Accra, Sept. 1, GNA - Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, Minister for Local Government and Rural Development on Tuesday said Government would provide resources needed to strengthen the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS) to discharge its duties efficiently and effectively. He said even though, the ILGS performed quite well over the past 10 years, resource constraints had hampered its operations. Mr Yieleh Chireh said this when inaugurating a 10-member Council for ILGS to steer the affairs of the institute for the next four years in Accra.

The Council is to undertake and promote research in local government, organize courses, workshops, seminars and conferences for persons engaged in areas of local government, provide consultancy and advisory services to the government, units of local government and any other bodies which may require those services. The Minister said the functions and tasks of the ILGS were enormous hence the need to assist it to support the Local Government Service (LGS), a body responsible for the administration of the institutions of local authorities in the country, to champion the cause of decentralization.

He said providing resources for ILGS would strengthen it to provide the needed training, research, consultancy and other support services that LGS would require to enhance its operations. Mr Yieleh Chireh reposed confidence in the members and charged them to work assiduously to enable government realise its agenda of strengthening and deepening decentralization for sustainable national development.

Mrs Esther Ofei-Aboagye, Chairperson of the Council, promised on behalf of members to discharge their duties effectively to achieve government's goals.