Let’s Protect The Public Purse – Chief of Staff

The Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, has called on the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to be careful about the misappropriation of funds within the local government service (LGS).

She highlighted that the increased number of financial irregularities in the service is alarming and that various RCCs and MMDAs should treat it as a matter of urgency.

She was speaking at the awards ceremony for outstanding Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs) and Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the 2020 local government service performance contract assessment in Accra.

She remarked, “The infractions captured in the report continue to plague the nation’s finances and as public office holders entrusted with management responsibilities, we must all support the President’s desire to protect the public purse.”

She therefore implored all metropolitan, municipal, and district council executives (MMDCEs) and metropolitan, municipal, district council directors (MMDCDs) to provide transparent and exemplary leadership to drive change and bring development to their respective local areas through the prudent use of resources available to them.

The Head of the local government service Dr. Nana Ato Arthur has also disclosed that poorly performing MMDAs will be sanctioned for underperformance in the service.

This is included in the performance agreement contract signed between regional ministers and their regional co-coordinating directors as well as district chief executives and their respective metropolitan, municipal, and district co-coordinating directors.

He stated that although conflicting, the decision was agreed upon in order to motivate members to achieve better.

He said, “I wish to assure all that once the necessary recommendations are made, I will not hesitate to trigger the clause in the contract for the application of sanctions against the non performing RCCs and MMDAs”.

The Chief of Staff Hon. Akosua Frema Osei-Opare seconded the idea stating that the decision is balanced.

Explaining her stance, she asserted, “This is because rewards and sanctions are the two sides of the same coin and therefore fair if applied to motivate Assemblies that did not perform better.