Tamale, Oct. 17, GNA - Funds provided by donors and development partners for pro-poor projects in the Northern Region have remained locked up in the accounts of the assemblies while the communities continue to suffer deprivation and neglect.

The funds, which include provision for the construction and improvement of feeder roads, footbridges and harvesting of rainwater for dry season gardening, were transferred from the Northern Region Poverty Reduction Programme (NORPREP) and the DANIDA-sponsored Transport Sector Project Support (TSPS 11) to the district assemblies.

Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, Northern Regional Minister said this at a five-day workshop on "Strategic Management for District Chief Executives" in the region in Tamale on Tuesday.

The workshop was at the instance of the Northern Regional Coordinating Council (NRCC) with facilitators from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA). Alhaji Idris noted that each of the district assemblies had about 1.5 billion cedis of such funds in their accounts and warned that if by the end of the year these amounts have not been spent, the donors may redirect their interventions to other areas which have the capacity to utilize them.

The Regional Minister asked the District Chief Executives (DCEs) not to use the intricacies and complexities of the procurement law as an excuse to delay project implementation. He said the perceived difficulties of the procurement law could be overcome if they produced procurement plans as required by the end of the financial year.

He urged all DCEs to be personally involved to ensure that the locked up moneys were utilised for the projects intended before the end of the year to ensure the flow of funds from the development partners. Dr Stephen Addae, Rector of GIMPA, said leadership was the most critical element for the development of any society and it was therefore imperative that those in leadership continue to develop and improve upon their leadership skills.

He said the workshop would take the DCEs through an overview of leadership, strategic management, the local government system and decentralisation and personal organisation. He announced that satellite campuses of GIMPA would be established in Tamale, Kumasi and Takoradi soon. 17 Oct. 07