Newly created Districts have no key staff

Tumu (UW), April 28, GNA - Madam Grace Yenneh, Gender and Organisational Development Officer of District Capacity Building Projects (DISCAP) has appealed to the government to give a special concession to newly created District Assemblies to have a solid development foundation.

She said while most of them lack basic infrastructure such as offices and residential accommodation, many more were without key officers that would help put them on sound development footing. Madam Yenneh, who was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after she had inspected some of the newly created Districts in the Upper West Region said most of the Districts were also without any four-wheel vehicles.

She said Wa West, Wa East and Sissila West District were without key staff such as planning officers, budget officers and to some extent auxiliary staff that could help in the development of their Districts. The Gender Officer said of the newly created Districts were given qualified and experienced staff coupled with good infrastructure they would rise up to the occasion to meet the developmental needs of their various Assemblies.

Madam Yenneh said while DISCAP would continue to support the District Assemblies to make maximum use of the available resources, it behoved on the government to give special attention to the newly created ones to enhance development.

"You cannot believe it that in most cases personnel who have worked for long in the District Assemblies as clerical officers now hold sensitive schedules such as planning and budgeting officers which is supposed to be the preserve of professionals".

The Gender Officer further appealed to women to take up responsible positions by contesting in the forthcoming District level elections. "If you do not make any effort to involve yourself in the development drive of your area, you cannot expect others (men) to dig you out of your hideouts to give you positions.."