Introduction
As part of its mandated requirement, the La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipal Assembly in collaboration with Excel Links Consult Ltd. organized a two (2) day Capacity Building training programme at the Institute of Local Government Studies, Ogbojo to enhance the capacity of the Assembly Members. The workshop was aimed at equipping them with basic skills in executing a leadership role to help entrench effective participatory democracy and good governance within the La Nkwantanang Madina Municipality.
As it had been the norms and process of the Local Government system, members of the assembly after a successful election are mandated to undertake a capacity building workshop to orient their skills and ensure better service delivery to their respective Electoral Areas.
Opening Ceremony
The Municipal Chief Executive opened the ceremony by welcoming all Hon. Assembly Members and urged them to avail themselves for this orientation programme especially the new Assembly Members as she hoped will broaden their knowledge and skills on specific roles and duties in their respective jurisdiction.
She added that due to the COVID 19 a lot of programmes scheduled for the year were postponed including this programme until it was finally successful.
She went on to say that she hopes this training will also have a positive impact on the assembly in terms of revenue generation and decision making at the General Assembly etc.
The Municipal Chief Executive ended by hinting that there will be more training programs for Assembly Members of the Municipality and further wished them all the best for the two-day program.
Brief remarks by the municipal electoral officer
During the training session, the District Officer from the Electoral Commission was invited to give a brief presentation on the upcoming voter registration exercise scheduled for June 2020. She informed participants that the exercise commences from June 30 to July 31, 2020, with a week mop up in August. The registration requirement is that a Ghanaian citizen who has attained the age of 18 or above and of sound mind. A valid passport or Ghana card are the only cards accepted for registration. In respect of measures to mitigate the COVID-19, she said that all protocols would be observed. Also, the registration would be in phases. Some registration centres in Oyarifa electoral area have been created.
Target group
It was attended by all Hon. Assembly Members within the Municipality which comprises fourteen [14] Elected Members and seven [7] Government Appointees participated in the workshop.
Training Objectives
The workshop had the following topics discussed as its main objectives
- Leadership And Revenue Mobilization
- Reports And Minutes Writing
- Model Standing Orders
- Overview Of Local Governance Act [Act 936] 2016
- Public Financial Management
Training Outcomes
There was full participation by the Hon. Assembly Members during the entire duration of the Capacity Building programme and participants were glad the orientation programme was organized.
Participants had very positive comments about the programme and they were encouraged to objectively assess their training programme in order to open their eyes to undetected flaws.
Mode of Training
The training sessions were held for 2 days with Oral lectures and PowerPoint presentations done by facilitators from Excel Link Consult Limited.
Resource Persons
Facilitators from Excel Link Consult Limited included Dr Doliwura Zakaria and Dr Shaibu Bashiru
Training Overview
Day 1
- Leadership & Revenue Mobilization In The 21st Century
- Model standing orders For Districts, Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies
Day 2
- Overview of Public Financial Management (PFM) and Budgeting
- Report and Minutes Writings
- Overview of Local Governance Act 2016 [Act 936]
Closing Remarks
The Municipal Coordinating Director gave the Closing Remark and was thankful to the Presiding Member (PM) Assembly Members and the Facilitators for a successful programme. He emphasized that it was not easy organizing the programme because of the conditions attached but after quite a lengthy discussion, a conclusion was reached. He, therefore, thanked the Presiding Member for his assistance.
Dr Doliwura Zakaria, the Lead facilitator also thanked the Hon. Assembly Members, and Management for making the workshop a success and advised that management assist Assembly Members to perform in their various Electoral Areas. He added that the Assembly Members should encourage their people that the Assembly is doing its best to meet their needs.
The Hon. Presiding Member on behalf of the Hon. Members also expressed their gratitude to the management for enlightening them and building their capacity for such a well-packaged knowledge impacted them to help contribute to the success of the government policies and programmes.
Conclusion
At the end of the day 2 training session, Hon. Assembly Members were issued with a certificate of participation by the Municipal Co-ordinating Director, the Presiding Member and the Lead facilitator.
Prayers were said and the meeting came to a close at 4:00 pm
Recommendations
It was recommended that future workshops be extended to ensure well-covered topics such as Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) and other topics the Assembly Members want to be trained on. The need for an opportunity for networking was also recommended for future training.
Excerpts From Training Session
