The newly appointed General Secretary of the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG), Mr. Sherriff Jerry Amarh, paid a courtesy call on the Director of the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS), Prof. Nicholas Awortwi, on Monday, May 20, 2025. The visit marked Mr. Amarh’s first official engagement with the ILGS since taking office.
Accompanying him were members of the NALAG Secretariat, including Justice Tsitia (Finance Manager), Esi Benewaa Otoo (Gender Project Officer, PMI-WILL), Emmanuel Abbey (Programs Officer, PMI-WILL), and Solomon Annan (Finance Officer, PMI-WILL). The purpose of the meeting was to formally introduce Mr. Amarh in his new role, discuss areas of mutual interest, and explore opportunities for deeper collaboration.
“We are looking forward to working closely with ILGS in areas such as staff capacity building, joint proposals, research, and sharing of best practices,” Mr. Amarh stated.
One of the key highlights of the meeting was the discussion of the PMI-WILL Project, a joint initiative between NALAG and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). Mr. Amarh shared NALAG’s plans to partner with ILGS to provide leadership and management training for middle-level women in local government.
“This training is part of our commitment to empower more women and prepare them for key, strategic roles within the service,” he stated.
Prof. Awortwi warmly received the NALAG delegation and praised the initiative, emphasizing the importance of intentional strategies to elevate women into leadership positions.
“We are excited about this collaboration and fully support the idea of tailored training. But beyond training, there must be strong advocacy and mentorship to help break the barriers women face in ascending to leadership roles,” he stated.
He went on to describe the variety of programs the institute offers, and assured the team that ILGS would design custom courses to meet the specific needs of women leaders in local government.
Both teams expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting and agreed on the importance of maintaining open channels for future engagement. The visit underscored a shared commitment to strengthening local governance and advancing gender equity in public service.