Ghana: Ho City Profile

8/12/2019 Ghana: Ho City Profile

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Regional Technical Cooperation Division

GHANA:

HO CIY PROFILE

INSER PICURE


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FOREWORD 4

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6

BACKGROUND 8

GOVERNANCE 12

SLUM AND SHELTER 14

GENDER AND HIV/AIDS 15

ENVIRONMENT 17

PROJECT PROPOSALS

GOVERNANCE 19

SLUMS AND SHELTER 24

GENDER AND HIV/AIDS 26

ENVIRONMENT 29

TABLE OF CONTENTS

GHANA:HO CIY PROFILE

UNITED NATIONS HUMAN SETTLEMENTS PROGRAMME

REGIONAL OFFICE FOR AFRICA AND ARAB STATES


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FOREWORD

EXECUTIVEDIRECTOR

Te annual urbangrowth rate in Sub-Saharan Africa is almost5 percent, twice as highas in Latin Americaand Asia. It also has the

worlds largest proportionof urban residents livingin slums, which todayare home to 72 percentof urban Africas citizensrepresenting a total ofsome 187 million people.

As more and more peopleseek a better life in towns

and cities, the urban slum population in Africa isprojected to double every 15 years in a process knownas the urbanisation of poverty. African cities are thusconfronted in the new Millennium with the problem ofaccommodating the rapidly growing urban populationsin inclusive cities, providing them with adequate shelterand basic urban services, while ensuring environmentalsustainability, as well as enhancing economic growthand development.

UN-HABIA is the lead agency for implementationof Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 7, arget10 (reducing by half the number of people withoutsustainable access to safe drinking water), and arget

11 (achieving significant improvement in the lives of atleast 100 million slum dwellers by 2020).

As part of our drive to address this crisis, UN-HABIA is working with the European Commissionto support sustainable urban development in African,Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. Given the urgentand diverse needs, the agency found it necessary todevelop a tool for rapid assessment to guide immediate,mid and long-term interventions. In 2002, based onthe European Commissions Consultative Guidelinesfor Sustainable Urban Development Cooperation, UN-HABIA successfully implemented an Urban SectorProfile Study in Somalia for the first time. Te Studyresulted in the identification and implementation ofthree major programmes with funding from a varietyof donors.

In 2004, UN-HABIAs Regional Office forAfrica and the Arab States took the initiative todevelop the approach further for application in over20 countries. Tis was achieved in collaboration with

other departments within the agency the UrbanDevelopment Branch with the Urban EnvironmentSection, the Global Urban Observatory, the ShelterBranch, the Urban Governance Unit, the GenderPolicy Unit, the Environment Unit and the rainingand Capacity Building Branch. Tis new corporateapproach is known as Rapid Urban Sector Profilingfor Sustainability (RUSPS). Te implementation ofRUSPS was launched thanks to contributions from theGovernments of Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Te idea behind the urban profiling is to helpformulate urban poverty reduction policies at the local,national and regional levels through a rapid, participatory,crosscutting, holistic and action-orientated assessment

of needs. It is also aimed at enhancing dialogue,awareness of opportunities and challenges aiming atidentifying response mechanisms as a contribution tothe implementation of the MDGs.

Te urban profiling addresses four main themes:governance, slums, gender and HIV/AIDS andenvironment. It seeks to build a national profile, andthree settlements representing the capital or a large city,a medium-sized city, and a small town. Te profiles offeran overview of the urban situation in each participatingcity through a series of interviews with key urban actors.Tis is followed by a city consultation where priorities areagreed. City-level findings provide input for the national

profiling that is combined with a national assessment ofinstitutional, legislative, financial and overall enablingframeworks and response mechanisms. Te profiles atall levels result in supporting the formation of city andnational strategies and policy development. Additionally,the profiling facilitates sub-regional analyses, strategiesand common policies through identification ofcommon needs and priorities at the sub-regional level.Tis provides guidance to international external supportagencies in the development of their responses in theform of capacity building tools.

In Ghana, the profiling was undertaken underthe leadership of national and local authorities. Tisinitiative has been carried out locally in Accra, amale,Ho as well as nationally. Te National Urban Profilefocuses on the findings of a desk-study, interviews withkey actors and a town consultation with key urbanactors and institutions. Consultation participantsagreed to address the salient urban issues includingpoverty, insecurity, corruption, pollution and crimeall problems that negatively affect investments and

FOREWORD


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FOREWORD-EXECUTIVEDIRECTOR

economic development. A consensus was reached onpriority interventions in the form of programme andproject proposals to be implemented.

I wish to acknowledge the contributions of Mr.Mohamed El Sioufi, who developed the urban profilingconcept, the programme manager Alain Grimard andKerstin Sommer who is coordinating its activities. Ialso wish to cite those members of staff for their rolein helping produce this report. Tey include AliouneBadiane, Antonio Yachan, Adolphin Asimah, Ben DoeDoris etteh, and Sylvester Gabianu.

I would like to thank the Government of Ghanathrough the Ho Metropolitan Asembly, Ministry ofInformation Service, Ministry of Local Governmentand Rural Development, Ministry of Women andChildren Affairs, city mayors, local government officials,authorities, and all those who have participated in andsupported this initiative and wish every success in itsimplementation. I also look forward to supportingfurther their efforts in the development of Accra.

Anna Kajumulo ibaijukaUnder-Secretary-General of the United Nations,

and Executive Director,UN-HABIA


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EXECUTIVE

SUMMARY

OVERVIEW

Ho is one of the twelve (12) districts in the Volta Region.It has a population of 61,099, and is the administrativeand commercial capital of the Volta Region. Tedevelopment needs and investment prospectus of Hocentre on infrastructure, environmental management,social services, financial management and institutionalcapacity. Te role as administrative and economic hubof Volta Region requires Ho to give value for moneyservices to its inhabitants and extend daily servicesto many neighboring communities and the region asa whole. Over the past year population growth andurban dependency on infrastructure have far exceededacceptable standards. Although some infrastructure

provision has been made, these constitute insignificantproportion of infrastructure needs of the municipality.Te city is limited by the poor institutional set-upand regulatory framework for an effective municipalmanagement.

INTRODUCTION

Te Urban Profiling is an accelerated and action-oriented urban assessment of needs and capacity-building gaps at local and national levels. It is currentlybeing implemented in over 20 countries in Africaand Arab States. RUSPS uses a structured approach

where priority interventions are agreed upon throughconsultative processes. Te RUSPS methodology consistsof three phases: (1) a rapid participatory urban profiling,at national and local levels, focusing on Governance,Slums, Gender, HIV/AIDS, and Environment, andproposed interventions; (2) detailed priority proposals;and (3) project implementation. Urban Profilingin Ghana encompasses a national profile, as well asprofiles for Accra, amale, and Ho, each published as aseparate report. Tis is the Ho report and it constitutesa general background, a synthesis of the four themes Governance, Slums, Gender and HIV/AIDS, andEnvironment , and priority project proposals.

BACKGROUND

Ho lies between latitude 6 degrees 20 1N and60degrees 55 1N and longitudes 0 degrees 12 1E and0 degrees 53 1E and covers an area of 11.65 squarekilometers. Generally, mean monthly temperaturesrange between 220 C and 320 C while annual meantemperature range from 16.50C to 37.80 C.

Te rainfall pattern is characterized by two rainyseasons referred to as the major and the minor seasons.Te major season being March to June while the minorfrom August to November. Te remaining 5 monthsof the year being referred to as dry season. Te annualrainfall figures are between 20.1mm and 192mm. Tehighest rainfall occurs in June and has mean valueof 192mm while the lowest rainfall is in Decemberrecording a value of 0.1mm. Te rain fall pattern

and high soil fertility are responsible for the agrarian

economy.Te vegetation of Ho is basically savannah woodland,

which covers most part of the city. However, there arepatches of semi-deciduous forest which mostly occur onthe highlands. Te greatest influence on the vegetationin the city, is the;

1. Growing population due to high migration.

2. Pressure on housing and housing facilities.

3. Rapid commercialisation of the economy (Startedduring the initial years of the Ghana GovernmentStructural Adjustment Programme).

