Reform Town and Country Planning Department : Private Enterprise Foundation
The Private Enterprises Federation (PEF) has called for a reform of the Town and Country Planning Department (TCPD) to enable it to process applications faster and reduce delays.
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It said there was the need to amend the laws establishing the Town and Country Planning Department (TCPD) to enable it to retain all or a greater percentage of user fees and charges paid by applicants.
According to the PEF, the new legislation should create some autonomy for the agency in the areas of policies for raising funds to run the agency.
The Chief Executive Officer of PEF, Nana Osei Bonsu, made the call at a public forum in Accra to sensitise the public to “streamlining cross sector licensing requirements in Ghana”.
He said a study conducted by the PEF in 2013 found that there was the need for the licensing requirements of the country to be streamlined.
Nana Bonsu said the processes of acquiring licences and permits for business operations were key determinants of private sector development and economic growth and for that reason the nature and mode of implementation of those licences and permits had great effects on the private sector.
He said any delays caused in acquiring the licences and permits added to the cost of doing business.
Recommendations
Consequently, he said, the PEF recommended that the new “Land Use and Spatial Bill”, which sought to replace Cap 84 of 1985, should make adequate provisions for the decentralisation of the application processes through the use of an Electronic/Internet platform with complementary bank accounts that would receive application fees.
It recommended that the discretionary powers of the Metropolitan Chief Executives/ District Chief Executives should be cut when it came to the approval of applications.
The PEF also recommended that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should open more offices at the regional and district levels to facilitate the approval of applications at all levels.
It called on the EPA to recruit more workers, adding that the staff strength of the EPA in the year 2011 was 4,000 and that number currently remained the same and as one of the key challenges the EPA was facing.
The PEF recommended that the EPA should be granted financial autonomy to finance all staff recruitments, especially the recruitment of its technical staff.
It said the resources required to finance such recruitments should come from internally-generated funds.
Ghana National Fire and Rescue Service
On the Ghana National Fire and Rescue Service (GNFS), the PEF recommended that the GNFS, with the support of the Ministry of the Interior, should develop a policy aimed at recruiting and training more officers.
It recommended that budgetary allocations for the service should cater for periodic expenses for the recruitment and training of more fire inspectors.
Department of Factories Inspectorate
On the Department of Factories Inspectorate, the PEF recommended that the department should be allowed to retain 100 per cent of fees and penalties paid by applicants to enable it to use some of the earnings to train its staff and purchase logistics.
It said some of the retained funds could also be used to undertake programmes to educate the public on the rules of the department and its application processes and procedures.