Ten selected metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies are being assisted to build the capacities of their staff in waste management and sanitation through the use of benchmarking.
Benchmarking is a learning the method used worldwide in business and governmental organisations to improve performance.
The essence of the method is the comparison of performance indicators with similar organisations and learning the best practices.
The project, which is being supported by the Dutch Government as part of its development assistance to Ghana on the Local Government Capacity Programme(LGCP), is being implemented by VNG International of Holland and MAPLE Consult in Ghana.
The 10 assemblies are the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Komenda – Edina – Eguafo – Abirem Municipal , Twifo Atti – Morkwa, Heman Lower Denkyira District and Kadjebi District Assemblies.
The rest, which are being supported by SNV, a Dutch non – governmental organisation, are East Gonja, Kassena – Nankana, Wa West, Asikuma – Odoben – Brakwa Districts and the Ga West Municipal Assemblies.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Koforidua after a workshop for environmental officers, local government staff and planning officers from the selected assemblies, the Managing Director of MAPLE Consult, Mr Mawuena Dotse, said the meeting was to enable key officials of the 10 assemblies to learn best practices from one another with the view to improving sanitation delivery in their respective assemblies.
He recalled that a high level meeting and the first learning benchmark workshop was held in September last year with the view to soliciting the commitment of national level stakeholders involved in local government and the decentralisation process.
He expressed the hope that the participants would go back to their assemblies well–equipped to implement the knowledge acquired to improve waste management in their various jurisdictions.