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY


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EXECUTIVE

SUMMARY

GOVERNANCE

Te Municipality is defined by the Ho MunicipalAssembly (Establishment) instrument, 1989, L.I. 1461.It has one (1) Urban Council,, eleven (11) electoral areasand thirty six (36) Unit Committee areas. Te Municipal

Assembly is headed by the Municipal Chief Executive asthe direct representative of the President of the Republic.Te Legislative and deliberative organ of the Assembly(General Assembly) is made up of fifty-four (54) electedmembers and 21 Government appointees. Te member

who presides over the General Assembly meetings is thePresiding Member. Tere is little public participationin municipal decision-making. Te Assembly also lack

resources to undertake development projects. Tis isdue to poor revenue mobilisation.

SLUM AND SHELTER

Tere are no typical slum situations in Ho but run-down residential areas such as Bankoe (Population)10,988, Hliha - 3,978, Ahoe 1,234, Dome 6,108(36% of the population live in these poor areas). Teseareas do not have access routes and community facilitiesand services. Te Assembly in the bid to improveconditions in old and inner city deprived communitieshas been providing public toilets, assistance to domestictoilets, sanitary sites and recently opening up of access

roads.

GENDER AND HIV/AIDS

Affirmative action taken by the Assembly isepitomized by the formation of a non-statutorycommittee (Gender Sub-committee) to take care ofgender related policy issues. Women are legally entitledto be informed of planning proposals at municipaland other local government levels. Tey are heavilyrepresented in the lower echelons of the organizationalstructure of HMA: 12% of administrative class; 33% of

junior civil servants and 15% of senior management.Tere is the need for collection and analysis of genderbased data for policy making on gender issues.

ENVIRONMENTHigh migration rate and population increase is

creating problems in the management of facilities andsustainability of the urban environment. Householdsdepend mostly on public toilets, which are oversubscribed and deteriorate quickly. Drainage channelsare overgrown with weeds and constant dumping ofrefuse in all water ways also cause blockage of these water

ways resulting in flooding of low lying areas and streamvalleys. Tere are inadequate roadside drains. Domestic

wastewater is also poorly treated and stagnant pools ofgrey water are a common occurrence in the city.


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HOPROFILE

BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND

INTRODUCTION

Urban Profiling

Te Ho Urban Profiling consists of an accelerated,action-oriented assessment of urban conditions,focusing on priority needs, capacity gaps, and existinginstitutional responses at local and national levels.Te purpose of the study is to develop urban povertyreduction policies at local, national, and regionallevels, through an assessment of needs and responsemechanisms, and as a contribution to the wider-rangingimplementation of the Millennium DevelopmentGoals (MDGs). Te study is based on analysis ofexisting data and a series of interviews with all relevanturban stakeholders, including local communities andinstitutions, civil society, the private sector, developmentpartners, academics, and others. Te consultationtypically results in a collective agreement on prioritiesand their development into proposed capacity-buildingand other projects that are all aimed at urban povertyreduction. RUSPS is being implemented in over 20

African and Arab countries, offering an opportunityfor comparative regional analysis. Once completed, thisseries of studies will provide a framework for centraland local authorities and urban actors, as well as donorsand external support agencies.

METHODOLOGY

Te Participatory Slum Upgrading Programmeconsists of three phases:

Phase one consists of the rapid profiling of urbanconditions at national and local levels. Te capital city,a medium-sized city, and a small town are selectedand studied to provide a representative sample in eachcountry. Te analysis focuses on four themes: governance,slums, gender and HIV/AIDS, and the environment.Information is collected through standard interviewsand discussions with institutions and key informants, inorder to assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities,

and threats (SWO) of the national and local urban set-ups. Te findings are presented and refined during cityand national consultation workshops and consensus isreached regarding priority interventions. National andcity reports synthesise the information collected andoutline ways forward to reduce urban poverty throughholistic approaches.

Phase two builds on the priorities identified throughpre-feasibility studies and develops detailed capacity-building and capital investment projects.

Phase three implements the projects developedduring the two earlier phases, with an emphasis on

skills development, institutional strengthening, andreplication.

Tis report presents the outcomes of Phase One at thelocal level in Ho.

URBAN PROFILING IN HO

Te urban profiling in Ho is one of three similarexercises conducted in Ghana; the other profiled centresare Accra and amale.

Te national and city consultation was conceivedas a partnership platform, co-developed with theDepartment of Community Development, Departmentof Cooperative, Social Welfare, Department of RuralHousing, Ho Assembly Members, Municipal Planning

Coordinating Unit, Works Department, Budget andRating Department, Police Commander and the GhanaCivil Aviation. Te aim is to promote inter-agencycollaboration that integrates a wide range of urbanactors in response mechanisms.

REPORT STRUCTURE

Tis report consists of:

1. a general background of the urban sector in Ho,based on the findings of a desk study, interviews,and a national and city consultation (see back cover

for a list of participants in the city consultation anda bibliography). Te background includes data onadministration, urban planning, municipal finance,urban services, public transport, health, education,the economic situation, water and sanitation, and

waste management;

2. a synthesis of the four main theme areas governance,slums, gender and HIV/AIDS, and environment in terms of the institutional set-up, regulatoryframework, resource mobilisation, and performance(this second section also highlights agreed prioritiesand includes a list of identified projects); and

3. a SWO analysis and an outline of priority projectproposals for each theme. Te proposals includebeneficiaries, partners, estimated costs, objectives,activities, and outputs.


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HOPROFIL

E-BACKGROUND

TABLE 1:

DEPARTMENT FUNCTIONS

1. General Assembly Legislative, deliberative and budget approval.

2. Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) Coordinate the activities of the departments administrative services to MCE.

3. Town & Country Planning Coordination of land uses and developments control. Preparation ofDetailed Planning Schemes, Structure Plan, detailed design of sub urbancentres.

4. Works Development and maintenance of public land properties, design and main-tenance of building projects premises/ house numbering, developmentof street furniture and Terminals. Issuance of building permit, demolishesunauthorized development of street furniture and terminals. Issuance ofbuilding permit delivery, demolishes unauthorized developments.

5. Environmental Management Food Hygiene and market sanitation. Disease, Vector and Pest Control.Environmental Health Education. Premises Inspection for control of environ-mental health hazards. Control of cemeteries. Health safety of keeping ofanimals. Building Sanitation.

6. Education office Teaching and learning in schools; regulations and educational policies; infra-structure and necessary logistics; sport development in schools.

7. Disaster Prevention and Management Preparation of disaster management plan. Provision of relief, rehabilitationand reconstruction after disaster.

8. Food and Agriculture Technical services, development of Agriculture. In flow and outflow of agri-cultural produce.

9. Finance Collection and custody of revenue; processes and pays expenses incurred;

compel financial records; processes payroll; Advises on financial matters;researches into changing trends of the market.

10. Trade and Industry Local economic development.

ADMINISTRATION

Te Municipal Assembly is headed by the MunicipalChief Executive as the direct representative of the

President of the Republic. Owing to lack of office space,most of the Decentralised Departments are scatteredfrom the Coordinating Directorate and this makescoordination difficult. Te over whelming centralgovernment presence affects participation of citizensin local government decision-making. Te poor cityadministrative set affects the management of the city inlight of growth and urbanization trends in Ho.

FINANCIAL SITUATION

Te economy is characterized by absence ofmanufacturing industries, large number of small-

scale commercial/industrial activities. Te small-scaleenterprises and industrial concerns are concentrated inthe city centre; making it the nerve centre of the Districtand to limited Regional economy. Te economy of Hocan be divided into Rural (dominated by agriculture andrelated activities in the periphery) and Urban economies(characterized by public and private sector employmentas well as a large urban informal sector concentrated


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HOPROFILE

BACKGROUND

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in the city centre). Te economy is characterized byemployment in the public and private sectors, andemploys about 29% of the working population. Tepublic service constitutes about 9% of the formal sectoremployment, while the private sector employs 91%. HoMunicipal Assembly has less financial autonomy thanthe central government. Over 70% of the Assemblysrevenue is from central government sources. Tere havebeen encouraging increases in annual revenue due to thesubstantial increases in grants mainly form the District

Assembly Common Fund (general grant) and HIPCfund allocation. Te poor financial performance is dueto weak institutional arrangement to mobilise revenue.

Te sources of internal generated revenue are;

basic rate (1.4%), property rate (27.5%), royalty onland (9.2%), fees and fines (38.3%), licenses (10%),rent on assemblys property (0.3%), interest oninvestment(11.3%).

URBAN SERVICES

Access to services in Ho Municipality is not equitableas poor areas area not well serviced. Most infrastructuresare absent in the old areas of the town. Tere are no accessroads, drains, water and other domestic facilities.

