Accra: Metropolitan and District Chief Executives (MDCEs) have been cautioned against allowing their Personal Assistants (PAs) to approve documents on the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) and to represent them at official meetings. The warning was issued by Madam Linda Ocloo, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, during a media engagement in Accra.
According to Ghana News Agency, the event, titled ‘Time with the Media’, aimed to update the public on activities within the region as part of the government’s ‘Reset Agenda’. This initiative requires government officials and agencies to engage with the press regularly to inform the public about their stewardship.
Madam Ocloo emphasized that MDCEs should not attend Regional Coordinating Council meetings accompanied by their PAs. She noted that any continuation of this practice would result in serious consequences for those involved. The minister stressed that assemblies should not be managed by unelected or unappointed individuals leveraging the authority of MDCEs.
Further addressing concerns, Madam Ocloo remarked on reports of MDCEs turning their official offices into meeting grounds for party activities, limiting access for their staff to discuss official matters. She labeled this behavior as an abuse of office and unacceptable.
On environmental issues, the Minister highlighted ongoing collaboration with relevant agencies to demolish illegal developments at the Ramsar site, aiming to protect wetlands and mitigate flooding. She condemned the encroachment and environmental damage at the Ramsar site and the Laloi Lagoon in the Ningo-Prampram District, calling for an immediate halt to these activities.
Madam Ocloo warned that such actions lead to increased flooding, biodiversity loss, and long-term environmental harm. She assured that those responsible would face accountability and strict enforcement measures.
The minister also outlined that MDCEs’ performance evaluations would focus on sanitation, streetlights, and by-law enforcement, with findings reported to the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, and subsequently to the Presidency.
In her concluding remarks, Madam Ocloo urged the public to report faulty streetlights promptly, take responsibility for maintaining sanitation, and avoid indiscriminate dumping. She also cautioned against the theft of metal gratings and covers, warning perpetrators of severe consequences.