In government efforts to improve the performance of the local government sector in the country, it has signed a Performance Contract with 16 regional ministers and their respective regional coordinating directors (RCDs).
The 2020 Performance Contract signed in Accra on Friday, 21st February, 2020 by these 16 Regional Ministers and the respective regional directors forms part of government benchmark to assess twir performance.
The Deputy for Local Government and Rural Development, Mr. Kwasi Adjei-Boateng and the Head of Local Government Service, Dr. Nana A to Arthur jointly signed on behalf of the Government of Ghana.
In a speech read on behalf of the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama,pointed out that, the signing of the performance contract is to improve performance d at the local level by providing the Chief Directors with feedback on how well or badly they are faring in their respective regions.
Indicatig that, the contract will provide the platform to discuss needed changes in their behaviour, skills, attitude or knowledge of the job, thus bringing to the fore the strengths and weaknesses of these chief directors.
The Local Government and Rural Development cited how Chief Directors saw their level of performance when results of performance assessment were published.
According to her“When this happens, I expect Regional Ministers to encourage your chief directors and support them to improve on their current performance”.
Adding that, such an act will enhance the career development of these chief Directors, hence will bring about efficiency in the management of the Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs).
The President Hajia Mahama revealed is focused on achieving a Ghana Beyond Aid by economically and socially developing Ghana from the grass root through policies such as the One District, One Factory, One Village-One Dam, One Constituency-One Million Dollars, Planting for Food and Jobs, and Planting for Export and Rural Development.
Though these polices are laudable, she admitted that, they won’t be effective without the supervision of the RCCs through the coordination, backing, monitoring and evaluation of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) programmes and activities to drive the process.
Therefore, it is of importance and timely to employ such a key strategy of measuring the performance of leadership of the RCCs against set indicators towards the achievement of these policies, she acknowledged.
With regards to the creation of new regions and districts, she admitted that, it has come with additional responsibilities for local government professionals that they are expected to use innovative ideas to transform the new RCCs and MMDAs from their infant status to a desired economically viable institutions they desire for.
She therefore used the ocassion to urge the Office of the Head of Local Government Service to as a matter of urgency, develop special indicators to measure the performance of these new RCCs and MMDAs to challenge them to the higher responsibilities that we desire them to assume.
And also charged the Regional Ministers as well as the RCDs to work hard and tirelessly to change the perception by a section of the public that, Local Government Service was incompetent and insensitive to the needs of their people.
Based on this, she noted, ” I am convinced that it is with a view to changing this negative perception that your targets were selected for the various thematic areas of your performance agreement.”
On his part, the Head of Local Government Service, Dr Nana Ato Arthur explained that, the performance contract was to support high level leadership and accountability by the Local Government Service.
Performance, he stressed is critical in creating a committed workforce needed to support Local and National Development efforts.
Some challenges performance contracts he noted have been solved such as slow delivery of services, inefficient use of resources, disunity among employees, employee dissatisfaction and duplication of roles and duties.
Therefore called on the Regional Ministers and their respective Chief Directors not to see the Performance contract as a tool for assessing the performance of RCDs but also as a mechanism for assessing progress of general governance of respective RCCs.
Source: www.thenewindependentonline.com/ Ishmael Barfi/ senghana@gmail.com
