President approves full-fledge university status for ILGS

• Mr Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, speaking at the programme.
With him are Prof. Nicholas Awortwi (second from left) and
other dignitaries Photo: Victor A. Buxton

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has granted executive approval for the transitioning of the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS) to a full-fledged university.

The University will operate as a specialised public degree awarding, research, and professional training institution whose mandate shall be of “strategic national importance for local government.”

The Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Mr Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, disclosed this at the 1st International Conference on Decentralisation, Local Governance and Sustainable Development in Accra yesterday.

It was on the theme, ‘Deepening Decentralisation and local Governance to foster inclusive and democratic Governance for sustainable development,’

The conference was organised by the ILGS to deliberate on decentralisation, local governance and sustainable development.

The two – day event assembled representatives from the Municipal and District Assemblies, Ministries and Academia and experts in local governance.

Mr Korsah expressed optimism that Parliament would grant concurrent approval and pass into law, the University of Local Government and Development Bill 2024 when it reconvenes later this month,’’ he added

He said it was remarkable to note that ILGS from its humble beginning in 1999 as a project of the then Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to its establishment in 2023 under the Institute of Local Governance Studies Act, 2023 (Act 647), had been transformed into a specialised public management development institution

He further noted that the Ministry would continue to support processes in order to promote capacity building in all forms, to provide the needed human capital for effective local governance and decentralisation.

Mr Korsah indicated that the government was committed to delivering on expected mandates to ameliorate the challenges, and difficulties faced by the people in the country.

He stated that the success of the government’s decentralisation programmes hinged on the capacity levels of local governance functionaries and employee.

The minister mentioned that the section 63 of the Chieftaincy Act 2008 (Act) would also be reviewed to empower chiefs to effectively participate in local governance system.

“We believe the value-based leadership of chiefs is useful for promoting responsible leadership and citizenry in our local governance,” he added

The Director of the ILGS, Professor Nicholas Awortwi, stated that the transformation of ILGS to the University was to heed the call towards the evolutional higher education and professional training in local governance and development.

He said countries practiced some principles of decentralisation and local governance to achieve varied objectives of the state by bringing governance and services closer to people live.

“This is the time that we need decentralisation most and not recentralisation, hence there is the need to shift gear towards deepening decentralisation and local governance policies and practices in the region to ensure that targets set in the sustainable development goals are enhanced,” Mr Korsah added

He commended the management and staff of the Institute for assembling academia and scholars in local governance to brainstorm on issues of decentralisation in the country.

The Former Rector of Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Prof. Yaw Agyemang Badu, lauded the leadership of the ILGS for the initiative in ensuring a university status of the institute.

BY ANITA NYARKO-YIRENKYI