Assemblies urged to be innovative

Accra, Ghana – Mr. Eric Oduro Osae, senior lecturer at the Institute of Local Government Studies, on Monday urged assembly members to devise innovative means of generating internal resources, to fund development activities in their localities.
He said the District Assembly concept gave so much power to assembly members to be able to raise revenue to meet the development aspirations of their electoral areas and also to pay their personal emoluments.
Speaking at a workshop organised by the Foundation for Female Photojournalists, Mr Osae noted that the inability of assembly members to familiarize themselves with the guidelines of the district assemblies had caused their problems.
The workshop sponsored by Right And Voice Initiative on the theme: "Ghana must Compensate Assembly Members, a Call for Civil Society Support" was to advocate for an effective local governance system.
He said Article 250 of the constitution stated that the emolument of presiding members and other assembly members should be determined and paid out of the assembly's own resources.
Mr Osae also called for the modification of the guidelines on the District Assemblies’ Common Fund (DACF) to enable the assembly to have some percentage.
"There should be a constituency fund allocated to parliamentarians and the DACF allocated solely to the assemblies.”
He noted that the neglect of members through the absence of a substantive remuneration package, logistical problems and inadequate sitting allowances created a room for laxity, lack of commitment and inefficiencies.
Ms Mardey Ofoe, Executive Director, FFP, called for implementation of the 50 per cent retention for the substructures in the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies, capacity building and regular sensitisation of the public on the local government systems.
"There will be no meaningful governance, if local government is weak," he added.