Alhaji Mohammed Doku who is keenly contesting this year as the President for the National Association of Local Authorities in Ghana (NALAG) says for NALAG to succeed as a tool for decentralization, it must be able to permeate through regional levels and the districts as well.

Alhaji Doku maintained that NALAG as a body must be seen as a very strong force and pivot in which all local government issues should revolve around to better shape decentralization system in the country, but was of the view that the body presently has limitations because it was centralized in Accra.

Alhaji Doku who is also the Municipal Chief Executive for Asunafo North in the Brong Ahafo region averred that for the Association to function as expected, then it was imperative for it to get regional secretariats and satellite offices in the district which at the moment it lacked.

He made this known in an interview with Ghanadistricts.com, during a three day refresher programme organized for all MMDCEs in Accra.

He has therefore disclosed that if he finally gets to head the Association in the next term, he will earnestly work towards the establishment of Regional offices in the first three months, and also get desk offices across-board in all the districts to enhance its operations.

In addition he said, Presiding Members are supposed to be a critical strength behind the administration of every Chief Executive, however he noted that ‘for the past two years, there has been no capacity building programme for Presiding Members and Assembly members.

All things being equal he echoed that if the capacity of Presiding Members is not strengthened it will have a ripple effect on the assembly as a whole.

He therefore made an avowed promise to ensure that at least workshop programmes geared towards equipping and enhancing the capacity of PMs, and Assembly members would be organized periodically for them if he gets the nod as the President of NALAG. 

Jonathan Jeffrey Adjei/Ghanadistricts.com