Accra, Sept. 1, GNA - Mr. Joseph Yieleh Chireh, Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, on Tuesday charged the Local Government Service Council to boost decentralisation by recommending practicable programmes required for the needed change. The Service was established by the Local Government Act, 2003, Act 656, to provide technical assistance to District Assemblies and Regional Coordinating Councils to enable them to function effectively and discharge their duties.

Inaugurating the 15-member board on Tuesday, Mr. Yieleh Chireh said: "You would also be required to set standards within which District Assemblies and Regional Coordinating Councils shall carry out their functions and discharge their duties."

Mr. Akwasi Oppong-Fosu, Acting Head of the Service, praised the former Board for its pioneering efforts in institutionalising the Service by coming out with a Scheme of Service, Strategic Development Plan, Communication Strategy and an 11-room office block. "I further wish to commend the previous Council for going further to support the Assemblies to establish a number of departments required by Act 462 all in furtherance of the decentralisation agenda," he added. Mr. Francis Andan, Chairman of the Council, thanked the government for the trust reposed in him and the members and pledged to work for the betterment of local governance in the country.

In an interview with the GNA, Nana Rex Owusu-Ansah, former Head of the Service, cited financial constraint as the major problem of the Service and urged government to provide it with the needed resources for the service to discharge its duties effectively.

He urged civil servants to see themselves as a major player in the decentralisation process and work towards it since it was one of the main tenets of democracy.

Nana Owusu-Ansah called for the passage of the legislative instrument that would enable the required resources and personnel to be sent to the districts without hitches.