Ahmed Ibrahim, the Minister-designate for Local Government, has pledged to drive significant economic transformation in districts across the country, ensuring that all communities experience meaningful growth.
Speaking during his vetting before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Tuesday, January 21, Mr. Ibrahim highlighted his commitment to fostering grassroots economic development as part of President John Dramani Mahama’s agenda for equitable progress.
“Our nation’s prosperity is rooted in vibrant local economies,” he remarked. “I am fully committed to ensuring that every district witnesses real economic improvement through targeted initiatives.”
According to Mr. Ibrahim, his ministry will focus on empowering local businesses, creating jobs, and improving infrastructure as core pillars of this agenda.
He stressed the importance of working collaboratively with key stakeholders to identify and develop the unique opportunities within each district. “Engaging district assemblies, traditional leaders, and the private sector will be critical in unlocking the economic potential of our communities,” he explained.
Ahmed Ibrahim also underscored his alignment with President Mahama’s vision of decentralised governance and inclusive development.
“My priority is to advance the President’s vision of equitable growth and to build strong, self-reliant communities,” he added. “Together, we will enhance living standards and create resilient districts across the country.”
The minister-designate assured the Committee that his leadership would focus on practical solutions to address economic disparities while fostering innovation and collaboration at the local level.
South Korea made a new rule to stop killing and selling dogs for food by 2027.
The law wants to stop people from eating dog meat, which has been happening for hundreds of years.
People don’t like to eat dog meat as much as they used to. Young people don’t like it.
According to the law, it will be illegal to raise or kill dogs for food, and it will also be illegal to sell or distribute dog meat. People who are proven to have done wrong could be put in jail.
People who kill dogs could go to jail for three years, and those who raise dogs for meat or sell dog meat could go to jail for up to two years. However, people will still be allowed to eat dog meat.
The new law will start in three years, so farmers and restaurant owners have time to find other jobs and ways to make money. They need to give a plan to stop their businesses to their local government.
The government said they will help dog meat farmers, butchers, and restaurants that have to close. But they haven’t figured out exactly how they will help yet.
In 2023, the government said South Korea had about 1,600 places to eat dog meat and 1,150 places that breed dogs for meat.
Some older South Koreans like to eat boshintang, a stew made with dog meat. But young people don’t like to eat it anymore.
A survey by Gallup last year found that only 8% of people said they had eaten dog meat in the past year, which is a lot less than the 27% who said they had in 2015. Less than 20% of people said they liked eating the meat.
On Tuesday afternoon in Seoul, in a small street with many restaurants that serve dog meat, a few older people were eating the stew. There was a big difference between the older and younger people.
Kim Seon-ho, who is 86 years old, felt sad because of the ban. “We have been eating this since the Middle Ages. ” He asked, “Why won’t they let us eat our usual food. ” “If you stop people from eating dog, you should also stop them from eating beef. ”
Lee Chae-yeon, who is 22 years old, said that the ban is important for protecting animals. She said that many people have pets now. Dogs are part of our family and it’s not good to eat them.
Governments before, since the 1980s, promised to stop selling dog meat, but didn’t succeed. The current President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee love animals. The couple has six dogs, and Ms. Kim wants people to stop eating dogs.
Animal rights groups are happy that the ban they wanted has been approved in Tuesday’s vote.
Jung Ah Chae, who runs the Humane Society in Korea, was surprised that the ban happened while she was alive. She said she is sad for the millions of dogs that didn’t benefit from this change earlier, but she is happy that South Korea can now start to be more friendly to dogs.
People who raise dogs for meat were trying to stop the ban. They said that because fewer young people are interested in it, the tradition should be allowed to fade away on its own. Lots of old farmers and restaurant owners said it would be hard for them to change jobs at their age.
A farmer who raises dogs, Joo Yeong-bong, told the BBC that the industry is in a very bad state.
