, stated that the reason for the prohibition of political party participation in district-level elections had been defeated.
He said a reform would not only standardise political party participation, but also address the growing disenchantment towards the existing system.
Dr Akwetey also maintained that the need for a broad national consensus on reforming the executive arm of government at the local level and state institutions was paramount, adding that the institutions must effectively translate policies into services that catered for the needs of the populace.
He said the current lack of consensus on the approach to the reforms presented both a challenge and an opportunity between those opposing the involvement of political parties in local government and those advocating for it.
Prof Atsu Ayee, former Dean, Faculty of Social Studies, University of Ghana, called for the building of strong institutions that would be able to deal with the country’s local government issues.
Prof Kofi Quashigah, a law professor, argued that with the current state of the local government structure, allowing political parties to participate at that level would not solve the problem of exclusion of vulnerable groups.
He said it could lead to state capture-political parties capturing state institutions and the economy.
Source: GNA
