Tamale, April 24, GNA - The Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment (MLGRDE) is undertaking a legal review process and the formulation of a more effective decentralisation policy to bring local governance in line with national socio-economic realities and priorities.

The Ministry is also addressing issues of strategic orientation such as the collaboration between the assemblies and development partners on different projects and managing the interfaces between local authorities, traditional leaders and civil society organisations (CSO). Mr Abraham Odoom, Deputy Minister, said this in a speech read on his behalf at the opening of a two-day workshop on: "Strategic leadership", for District Chief Executives from the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions in Tamale on Tuesday.

The Workshop is a collaboration between the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS) and the Districts Capacity Building Programme (DISCAP).

The forum would f ocus on three main themes, namely, strategic thinking and leadership; strategic local economic and social development; and quality and productivity in district management.

Mr Odoom said the Ministry had already prioritised revenue mobilisation to stimulate local economic development and provide an enabling environment for effective wealth creation. The Ministry, he said was also actively pursuing the integration of environmental and natural resource management into the business of the assemblies.

Dr Callistus Mahama, Director of the Tamale campus of the ILGS, noted that because of the frequent change of development agenda by successive governments the development partners now preferred to channel their resources through the assemblies to undertake development projects.

He said although the assemblies were doing their best certain inadequacies in the system had not made it possible for them to deliver as expected and this had made them relay heavily on the District Assemblies Common Fund.

He therefore urged the District Chief Executives to among others, identify investment opportunities in their areas, improve upon the investment climate, attract investors and assist them to invest in their areas.

Ms Flannie Storie, Associate Team Leader of DISCAP appealed to the district assemblies to mainstream gender activities in all their development planning to ensure equity and balanced development.