Regional Minister inaugurates Sub-Metro council

Accra, Nov. 11, GNA- Mr. I .C Quaye, Greater Accra Regional Minister on Monday called on members of the sub-metropolitan district council to work assiduously to foster development in the capital city. He noted that government, on it part would continue to provide the necessary resources to the district assemblies but such assistance depends largely on what the assemblies themselves generate. Mr. I. C.Quaye made the call when he inaugurated the Ayawaso Central Sub-Metro District Council in Accra.

He said, considering the complexity in the management of the city, there was the need to establish and strengthen the sub-structures of the assemblies to enable them to play an effective role in the decentralisation process.

Mr. Quaye said the decentralisation divested the centre of implementation of policies and transferred them to the district level adding," this is meant to promote popular grassroots participation in the administration of the districts planning, monitoring and delivery of services to improve living conditions of the people."

He also said that the move was to empower the sub-metropolitan districts council to perform delegated functions of the assemblies to ensure that, management and the administration of the capital city was a shared responsibility.

The council is mandatory to ensure the maintenance of good sanitation and the collection of relevant revenue data for the effective revenue generation, Mr. Quaye said.

As part of the fiscal decentralization process, the sub-district structures are mandated to retain 50 per cent of all internally generated revenue for their operations, he added.

He urged the sub-district council to undertake effective public education on environmental hygiene, supervise and monitor the operations of various contractors and agencies involved in waste disposal and enforce the sanitation bye-law.

Mr. Quaye noted that although the revenue collection in the Metropolis was gradually improving, much would be achieved with active assistance of the sub-metro district council.

The Minister announced that to ensure speedy work, the Ministry had procured quantities of equipment for the 13 sub-metro districts in the Metropolis.