The Chamber for Local Governance (ChaLoG) says it has uncovered a growing despondency and low morale amongst civil and local government staff working in the Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) due to political interference.

“This unfortunate turn of events has been occasioned by the unrestrained political interference in the day-to-day functional responsibilities of the staff in the MMDAs,” ChaLoG stated in a press statement signed by its executives and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA).

It noted that this highly unacceptable phenomenon had led and continued to lead to growing apathy amongst the local government staff, resulting in low revenue generation and poor service delivery to citizens by the MMDAs. 

It stated that the ChaLoG's nationwide investigations had revealed disturbing observations of the indiscriminate and unjustifiable transfer of staff at the behest of chief executives, presiding members, and party constituency executives.

According to ChaLoG, its investigations also revealed that these individuals pose a clear threat to local government staff by using transfers as a tool, facilitated by MMDCEs.

The group highlighted the “Constant political interference and issuance of threats to internal auditors who try to stamp their authority for the right things to be done by MMDCEs; excessive political interest and interference in the preparation and award of contracts; and planting party foot soldiers in units and departments to monitor and sometimes usurp the powers and traditional responsibilities of local government staff,” as some challenges at the MMDAs.

Other observations, the chamber noted, were the deliberate sidelining of local government staff in taking critical decisions within the MMDAs; the forceful takeover and locking up of offices; and the forceful seizure of official vehicles used by senior local government staff. 

It stated that others included the unjustifiable replacement of trained and experienced revenue collectors with inexperienced party foot soldiers who have taken over revenue collection and political interference in the decision-making processes in the administrative procedures encompassing promotions, postings, transfers, recruitments, conversion, and upgrading of staff.

The ChaLoG indicated that the unrestrained political interference has greatly affected and continued to affect revenue generation and service delivery within the MMDAs as most local government staff, who had been engaged based on their technical expertise and know-how, are virtually adopting a wait-and-see attitude by sitting back to allow the political actors, who have little or no technical experience, to have their way, for fear of victimisation and unjustifiable politically motivated transfers. 

“It stated that this unfortunate phenomenon has largely demotivated and demoralised local government staff, so much so that they deliberately report to work late just to allow the political apparatchiks to do whatever they want to do in their absence.”

The ChaLoG, therefore, called on the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development to urgently take practical steps to nip the needlessly overbearing conduct that has reared its ugly head in the MMDAs in the bud.

The urgent call, they noted, has become extremely necessary to allow well-trained and qualified local government staff the freedom to independently perform their legitimate duties and functions to enhance service delivery and, more importantly, generate revenue for developmental projects in the MMDAs.