“In 10 years, the industry will be gone. ” He said that because we are in our 60s and 70s, we don’t have a choice but to lose our jobs. He also said that this is taking away our freedom to eat what we want.
A 60-year-old woman named Mrs. Kim, who owns a restaurant that serves dog meat, told the BBC that she was upset about the ban. She thinks it’s because more people in South Korea are keeping pets.
Nowadays, many young people are not getting married. Instead, they consider their pets as part of their family. However, they still understand that pets need to eat their own food. She said we should be okay with eating dog meat, as long as the dogs are raised and killed in a clean place.
She added, “China and Vietnam eat dogs, so why are we stopping people from doing it. “
The local government is telling people to stay away from the dangerous green mamba snake, which is about 6 to 6. 5 feet long
If someone gets bitten by the snake, they should call for emergency help right away, the spokesperson said.
The tropical snake likes warm and dark places. The spokesperson said it’s unlikely that the snake has left its owner’s house to be in the cold winter in the Netherlands.
There are three kinds of green mamba snakes that come from Africa. One lives in the east and south, another in the west, and another in the middle. The person from the local government didn’t say what kind of snake is missing.
This shy snake lives in trees and has venom that can kill fast, but it usually doesn’t hurt people. It likes to eat birds, small animals, and lizards.
A 10-year-old boy passed away from an electric shock at a hotel by the sea in Blackpool, the police have confirmed.
The incident occurred on Sunday night at Tiffany’s Hotel, and the emergency services were informed and came to the location.
He went to the hospital and was in very serious condition but passed away yesterday with his family present.
The police in Lancashire said that a young boy has passed away after something happened at a hotel in Blackpool.
We received a call at 10. 39pm on Sunday about a ten-year-old boy who was found unconscious in a hotel at the Promenade in Blackpool.
He was brought to the hospital with injuries which suggest he had been exposed to a powerful electrical charge. Unfortunately, he passed away in the hospital on Thursday, September 7.
His family was near him in the hospital and we are sending good wishes to them right now.
The police looked into the incident and now the local government is handling it.
The coroner needs to create a file now.
A person who speaks for Tiffany’s Hotel said: “We are very sad about what happened when a child got shocked on Sunday evening in our reception lounge. ” We are thinking of the child and their family during this sad time.
We want to make sure everyone knows that keeping our guests and team members healthy and safe is the most important thing to us. We have decided to close temporarily so we can inspect everything ourselves.
‘We are still accepting phone calls and we are cooperating closely with the Blackpool Council and local enforcement to help with their investigation. ‘
At least nine passengers travelling in a commercial vehicle along the Emohua Local Government axis of the East-West road in Rivers State were kidnapped on the night of Wednesday, November 2, 2022.
A source from one of the communities in the area, who confirmed the incident said the abduction took place at the boundary between Evekwu and Rumuodogo in Emohua Local Government Area.
The source said policemen from the nearest Elibrada Police Division arrived late at the scene after the hoodlums had diverted their victims into a nearby bush.
This is the second of such attacks this week.
On Tuesday, hoodlums reportedly blocked the same axis of the road to rob commercial passengers of their belongings.
The Rivers State Police Command is yet to comment on both incidents.
However, several sources claimed there is now an agitation for the return of a local vigilante group in the area which was disbanded by local government authorities
The Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Mr Daniel Botwe, has said the implementation of the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) project will complement Ghana’s pro-poor policies.
Cross section of Participants
According to him, it would reduce inequality, foster economic growth and create the needed jobs to empower the youth in the beneficiary districts and municipalities.
He said some interventions, especially the Medium Term National Development Policy Framework (2022-2025) and the Ghana@100 vision, rolled out by the government had been contributing significantly to the progress of the country, and the implementation of the SOCO project was going to add value to it.
The Minister made this known in his keynote address at a three-day orientation and sensitisation programme on the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions SOCO project held in Bolgatanga of the Upper East Region here on Friday.
