The Institute was privileged to host a delegation from the Study Institute of Essen in Germany from 19th to 21st October, 2023. The delegation was made up of Mrs Marion Peters (Head of Studies of Essen, Mr Christian Voigt (Lecturer), Ms Luisa Kitzinger (Global Engage) and Dr. Christoph Ehlert (Elections).
The Director of the Institute of Local Government Studies, Prof. Nicholas Awortwi welcomed the delegation and underscored the purpose of their visit which included understanding first hand Ghana's local governance system, and to discuss a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to begin an exchange programme in post-graduate studies with the Institute of Local Government Studies.
As part of activities of the study tour, the delegation led by Prof. Awortwi and the Registrar of the Institute Mr David Osei-Wusu on Thursday 20th October, 2023, accompanied the team to visit the Offices of the Head of Local Government Service (OHLGS) and the Korley Klottey Municipal Assembly (KoKMA).
On Saturday 21st October, 2023 they met the Municipal Chief Executive of Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem Municipal Assembly (KEEAMA), Hon. Solomon Appiah and the Director of Electoral Services at the Electoral Commission of Ghana, Dr Serebour Quaicoe at Coconut Grove Hotel in Cape Coast, the central region. In their discussions, they shared experiences of different areas of local governance in Ghana and Ghana’s electoral system.
Similarly, Dr. Christoph Ehlert also shared Germany’s electoral processes or case for local elections in Germany. The study visit ended with a lunch session and a visit to the Kakum National Park, and Cape Coast Castle to explore Ghana's heritage and natural reserves.