The Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene, has supervised the signing of performance contracts by Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in the region as part of efforts to promote accountability, transparency and citizen participation in local governance.
The exercise, held at the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council (ARCC) in Kumasi on Thursday, January 29, followed an earlier meeting involving the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, the Office of the Local Government Service and all Regional Ministers.
Dr. Amoakohene explained that the performance contracts were introduced under a national directive, with a January 30 deadline set for all regions to conclude similar agreements with their respective Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
He said the contracts clearly outline key performance indicators (KPIs), targets and quarterly deliverables expected of MMDCEs to support the President’s development and “reset” agenda.
“By the time they leave here, they know exactly what is expected of them, the targets they must meet and what they are to achieve at the end of every quarter,” the Regional Minister said.
According to Dr. Amoakohene, the performance framework covers all departments within the local government system, including human resource management, accounting and finance, sanitation, smart workplace initiatives and security.
He noted that heads of the National and District Security Councils (NUSec and DISEC) were also assigned specific security-related targets tailored to the needs of their respective districts, municipalities and metropolitan areas.
Dr. Amoakohene described the exercise as successful and commended the MMDCEs for their cooperation, expressing confidence that the contracts would guide their work and improve service delivery at the local level.
He said the performance contracts would serve as both a checklist and a self-assessment tool, enabling MMDCEs to monitor their own performance even before external evaluations are conducted.
The Regional Minister added that the system would provide an objective and credible basis for assessing performance, reducing the influence of sentiment in decision-making, including possible reshuffles or reassignments of chief executives.
He further disclosed that the KPIs would be tied to rewards for strong performance and sanctions for failure to meet agreed targets.
Dr. Amoakohene said the initiative was expected to strengthen trust between government and citizens, while reinforcing the confidence placed in local authorities by the President and the people of Ghana.
He reaffirmed the region’s commitment to supporting the President’s agenda and ensuring effective implementation of government policies across all MMDAs in the Ashanti Region.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
