A nine-day seminar on Public/Private Partnership (PPP) is underway at the Institute of Local Government Service (ILGS) for personnel of Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies (MMAs) in the country. The seminar is to provide participants a comprehensive understanding of policies and institutional requirements for the partnership and key aspects to such policies. It is being organised in collaboration with the Washington-based Consultancy, Institute of Public-Private Partnership (IP3), and attended by 70 participants. Some issues to be discussed include understanding the key polices required for Metropolitan-Municipal level of PPP, building blocks for successful implementation of PPP and understanding the PPP life cycle and risk involved. Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, addressing the opening session extolled virtues of the partnership in a decentralised form of governance. “The idea of PPP is to add value to effective decentralisation in the manner local authorities provide goods and services to the people. It is out to achieve service delivery that has not been fully and effectively implemented by MMAs as their core duties,” he added. Mr Yieleh Chireh cited solid waste management, the transportation sector, water services and health delivery as some of the sectors in which most MMAs needed collaboration with the private sector for effective service delivery. He urged private financial institutions to stimulate the PPP system by providing financial assistance to investors in the sector. Mr Akwasi Oppong-Fosu, Head of Local Government Service, ILGS noted that the institute decided to organise the workshop due to the enormous benefits that MMAs would derive if PPP were well planned and implemented. “PPP if well implemented with the appropriate guidelines would also go a long way to bring transparency in the works of MMAs,” he added. Mr Akwasi Oppong-Fosu said personnel from the district assemblies were not included because they did not have the financial capacity. Source: GNA