WATER, SANITATION, AND REFUSECOLLECTION

Te water network has a capacity of 2.2 milliongallons (9,900m3). Te 40% of population who do nothave access to pipe borne water turn to other sources

for water. Notable water sources in the municipality arethe numerous hand dug wells and streams. Wells areprivately owned and mostly dry out in the dry season.

It is evident that wide disparities exist in distributionof solid waste facilities. Tere is no door-to-doorservice for solid waste collection in the municipalities.

Where facilities are not provided households dump inopen spaces or drain reservations. Te residents andcommercial entities in Ho generate approximately 65tones of waste daily; an average of 42 tones is depositedat the final disposal point.

Te predominant type of domestic toilet is the watercloset. Tese are mostly used in the newer parts of themunicipality. In the older settlements, domestic toiletsare inadequate. Inadequate space within compounds,poor access to houses and lack of funding are reasonsgiven for poor level of service.

Tere are three (3) markets in Ho. Tey are theHo Central Market, Ahoe Market and Civic CentreMarket. Te markets are very important sources ofrevenue generation for the Assembly. However, thereare bottlenecks affecting efficient performance of themarkets.

Drainage channels are over grown with weeds andconstant dumping of refuse in all water ways cause

blockage of these water ways resulting in flooding of lowlying areas and stream valleys. Another environmentalproblem in Ho is caused by the absence of roadsidedrains. Domestic waste water is also poorly treated andstagnant pools of grey water are a common occurrencein the city.


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E-BACKGROUND

LAND ACQUISITION AND SLUM FORMATION

Tere are four categories of land ownership in Ho.Tese are state land, vested lands, customary lands andprivate lands. Te Lands Commission manages statelands and vested lands. Te land ownership in Ho ismainly family/private. Families are responsible for 70%-80% of land. ypical in Ho, the right to lease out landto prospective developers rests with individual families

Te land market structures are not well developedin Ho. Inadequacy of private and public institutionalset-up and regulatory framework affects the smoothdevelopment of land market. Te demand for land inHo is very high. Such demand is mainly for residentialand commercial land within the built up areas.

Te under listed are some of the causes of slumsformation in Ho:

Lack of reliable maps/plans.

Use of unapproved old or inaccurate maps.

Difficulty in agreeing to sometimes impreciseboundary definitions.

Conflict and litigation within and between familiesand other land owning groups.

Weak land administration system both state andcustomary.

Poor housing maintenance culture.

CIVIL SOCIETY PARTICIPATION IN MUNICIPAL

DECISION MAKING PROCESS

Te process of development plan preparation of theHo Municipal Assembly epitomized the level whichthe assembly involves civil society in decision making.Te planning process of Ho Municipal Assembly is animportant tool to determine at what level the public

and civil society are involved in the municipal decisionmaking process. As shown in the figure, civil societyand the public are informed about medium termprogrammes as designed to solve community-identifiedproblems.

HEALTH STATUS

Ho Municipal Assembly achieved 90% immunizationas compared with the national average of 80%. Otherhealth status indicators in the district are as follows:

Maternal mortality rate: 3:6/10001.

Infant mortality rate: 7/1000 lower than the national2.average.

HIV/AIDS prevalent rate: 3.2 and 4.9 among3.pregnant women.

Nurses/patient ratio: 1:10004.

Doctor/pop ratio: 1:270005.

Malaria constitutes 41% of reported hospital cases.6.

ONGOING ACTIVITIES

CITY INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT

Te Assembly in the bid to improve conditionsin old and inner city deprived communities has beenproviding public toilets, assistance to domestic toilets,sanitary sites and recently opening up of access roads.Ho Municipality is one of the project cities for the WorldBank Urban V Project. Te project is geared towardsproviding infrastructure facilities in the Ho ownshipespecially the older part of the city. Under the projectdrainage facilities have been constructed and sanitationfacilities provided in selected areas of the city.


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HOPROFILE

GOVERNANCE

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GOVERNANCE

Te governance structure is not adequate enoughto foster effective municipal management and deliver

the type of services in terms of security, sanitation,land use planning, development control and revenuemobilisation. Citizens participation in municipaldecision-making is limited to data collection andinformation dissemination during the preparationof the medium development plan every four years asspelt out in the Medium erm Development PlanningGuideline. Te absence of Citizens Right Charterhinders the participation of residents in the type ofdevelopment that they aspire. Te lack of financialand political autonomy of the HMC has it to be moreresponsive to directive of central government, which isnot in touch with local conditions.

Te large informal sector which is not organised is adisincentive for revenue collection and the administrativecost of collecting the revenue is sometimes higher thanthe revenue to be generated.

THE INSTITUTIONAL SET-UP

Incomplete nature of decentralization, inadequateinstitutional arrangement and appointment ofpolitical authority is affecting management of themunicipality in the light of growth in urbanizationtrends in Ho.

No mechanism for Assembly men to report back tothe people.

Decentralised Departments are scattered from

the Coordinating Directorate and this makescoordination difficult.

RESOURCE MOBILIZATIONTe economy is not organized enough to enhancedeffectiveness of revenue collection.

Inadequate logistics and requisite manpower formunicipal management.

Ho Municipal Assembly is less financial autonomousfrom the central government. Over 70% of the

Assemblys revenue is from central governmentsources.

PERFORMANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY Recruitment of personnel is undertaken by central

government agencies, and personnel paid allegianceto central government authority.

Te annual budget estimates and the actual forthe previous years are, by law, sent to the AuditorGeneral Department for auditing.

Audit reports, which are always 3 or more yearslate, are sent to Parliament for further action, toenhance policy making with regards to public sectoraccountability.

Te Municipal Chief Executive is not accountable toresidents of the municipality, rather to the Presidentof the Republic.


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E-GOVERNANCE

GOVERNANCEN1

Project proposal Page 20

Capacity Building for GoodGovernance

SOCIAL EMPOWERMENT

Civil society and the public are informed aboutmedium term programmes as designed to solvecommunity-identified problems.

CAPACITY BUILDING TRAINING

Re-organise the institutional structure anddepartments to respond to the problems of themunicipalities.

Development and installation of a comprehensivedatabase on all rateable, persons and properties;

- Establishment of an effective supervisory andmonitoring system,

- Undertake training of revenue collectors,

- Organize public campaigns to adequatelysensitize communities of all the benefits ofpaying taxes,

- Develop a contractual agreement (MOU) tobe signed by all parties involved in any revenuecollection contracted with the Assembly,

- Provide technical support to all Assemblyrevenue collectors.

Recruitment and train of staff.

GOVERNANCEN2


Developing Strategies and Structuresfor Revenue Mobilization

GOVERNANCEN3


Improve Municipal and UrbanCouncil facilities

GOVERNANCEN4


Establish a citizen participationsystem for effective community

participation in decision making andplanning processes


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HOPROFILE

SLUMSANDSHELTER

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SLUMS AND SHELTER

HMA has weak institutional capacity to manageland in the Municipality. Coupled with a high numberof family land ownership housing construction isdone outside land regulation of the Assembly. Highrate of land litigation and fraud has retarded properdevelopment of the city and growing number of slum.Tere is virtually no framework and developmentorganization to upgrade slum. Te HMA needs tobuild it capacity in the management of land in Ho.

POLICY AND REGULATION FRAMEWORK

Te structure plan of Ho was prepared for the period 1996 to 2000. It makes provision for the various land

using zoning and designated spaces for major landuses such as residential, commercial, health, civic,education, industry, recreation and open spaces,reservations for water bodies and farm lands.

Adjudication and demarcation of boundaries andregistration of allodial rights are used to establish theroot of title.

No policy that promotes access to land or protectionfrom eviction.

World Bank Urban V project is attempting toupgrade some slums. Te impact has been minimal.

No pro-poor /gender land policies.


Te Lands Commission manages state land andvested land. It facilitates land administration processto legitimize transactions on family and stool landsby granting concurrence.

Te Lands Commission, Land Valuation Board andthe Survey Department concentrate their activities

in securing and management of government landrather than setting up the basis for effective landmarket system.

Tere is no institutional set-up for upgrading of oldand run down areas of the municipality.

RESOURCE MOBILIZATION

Land transactions are characterized by fraud andlitigation; slowing down housing development andrevenue mobilisation.

No budget line for shelter development. World Bank Urban V Project providing drainage and public toiletfacilities in some old parts of the municipality.

