A book on community governance practices in Ghana was at the weekend launched in Accra.
Titled, ‘Development in unity’, it is a three volume series which seeks to promote a new development order of the nation and the growing economies in the African sub-region.
The book adds up to more than 90 publications of Daasebre Professor Emeritus Oti Boateng, Omanhene (Paramount Chief) of the New Juaben traditional area in the Eastern Region, in writing on development models for better community governance practises in Ghana.
Speaking at the launch, Daasebre Oti Boateng disclosed that he drew inspiration from publishing the new book from development research models operated by continents over the world and designed a unique model of better governance practice for the country.
Daasebre Oti Boateng explained that the contents of the book entailed a development model called the root base model which introduced proper democratic practises whereby the citizenry had total authority at the local level.
He noted that the book focused on the need for a restructuring of the governance system to allow communities to elect their own metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) and indicated that Africa had come of age over the years, so it was imperative for the continent to design its development models as a national policy from the grassroots to the governance level.
“Development must be what the citizenry need and it must come from the grassroots not from the top because the model we have today breeds corruption but the new model will propose a community development council which will include traditional authorities and opinion leaders of every community to play a vital role in the governance of communities,” Emeritus Professor Oti Boateng noted.
Emeritus Professor Oti Boateng also noted “the government machinery should implement the recommendations made by the model to provide better governance practises for the citizenry”.
Professor Ivan Addae-Mensah, a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon, observed that the book contained proper democratic means of promoting grassroots democracy and empowering the vulnerable in society to contribute meaningfully to nation building to accelerate developmental needs.
BY DAVID NYANOR TAKYI