The project is a multi-country US$450 million credit facility secured by the government of Ghana from the World Bank to be implemented in Ghana and three other West African countries; including Cote d’Ivoire, Togo and Benin.
The SOCO project aims at providing support to the northern parts of the Gulf of Guinea countries considered as the worst hit by fragilities following food insecurity, climate change, conflict, and violence.
Of the total amount of money, MrBotwe disclosed that Ghana through the Ministry of Local Government had received US$150 million, and the project was going to be implemented in six regions of the country;Oti Region, Savannah, Northern, Upper West, Upper East and North East Regions.
“For almost a decade, the living conditions of the over 16 million people living in the northern parts of Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo have been threatened by the spread of conflict from the Sahel, which has led to increased vulnerability to the impacts of climate change.
“These external pressures of conflict and climate change, as well as the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, have compounded challenges of poverty, exclusion, and weak governance”, MrBotwe indicated as he justified the selection of the beneficiary countries.
In Ghana, he said 48 Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the six regions were selected to benefit from the project, explaining that those MMDAs had been chosen premised on climate vulnerability, exposure to security risk, poverty incidence and unemployment rate.
He, therefore, challenged the various Regional Coordinating Directorates (RCCs) under the care of the respective Regional Ministers to ensure routined monitoring of the MMDAs for effective and efficient implementation of the project.
This, he noted, would inure to the benefit of the people in the beneficiary regions since the objectives of the project would undoubtedly culminate in improved livelihoods of the citizenry.
The Minister also charged all other relevant stakeholders to contribute towards a successful implementation of the project as it was anticipated to deliver an estimated 1,406 socio-economic community-level climate resilient infrastructure via community-driven development approach.
A Project Implementation Manual (PIM), he said, had been prepared to serve as a guide for an efficient and effective project implementation and management.
He reiterated the vision of president Nana AddoDankwaAkufo-Addo towards the rapid socio-economic development of the districts and municipalities, stressing that “the vision of the President regarding Local Governance and Decentralisation is to ensure that the living conditions of the citizenry are improved through the formulation of appropriate policies at the local level”.
The SOCO project is going to be executed under four components in the selected MMDAs in the country. These include; Investing in Community Resilience and Inclusion; Building Foundation and Capacity for Inclusive and Resilient Communities; Regional Coordination Platform and Dialogue; and Project Management.
Several terrorists reached their early graves and others were severely injured after police officers in Katsina State repelled them in Wapa village, Kurfi Local Government Area of the state.
According to police authorities in the state, the incident occurred on Friday at about 0100hrs after a distress call was received that terrorists, numbering twenty-four (24) on motorbikes and shooting sporadically with AK-47 rifles, attacked the village and kidnapped the duo of Aminu Wapa and Wada Sale of Wapa village, Kurfi LGA.
Upon receipt of the information, the State Police Command deployed its tactical teams to the area and engaged the hoodlums in a fierce gun duel.
He said, the State Police Commissioner, CP Idrisu Dabban Dauda, appreciated the efforts of the personnel in repelling the terrorists. He further urged the public to continue to cooperate with security agencies in the ongoing campaign against terrorists in the state.
Mr Moses Jotie, the Wa East District Chief Executive (DCE) has promised the Assembly will support its Unit Committee members to function and facilitate the development of the District.
The DCE promised this based on the observation that the lowest tier of the decentralization system, the Unit Committee, had not received the needed attention from stakeholders.
Mr Jotie who was speaking during the inauguration of the Unit Committees within the Bulenga Area Council in the District, blamed the lack of attention and support on the inactiveness of the Unit Committee members themselves and their weak collaboration with the Area Councils.
“This narrative, I believe is about to change and must change as my office as well as our Presiding Member will work closely to ensure that our Unit Committees become not just functional but effectiveâ€, he said.
“We are positive that we stand to benefit as a people if we support our Unit Committees to succeed as they formed an integral part of the Assembly systemâ€, the DCE added.