No financial assistance to slum dwellers.

Te following as deprived communities: Bankoe,Hliha, Fiavie, Anago Kofe, Afifekofe and Zongo.

TENURE SYSTEM

Te land ownership in Ho is mainly family/private.Families are responsible for 70%-80% of land.

Te land market structures are not well developed inHo. Inadequacy of private and public institutionalset-up and regulatory framework affects the smoothdevelopment of land market.

Te complexity of the family land ownership andthe inadequacy of institutional framework togoverning physical development is contributing tothe haphazard development and poor housing andenvironment.

Development control process is used to manage thedevelopment of slums.

CAPACITY BUILDING AND TRAINING

HMA needs to build its capacity in managingupgrading at the old and run down localities.

Te need to create the necessary environment forthe operation of Non-governmental developmentorganization in slum management.


HMA needs to build its capacity in managingupgrading at the old and run downed localities.

Te need to create the necessary environment forthe operation of Non-governmental developmentorganization in slum management.

SLUMS ANDSHELTERN1


Development of a modern commercialcentre in Ho Bankoe


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HOPROFIL

E-GENDERANDHIV/AIDS

GENDER AND HIV/AIDSParticipation of women in local government

decision-making is enshrined in the NationalDevelopment Planning System Act (Act 480).Nevertheless, affirmative action at that level is weak tothe extent that women find themselves in precarioussituations in terms of job opportunities and abuse bytheir men counterparts. Access to productive resourceslike land and finance is out of reach for women. Itleaves women vulnerable and exposes them to abuseand poverty. Customarily, women have limited accessto land; they normally have vested life interest.

Campaign to end violence and discriminationagainst women is being championed by WILDAF andDOVVSU. Limited budgetary allocation to genderissues is increasingly pushing attention to women andchildren to the background. Womens health needs andexposure to HIV/AIDS is only championed by NGOs.Tere is the need for capacity building in gendersensitivity analysis and mainstreaming of gender issuesin development policies and decision-making process.

THE INSTITUTIONAL AND POLICY SET-UP

Affirmative action taken by the Assemblyis epitomized by the formation of a non-statutory committee (Gender Sub-committee)to take care of gender related policy issues.

National Development Planning System Act(Act 480) provides participation of Women inlocal government decision making process.

Tey are heavily represented in the lowerechelons of the organizational structure: 12%of administrative class; 33% of junior civilservants and 15% of senior management.

Policies and decisions of HMA do not gothrough gender sensitivity analysis.

Tere are less women Assembly members

as compare to the national ratio.No availability of gender mainstreamingpolicy at the national level is replicatedat the local government level at Ho.

Tere is no separate policy on protectionof women and children policy. Tese areenshrined in the National Criminal Code.

HMA action is gender insensitive. It treats bothsexes equally and the impact adversely affects

women. Street selling is prohibited but it is womenwho mostly sell along the streets and pavements.

HIV/AIDS Rapid Response Initiative hascollapsed. HIV/AIDS campaign and educationis carried out by NGOs on ad hoc basis.


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E-ENVIRONMENT

ENVIRONMENTHigh migration (population growth of 3.11%)

is putting pressure on the city and infrastructure.

Coupled with weak governance structures, facilitieslike public toilets; waste infrastructure, market facilitiesand health facilities are deteriorating. Only 66% (42tonnes) of solid waste generated is collected. Terest find their way in drains, open spaces and heapsat inadequate sanitary sites. Te poor sanitationmanagement system manifests in the absence of door-to-door collection of domestic and industrial wasteeven in more affluent areas of the municipality. Tereare vast areas in the municipalities, especially the oldpart of the municipality, that domestic toilets can beconstructed as the houses are compact to the extentthat there are no spaces left for further construction.

POLICY AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

Out dated environmental bye-laws inconsistentwith environmental practice. No institutionalarrangement put in place to revise them.

Non-adherence to land use plans has contributedto non-availability of sanitary sites as most zonedsites have been encroached upon.

HMA has no capacity and policy framework toundertake impact assessment on any environmentalissues.

HMA has no policy to involve private participationin waste management. All waste is handled bythe Environmental Health Department of the

Assembly.


Te Municipal Environment ManagementDepartment of HMA and a private company(Zoomlion Ghana Limited) is responsible for themanagement of both liquid and solid waste. Tereis no systematic private or CBO participation in

waste management; except in the city centre whereunemployed youth pick refuse for money frommarket women.

Inadequate environmental health officers to undertake field work.

Ineffective waste collection system. Tere is nodoor-to-door service for solid waste collection inthe town.

Human excreta are managed through publiclatrines toilets (9 aqua privy and 3 WC) anddomestic pan latrines (325).


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It is evident that wide disparity exists in the numberand distribution of solid waste containers.

Tere is little budgetary provision forenvironmental management. Most sanitationequipment is donated by central government ormulti/bilateral agencies.

Te city authorities impose sanitation levyof Ghana cedi 2,000 per year per house. Tecollection is characterised with poor institutionalarrangement for collection - assembly members arecharged to do the collection.

Poor cost recovery of investment into wastecollection and management.

PERFORMANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Accountability measures of sanitation levy collectedfrom residence have not been put in place.

65 tones of waste generated daily; an average of 42tones is deposited at the final disposal point. Teuncollected waste finds the drainage network andother open space as their destination.

Tere is weak line of communication betweenthe Assembly and the residents on environmentalissues.


Provision of domestic liquid waste facilities.

Building public health officer capacity to enforceenvironmental by laws.

Public education on sanitation and health issues.

ONGOING PROJECT

Agbokofe Waste Disposal Depot. 18.6 hectares ofland at Agbokofe is designated for final disposal andtreatment of liquid waste (human excreta) and solid

waste (refuse). Human excreta are managed throughpublic latrines, domestic pan latrines, KVIP and

WC. Under the Urban 3 programme funding fromWorld Bank sponsored 557 residential VIP toilets.

ENVIRONMENTN1


Upgrading road and drainagesystems in the indigenous localities

in Ho.

ENVIRONMENTN2


To improve waste managementsystems in Ho.


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PROJECTPROPOSALS-GOVERNANCE

GOVERNANCE

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES OPPORTUNITIES THREATS PRIORITY

ISSUES

OBJECTIVE

INSTITUTIONAL SET UP FOR EFFECTIVE LOCAL GOVERNMENT DECISION MAKING

AdequateHuman resourceavailable.

Sub-DistrictStructureavailable.

Availability ofNGOs and CBOs.

ResponsibleTraditional Rulers.

WeakDissemination ofInformation &Education on LocalGovernance.

Weak financialbase of theMunicipality.

Delay in paymentof salaries.

Inadequate officespace for theMunicipality.

Inadequate highlyskilled personnel.

Lack ofcoordinationbetween Localand nationalProgramme of

activities.

DecentralizationPolicy.

DSDAII Training forDA/Sub structures.

EU Human ResourceDevelopmentprogramme for D.A.available.

Availability of pressto monitor anddisseminate informa-tion.

Slowimplementationof thedecentralizationpolicy.

Irregular releaseof DistrictAssembliesCommon Fund.

Politicalinterference inthe affairs ofthe MunicipalAssembly.

Effectiveinstitutionalarrangement.

Humanresourcedevelopment.

To improvethe forwardand backwardlinkagesbetweenthe CentralAdministrationand theDecentralizedDepartments.

To supportthe adequatestaffing andequipping of theAssembly.


New properties inthe Municipality.

Existence ofviable markets.

Private sectorparticipationin revenuecollection.

Low income levels.

Inadequatedatabase.

Lack of motivationfor revenue staff.

Unwillingness topay tax.

Corruption ofrevenue collectors.

Low tax coverage.

Projects (DanishSupport for DistrictAssemblies Urban V,HIPC Fund, SIF).

Unexplored revenuesources.

Harsh nationaleconomicconditions.

Irregular releaseof DistrictAssemblyCommon Fund.

Effective rev-enue collectionsystem.

Tax educationawareness.

Increasingthe internallygeneratedrevenue by 70%.

Establishing acomprehensiveproperty registerand other taxrated entities.


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PROJECTPROPOSALS

GOVERNANCE

0


ISSUES

OBJECTIVE


Presence ofcommunityorganizationsand traditionalauthorities.

Availability ofinternal andexternal auditsystem.

Weak linkbetweenmunicipalassemblystructures andcommunitiesand communityorganizations.

Over relianceon central

government forresources andmanpower.

