1. ORCC-GAR , ACCRA 23 NOVEMBER, 2015
REGIONAL CO-ORDINATING COUNCIL, ACCRA - GHANA A PRESENTATION ON OPERATIONS OF THE GREATER ACCRA REGIONAL CO-ORDINATING COUNCIL
ORCC-GAR , ACCRA
23 NOVEMBER, 2015

2. Outline of Presentation
Introduction: A brief profile of the Region
Organizational Structure of the GARCC
Functions of the Regional Coordinating Council
Administrative Set Up: The Office of the Regional Coordinating Council, Departments, Agencies and Services
Legal and Regulatory Framework for RCCs Operations
Emerging Issues and Challenges

3. Introduction/Regional Profile
Historic Origin, Location and Size
Carved out of the erstwhile Eastern Province of the Gold Coast and Ghana as a region in with Accra, the capital;
Located in the South-Central portion of Ghana and covers an area of 3,245 sq.km which is 1.36 per cent of the total land area of Ghana;
Coastline of about 225 km from Langma to the west and Ada Foah in the east;

4. Boundaries
To the west – Central Region
The north – Eastern Region
The east – Volta Region
The south – The Gulf of Guinea
Demographic Characteristics
Population (2010 PHC):3,909,764 (Ghana 24,223,431)
Growth Rate : 2.8 per cent (Nat. av. 2.4%)
Density : 1,205 per sq.km (Ghana 102)
Population share : 16.1 per cent

5. Ethnicity
Major ethnic groups:
Akans % (Fante, Asante & Akuapem)
Ga-Dangme - (29.7%)
Ewe - (18.0%)
The single largest sub-ethnic grouping are the Gas accounting for 18.9%.
Religious Groups
Christians 82.9%,
Islam %; Others 6.9%

6. The Economy
Industrial and Commercial (concentrated in Accra and Tema, the harbour city)
Agriculture
- Crop production (maize, rice, cassava, cowpea mango, pineapple, pawpaw, banana and vegetables
- Livestock/Poultry
- Fish production
The Service Sector : tourism, hospitality areas

7. The Regional Co-ordinating Councils
Section 140 of Act 462, 1993 makes provision for the establishment of Regional Co-ordinating Councils which shall be the highest policy making body of the Region and represent the entire political and administrative machinery of Central Government at the regional level.
Section 141 (1) prescribes the composition of the Council as follows:

8. The Regional Minister as Chairman and assisted by the Deputy Regional Minister. They constitute the political leadership at the regional level. Other members are:
The District Chief Executive and Presiding Members of the sixteen (16) MMDAs in the region;
Two (2) representatives of the Regional House of Chiefs
Regional Heads of Decentralized Departments as ex-officio members
The Regional Co-ordinating Director as Secretary

9. Organizational Structure of the RCC
The organizational/administrative structure of the Regional Co- ordinating Council as established under Local Government Act, 1993, (Act 462) is presented in the New Local Government System arrangement as follows:

10. THE NEW LOCAL GOVERNMENT SYSTEM ARRANGEMENTS
Regional Coordinating Council
Metropolitan Assembly (6)
(min of 250,000)
Municipal Assembly (55)
(min of 95,000)
District Assembly (155)
(min of 75,000)
Sub-Metropolitan District
Councils
Town/Area Councils
Zonal Councils
Urban/Town/Area
Councils
Unit Committees

11. Legal and Regulatory Framework for RCCs Operations
Key legislations guiding the establishment of RCCs as a core component of the decentralized system and the planning functions are enshrined in the following:
Article 240 of the 1992 Constitution (Chapter 20)
Local Government Act, 1993, Act 462
National Development Planning (System) Act, 1994, Act 480
Section 143 subsection 2 of the Local Government Act, 1993, Act 462 providing for the establishment of the RPCUs to support the operations of the RCC

12. Mission Statement of the GARCC
The Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council is an arm of the Executive that aims to provide effective and efficient administrative and technical services through harmonizing, co-ordinating, monitoring and evaluating plans and programmes of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and Non- Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to achieve the overall development of the Region.

13. The Office of the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council
The Office of the Regional Co-ordinating Council (ORCC) established under Section 26 of the Civil Service Law, 1993 (P.N.D.CL 327) shall be responsible for Regional Management and shall perform the functions assigned to it under that Law
The ORCC ensures that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) are staffed by competent personnel and that the MMDAs are well organized to implement Government policies and offer excellent service to its diverse clients

14. The Technical Wing
The administration and technical services are provided by the Office of the Regional Co- ordinating Council i.e. the Regional Administration and the Decentralized Departments and Agencies;
Specifically, this mandate is provided by the Regional Planning Co-ordinating Unit which is responsible for the co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation of all activities relating to districts and regional development planning including spatial and sectoral policies

15. Functions of the Regional Coordinating Council
Section 142 of Act 462 spells out the functions of the Regional Coordinating Council as follows:
Monitor, co-ordinate and evaluate the performance of MMDAs in the Region
Monitor the use of all resources, both financial and material, allocated to the MMDAs by any agency of Central Government;

16. Review and co-ordinate public services generally in the Region;
Resolve any conflict between a District Assembly and an agency of Central Government, public corporation, statutory body, non-governmental organization or individual
Provide security including managing conflicts in the region: chieftaincy, tribal, land and religious disputes

17. Provide District Assemblies with technical support, information and data for the formulation of district development plans
Co-ordinate the plans and programmes of District Assemblies and harmonize them with national development policies and priorities
Perform such other functions as may be assigned to it by or under any enactment.