On the functions of Unit Committees, Mr Jotie noted that they provided a focal point for the discussion of local problems and made recommendations to the Assembly through the relevant Area Council; and also organised communal and voluntary work especially with sanitation.
They equally mobilized members of the Unit for the implementation of self-help development projects; acted under the guidance of the registrar of Births and Deaths for the registration of births and deaths in the Unit.
Furthermore, they educate the people on their rights, privileges, obligations and responsibilities in consultation with the district office of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE); assist persons assigned by the Area Council to enumerate and keep records of all ratable persons and property; and perform other functions that may be delegated by the Area Council or the District Assembly.
Mr Jotie noted therefore that the Unit Committees were the eyes and ears of the Local Government System and were committed to making the people see them as the first point of call with issues that required the attention of the Assembly.
“This will ensure that we get feedback on our developmental projects and programmes on continues basis as well as enable the Assembly pick up early warning signs to prevent conflictsâ€, he said.
The DCE said the Assembly relied on data for planning and decision making purposes and charged the Unit Committee members to work with the District Planning and Coordinating Unit (DPCU)to undertake the performance review of the District Medium Term Development Plan for 2018-2021 and also prepare the Community Action Plans for the next planning cycle.
Mr Jotie also urged them to work with their respective Assembly members and Traditional Rulers to attract the needed development to the area.
The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) , Hajia Alima Mahama, has given a firm assurance that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government will ensure the partisan election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in its second term in office.
She said when re-elected, the NPP government would activate a process for consensus building towards the amendment of certain constitutional provisions to pave way for MMDCEs to be elected on partisan basis.
The minister stated this at a Meet- the-Press series held in Accra last Friday at which she outlined the achievements of the Local Government Ministry over the past three and a half years.
Manifesto promise
The election of MMDCEs was one of the manifesto promises made by the NPP in the run-up to the 2016 general election.
Upon assumption of power, the government activated processes to keep that promise by ensuring the review of some articles in the 1992 Constitution to pave way for the MMDCEs to be elected.
The articles that were amended were Article 243 (1) on the appointment of MMDCEs by the President and Article 55 (3), which prohibits the involvement of political parties in district level elections.
The process, however, halted after President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo withdrew the bill from Parliament, citing lack of consensus from Ghanaians.
Determined to see through the election of the MMDCEs, the NPP made a fresh promise in its 2020 manifesto that was launched on August 23 to ensure that the Chief Executives of the MMDAs were elected on partisan basis.
Commitment
Throwing more light on that promise, she said the President had demonstrated commitment to fulfilling that promise by clearly putting out a roadmap that saw the referendum for Amendment of Article 55(3) towards the election of MMDCEs:
“A Roadmap to guide the Referendum process for the election of MMDCEs was developed, and following Cabinet approval, stakeholder consultations and sensitisation were conducted across the country and the processes for amendment of relevant provisions of the Constitution (Articles 55(3) and 243) commenced,†she said.
Capacity building
The minister said the government was committed to ensuring popular participation in local democracy which was why it created 44 new municipal and district assemblies and elevated 32 districts to municipal status.
She added that the government had completed 23 office accommodation buildings commenced in April, 2016 for selected MMDAs by December 2017 and constructed 72 administration and assembly blocks.
Apart from the capital projects, the minister said the MLGRD ministry had collaborated with the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS) to conduct a National Orientation and Training Programme (NOTP) for the newly elected and appointed assembly members.
She said 9,079 new assembly members benefitted from the programme.
“Pursuant to Section 18 of the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936), a new Model Standing Orders for MMDAs has been developed,†she said, adding that those initiatives had improved the knowledge base of the assembly members.
Government says it spent over GH¢76 million towards the disinfection, fumigation and cleaning-up of markets, lorry parks and public toilet facilities across the country.
The first phase of the disinfection and clean-up exercises formed part of the government’s response towards preventing the spread of the Coronavirus disease in the country.