Vibrant private andindependent privatepress.

Incomplete localgovernmentsystem.

Communityparticipation.

Communitymobilisation.

To improvecommunicationbetween theAssembly andpublic.

To adequatelycoordinate NGOactivities in thedistrict.

GOVERNANCEN1

Project proposal

Capacity Building for GoodGovernance

LOCAION:Ho Municipal Assembly (HMA)

DURAION:18 monthsBENEFICIARIES:Community members,Planning Officers, Budget officers, Accountants

IMPLEMENING PARNERS:HoMunicipal Assembly, Account GeneralDepartment, Ministry of Finance.

ESIMAED COS:$350,000

BACKGROUND:Te provisions for planning,budgeting and financial accountability at theDistrict Level are enshrined in Chapter 20 of the

Constitution of Ghana, Local Government Act1993, (Act 462) and the National DevelopmentPlanning (System) Act. 1994 (Act 480). Tese basiclaws provide basis and guidelines for managingresources at the District Level; a major featureof the decentralization process in Ghana.

Resource management in HMA set-up is messy,and frustrating to local administrators. Whilstfinancial management needs to be attended to allyear round, it is the budgeting that consumes themost time and requires the greatest effort. It mustbe emphasised that the budgeting process does notusually involve consultations with stakeholders on

issues concerning development in the communities.Consequently, there is the lack of ownership ofplans and budgets by intended beneficiaries.

Te Ho Municipal Assembly generates an amount

of revenue from the local people. Monies accruedare, basically used by the Assembly to finance mostlyadministrative expenses and not capital expenditurefor the benefit of the taxpayers. For examplepublic toilets in HMA generate approximatelyGhanaian cedi 300,000 daily, yet the managementof these facilities leaves much to be desired.

Te issues raised above clearly demonstrate thatthe HMA is currently playing a parasitic role sofar as development is concerned. Most Assemblypersonnel lack basic skills in the participatoryplanning and budgeting process. Tey are thereforenot able to effectively analyse the budget fromthe HMA to ascertain whether their budgetaryneeds are well provided for. Consequently,they are also not able to explain the councilsbudgetary decisions to the local people.

OBJECIVES:(1) Institutionalising participatoryplanning and budgeting process in HMA for effectivecommunity participation in resource allocation.

(2) Improving financial reporting system to ensuretransparency and information flow to stakeholders.

ACIVIIES: (1) Organise a familiarisation tour forMunicipal Chief Executive and Coordinating Directorin the city to observe the preparation of participatoryplan and budget. (2) Organise a workshop for all

Assembly personnel, Assembly members and opinionleaders on participatory planning and budgeting.(3) Produce manual on participatory planning andbudgeting. (4) Form a participatory planning andbudgeting committee. (5) Institute a participatoryplanning and budgeting process in the assembly. (6)Prepare annual participatory plans and budgets.

(7) Identify an efficient and transparent financialreporting system. (8) rain selected assembly staff inthe new system new financial reporting. (9) Produceformat and guidelines for new financial reporting.


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(10) Integrate/replace the new system into or with theold system. (11) Monitor and evaluate the systems.

OUPUS:(1) Skills of planning, budget andtreasury staff in participatory planning and budgetingdeveloped. (2) Participatory planning and budgetingmanual produced. (3) Participatory plans and budgetproduced annually. (4) New financial reporting systemidentified. (5) reasury staff trained in new financialreporting system. (6) New financial reporting systemused to prepare financial statement of Assembly.

PROJEC IMPLEMENAION: (1)Teproject will be implemented with the consent ofCentral Government. (2) Study tours, capacity

building workshops and courses will be organizedfor relevant personnel. (3) Process facilitator(consultant) will be employed when necessary.

EQUIPMEN O BE PROCURED:Computers,Computer software, office furniture.


DURAION: 24 months

BENEFICIARIES:Ho Municpal Assembly

IMPLEMENING PARNERS:Ho Municipal Assembly

ESIMAED COS:$50,000

BACKGROUND:Tere is increasing pressurefrom central government on District Assembly,

including Ho Municipal Assembly, to increase themobilisation of internally generated resources. Tisstems from the fact that, aside from political andadministrative decentralisation, central government

wants to give high degree of fiscal autonomy toDistrict assemblies. Te achievement of this policyobjective lays in the revenue structure of District

Assemblies. Without recognizing the districtstructure of District Assembly, resource mobilizationefforts to receive fiscal autonomy are to go astray.

Te overriding difficulty facing HMA is the smallsize of the available revenue base. Te economic baseof HMA as semi-urban district includes charging

sheep dip, charging markets, lorry and parkingtolls. Unfortunately, none of these have largeenough base to produce substantial revenue at lowrates of tax. Property rate and land tax, which are

levied at certain percentage of valuation, are poorlymanaged and the property register outmoded.

OBJECIVES:(1) Increasing the internally generatedrevenue by 70%. (2) Establishing a comprehensiveproperty register and other tax rated entities.

ACIVIIES: (1) Commission a team/committee toexamine and the present revenue collection structure.(2) Identify new revenue sources and the revenuebase. (3) Enact bye-laws on the revenue sources. (4)Register the revenue sources. (5) Compile a tax, feesand charges and property register. (6) Set up internalinstitutions for revenue collection. (7) Developfranchising modalities for private participation in

revenue collection. (8) Set up monitoring mechanismfor revenue collection. (9) Evaluate the level ofachievement of new revenue mobilisation system.

OUPUS:(1) New bye laws on user fees,user charges, levies and taxes enacted. (2) Newrevenue sources identified. (3) All properties andtax rated entities identified and registered.

PROJEC IMPLEMENAION: (1) Internalinstitutional set will be used for designing of revenuesystem. (2) ax registers will be compiled to estimatethe level of revenue to be mobilised before collectioncan take place. (3) Back stop system will be put in

place to identify and register new entities and sources.EQUIPMEN O BE PROCURED:Computers,vehicles, and communication equipment.

GOVERNANCEN2

Project proposal

Developing Strategies andStructures for Revenue Mobilization


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PROJECTPROPOSALS

GOVERNANCE

2


DURAION:12 months

BENEFICIARIES:Assembly members, Unitcommittee members and counsellors.

IMPLEMENING PARNERS: Ho MunicipalAssembly, NGOs, Development partners

BACKGROUND:Although the Assembly ishandicapped by the absence of a well establishedgender desk, it has not left gender issues unattendedto. It has managed in various ways to addresssome of the problems that face the vulnerable andexcluded e.g. women and children in the society.

Te Department of Community Development,

one of the Departments under the Ho MunicipalAssembly has been designated to cater for thevulnerable and excluded in the District in the absenceof a gender desk. Te department does this throughprogrammes such as Adult Education, Study Groups,

Mass Meeting, Adult Functional Literacy (AFL),Home Science Extension (womens work) etc.

Te Adult Education programme is one of the avenuesthrough which vital information on Governmentpolicies and issues affecting the communitiesthemselves are looked into in the form of talks,discussions, etc. to get the local folks including womenand the youth to take local action to better theirlot. With the AFL the staffs of the Ho Municipal

Assembly talk to people in the communities especiallywomen and youth about the importance of literacyand how it could assist in the improvement oftheir performance in their spheres of work.

Te Home Science Extension programme offerstraining for village women and the deprived on bettermethods of managing their homes, handling foodand caring for their children. Tey are also educatedon economic ventures, personal and environmentalhygiene all aimed at helping them to be effectivecontributors to their homes, communities andthe nation. Tis laudable programme is however,hindered by lack of funds to give adequate trainingto the groups involved, inadequate staff to establishmore groups and lack of necessary logistics.

Other organisations which see to women and childrensaffairs in the District include the Womens rainingInstitute which trains women in various skills to makethem employable, Department of Social Welfare,

Juvenile courts, Prisons Welfare, Family ribunals,

District Advisory Committee on Rehabilitation etc.

In spite of all these interventions one cannot losesight of the fact that the establishment of a genderdesk in the HMA will go a long way to streamlinegender activities, protect and push forward theinterest of the vulnerable and excluded in society.

OBJECIVES:(1) o promote the interestof women, the vulnerable and the excluded inpolicy formation and provision of services.

ACIVIIES: (1) Provide office space. (2) Furnish theoffice. (3) Recruit personnel for the office. (4) Integratepersonnel into main stream activities of the Assembly.

