Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister, has called for a deepened local government system to tackle the pressing needs of local communities.

She emphasised that local government served as a bridge between the central government and the local communities, saying strengthening the local government systems and structures remained crucial in deepening the foundations of the nation’s democracy.

There is therefore the need to fully equip local representatives with the necessary resources and skills to make them more relevant.

Mad Owusu-Banahene made the call when speaking at the opening session of the 22nd Biennial National Delegates Conference of the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG) in Sunyani.

The conference brought together representatives from the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to reflect on progress, identify and tackle emerging challenges in the local government structures.

It was on the theme: “Empowering local governance: a new dawn for electoral area development”.

Mad Owusu-Banahene underlined the need to build the capacity of MMDAs, resources for them financially, and give them autonomy in policy formulation and implementation to drive local development.

She said that empowerment demanded transparency, accountability, and decision-making at all levels to unlock electoral area potential, saying “efficient and effective decentralization will increase citizen participation, capacity building for assembly members and collaborations for sustainable development.

Mad Owusu-Banahene said equitable distribution of funds, targeting specific projects, would also address local challenges of sanitation, infrastructure, healthcare, and education.

She called on the MMDAs to actively involve citizens in decision-making processes through the organisation of town hall meetings, participatory budgeting, and community fora to ensure development reflected the people’s needs and aspirations.