Member of Parliament (MP) for Ablekuma South, Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, has called for a major change in the country’s governance system.
According to him, the only way to ensure development and growth at the grassroots level is to empower local government systems to take control of essential services, such as school construction and waste management.
“The local government system must be strengthened to work for the country, that’s when development happens. Let them take the funds, build schools, and handle waste collection and disposal. Let the government system work,” he said.
The former Mayor of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) didn’t see the need for a separate Ministry of Water and Sanitation when financial assistance and power can be vested into local assemblies to deliver, suggesting that the responsibilities currently handled by ministries should be transferred to local assemblies. “We have assemblies everywhere, so why do we need a ministry? Empower the assemblies to collect their refuse,” he argued.
When asked in an interview on Happy98.9 FM’s Epa Hoa Daben Show, if Ghanaians will experience a new era of effective local governance system under the administration of John Dramani Mahama, Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije told Bismark Brown, ” I believe so because of the experience we have had before; we will bring it to bear.”
He expressed concern over the current governance structure, where essential local functions have been shifted to ministries and effectively bypassing the local assemblies. This top-down approach, he stated, ruins the role of local authorities and weakens their ability to address issues in their communities.
By: Miriam Akuetteh
