Poverty Dimensions of Public Governance and Forest Management ...

Annex 3: 25
! Integrating sector plans;
! Mobilising the resources of the district and protecting its environment;
! Promoting social development and productive activities;
! Provision of municipal works and services and developing basic infrastructure.
The 1993 Local Government Act organised all 22 sectors, which had been devolved to the local level, into 12
departments incorporated under the unitary authority of the Assembly. (Crook and Manor, 1998, 205)
District Assemblies have a number of statutory environmental functions (particularly brown issues such as sanitation,
water and pollution). There is presently no requirement for Assemblies to convene environmental sub-committees.
Only five sub-committees are statutory at Assembly level. These are for Development planning, Works, Social
Services, Justice and Security, and Finance and Administration (Local Government Act 462, Para 24). However, DAs
are at liberty to create other specialist sub-committees, and District Environmental Sub-committees (DESCs) are
among the most common.
Like the DAs, the Unit Committees comprise elected and appointed members in the ratio 2:1 (ten elected, and five
appointed). The Assembly members are ex-officio members of the Unit Committees in their respective areas, and act
as an important link between the two levels. (Botchie, 2000, 41) Only since 1997-8, has this lower-level structure
been close to fully operational, with the holding of many of the Unit Committee elections.
Problems with implementation
This research report will examine the implementation of decentralisation in the districts of the study, with particular
references to its environmental consequences. Here, we review the literature on Ghana’s decentralisation in more
general terms, identifying the main constraints on its implementation to date.
A number of studies exist on this theme, of which the major for our purposes are: Haynes (1991); Ayee (1996); Mohan
(1996); Crook and Manor, 1998; Amanor and Annan (1999); and Botchie (2000).
Amanor and Annan identify a number of areas in which major problems have arisen, of which three merit particular
mention:
i. Problems in integrating decentralised departments into district assembly structures and decision-making
processes;
ii. Lack of skilled personnel;
iii. Lack of a sound financial base;
i. Problems of integration.