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The Western Regional Minister, Dr Kwaku Afriyie, has urged Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCES) in the region to develop local strategies and measures that would help fight illegal mining in the region.

He said though national strategies and policies were put in place to curb the menace, it was imperative for the districts to also come up with pragmatic plans and programmes that would help with the total elimination of illegal mining activities in the region.

Dr Afriyie said this during the signing of performance agreement between MMDCES and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Coordinating Directors (MMDCD) in the western Region.

He said with the capabilities and competence of the various MMDCEs and MMDCDs, if they bring to bear their expertise, it would enable them to come up with local abilities to fight illegal mining.

On the signing of the performance agreement, the Regional Minister said the performance management focuses on improving performance by developing the individual performance of staff, which seeks to enhance productivity, develop competence, create job satisfaction and also achieve the full potential of all staff.

Dr Afriyie urged them to ensure that through the performance contract, achievable targets would be set for their staff and also ensure that the necessary resources are released to enable them contribute effectively to the achievement of the overall goals of the service.

He explained that two years ago, the western region placed second after the overall assessment of the regional coordinating councils was done, but noted with concern that the performance of the MMDCAs in the region was not encouraging.

“The best district, Bodie, was placed 13th whilst Sefwi Akontombra was found at the tail of the ranking” he added.
He reminded them that there were sanctions for the non-performing districts and awards for the best performers and urged them to work harder this year by religiously implementing the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) within the time frame for an excellent result.

Dr Afriyie called on them to be committed to the achievement of set objectives and targets in the delivery of their services, adding, “your work entails a lot of sacrifices and you must be able to brace the storm by acting maturely”.

Mr Gilbert Nuri-Teg Dean of the MMDCDs, pledged their support and asked that the needed resources should be provided to enable them deliver their services to the satisfaction of their various districts and the region as a whole.

For his part, Mr Wilson Arthur, Dean of the MMDCES pledged to push the nation's agenda to the highest level and also asked that the various MMDAs were provided with the necessary resources to enhance their work.