OUPUS:(1) Gender desk established.PROJEC IMPLEMENAION: Te project

will be under taken under the auspices of theMinistry of Women and Children Affairs withsupport from a national or international NGO(Women in Law and Development Federation-WILDAF) with focus on Women issues. Teproject can serve as a pilot project with the potentialof replicating in other municipal assemblies.

EQUIPMEN O BE PROCURED:Office accommodation, Office chair,air conditioner, office table etc.

GOVERNANCEN3

Project proposal

To improve Municipal and UrbanCouncil Facilities in Ho


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LOCAION: Ho Municipal Assembly

DURAION: 6 months

BENFICIARIES: Ho Municipal Assembly

IMPLEMENING PARNERS: NGOs,Private Consultants, Ho Municipal Assembly

ESIMAED COS: USD 10,000

BACKGROUND: Citizen Participation in Ghanais one of the lacking areas of decentralization. Itshould be the main decision making process in

which citizens participation is the developmentof the Medium erm Plan by MMDAs. In thisregard, there is very little or no awareness onprograms, projects and initiatives undertaken bythe city, sometimes leading to citizens reluctancein paying taxes or being interested in city assets.

Due to inadequate funding, there is no establishedsystem in the city for the city to constantly

inform citizens on programs and projects or forcitizens to make their grievances or commentsknown for consideration by the city.

Tere is therefore the need to improveon the current system of participation tomake it more effective and inclusive.

OBJECIVES: o ensure the participationof residents in the development and decisionmaking processes of Ho for successfulimplementation of projects to promote adherenceto city ordinances and instill a sense of ownershipof projects, programs and city assets.

ACIVIIES:(1) Development of participationsystem or systems in the form of a forum, citynewsletter, flyers, suggestion boxes, brochures etc.(2) Review and acceptance of participation system.

OUPU: System Participation platforms and systems

PROJEC IMPLEMENAION: (1) Prepare termsof reference and select consultants for implementation.(2) Conduct interviews with citizens and cityofficials. (3) Develop the appropriate systems forparticipations based on interviews. (4) Develop adatabase for keeping information on participation.

EQUIPMEN O BE PROCURED:(1) Photo copier machine. (2) Printer.(3) Computer. (4) Software.

GOVERNANCEN4

Project proposal

Establish a citizen participationsystem for effective communityparticipation in decision making andplanning processes


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PROJECTPROPOSALS

SLUMSANDS

HELTER

4


ISSUES

OBJECTIVE

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK AND INSTITUTIONAL SET UP

Availabilityof planningschemesto guidedevelopment.

Excellent majorroad network.

Inadequateinstitutionalstructureseffectivelyoperationalizedland use plans.

Poor developmentcontrol measures.

Tracks of land ininformal holding.

Poor land tiltingregime.

Avenue for privateparticipation.

High communal spirit.

Avenue to educatepublic to developaccording to planningschemes.

Governmentpolicy onwaterprivatization.

Unfavorableland tenuresystemfor slumdevelopment.

Slumimprovement.

To construct newaccess roads inthe localities andupgrade existingones.

To improve thedrainage systemsin Ho Bankoe,Hliha, and Dome.

RESOURCE MOBILIZATION ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Moderatelypriced land.

Availabilityof estatedevelopmentagencies.

Available localmaterial forconstruction.

Availability

of serviceproviders.

Services notavailable to allareas.

Low level ofservice provisionwhere they exist.

Encroachment.

Inaccessible roadnetwork in mostsettlement areas.

Illegal connectionof electricity andwater.

Expertise ofdevelopment can betapped for upgrading.

Integration ofslum upgradingwith artisanal skillsdevelopment.

High migra-tion rate couldnegate gainsin povertyreduction.

Local economicdevelopment.

To improve uponmarket facilities inHo Bankoe.

To give a face liftto the inner city(Ho Bankoe).

SLUMS AND SHELTER


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PROJECTPROPOSALS-SLUMSANDS

HELTER

SLUMSN1

Project proposal

Development of a Modern CommercialCentre in Ho Bankoe

LOCAION:Ho Municipal Council.

DURAION: wo years

BENEFICIARIES:Community Members, HoMunicipal Assembly, Ho Market Women Association.

IMPLEMENING PARNERS: HoMunicipal Assembly, MWH, ConstructionCompany, Development partners, HoMarket Women Association.

BACKGROUND:Ho is the capital city of theVolta Region and as such provides the capital andmarket necessary for development in the region.

As a city it is saddled with many urban problemsthat are not accompanied by development as

well as the lack of basic infrastructure servicesand an unprecedented level of poverty.

Ho is one of the growing cities in Ghana. Accordingto the 2000 Ghana Population census it has a totalpopulation size of about 55,000 and an annualpopulation growth rate of 2.6%. Its populationdensity is about 785 persons per square kilometre andhas an average household size of about 8. Te cityhas a sphere of influence (administration, economicand social) of a radius of about 40 kilometres. Tereis therefore a large daily inflow of people into thecity from the surrounding towns and villages.

Majority of the residents work at the informalsector, most of whom are self-employed individualsand households engaged in micro- and small scaleenterprises, usually involving 1-5 persons. Temajor economic activities are trading especiallypetty trading, subsistence farming, small scale

manufacturing which includes batik, tie and dyemaking, food processing, construction and publicservice. Te economic returns from these activitiesare very low thereby making a sizeable proportionof the city dwellers live below the poverty line.

As stated earlier, the growing nature of the cityhas caused an equal upsurge of economic activities(i.e. buying and selling). It is now a commonfeature to see people selling along the roadside and any available space sellers can get.

In the pre-independence period, Ho Bankoe, especially

the area around the present Civic Centre and along themain road was a booming commercial centre becauseit was near the lorry station. Tere were such firms likeUAC, CB Ollivant, SCOA in addition to a flourishingprivate sector, which attracted customers fromneighbouring districts and countries. Currently onecannot say that such is the state of affairs in the oncebooming commercial centre. Te aim of this projecttherefore, is to develop the present civic centre areainto a modern commercial centre with modern blocksof stores, offices, restaurants, bars, modern toilets andparking lots for vehicles etc. Tis will not only go tobeautifying the city centre but also help reduce theupsurge of road side vendors since sellers will now

have a better place and environment to do business.

OBJECIVES:(1) o improve upon themarket facilities in Ho Bankoe. (2) o give aface lift to the inner city (Ho Bankoe).

ACIVIIES: (1) Organize an awareness programmeand provide series of training programmes for majorcity stakeholders to facilitate their full participation inthe project. (2) Planning survey of the civic centres.(3) Planning and design. (4) Cost. (5) enderingand awarding of contract. (6) Construction. (7)Supervision and monitoring. (8) Recruiting andtraining of personnel to man the centre. (9) raining of

staff of Ho Municipal Assembly in revenue collection.

OUPUS:(1) Improved social and economicfunctioning of the city. (2) Creation ofemployment. (4) Increased revenue of the HoMunicipal Assembly. (5) General standard ofliving of the entrepreneurs of Ho improved. (6)Te inner city of Ho Bankoe beautified.

PROJEC IMPLEMENAION:It will be nationally executed throughthe Ho National Assembly.

EQUIPMEN O BE PROCURED:(1)

Appropriate equipment for construction. (2)raining equipment for construction.


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PROJECTPROPOSALS

GENDERAND

HIV/AIDS

6

GENDER AND HIV/AIDS


ISSUES

OBJECTIVE


Presence ofGovernmentalagenciesworking forvulnerableand theexcluded e.g.Department ofSocial Welfare.

Negative at-titudes of somedecision makerstowards the phys-ically challengedand women.

Nonrepresentationof women

on Boards,Committees andother in decisionmaking bodies.

Establishmentof Women andChildren AffairsMinistry.

NCWD

WAJU

FIDA

Other NGOs

Legislation to pro-tect the vulnerable.

Draft DomesticViolence Bill.

Cultural beliefse.g. Polygamy.

Gendermainstreaming.

To promote theinterest of women,the vulnerable andthe excluded inpolicy formationand provision ofservices.

EMPOWERMENT

Availabilityof trainingInstitutions forthe physicalchallenged.

Presence ofWAJU in theMunicipality.

Presence of As-sociations forthe physicallychallenged.

Absence ofrecreationalfacilities inresidential areas.

Poorinfrastructuredesign.

Inadequate fundsfor the provisionof facilities forthe vulnerableInadequate fundsfor EducationalProgrammes.

Build genderawareness.

