Accra, Sept 23, GNA - The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development on Wednesday outlined a plan of action to review the decentralization process in the country.

The review process would begin with regional consultative meetings attended by identifiable interest groups to review all relevant reports and documents processed two decades ago and receive submissions from technocrats with adequate know-how in the decentralization programme. They would also review the Public procurement, Internal Audit, Ghana Health Service and the Ghana Education Service Acts which were currently bedevilled with technical challenges and loop-holes. Mr. Joseph Yieleh Chireh, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development announced these when interacting with the media as part of the consultative and educational programme built into the review process in Accra.

He said in furtherance of the NDC manifesto to provide a "Better Ghana", three areas; Deepening local level democracy, accelerating decentralization and facilitating local level development and empowerment were identified to overhaul some of the policies that had outlived their usefulness since the decentralization programme started twenty years ago.

Mr. Chireh said the three- month process would also hold consultative meetings with chiefs, women groups, parliamentarians and other civil society organizations and political institutions to make it more representative.

He called on all those with inputs to submit to do so devoid of political colouration, religious affiliation, and gender considerations. The Local Government Minister appealed to media organizations to support the review exercise by publishing and advertising their programmes and itinerary throughout the country. He said his outfit would develop a website that would upgrade all information on the review process and urged stakeholders to contribute meaningfully to it.

Dr. Esther Ofei- Aboagye, Director of the Institute of Local Government Studies, said democracy was being entrenched in the country because of consultations and tolerance and called on all stakeholders to deal with all the issues devoid of partiality. She said if all issues were impartially dealt with at all levels, it would go a long way to enrich democracy and decentralization in the country.