Daniel Kwaku Botwe
The Minister-designate for Local Government, Rural Development and Decentralisation, Daniel Kwaku Botwe, has dismissed suggestions that his ministry and that of the Sanitation and Water Resources may engage in a “turf war” over implementation of sanitation policies.
Rather, he said, the two ministries would work together to maintain their common goal of improving insanitary conditions in the country as wished by President Akufo-Addo who created the ministries to assist him in delivery of his mandate.
Answering questions at his public vetting by the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Monday, Mr. Botwe stated that “if you go to the regions and districts you may not have offices or directorates for the Ministry of Sanitation [and Water Resources], but I do believe that this should not stop us from working together.”
“When the policies come up from the Ministry of Sanitation, we in Local Government will see ourselves as partners in implementing some of these decisions,” he explained, stressing that “I don’t think there is any turf war at all.”
“We should work together. We have the District Assembly Common Fund. It’s the duty of the government in the budget that is prepared on behalf of Mr. President, and so if sanitation is an issue, there can be a directive to budget for the purpose and the agency put to implement should be given the necessary resources to do that,” the minister-designate argued.
For him, he does not think this will be much of a problem, but said he was certainly open to discussions and ideas from interested parties and stakeholders.
Traditional Authorities’ Role
Mr. Botwe also said the role of traditional institutions and chiefs in national development and local government administration could not be overemphasized, noting that even though the Local Government Act 126 as amended by Act 942 did not mention traditional leaders as one would have wished, all leaders in the country at all levels had recognized the important roles played by chiefs in development.
“But I think it is a question of what is done in practice and knowing what is good for us and getting them involved. I know that in my district when it comes to budgeting, they (assembly) move from one town to the other and the villages and they interact with the chiefs to find out things that they need in their communities to help them in the budgeting process.
“In doing this, it will be possible for them to interface more with the traditional authorities so that many of these problems that we face like getting land for development would be dealt with,” he asserted.
Dan Botwe said, “From what I know and if I am to go back to my experience I had at my former Ministry of Regional Reorganisation and Development, the chiefs played a major role. They were the moving force and it is clear; not that we did know. We knew.”
By Ernest Kofi Adu