President John Dramani Mahama has underscored the importance of effective district administration to the overall development of the country.
He said if investments in local governance were made wisely, the country would have secured national progress for generations to come.
President Mahama made this observation in Accra yesterday when he swore into office the Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) in line with Article 252(4) of the 1992 Constitution.
Extolling the qualities of the new Administrator, Michael Harry Yamson, to efficiently manage the Fund, President Mahama said beyond the need for competent administration of the Fund, government recognises that timely, efficient and adequate disbursement of resources was critical to the success of local governance.
It is with this understanding that President Mahama said a firm commitment has been to remit at least 80 per cent of DACF allocations directly to the districts.
“In the past, in some cases, as much as 47 per cent was disbursed from the centre leaving very little at the discretion of the assemblies,” he bemoaned.
The new approach, he said, was designed to eliminate unnecessary delays, reduce bureaucratic inefficiencies, and empower local authorities to plan and execute development projects with certainty.
“By strengthening the financial autonomy of the district assemblies, we are not only enforcing the constitutional principle of decentralisation and equitable development but we are also ensuring that communities receive the resources they need to drive economic growth, infrastructure expansion and essential public services,” the President emphasized.
Government, he said was committed to instituting robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to ensure that the fund allocations were used effectively and transparently.
“Our objective is to ensure that every cedi is accounted for and directed towards projects that improve the lives of our citizens.
Collaboration with stakeholders to enhance oversight to restore public confidence in the DACF and maximise its impact, he noted was a driver of equitable development, job creation and improved service delivery.
“By strengthening Decentralisation, we’ll ensure that every region receives the necessary support to thrive fostering national progress and shared prosperity,” he said and tasked Mr Yamson to deliver on his mandate.
In his acceptance speech, Mr Yamson said his focus would be to reduce inequality in development and help deprived communities in the areas of health, education, provision of water amongst others.
Having already secured parliamentary approval, Mr Yamson said “we are almost done with the formula for 2025 and we have crossed the 80 per cent mark”.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
