TEERE, has commended President Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his bold decision to scrap the post of Deputy Regional Minister.
TEERE, a local governance Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) based in Bolgatanga in the Upper East region, has long championed through advocacy the need to scrap the Deputy Regional Minister’s position, and ultimately those at Sector Ministries.
As part of this advocacy, TEERE had organized two round table discussions on the subject “The Relevance of Deputy Regional Ministers in Local Governance” in Bolgatanga, the Upper East regional capital since 2018 during which civil society and government sector participants discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the Deputy Regional Ministers position.
During the consultations, it was unanimously agreed that the Deputy Regional Ministers do not bring much to the table, particularly so when they were unable to act in the absence of the substantive Regional Minister.
The NGO is of the view that “the Deputy Regional Minister’s office was not only under-utilized, but a waste of public resources, hence the need for it to be abolished.”
In a statement signed by the Deputy Chief Executive of TEERE, Maxwell Banu, lauded the president for the bold and positive decision not to appoint Deputy Regional Ministers in his current government.
“The Regional Ministers must be encouraged and supported to work harmoniously with the technocrats in the civil and public services, to deliver on the mandate of the government. The President also proposed a total of 85 Ministers in the current government instead of the previous 126 ministers. While this is a welcoming first step, we will urge the President to consider reducing the number of sector ministers by appointing only one deputy to each Ministry.”
The TEERE Local Governance Forum (TLGF) empowers the voiceless to effectively participate in their own developmental affairs and to engage duty bearers on issues of concerns to them.
TEERE expressed its gratitude to Robert Bosch Foundation of Germany for funding implementation of the TLGF programme, the Senior Experten Service (SES) of Germany also provided an expert in governance, Mr. Gerhard Lauth, who provided technical assistance to the programme.
The statement added that, TEERE is committed to strengthening and securing the active participation of citizens in all matters affecting their lives through local collective actions.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|Joshua Asaah|101.1Mhz
