Lesotho Wire

The Ablekuma North Municipal Assembly has appealed to its Assembly Members to support the Assembly’s agenda to develop the local economy and create sustainable jobs.

The Assembly said the Municipality ‘is a land of opportunities’ and that it would invest in skills development and support small and medium enterprises particularly those in the agriculture sector to scale up and create employment opportunities.

Mr Kofi Ofori, the Municipal Chief Executive, told the Ghana News Agency that the Municipality did not have lands available to support the establishment of industries, hence its decision to focus on skills development.

He made the call at the inauguration of newly-elected Assembly Members and Unit Committee Members at the forecourt of the Assembly in Dansoman, Accra on Monday.

A total of 21 Assembly Members, comprising 14 elected members and seven government appointees were sworn into office.

Some 70 Unit Committee Members also took office.

Mr Sulley Abrahim was elected the Presiding Member for the
Assembly, after securing 100 per cent of the votes cast.

Mr Ofori said the Assembly had already developed its action plan for 2024 and appealed to the Assembly Members to ‘consider the interest of the good people first’ and support its implementation.

‘We do not have lands for industries so we want to build the skills of the local people through training. Our Agriculture department will support those who are into agriculture and provide them with funding.

‘We will also support those who did not get the opportunity to go to school to gain employable skills to be able to work and contribute to the development of the Assembly,’ he said.

The Ablekuma North Municipal Assembly was carved out of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly in November 2017 and was inaugurated in March 2018.

A total of 14 electoral areas make up the Assembly.

Alhaji Mohammed Hardi Tufeirua, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, urged the Assembly members to create innovative ways of mobilising resources for development within their electoral
areas.

He also tasked the Assembly to localise national development priorities and programmes into their action plans.

‘Your people require of you selfless, devotion to duty, accountable stewardship, and your ability to articulate the needs of the people to guide the district development agenda,’ Alhaji Tufeirua said.

Mr Abrahim, the new Presiding Member, charged his colleague Assembly Members to be faithful and dedicated to the work of the Assembly to ensure a successful tenure.

He also encouraged them to be vigilant in their respective electoral areas and report activities that contravened the bye-laws of the Assembly.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Sunyani Municipal Assembly on Monday failed to elect a Presiding Member to steer the affairs of the Assembly, after two rounds of voting.

None of the three contestants was able to secure the needed two-thirds of the votes of the 50-member Assembly required for the position, in an election conducted and supervised by the Electoral Commission in Sunyani.

In the first round of voting, Mr Yaw Brenya, the Assemblyman for Atoase Electoral Area secured six votes, Mr Appiah Mensah, a government appointee had 24 votes with Mr Abdul Razzack Abdulai, the Assemblyman for Yawhima obtaining 16 votes.

There were three rejected ballots.

Mr Brenya stepped down in the second round of voting, but the Assembly could not decide on Mr Mensah and Mr Abdulai after both contestants failed again to secure the required number of votes.

They obtained 26 and 21 votes, respectively. There were three rejected ballots.

The Assembly is expected to re-convene on Thursday, February 22, 2024, for another election.

Source: Ghana News
Agency

The Asante-Akim South Municipal Assembly is without a Presiding Member (PM) after two attempts to elect one ended in stalemate.

Following the inauguration of the new Assembly on Monday, two candidates picked forms to contest the vacant position, but the exercise supervised by the Municipal Office of the Electoral Commission (EC) failed to produce a PM.

Madam Beatrice Kyei, the immediate past PM polled 32 votes while her only contender, Mr. Michael Hanson, Assembly Member for Asuboa Electoral Area also polled 34 votes.

Both maintained their number of votes in the second round of voting, leading to the postponement of the meeting which is expected to be rescheduled within the next 10 days.

Whoever emerges as the winner, must secure at least 45 votes of the 66-member Assembly, a situation that makes it extremely difficult for any of the two candidates to clinch victory.

It is the first time Madam Kyei who has been the PM of the Assembly since 2017 is facing such strong competition, a development that many b
elieve could lead to her exit.

Prior to the election, the Assembly was inaugurated at a colourful ceremony supervised by Mr. Abdulai Abanga, the Deputy Minister for Works and Housing.

It was also attended by traditional leaders, political party representatives, opinion leaders, and the public.

