HomeMy WebLinkAboutCAO-08-005 - Kumas/Kitchener Partnership - Municipal Project Proposal~J~
Chief Ad ministratar's
Office
Report To: Mayor Carl Zehr and Members of Council
Date of Meeting: January 28, 2008
Submitted By: Carla Ladd, CAO
Prepared By: Rod Regier, Executive Director Economic Development
Ward(s) Involved:
Date of Report: January 25, 2008
Report No.: CAO-08-05
Subject: Kumasi/Kitchener Partnership -Municipal Project Proposal
RECOMMENDATION:
That, further to Report CAO 07-060, Council approve staff participation in a three year technical
exchange program with Kumasi, Ghana, to assist with capacity building through strategic
planning and community engagement for the Bantama Submetro area of the Kumasi
Metropolitan Assembly.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Following Council's approval of the development of a formal partnership with the Kumasi
Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Ghana in November 2007 (report CAO-07-060), staff of both
Cities met in October 2007 to develop a project proposal to implement the partnership program.
This proposal is now largely developed and will be finalized prior to a visit of the Mayor and
CEO of KMA to Kitchener later in 2008.
The goal of the Kitchener/KMA partnership is to support a municipal capacity building process
by developing and implementing a strategic plan in the Bantama Submetro -one of Kumasi's
10 districts - in order to enhance service delivery to the community by 2010. Staff seek Council
support to initiate the formal three year technical program to work towards completion of a
strategic plan, the development and delivery of training programs and related training manuals
and a process framework which can then be implemented by other sub-metros in Kumasi. The
first stage in the process is a mission which is planned to occur between February 29 and
March 7, where staff will participate in an analytical and diagnostic process, training in strategic
planning and community engagement, and the development of the strategic planning model for
the Bantama Submetro.
BACKGROUND:
Between October 22 and November 1, 2007, City of Kitchener and KMA officials met to discuss
the potential partnership between the two cities. At the outset Kumasi participants identified four
broad areas of interest: economic development, planning, capacity building for City Officials in
regards to planning and management and strengthening local governance. These were
subsequently refined through discussions facilitated by FCM and the National Association of
Local Authorities in Ghana (NALAG). A detailed project proposal is being finalized and will be
formally adopted during a future visit of the Kumasi Mayor to Kitchener later in 2008. A draft of
that document is available for review upon request.
REPORT:
Extensive discussions facilitated by FCM and NALAG staff resulted in clear support for the
partnership to focus on strengthening local governance in Kumasi. Decentralization of authority
from the Central Government to municipalities is still fairly new and as such, local governance
systems are poorly defined and are not understood by residents. The project identified over the
4 day facilitated session led resulted in the following statement of project objectives:
Objectives:
• To increase community support and participation in and for programs in the Bantama
Submetro by:
o developing a strategic plan designed to strengthen citizen's participation on local
governance for the Bantama Submetro
o providing informed environment for citizen's participation in local governance
through different media
o building capacities of local government actors including officials by providing
opportunities for information sharing and training
o promoting citizen participation in planning, development and monitoring of local
development processes
o promoting gender equality and equity in local governance by sensitizing the
major actors at the local level
KMA officials wish to begin the first stage of the process: including the planning, gathering and
analysis of community metrics, and the skill development in strategic planning and public
participation. The next mission, currently scheduled for February 29 to March 7, will launch
these processes. This will be followed by a return mission to Kitchener by Kumasi Officials, later
this year, to formally adopt the project proposal and protocol, and observe Kitchener processes
in public engagement, communication, strategic planning and decision making. The strategic
planning process for the Bantama Submetro is anticipated to be launched in the fall of 2008.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
Funding for the program is provided by FCM/CIDA which covers all direct costs related to travel,
accommodation and living expenses. Support from the City is provided by way of staff time.
COMMUNICATIONS:
None at this time.
CONCLUSION:
We are looking forward to an extremely productive partnership. The skills and expertise in the
City of Kitchener are well suited for the project which has been identified and the interest and
commitment of the Kumasi staff and Council will undoubtedly lead to great success.
Carla Ladd, CAO Rod Regier, Executive Director of Economic Development