ILGS/MLGRD/DACF nationwide training programme on ‘effective functionality of the Public Relations and Complaints Committee (PRCC) and the Next Generation Leadership’ for assembly members of MMDAS

The Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS) in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGRD) and the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) is organising a 4-Day Nationwide Training Programme on ‘Effective Functionality of the Public Relations and Complaints Committee (PRCCT) and the Next Generation Leadership’ for Assembly Members (AMs) of MMDAs. The residential programme is scheduled to take place in series of training events at the Institute’s Accra Campus, Ogbojo-Accra from 28th November to 22nd December, 2022.

The Next Generation Leadership Training (NGLT) has been designed to build the capacity of AMs to enable them effectively perform their roles and responsibilities as stipulated under the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936). The programme has been designed as a follow-up to the nationwide orientation and training for the current cohort of AMs, which was conducted in 2020.

The course is also complemented by a training on the effective functioning of the Public Relations and Complaints Committee (PRCC). This training had been approved as an activity to be implemented by ILGS as part of the generic training interventions to address capacity gaps established under the 2020 District Assembly Performance Assessment Tool (DPAT V). Accordingly, the approved 2022 Work plan for implementing institutions of the District Assemblies Common Fund Responsiveness Factor Grant (DACF-RFG) also envisaged this training intervention. However, in view of resources constraints, only two representatives from each of the 261 MMDAs have been targeted for this training intervention. Therefore, the Presiding Members (PMs) of the 261 MMDAs and one other member of the PRCC for each MMDA, nominated by the MMDCE would be the beneficiaries of the training.

This prestigious leadership programme is intended to enhance competences of participants for effective performance of their representative, deliberative, legislative, executive and oversight duties. It would amongst others seek to strengthen operations of PRCC, increase competences on their assigned mandates, improve work processes, including their rules of procedure for receiving, recording and taking action on complaints and providing feedback as well as strengthen the interface and responsiveness of MMDAs to citizens and clients.

Ultimately, participants by the end of the programme, would have been educated on the expectations of their job and demonstrated abilities to address challenges that impinge on their performance and progression in their political career.