THE government is streamlining its financial and information management systems to enhance better co-ordination and sound economic management.
The exercise, which is in line with international best practice, would strengthen efforts at performance management, capacity building, investment and development management, co-ordination, as well as harmonising donor and government flows to local government.
President John Evans Atta Mills announced this in a speech read on his behalf at the third regional minister’s conference, which opened in Ho yesterday on the theme, “The Better Ghana Agenda: Achievements, Challenges and the Way Forward”.
He commended the regional ministers for the in interest shown in the evolution of the District Development Facility for financing development in their respective regions.
Prof. Mills said often energy and resources had been invested in reforming some social initiatives such as the National Youth Employment Programme, School Feeding Programme, Medium and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) facility and the National Health Insurance Scheme.
He urged them to reflect on the agenda set by the municipal and district chief executives at a similar conference and support the assemblies to set up creative programmes to educate the people on waste management, sanitation and climate change.
President Mills urged the regional ministers to adopt innovative ways of employment creation and improving the quality of education delivery including eradicating the shift system, increasing local development financing through improved locally generated revenues and funds leveraged through public-private partnerships.
He tasked the regional ministers to foster a team approach to political administration and governance in their regions, prioritise performance management and strengthen monitoring, co-ordination and evaluation efforts to be on top of issues in their regions.
“This is no time to be complacent because the challenges to our authority are from within as well as outside the party family,” he stressed.
He charged them to apply a higher sense of urgency towards duty and to offer firm but sensitive and responsive leadership.
The outgoing chairman of conference of regional ministers, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, said there had been significant improvement in the socio-economic well-being of the people arising out of the implementation of the recommendations of previous conferences.
According to him, the construction of classroom blocks, dormitories, science laboratories and ICT, improvement in agriculture, and youth employment were some of the achievements.
The Volta Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Amenowode, who is the incoming chairman, said the conference would identify challenges so far and strategise for the way forward towards a second term of office.
The Agbogbomefia of Asogli, Togbe Afede XIV, in a speech read on his behalf, urged the ministers to lay emphasis on equitable development because it was important and essential for promoting peace and unity.
He said self-congratulatory slogans would not form the basis for evaluating their performance but the fulfilment of pledges they made to the very discerning majority of the people after success at elections and the assumption of political power.
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