18. Administrative Set Up The Office of the Regional Co-ordinating Council
Finance and Administration
Human Resource Development
Planning Unit
Accounts Section
Budget Unit
Internal Audit

19. The Decentralized Departments viz.
Town and Country Planning
Department of Food and Agriculture
Sports Council
Department of Social Welfare
Department of Community Development
Information Services Department
Department of Co-operatives

20. National Disaster Management Organisation
Public Works Department
Department of Parks and Gardens
Agencies
Land Valuation Board
Ghana Library Board
Lands Department
Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice
National Youth Council

21. National Council on Women & Development
National Commission on Children
National Population Council
Non-Formal Education Division
The Electoral Commission
Services
Ghana Police Service
Ghana National Fire Service
Judicial Service

22. Ghana Education Service
Ghana Health Service
Statistical Service
Audit Service
Local Government Service

23. Regional Committees Regional Coordinating Council
Regional Security Council (REGSEC)
Regional Fire Service Council
Regional Prisons Service Committee
Regional Health Service Committee
Regional Police Service Committee
Regional Population Advisory Committee
Permanent Site Advisory Committee
Regional Aids Committee

24. Regional Disaster Management Committee
Regional Entity Tender Committee
Regional Review Tender Board
Regional Budget Committee
Regional Steering Committee on Local Governance Service & Delivery Programme
Regional Sports Committee
Heads of Units
MMDCEs Meeting with RM

25. Political Administration
The Region is administered through the establishment of sixteen (16) administrative areas of authority, viz.:
Accra Metropolitan Assembly
Tema Metropolitan Assembly
Ledzokuku Krowor Municipal Assembly
Adentan Municipal Assembly
Ga West Municipal Assembly
Ga East Municipal Assembly

26. Ga South Municipal Assembly
Ga Central Municipal Assembly
Ashaiman Municipal Assembly
Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Assembly
La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipal Assembly
La Dadekotopong Municipal Assembly
Shai Osudoku District Assembly
Ningo-Prampram District Assembly
Ada East District Assembly
Ada West District Assembly

27. Objectives of the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council
To formulate, implement, co-ordinate, monitor and evaluate Government policies and programmes;
To promote political tolerance, stability, security and peace in Ghana and the Sub- Region;
To provide institutional capacity and enabling environment for effective, efficient and sustainable service delivery;

28. To preserve and conserve public records for the benefit of the general public;
To improve revenue inflow to government.

29. Linking Policies to Objectives: The RCC Strategic Plan
The linkage of national policies to stated objectives of the RCC are provided in 3-Year Roll-On Strategic Plans which are based on the Mission and Objectives of the institution;
Annual Programme of Activities are developed from the Objectives and implemented by relevant sector agencies and Units of the Office of the Regional Coordinating Council;

30. Expected Outputs are provided for each activity to determine achievement of stated targets;
The ORCC is currently running the Strategic Plan which is reviewed annually to reflect stated priorities to achieve required outcomes.

31. Performance of the Strategic Plan
The implementation of the Strategic Plan provides the benchmarks for assessing and evaluating the achievement of the mission and objectives of the ORCC
Monitoring the performance is carried out by monthly review meetings in which sector progress reports are presented and discussed
This system provides opportunity to identify operational gaps/constraints for which new strategies are designed to overcome such challenges

32. The Role of the RPCU
The operations of the RCC are supported by the Regional Planning Co-ordinating Unit which is composed of eleven (11) members as follows:
The Regional Co-ordinating Director
The Regional Economic Planning Officer
Regional Budget Officer
Regional Local Government Inspector
Regional Director of Health
Regional Director of Education

33. Regional Director of Agriculture
Chief Works Superintendent
Regional Town & Country Planning Officer
Regional Statistics Officer
Regional Co-ordinating Council Nominee
Other sector department and agency heads may be co-opted as and when required.

34. The Regional Planning Co-ordinating Unit among other roles:
Serves as a Secretariat for the RCC to perform its functions as specified under section 8 of Act 480
Advise the RCC on co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation of district development plans and matters relating to the development planning in the region, including spatial and sectoral policies

35. Core Functions of the RPCU
Monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of district development plans and budget as well as agreed national indicators;
Co-ordination and harmonization of district development plans and initiatives;
Ensuring that development plans and are policy compliant with national policies;
Providing technical support to DPCUs

36. Organizing review sessions and meetings;
Other operational functions of the RPCU are the following:
Organizing review sessions and meetings;
Undertaking quarterly monitoring visits to MMDAs;
Submission of reports to relevant bodies such as the NDPC, MLG&RD, DACF Secretariat, the DDF Secretariat and the LGSS;
Establishment of a database and documentation centre

37. Monitoring Indicators
Key benchmarks for MMDAs’ monitoring:
Implementation of Action Plans
Operations of the DPCUs
Revenue Mobilization
Tendering Processes and Contract Awards
Expenditure Control
Compliance with audit recommendations
Mandatory Operations (meetings, reports etc)
Efforts at addressing environmental issues

38. Emerging Issues and Challenges
A range of issues, constraints and challenges continue to impede service delivery and significantly hamper the achievement of targeted goals and objectives of the RCC. A few are listed in the following:
Weak information management i.e. manual processing and storage of data, poor records management etc.;
Inadequate funding to effectively prosecute planned activities;

39. Security challenges posing a major challenge to effective administration of the Region i.e. pressure on security agencies to combat widespread crime, inadequate logistics, cumbersome judicial procedures, lack of co-operation from the public in providing information etc.;
Widespread chieftaincy and land disputes in the Region;
Untimely release of GOG funds affecting sound implementation of budgeted activities

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