Accra-Wednesday January 26, 2022: The Head of the Local Government Service, Ing. Dr. Nana Ato Arthur has urged Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to fully embrace the National Digitisation Agenda and invest in order to reap the needed dividends. According to him, digitization has proven to be a major intervention in ensuring cities and rural communities become more inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable through national and local governments.
Dr. Arthur made this known at a panel discussion at this year’s New Year School and Conference organised by the School of Continuing and Distance Education, College of Education of the University of Ghana, on the topic: ‘’National and Local Government leading the way to Sustainable Communities in the era of COVID-19 Pandemic’’.
In his submission, Dr. Arthur commended Government for its efforts in ensuring the country fully adopted digitization, especially the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) for effective and efficient service delivery.
He indicated that the LGS leveraged the COVID-19 pandemic to implement digitization processes with the focus to support both national and local governments in its quest to lead the way for sustainable communities.
Pertinent among the interventions highlighted included; digitization of records at the decentralised level, digitization of internally generated revenue process at the MMDAs, and the use of virtual meetings and conferences.
Stressing on the digitization of records efforts, Dr. Arthur said, the Service implemented digitisation and improvement in building permit acquisition; introduction of online application of development permits, and the automation of processes for the collection, utilization, and reporting of internally generated funds at the MMDAs.
He commended MMDAs for adopting ICT- interventions and strategies aimed at charting new paths in ensuring sustainable communities in their areas of operation.
He, therefore, expressed the importance of MMDAs to fully adopt and explore other approaches to drive the digitisation process.
The 73rd edition of the 2022 New Year School and Conference was on the theme: ‘’COVID-19 and Socioeconomic dynamics in Ghana’’.
Participants included representatives from academia, private sector, state agencies, and youth groups.