The Head of the Local Government Service, Dr Nana Ato Arthur, has called for the streamlining of building permit processes at the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to reduce bureaucratic hurdles faced by applicants and also save time and resources.
At the second annual general meeting of the Local Government Service Engineers Association (LoGSEA) held in Accra on Friday, Dr Ato Arthur explained that such a move would ensure transparency as it defined the requirement that enhanced visibility and accessibility.
It was on the theme, 'Towards effective and efficient building permit system, the role of Local Government Service Engineers.'
He noted that decision-making on behalf of the assemblies had not been straightforward due to the complexities of building permits at the MMDAs, as it had to take account of both narrow and wider interest and be sensitive to individual developers and the collective needs of communities.
Bureaucratic delays, difficult data accessibility, and the lack of poor coordination between permit processing institutions, among other issues, Dr Ato Arthur said frustrated the citizenry and had led to haphazard development of properties and construction without the requisite technical advice and permits from MMDAs.
"By implementing an efficient permit system, we create a more conducive environment for development, investment, and growth," he added.
Dr Ato Arthur said the meeting would provide key insight that would guide the mandate of a newly instituted committee of development permit institutions by the Ministry of Trade and Industry to introduce reform interventions and ensure the development of a unified electronic systems for development permit processes.
He also urged engineers at the MMDAs to adhere to professional standards, be innovative, and foster collaborations with other departments in order not to work in silos.
The office of the Local Government Service, Dr Ato Arthur, said was committed to work together with key stakeholders to provide the needed policy guidance, logistics, and training to ensure that MMDAs were well placed to facilitate effective and efficient building permit systems.
The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, in a speech read on his behalf by his deputy, said government continued to empower engineers within the MMDAs to discharge their duties through various legislation such as the Engineers Council Act 2011(Act 819), among other Acts.
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As a way of strengthening regulations and ensuring compliance, the Ministry of Works and Housing, Mr Oppong Nkrumah, said was establishing the works inspectorate unit to help in the monitoring of construction activities, and the enforcement of building standards to reduce incidents of collapse buildings.
The Deputy Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Mr Vincent Ekow Assafuah, said, "permit serve as a vital tool in ensuring that construction activities are adhered to regulatory standards, promote safety and safeguard the interest of the public," and called for its timely issuance to reduce the challenges faced by applicants.