Hajia Alima Mahama, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, announced this in Accra when she took her turn of the Meet-the-Press series.
She said the Ministry set up disinfection teams at the local level, disinfected and fumigated more than 2,000 market centres and 2,000 public toilet facilities.
The amount went into purchasing of disinfectants, spraying machines, personal protective gears for sprayers, and other useful items secured for the exercise.
The Minister said the contract for the second phase of disinfection had been signed and would soon begin.
Giving accounts of financial inflows to the MMDAs for development, the Minister explained that GHc4.5 billion was transferred to the 260 Assemblies for infrastructural development including; education, healthcare, water and sanitation facilities and expressed satisfaction over the utilisation and work done so far with the funds by the MMDAs.
She noted the Ministry was mandated to promote good governance, equitable and balanced development across the country and was delivering its mandate through the formulation of policies on rural and urban development and designing systems to monitor the implementation of those projects.
Hajia Mahama assured of government’s unalloyed commitment to implement socio-economic interventions across the country to ameliorate the suffering of the masses, especially the poor and vulnerable.
The Minister indicated that in the second term of the Akufo-Addo led government, it was poised to engage all stakeholders towards building a consensus and amending the entrenched provisions in the 1992 Constitution for the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives on a partisan basis.
That, she said, would enhance transparency and accountability at the local governance set up.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has directed the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to initiate a process to ensure that Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lolobi and Likpe in the Oti Region are joined into a district.
The four communities are currently a part of the Jasikan District but following the creation of the Oti Region, President Akufo-Addo wants them to have their own local government status.
These were contained in a letter written by the sector minister, Hajia Alima Mahama, to the Oti Region Minister, Kwesi Owusu Yeboah, and copied his Volta Region counterpart, Dr Archibald Letsa.
“I hereby give notice that H.E the President has directed the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to initiate the process to ensure that these communities (SALL) have their own local government status by the creation of a new District before the end of the year 2020,†Hajia Alima wrote on Monday, August 3, 2020.
“The inhabitants are therefore advised to participate actively in the voter registration exercise.â€
The Head of the Local Government Service (LGS) has announced that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) and key decision makers at the assembly level whose assemblies underperformed on the 2019 District League Table are to be sanctioned.
The sanction, he explained, would come in the form of delayed promotion of the key actors in the management of the districts.
On the other hand, there would be reward packages for those who do well.
Dr Nana Ato Arthur who was talking to the Ghanaian Times on the sideline of Performance Contract Agreement signing ceremony with the 16 Regional Ministers and Coordinating Directors explained that the essence of the performance contract is reward and sanctions, adding that, “those who do well we are going to reward them and those who do not, we would sanction them.â€
This is not the time the head of LGS has announced sanctioning non performing MMDCEs.
Indeed, since the Performance Contract Agreement was instituted in 2018 as a tool to measure the effectiveness of the various MMDCEs in service delivery in the areas of health, education, sanitation, among others, several warnings have been issued to warn the decision makers at the assembly level.
But we are yet to see a single MMDCE or key actors in the management of the districts being called out for underperforming.
We all know and see the performance of many MMDCEs in the various communities which call for some attention yet no one is punished.
When one takes a look at many communities across the country, particularly at the district level where sanitation, bad roads, poor drainage and environmental degradation are major problems, one cannot but wonder why MMDCEs in such areas are not being sanctioned.
Perhaps, this is the reason why the District League Table has been instituted and we are hopeful that sanctions would be applied this time to ensure that MMDCEs live up to expectation.
We expect that the MMDCEs render quality and accountable service to the people and when they do that there would be no need for any sanctions.
But if they continue to render poor service and not meet the target, we cannot but support the LGS to deal with them.
Our advice to the MMDCEs is that they have been tasked because they have been found to be competent and must therefore work hard to transform their communities and the entire country for the benefit of the people.
