Dr. Nicholas Awortwi, Director of the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS), says one challenge that enveloped from expansion over the year was the accumulation of a legacy debt amounting to GH¢1.2 million.
According to Dr Awortwi, as a state institution without subvention from the government, the ILGS had struggled to pay the salaries of its 121 staff.
He said: “At the time of taking over, salaries were in arrears of one month and staff did not know where the next salary was going to come from and when it would be paid. Before then, staff had gone on for three months from January-March 2019, without salaries.”
He said the institution was on the verge of collapsing at the time he took over, as academic enrolment had gone down, with only 39 students enrolling in the MA programme in 2019.
“Staff working in the institute were moonlighting and actually competing with the institute for local training and consultancy jobs. Where jobs were brought to the institute, some staff members took them away and delivered them as private consultants. A few had established their own consultancy firms and competing with the institute
“Our hostel facilities were in deplorable conditions after years of neglect. Not many guests and senior LG officers were willing to accept our residential training programme,” he lamented.
Dr Awortwi made the comments at the Institute’s Fifth Congregation held on Saturday in Accra.
To safeguard the Institute from collapsing, “We have right-sized the institute from 121 to 49 dedicated staff, ensuring that we focus on our core mandates, that is teaching, training, research, policy engagement and advisory services in the area of local governance and development, and hived off non-essentials to experimental private sector management, including ex-employees’ management contracts.”
The congregation had 145 graduands successfully completing their various Master’s Degree programmes at the Institute.
The congregants were made up of 52 graduands moving on in life with MSC Environmental Science, Policy and Management, 24 in MSC Local Government, 48 in MA Local Government Administration and Organisation and 20 in MSC Local Government Financial Management.
The Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), Osei Bonsu Amoah, addressing the guraduands, said education was important as human capital is developed to contribute to higher productivity and creativity, and to promote entrepreneurship and technological advances for economic and social progress.
He said under Section 4 (2) of Act 647, the Institute is mandated to award certificates, diplomas and higher qualifications, as may be agreed on by the Institute and approved by the National Accreditation Board.
It is in line with this mandate that the ILGS has rolled out cutting-edge graduate programmes to build the capacity of local government practitioners.
However, he noted that the challenges that have impeded the discharge of the important mandate had been the lack of financial support and inadequate physical infrastructure for optimal operations.
“I am happy to announce the construction of a new hostel complex for the Institute, here, at its Accra Campus. The procurement processes have been completed and is expected to be completed within 12 calendar months, and with funding from the District Assemblies’ Common Fund,” he stressed.
The building, when completed, would include a120-bed accommodation facility, a 600-seater conference auditorium with ancillary spaces, as well as a gym.
He said: “These initiatives should provide the Institute the requisite impetus to champion the ongoing reforms of Ghana’s local governance system, including the demands for elections of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).”
Mr OB Amoah urged the graduands to let their positive impacts be felt in whatever field they find together, and with other well-meaning Ghanaians move forward.
The post ILGS was submerged under GH¢1.2m legacy debt -Dr Awortwi appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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