News:
December 21, 2012
A Special Parliamentary Committee on Poverty Redeuction strategy has recommended that continous effort must be made to increase resources to support the activities of Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and to also improve the capacity of personnel to effectively implement their development plans.
The Committee which revealed the 2010 Annual Progress Report on the implementation of the Ghana Shared Growth and Developmental Agenda 2010-2013 observed that more financial resources were transferred to MMDAs to support the implementation of their developmental plans.
According to the committee, total revenue to MMDAs of the total budgetary resources including DACF, HIPC, IGF, funds in percentage terms increased from 3.4% in 2009 to 5.3% in 2010.
On the other hand, total Central Government transfer including DACF, HIPC, IGF, funds (excluding grants) increased from 3.1% in 2009 to 4.8% in 2010.
On slum upgrading, the Committee further noted that efforts at improving capacity for effective planning and management of human settlement are being hampered by weak human resource base of the Town and Country Planning Departments in the country.
Presenting a report, the Chairman of the Special Committee on Poverty Reduction, Hon. Imoro K. Yakubu, noted that about 60% of MMDAs currently do not have physical planning units which allows for the continous sprawling of haphardly erected structures leading to the creation of slums.
Giving the current rate of urbanization in the country, the committee noted that the issue of slum upgrading should be a national priority.
It therefore recommended that capacity of the Town and Country Planning Department be enhanced, while ensuring that MMDAs have physical planning unit especially in the newly created districts with qualified personnel to integrate slum management into urban development.
Kwadwo Anim/Ghanamps.gov.gh