Local Government Authority Performance Management Practices: Analysis Of The Functional Organizational Assessment Tool (Foat)

ABSTRACT

Performance Management (PM) includes a range of processes, techniques and methods that facilitate the identification of targets and measurement of progress towards achieving them. Ghana’s Local Government System has prioritized PM as a primary measure of ensuring that local development efforts are driven by value-for-money and accountability dictates. The Functional Organisational Assessment Tool (FOAT) is a PM tool for assessing Municipals, Metropolitans and District Assemblies (MMDAs) performance in Ghana. Given the immerse pressure and high expectations of District Assemblies (DAs) to deliver on their statutory development mandate as well as social and financial accountability underpins, the FOAT as a grant allocation mechanism for District level development is of great significance in Ghana’s local government system. Despite its relevance, the FOAT’s practical application and how this impact accountability and overall PM Practices in MMDAs is still unclear. In this qualitative study, involving 32 key employees from three study Districts in Northern Ghana, I examined the FOAT application and how this impacts accountability and effective PM. Insights from the study established practical application of the FOAT in the areas of Administrative Management, Financial Planning, Legal Regulation compliance, Public Participation/Involvement and Human Capacity Building. The FOAT is greatly applied in the Local Government (LG) sector of Ghana and has contributed to performance improvement. However, though through it accountability to central government and the local citizens is improved, there are still limitations which include lack of participation of key stakeholders in the development of the tool, one-time assessment/visitation of consultants at the end of the year, the fact that the FOAT only provides quantitative evidence and assessment not extended to local citizens who are the direct beneficiaries of goods and services provided by the DAs.

This study therefore recommends the Local Government Secretariat (LGS) of Ghana to undertake the FOAT assessment on quarterly basis, ensure stakeholder participation in the development of the tool and extend the assessment process to the ordinary citizens.