The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover, has issued query letters to all 29 Metro­politan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in the region for failing to attend the launch of a policy focused on local economic development.

The launch of the Local Eco­nomic Development (LED) Policy (2024 - 2029) which was advertised to start at 8am in Accra yesterday delayed and started at 9:30 though Mr Glover and the Minister for Lo­cal Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, had arrived well on time for the programme. • Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover, Greater Accra Regional Minister When Mr Titus-Glover took the podium to address the participants which included representatives from academia and development partners, he asked that MMDCEs identified themselves but none was present.

Fuming with rage, Mr Ti­tus-Glover, a former Member of Parliament for Tema East said the chief executives would have to answer for their absence. "We have come here to launch a policy on how to improve on your local economies and none of you is here?

Such an important exercise and none of them is here? "These are the things they do and people blame we the politicians.

They think we are close to elections so they can do what they like?

We shall see," Mr Titus-Glover stated.

Speaking exclusively with the Ghanaian Times after the pro­gramme, Mr Titus-Glover said he has already directed his Chief Director to issue the queries to the chief executives. "I am going to deal with them.

I have asked my Chief Director to issue queries to them. "The Chief Executive has the mandate to monitor the project so they should have been here with their economic planning officers.

These two people are very key in the implementation of the policy and should have been here," he emphasized.

Surprised by their absence, the minister said he placed a call to his chief director and she confirmed that their invitation letters had duly been received. "When I spoke to my Chief Director, she told me that the letter inviting them indicated that they should bring two people and that should be the Chief Executive and the economic planning officer because this is the theme of the subject matter," he stated.

Mr Titus-Glover said the culture of lateness and absenteeism in the public sector was affecting produc­tivity and action needed to be taken to make people responsive to their duties. "We must crack the whip to ensure that these MMDCEs are up to their responsibilities.

You are representing the president, the minister for local government and the regional minister have made time to come and you are not here?" he remarked.

The policy which seeks to promote local economic develop­ment to empower entrepreneurs at the local level, he said, was very key and persons who will have the utmost responsibility to ensure its seamless implementation must not be absent.

He noted that with unavailability of white-collar jobs in recent times, any intervention that would create the needed jobs must be supported and the governance leadership at the local level must be interested in such projects to be able to impact the people.  BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI