The Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation, and Rural Development has visited the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (MCRA) to follow up on his appointment as the caretaker Ministry of the latter.

The Minister interacted with the former Minister, Hon. Ebenezer Kojo Kum; the acting Chief Director, Madam Fati Lily Soale; and staff of the MCRA.

Hon. Botwe was accompanied by Mr. Samuel Akoto Danso, the Technical Advisor to the Minister, and Mr. Kwabena Denkyira, Director, Human Resource all at the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development.

It would be recalled that the Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Hon. Ebenezer Kojo Kum submitted his letter of resignation as Minister to the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Friday, 3^rd February 2023.

The President, in turn, appointed Hon. Daniel Botwe to act as caretaker Minister for the Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Ministry until a substantive replacement was made.

Source:              PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT (MLGDRD)

A three-day working session for the development of a Project Operational Manual (POM) for the Resilience in Northern Ghana (RINGII) Project has been held to create a working document that will see to the modalities and the appropriate requirements on the project in its implementation.

Participants for the working session were drawn from the various directorates and units of the Ministry of Local Government Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD) to work on the POM.

The POM, when approved by the MLGDRD and the Donor Partner (USAID) will guide the efficient and effective management of the RING II Project in conformity with the laws of the country and the policies of the United State Agency for International Development (USAID)/Ghana.

USAID/Ghana implemented the RING project, which provided grants to seventeen (17) selected Districts Assemblies in the former Northern Region. The project which was implemented between the periods of 2013 to 2019 sought to improve nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, and livelihood security in poor communities which yielded some monumental achievements.

To harness the opportunities and keep the momentum of the achievements of the RING, the Government of Ghana and USAID/Ghana have designed a successor project called Resilience in Northern Ghana (RING) II. The RING II will employ and strengthen GOG entities at the national, regional and 17 selected District Assemblies (DAs) across four regions in northern Ghana.

The RING II Project is being financed by the United State Agency for International Development (USAID) with a grant of USD 9 million over a period of five years. The goal of the RING II project is to sustain improvements in the delivery of services that promote the nutrition and resilience of vulnerable populations in northern Ghana.

Source:              PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT (MLGDRD)

The Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation, and Rural Development, Honourable Daniel Botwe has described the effective collaboration between policymakers and academia as crucial to Ghana’s planning and development progression.

He, therefore, called for a practical working relationship that is an anchor among policymakers, academia, and implementers.

This was at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ashanti Region when the Minister called on the Vice Chancellor, Professor Rita Akosua Dickson at her office as part of a three-day official working visit to the Ashanti Region to promote effective coordination between the Ministry, Regional Coordinating Councils, and the Assemblies.

The call on the Vice Chancellor was to have a discussion with the Bureau of Integrated Rural Development (BIRD), the Department of Planners, and the College of Agriculture at the KNUST to find an effective implementation of the Rural Development Policy.

He suggested that good project research work by students should be considered for effective planning and called for deliberate efforts to be made for the academia and policymakers to pursue policies and programmes that impact all Ghanaians.

VICE CHANCELLOR

Welcoming the Minister and his delegation, Prof. Dickson said that impactful research is not in publication alone, but such research must be made available to people who could best utilize them.

He said KNUST is challenged daily to ensure that “the gown should be carried into the communities, with special attention on the deprived ones”.

She was elated with the Local Government Ministry’s move to come and meet with them, emphasizing that the academia have the expertise to review the 2019-2023 Rural Development Policy together with the Ministry to find solutions to rural development challenges.

She said her institution has signed Memoranda of Understanding with some deprived districts such as Sekyere Afram Plains and Sene West to provide them with technical assistance for the country’s benefit.

She concluded that the quality of humanity served must be seen for the better and that KNUST was ready, willing, dedicated, committed, and armed to find solutions to rural challenges.

SOURCE:              PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT (MLGDRD)