The job of MMDCEs should not be seen as a token of appreciation to party members, a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research at the University of Ghana Dr. Cynthia Addoquaye Tagoe has said.
According to her, the nominations should be based on professionalism ad technical competence to address the needs of people in a particular District Assemblies.
Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation, and Rural Development Dan Botwe yesterday announced the last of MMDCEs nominated by President Akufo Addo.
The announcement has received a mixed reaction as some known persons including the Accra and Kumasi Mayors Mohammed Sowah and Osei Assibey Yeboah were replaced.
But reacting to the nominations, and suggesting ways to improve development at the local level, Dr. Tageoe suggested that “the appointment of 30% to assembly should not be a thank you or just for the boys or for the girls.”
“It should be based on technical competence, people who are able to add professionally or technically to the needs or to help meet the needs of the particular assembly they are in. These should be the people who should be appointed by the president. If we are able to initiate, we will make some progress in this direction.”
She also suggested that there should be non-partisan voting at the local level “at the local level, the power for the citizens is the one that imparts directly on you so you need to have a say in that.”
“So, if we do have the election of MDCE that will improve it a lot, and it should not be on a partisan basis which then allows everyone to be involved whether they belong to a party or not.”
