The European Union (EU) and the Conference of Regional Ministers on Wednesday signed an agreement for €2.25 million to support programmes and activities of the ten Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs).
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mr Claude Maerten, Head of the EU delegation, said the grant is aimed at strengthening the institutional capacities and internal structures of the various councils for carrying out their general functions effectively and efficiently.
He said the RCCs were supposed to play a fundamental role in bringing together key actors in Ghanas decentralization context.
“We all know that decentralisation is a complex process needing a high-level of steering, coordination and controlling to make it effective and maintain the confidence and energy of the stakeholders in making things happen,” he said.
Mr. Maerten, therefore, observed that the regional level in its role of coordination, monitoring and evaluating performance of the districts would be instrumental in the gathering of information on the impact of the EU sector budget; to support the performance and quality of service delivery at the local level.
“We are convinced that a sector-wide approach, which seeks a maximum alignment of our contributions to the decentralisation policy framework and national budget, combined with a well-designed institutional capacity support, targeted at key players of the decentralisation reform are still the best means of ensuring that we work towards common objectives in improving the living conditions of Ghanaians, he added.
He, however, called on traditional councils to play an effective role in the decentralisation process of their respective regions, to improve the living conditions of their people.