Five hundred and forty-two personnel of the Birth and Death Registry have officially been transferred from the Civil Service to the Local Government Service at a ceremony in Accra yesterday.
The short ceremony brought together officials from the Births and Deaths Registry, Civil Service, and Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development Ministry among others.
In a speech delivered on behalf of Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD), Daniel Botwe, by his deputy, Collins Ntim, he noted that following the passage of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 2020 (Act 1027) in October 2020, a number of activities had been undertaken to facilitate the decentralisation of the Registry.
“In the Ministry’s quest to deepen decentralised local governance in the country, it constituted a team to oversee and advise on modalities to ensure the implementation of the roadmap for the smooth transfer of the district staff of the Births and Deaths Registry to the Local Government Service, pursuant to the provisions of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 2020 (Act 1027),” he said.
This, he stated, was in line with Section 79 of the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936), which stipulates that the Departments of the District Assembly shall have the staff that may be necessary for the proper and effective performance of their functions.
According to the Minister, the committee’s success and report on the assigned task informed the official ceding off ceremony where the Head of Civil Service hands over data on all affected staff to the Head of Local Government Service to demonstrate the commitment of the government to deepen local governance and decentralisation in the country.
According to Dan Botwe, it was paramount to pursue this vision and strengthen inter-sectoral collaboration, and ensure the smooth implementation of regulations and programmes to satisfy the aspirations of the people.
The Chief Director of the MLGDRD, Ms. Mariam Kpakpah, also indicated in a speech that as part of discharging its oversight responsibilities over the Births and Deaths Registry (BDR), her outfit facilitated the review and passage of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 2020 (Act 1027) in October 2020 to ensure a decentralised Births and Deaths Registration in the country.
“I also chaired a technical committee that analysed the situation and provided modalities in ensuring a smooth transfer of the affected staff of the BDR.
This is also to assign responsibility for the registration of Births and Deaths to MMDAs who, in consultation with the Registrar, are required to appoint District Registrars and Registration Officers for the District offices of the BDR,” she added.
