“We need to look at the causes of these infractions and how we will be able to resolve these infractions.

“Every year, there are infractions. Is it that we are not learning from the reports that come from the Director General’s Department or from the audit reports or just that people are not being sanctioned for the wrong that they are doing?”, he quizzed.

Nana Ato Arthur was speaking at the inauguration of a two-story ultra-modern office complex of the Ga South Municipal Assembly (GSMA) at Galilea in Accra on Tuesday.

The facility, designed to house all decentralised departments of the Assembly, is estimated to cost GHC1.482million.

It is to help decongest and facilitate independence of offices and departments in order to promote work place productivity and enhance effective service delivery.

The project, funded by the Assembly through its Internally Generated Funds (IGF) and the District Assemblies Common Fund, consists of twenty-six (26) offices, seventeen (17) washrooms for staff and non-staff, a one hundred and twenty-six (120) sitting capacity conference room, a car parking lot and a security post.

“The recent 2018 AG report revealed a lot of infractions from many Assemblies. We have not been able to do the analysis that we are doing so I will not be able to put out your performance. I don’t have it ready here but staff, we are not doing well. The local government service is not doing well. Infractions all over, most of the Assemblies in Ghana,” Nana Arthur said.

He said the Local Government Service was considering bringing the Chief Executives, Coordinating Directors, Internal Auditors and Financial Officers to look at the causes of the infractions and how to resolve them.

Speaking at a ceremony to officially commission the facility, Mr Joseph Nyarni Stepehn, the Municipal Chief Executive of GSMA, said the Assembly, since its creation in 2018 operated from a rented facility, a situation he said hindered the effective delivery of service by the assembly.

“There are instances where you could have two or more departments within an office. This made it extremely difficult to deliver services effectively”, he said.

Mr Nyarni Stephen said he was therefore optimistic that the newly constructed edifice would improve on the quality of service delivery and boost development.

He said the Assembly was currently constructing four-bedroom and a three-bedroom facilities for the MCE and the Coordinating Director respectively through its Internally Generated Fund to help address accommodation challenges of its staff.

The MCE assured the municipality of his commitment to ensure that the assembly’s resources were effectively managed to facilitate development.

“We would continue to make their needs our priority and I assure them that they will continue to see massive improvement in other areas under my leadership”, he stated.

Mr Ishmael Ashitey, the Greater Accra Regional Minister bemoaned the inability of Assemblies to fully exploit the potential of internal revenue mobilisation sources to increase their Internally Generated Funds.

While commending the Assembly for funding and constructing such a facility, he entreated them to devise more creative and innovative ways to facilitate its revenue mobilisation and ensure effective utilisation of its resources.

“We are aware that fiscal transfers to local authorities may not be enough to meet the numerous demands of the Assemblies. However, if you demonstrate your capacity to manage the little that comes your way judiciously, more people will be willing to contribute towards the development of their communities by paying rates, levies and property taxes”.

He assured Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) within the region of the Regional Co-ordinating Council’s (RCC) support to facilitate their performances.

The GSMA was carved out as a separate municipality from the Ga South Municipal Assembly (Weija-Gbawe) in 2017 by the Legislative Instrument (LI 2316) and has Ngleshi Amanfro as its capital.