Apathy towardsHIV/AIDSmenace.

Child trafficking.

Luring ofwomen intoprostitution inother countries.

HIV/AIDS.

Awareness ongender and HIV/AIDS issues.

To create awarenesson gender and HIV/AIDS issues.


Inadequateinformationon registrationcentres forthe physicallychallenged.

Build facilities forpeople living withHIV/AIDS.

Prostitution inMunicipality.

Coordination ofgender and HIV/AIDS activities.

To document andresearch into issuesaffecting womenand children.


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PROJECTPROPOSALS-GENDERAND

HIV/AIDS

GENDERHIV/AIDSN1

Project proposal

Establishment of Gender Desk in HoMunicipal Assembly

LOCAION:Ho Municipal Assembly

DURAION:3 months

BENEFICIARIES:Ho MunicipalAssembly, Community members, theVulnerable and Excluded in the society.

IMPLEMENING PARNERS:Ministry of Women

and Children Affairs, Ho Municipal Assembly.ESIMAED COS: US$ 50,000

BACKGROUND:Although the Assembly ishandicapped by the absence of a well establishedgender desk, it has not left gender issues unattendedto. It has managed in various ways to addresssome of the problems that face the vulnerable andexcluded e.g. women and children in the society.

Te Department of Community Development,one of the Departments under the Ho Municipal

Assembly has been designated to cater for the

vulnerable and excluded in the District in theabsence of a gender desk. Te department doesthis through programmes such as Adult Education,Study Groups, Mass Meeting, Adult FunctionalLiteracy (AFL), Home Science Extension (womens

work) etc. Te Adult Education programme is oneof the avenues through which vital informationon Government policies and issues affecting thecommunities themselves are looked into in theform of talks, discussions, etc. to get the local folksincluding women and the youth to take local actionto better their lot. With the AFL the staffs of the HoMunicipal Assembly talk to people in the communitiesespecially women and youth about the importance of

literacy and how it could assist in the improvementof their performance in their spheres of work.

Te Home Science Extension programme offerstraining for village women and the deprived on bettermethods of managing their homes, handling foodand caring for their children. Tey are also educatedon economic ventures, personal and environmentalhygiene all aimed at helping them to be effectivecontributors to their homes, communities andthe nation. Tis laudable programme is however,hindered by lack of funds to give adequate trainingto the groups involved, inadequate staff to establishmore groups and lack of necessary logistics.

Other organisations which see to women and childrens

affairs in the District include the Womens raining

Institute which trains women in various skills to makethem employable, Department of Social Welfare,

Juvenile courts, Prisons Welfare, Family ribunals,District Advisory Committee on Rehabilitation etc.

In spite of all these interventions one cannot losesight of the fact that the establishment of a genderdesk in the HMA will go a long way to streamlinegender activities, protect and push forward theinterest of the vulnerable and excluded in society.

OBJECIVE:o promote the interest ofwomen, the vulnerable and the excluded inpolicy formation and provision of services.

ACIVIIES:(1) Provide office space. (2) Furnish theoffice. (3) Recruit personnel for the office. (4) Integratepersonnel into main stream activities of the Assembly.

OUPU: Gender desk established.

PROJEC IMPLEMENAION: Te projectwill be under taken under the auspices of theMinistry of Women and Children Affairs withsupport from a national or international NGO(Women in Law and Development Federation-WILDAF) with focus on Women issues. Teproject can serve as a pilot project with the potential

of replicating in other Municipal Assemblies.

EQUIPMEN O BE PROCURED:Office accommodation, Office chair,air conditioner, office table etc.


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PROJECTPROPOSALS

GENDERAND

HIV/AIDS

8


DURAION:38 monthsBENEFICIARIES:Poor Single women householdheads in Bankoe, Hliha, Ahoe and Dome.

IMPLEMENING PARNERS:Ministry of Womenand Children, WILDAF, Ho Municipal Assembly.

ESIMAED COS: US$ 1,000,000

BACKGROUND:Poor single women householdheads are one of the most vulnerable women groupsin poor neighbourhoods. Aside their povertysituations, they are sexually abused by men, andfind coping mechanism of giving out female

children to interested men for financial rewards.Tey find it difficult to give their children goodeducation, provide the basic necessity within theirenvironment to their children and themselves.

Teir participation in the decision and developmentprocess of their society is limited and with theirinterest not being served by the municipal authorities.

OBJECIVE:o empower single womenheads of households in poor areas of Ho.

ACIVIIES:(1) Organize women householdheads in the poor communities.(2)Build the

women as a functional group.(3) raining inmicro enterprise management.(4) Developa community micro-enterprise scheme.

OUPU: (1) Increased income levels of women.(2) Participation of such women in communityand municipal decision making process.

PROJEC IMPLEMENAION: Ministry ofWomen and Children, WILDAF, MLGRD.

EQUIPMEN O BE PROCURED:raining materials.

GENDERHIV/AIDSN2

Project proposal

Micro enterprise support programme forpoor single women household heads inslums


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PROJECTPROPOSALS-ENVIRONMEN

T


ISSUES

OBJECTIVE


Presence ofEnvironmentalProtectionAgencies i.e.Forestry, FireService, EPA& InformationServices.

Non-enforcementof environmentalprotection laws.

Inadequateeducation onenvironmentallaws.

Outmoded culturalpractices.

Weakimplementationof afforestationprogramme.

Limited integrationof environmentalissues in urbanplanning.

Weak institutionalset up forenvironmental

management.

Presence of Byelaws.

Presence ofEnvironmentalLaws.

Developmentpartners supportfor environmentalprotection

programmes.

Poordecentralizationof environmentalprotectionagencies (EPA)in Ho.

Environmentalplanning andmanagement.

To improvewaste manage-ment systemsin Ho.


Availability ofpersonnel.

Presence of firevolunteer corps.

Availability ofequipment suchas fire tenders.

Uncooperativeland owners anddevelopers.

Overuse of fuelwood.

Inadequatebudgetaryallocation forenvironmental

issues.

High cost ofenvironmentalinfrastructure.

Financial andlogistic support ofpartner agenciesfor environmentalmanagement.

Affordability ofenvironmentenhance practiceto the poor.

Private/communityparticipation.

Developmentof frameworkfor private andcommunityparticipation andmanagement.

ENVIRONMENT


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PROJECTPROPOSALS

ENVIRONMEN

T

0


DURAION:30 months

BENEFICIARIES:Residents in HoBankoe, Hliha, Ahoe and Dome, HoMunicipal Assembly, ransport owners.

IMPLEMENING PARNERS:HoMunicipal Assembly, MWH, Ghana Highway

Authority, Contractors, Ho Urban Council.

ESIMAED COS: US$ 2,000,000

BACKGROUND:Presently the Ho municipality hasa network of secondary roads totalling approximately638.6km and some constructed drains. However, theproblems associated with the development of roadtransportation are both development of new roadsand maintenance of the existing ones after the majorrainy seasons. Te lack of proper roads and drainagenetwork in many parts of the city has resulted ina situation where run-off water has eroded somebuilding foundations, streets and residential yards.

In addition, the Bankoes and Hlihas due to historicaland cultural reasons put up buildings close to oneanother without making any provision for future accessroads, streets and drainage systems. Tis has resultedin very little space for modernization and expansion.Te Assembly has attempted to provide some funding

for emergency access roads in these areas but financialresources available to it makes this effort marginal.

Although the District Assembly for the past three

years has embarked on improving accessibility inthe municipality under its betterment policy whichis also directed towards development control byopening up proposed roads and drainages in someareas of the capital, it has not been very successfuldue to financial constraints. Tis has therefore causeda slow down in their next line of action i.e. to havenew drainages and roads developed with culvertsand gravel materials to make them motorable.

OBJECIVE:(1) o construct new access roads in thelocalities and upgrade existing ones. (2) o improve thedrainage systems Ho Bankoe, Hliha, Ahoe and Dome

ACIVIIES:(1) Survey the area. (2)Determinelayout. (3) Relocate affected residentialproperties. (4) Construct roads, lanes anddrainage systems. (5) Monitor and evaluate.

OUPU: (1) Access roads and drainagesystems provided. (2) Existing roads anddrainage systems upgraded or reconstructed. (4)Good motorable roads in the Ho municipalitythroughout the year. (5) Erosion in Ho Bankoe,Hliha, Ahoe and Dome reduced considerably.

