Akufo-Addo to sack MMDCEs who fail to implement gov’t agenda
The president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has sounded a word of caution, that he would not hesitate to dismiss Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) who fail to execute the government’s development agenda satisfactorily in their respective localities.
The President sounded the warning to the MMDCEs when he delivered the keynote address at an orientation for them in Accra on Tuesday, October 26.
The four-day intensive programme would see the confirmed Chief Executives taken through good communications skills, revenue mobilisation, the Local Governance Act (2016), Act 936, among others.
Cautioning them, he said, “I will not hesitate to disappoint any MMDCE who does not live up to expectations.”
The president explained that the “best efforts of the president and the ministers of State will be considerably undermined if you [MMDCEs] responsible for local government do not perform creditably.”
He went further to say that the MMDCEs are therefore to acquaint themselves with every development project by the government, rather than give excuses of not being aware of such projects in their localities.
He warned them, saying, “all government initiatives at the local level come within your purview, whether you initiated them or not. So, the argument that you’re not aware of or are not responsible for government initiatives in your localities will not wash with me.”
The president, therefore, asked them, to familiarise themselves with everything whether of your making or not, adding that a chief executive who is indifferent or unaware of government activities in their area is not a suitable chief executive.
With this said, Nana Akufo-Addo charged the MMDCEs to implement measures that would make them self-reliant, and increase Internally Generated Funds (IGF) to support their own initiatives, and lead the transformation of the local economy.
“You’d not make the progress you should if all your development programmes are solely dependent on the modest sums you get from the common fund allocation,” he said.
He also remarked that the local areas were the target for all the programmes set forth in 2017 that the government continues to implement for the growth and transformation of the Ghanaian economy.
“Planting for Food and Jobs, $1 million-One Constituency, One District One Factory (1D1F), One Village One Dam and Agenda 111 policy initiatives like all the other innovative introductions to the economy are all very much local initiatives,” he explained.
The president, nonetheless, assured them of the timely release of the District Assemblies Common Fund and advised them to improve the Internally Generated Funds (IGF) and use them judiciously.
So far, out of the 261 nominees, 250 have been approved by the Assemblies, with 11 more nominees are yet to be approved.
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