The Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization, and Rural Development has inaugurated an Inter-Jurisdictional Coordination Management Committee (ICMC) and its steering committee in the seventeen Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) under the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) project.
The committee will enhance collaborative efforts among participating assemblies to address pressing urban challenges, including flooding and related solid waste management issues which transcend individual MMDAs’ boundaries.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization, and Rural Development, Hon. Osei Bonsu Amoah on behalf of the sector Minister, Hon. Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, entreated members of the committee to ensure that the ICMC achieves its intended objective of improving metropolitan governance and coordination among the participating Assemblies.
“The successful implementation of the ICMC will be pivotal in addressing the critical urban issues that our metropolitan areas face. You must work together to improve drainage, sanitation, and other transboundary challenges in your MMDAs,” stated the Minister.
Hon. Amoah further urged the project beneficiary Assemblies to make good use of the resources at their disposal. He entreated the MMDAs to effectively use the compactor trucks and other solid waste management equipment distributed to them by the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, as well as the drones to be donated by the Local Government Ministry, to address development control, flooding and solid waste management problems in their municipalities.
The establishment of the ICMC is a direct response to the challenges highlighted in the City-Strength Diagnostic Study Report, the Greater Accra Flood Risk Mitigation Strategy, and the Project Appraisal Report, all of which identified weak coordination among MMDAs in the Greater Accra Region as a significant factor contributing to the June 3, 2015, flood disaster.
The inauguration of the ICMC and its Steering Committee marks a critical step towards a more coordinated and effective approach to the development of the metropolitan urban conurbation. By pooling their expertise, funds, and resources, the MMDAs can better address the complex challenges facing the region and promote a more resilient and integrated urban environment.
The event ended with the signing of a Participation Agreement by the MMDAs with the Ministry, symbolizing their commitment to the collaborative effort.
The ICMC was charged to hold their first meeting promptly and report back to the Steering Committee by the end of June 2024. The maiden meeting will be followed by subsequent regular meetings of the technical teams to develop a 5-year flood mitigation plan covering the Odaw basin and identify opportunities for strengthening coordination, collaboration and consolidation of the interventions by the participating assemblies.