PROJEC IMPLEMENAION:It will be nationally executed through

the Ho Municipal Assembly.EQUIPMEN O BE PROCURED:

Appropriate equipment.

ENVIRONMENTN1

Project proposal

Upgrading road and drainagesystems in the indigenous localitiesin Ho


ISSUES

OBJECTIVE


FM Radioprogramme.

Free collection ofwaste in Ho.

Ignorance ofpeople towards,environmentalprotection.

Uncontrolledhunting.

Inadequate staffto monitor theenvironment.

Backlog of collec-tion of daily regen-erated refuse.

Poor sanitationfacilities.

Private participationin waste collectionwill bring increasenumbers of collec-tors to residents.

Bush fires dueto prolonged dryseason.

Monitoring andcommunicationsystem.

Effective systemof environmentalappraisal,reporting andaction.


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PROJECTPROPOSALS-ENVIRONMEN

T


DURAION:12 months

BENEFICIARIES:Residents in Ho Bankoe,Hliha, Ahoe and Dome, Ho Municipal Assembly.

IMPLEMENING PARNERS:HoMunicipal Assembly, NGOs, DevelopmentPartners, Ho Urban Council.

ESIMAED COS: US$ 250,000

BACKGROUND:In managing the waste, theAssemblys own skips and containers are placedat designated locations for collection of domesticsolid waste. It is however, evident that wide

disparity exists in the number and distributionof solid waste containers due to acquisitionproblems caused by inadequate finance.

Also evident in the city are a number of illegal

dump site which pose serious health hazards to thepeople in the localities. Although the Assemblyhas tried in many ways to dislodge these sitesit is still handicapped by lack of finance.

Coupled with the inadequate number of skips isthe issue of placement of skips to attain the targetof equity in access level of service required sincemost of the sites have been encroached upon. So

far skips are placed at strategic locations where thespace is available. Te central areas seem to be betterserved than peripheral localities. Tese peripherallocalities, therefore, need additional skips and sitescleared to help improve upon sanitation there.

Tere is no door-to-door service for solid wastecollection in the town. All localities use the communalcontainer and dump site system. Where legal skipsare not provided households dump their refuse intovacant plots or drain reservations. From statistics theresidents and commercial entities in Ho generateapproximately 65 tonnes of waste daily but an averageof 42 tonnes is deposited at the final disposal point.

Te uncollected waste finds the drainage networkand other open space as their destination. Te

Assembly has therefore come up with a system whereit imposes a sanitation levy of Ghana cedi 2,000 per

ENVIRONMENTN2

Project proposal

To improve waste managementsystems in Ho


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PROJECTPROPOSALS

ENVIRONMEN

T

2

year per household. Te collection of this amount,

which is to be undertaken by the Assembly men, isvery poor and therefore, there are problems with costrecovery for the lifting of communal skips, provisionof additional ones and clearing of illegal dump sites.

Te predominant type of domestic toilet is the watercloset. Tese are mostly used in the newer parts ofthe municipalities. In the older settlements, domestictoilets are inadequate. Inadequate space withincompounds, poor access to houses and lack of fundingare reasons given for poor level of service. In theseareas, households depend mostly on public toilets.Tese public toilets are however, plagued with veryfilthy environment which also pose a lot of health

hazards to its users. Few houses use either the panlatrines or aqua-privies. Households contract theirown conservancy labourers, as the Assembly has noneon its payroll. Institutional areas like the Prisonsquarters which still use pan latrines employ their ownconservancy labourers. A major problem relatingto the use of the pan latrines is the indiscriminatedumping of the faecal matter collected from housesundersigned areas into water bodies. Tere is thereforethe need for more water closets or improved typesof toilets to be built for people living in these areas.

Also about 90% of schools in Ho do not have toilets.Due to the inadequacy of domestic toilets there is ahigh dependency on the few public toilets facilities.

Te Assembly operates a cesspit emptier service fordislodging liquid waste. It is regularly used and servesthe whole of Volta Region except Keta District.It is however evident that one cesspit emptier isnot enough to service a whole region adequately.Part of the funds from this project will thereforebe used in purchasing at least one cesspit emptierto compliment the one already in use. All liquid

waste is taken to mile 48 at Agbokofe (a villagenear Ho) and dislodged into shallow trenches.

OBJECIVE:(1) o construct 10 public places

of convenience. (2) o assist 200 households toconstruct improved household toilets. (4) o increasethe number of refuse containers from 25 to 60and extend refuse collection and disposal servicesto the localities which lack this service. (4) opromote good hygiene and sanitation practices in allcommunities in the municipalities. (5) o encouragecommunity participation in waste management.

ACIVIIES:(1) Identify communities. (2)Organisecommunity forum to discuss issues and solicit theviews and roles of the community members. (3)Organise workshops for community members.(4) Prepare drawings and tender documents.

(5) Award contract. (6) Supervise construction.(7) Establish a revolving fund for householdtoilet construction.(8) Public awareness creationand education. (9) Identify locations and preparesites. (10) Hygiene and Sanitation Education.

OUPU: (1) 10 public latrines or places ofconvenience constructed. (2) 200 householdsassisted to construct improved household latrines.(3) Refuse collection service extended to localitiesthat lack the services. (4) Good hygiene andsanitation practised. (5) Capacity of municipalassemblies strengthened in revenue collection. (6)Final dump site of liquid waste improved. (7)

One cesspit emptier procured for the assembly.

PROJEC IMPLEMENAION:It will be nationally executed throughthe Ho Municipal Assembly.

EQUIPMEN O BE PROCURED:

(1) Construction equipment. (2) raining materials.


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BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Core Welfare Indicators Questionnaire (CWIQ) Survey,

Statistic Service, Accra, 1998

Ghana Statistics Service (2000). 2000 Population and

Housing Census

Ho District Assembly (2002). 2002-2004 Medium Term

Development Planning

Psalm Consult (2003). Investment Prospectus. Ho District

Assembly

CBD Central Business District

CBO Community Based Organization

CWSA Community Water and Sanitation Agency

DA District Assembly

DACF District Assemblies Common Fund

ECG Electricity Company of Ghana

EPA Environmental Protection Agency

EU European Union

GES Ghana Education service

GLSS Ghana Living Standard Survey

GOG Government of Ghana

GWCL Ghana Water Company Limited

HIPC Highly Indebted Poor Country

HIV/AIDS Human Immune-deficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

HMA Ho Municipal Assembly

JSS Junior Secondary School

L.I. Legislative Instrument

MCD Metro/Municipal Coordinating Director

MLGRD Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development

MTDP Medium Term Development Plan

MOFA Ministry of Food and Agriculture

MOWAC Ministry of Women and Children Affairs

MDPT Municipal Development Planning Task force

MPCU Municipal Planning Coordinating Unit

MCE Metropolitan/Municipal Chief Executive

NCWD National Council on Women and Development

NDPC National Development Planning Commission

NGO Non Governmental Organization

PHC Population and Housing Census

PPP Private Public Partnership

SMC School Management CommitteeSSNIT Social Security and National Insurance Trust

SSS Senior Secondary School

WILDAF Women in Law and Development Federation

ACRONYMS:


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HO CITY CONSULTATION

ATTENDANCE LIST

NAME AND ORGANIZATION

Emil Asidigbe HMA

Felix Seloame HMA

Cephas Ofori HMA

A.K. Awunyo-Akaba HMA

Emmanuel Dorsu Town and Country Department

Francis Kwaku District Education Officer

J.K. Tetteh District Finance Officer

Kojo Krakani Matse/Lume E/A

Mawutor Goh Municipal Chief Executive

L. Kusi Jerkins HMA

Jonathan Klu HMAEdwin Ankpah HMA

Y.C.K. Amegashie HMA

Edna M. Nkudede Department of Community Development

Steve Okrah HMA

Atsu Havor Department of Social Welfare

Deffor E.K. DCD Municipal Coordinating Director, Ho

N.A.N. Bainua Ola Secondary School

CONTACTS:

Alioune Badiane, Director, Regional Office for Africa and the Arab States,

E-mail: [email protected]

Mohamed El Sioufi, Senior Human Settlement Officer, Focal Point for RUSPS,


Senior Human Settlement Officer, Focal Point for Ghana,



GHANA RUSPS TEAM:

Adolphine Asimah, Team Leader, E-mail: [email protected]

Ben Doe, Team Member, e-mail: [email protected] Doris Tetteh, Team Member, E-mail: [email protected]

Documents

Ghana: Ho City Profile