Head of Local Government Services urge MMDAs to use DLT findings to guide future plans

The Head of the Local Government Service, Nana Ato Arthur, has commended the Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly for emerging as Ghana's highest-ranked Assembly on the 2022 District League Table.

Speaking at the launch of the DLT report last Thursday in Accra, Nana Ato Arthur applauded KOKMA for its stellar 85.8% performance to dethrone long-time leader Tema Metropolitan Assembly from the top spot.

Three other Assemblies from the Greater Accra Region also made the top 10, enabling the region to place first.

The DLT assessed 18 developmental indicators in sectors like education, health, child protection, nutrition, water and sanitation across Ghana's 260 MMDAs.

"I commend the exemplary service delivery of our top performing assemblies, especially KOKMA and those from Greater Accra," said Nana Arthur.

However, he emphasised that the DLT's true purpose is not competition but using its evidence-based findings to identify progress, deficiencies and disparities impacting local communities.

Dr Arthur urged MMDAs nationwide to embrace the insights, re-evaluate strategies and reinforce commitments through medium to long-term plans focused on closing gaps.

Assessing vulnerabilities like those faced by children affords a lens into livelihood realities on the ground. MMDAs must prioritise such disadvantaged populations through integrated action plans.

With variations in performance across Ghana's 16 regions, he stressed the need for strengthened multi-sectoral collaboration to empower decentralised governance.

"Guided by this influential tool, we can renew efforts towards equitable, inclusive development for all Ghanaians," he affirmed.

He lauded efforts by the NDPC, UNICEF and participating MMDAs in generating Ghana's benchmarking instrument for improved governance, service access and citizen well-being nationwide.

The Vice Chairman of NDPC, Mr David Quaye Annang, praised the report as an important tool for assessing and monitoring development at the local level.

"This will help inform priority setting, strategies and programmes through time to address unequal access to services and opportunities for children," the Vice Chairman stated.

Mr Annang urged MMDAs and all local actors to actively engage citizens on the findings during public forums to ensure local needs are well represented in the development agenda.

The District League Table details lived experiences, validating statistics on uneven progress by shedding light on disparities and sparking change under the national framework to meet sustainable development goals.

Going beyond measurements of success, it has laid the foundation for all stakeholders to unite around national objectives through strategic localisation and it highlights the collective action vital for Ghanaians to progress evenly.

The report scored all 261 MMDAs based on selected socio-economic and development statistics. It aims to complement the government's efforts to strengthen results-based planning and management.