Mr. Abanga in his inaugural address read on behalf of the President, entreated the Assembly to adopt innovative ways to mobilise the needed resources for the development of the Municipality.

He reminded them that District Assemblies were critical part of Ghana’s governance structure and processes with significant roles dedicated to local institutions.

He urged the Assembly Members to work closely with the Municipal Chief Executive to advance the implementation of the government’s Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policy.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The newly inaugurated Sissala East Municipal Assembly failed to elect a Presiding Member (PM) to steer affairs of the Assembly after the members were inaugurated in Tumu.

After two rounds of voting, at the inauguration, none of the three contenders got the required votes confirmed.

Mr Charles Oteng Bonsra, the Sissala East Director of the Electoral Commission supervised the election.

Mr Diau-Ulla Asanti, managed four votes representing 12.12 per cent, Mr Peter Forkor Nandzo had 12 votes representing 36.36 per cent while Mr Adamu Osman Kajia polled 16 votes representing 48.48 per cent.

The inauguration ceremony was performed by Professor Daniel Bagah in Tumu on behalf of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

In a speech read on behalf of the President, he tasked the newly elected assembly members to maintain close contact with their electoral areas by consulting the people of the areas on issues to be discussed at the Assembly.

‘There is the need to meet the electorate before and after each meeting with
reports and decisions of the Assembly as spelled out in section 16 of the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936)’, the President said.

He charged the various assemblies to create platforms for stakeholders using participatory tools and processes including town hall meetings, and community durbars to establish a strong linkage between duty bearers and the citizens as provided by sections 40 to 48 of the Local Governance Act, which guaranteed citizens’ rights to participate in the District Assemblies processes.

The President reminded them that: ‘Your people require of you, selflessness, devotion to duty, and accountable stewardship towards improving the quality of life of the people.’

Meanwhile, after consultation, the Sissala East Municipal Assembly adjourned sitting for the next 10 days after both rounds failed to secure 2/3 of any of the three PM aspirants of the assembly members’ votes.

In a related development, the Sissala West Assembly in Gwollu voted to confirm Mr Nyamawero Navei who stood unopposed as
Presiding member after being sworn in.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Mordecai Quarshie, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the Ledzokuku Municipal Assembly (LeKMA), has charged Assembly members to live up to their task and meet the expectation of the electorate.

He said the job of an Assembly member was a sacrificial one and urged them to commit themselves to the task.

The MCE made the call at the inauguration of Assembly Members at the Ledzokuku Municipal Assembly, following the successful District Assembly Elections in December, 2023

They comprised 12 elected Assembly members and six Government Appointees.

Mr Quarshie asked them to support the management of the Assembly in the quest to speedily develop every part of the municipality.

‘We are focused on improving the revenue base of the Assembly and I require the full support of the Honourable members in this direction. Let us build consensus and cooperate effectively in order to better the lives of our people,’ the MCE said.

Inaugurating the Assembly Members, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr Henry Quartey, c
ongratulated them and entreated them to build good working relationships with the District Chief Executive, Member of Parliament, Staff of the Assembly and the people they represented.

He also asked them to establish strong partnerships and collaborate with the local structures particularly traditional leaders, opinion leaders and other identifiable groups to facilitate the work of the District Assembly, saying ‘I wish to assure you that it is through these partnerships and collaborations that local governance is optimised for the benefit of the residents in your local areas.’

‘It is envisaged that new ideas and opportunities will emerge to deepen the deliberative, legislative and executive functions of the Assembly. You as Assembly Members have the mandate to deliberate, plan, mobilise resources and make decisions, including by-laws to ensure the transformation of your districts towards the Ghana we all want,’ he added.

Mr Quartey said the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Developme
nt through the Institute of Local Government Studies would in the next few weeks provide orientation and training sessions to enable Assembly Members understand their roles and responsibilities as well as their duties as clearly spelt out in Section 16 of the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936).

Assembly Members who spoke to the Ghana news Agency (GNA) promised to give off their best in contributing to the development of their electoral areas and the Municipality at large.

Meanwhile, the election of a Presiding Member was unsuccessful as the nominee failed to secure 14 votes out of 18 members , falling short of the two thirds (2/3) majority.

A second round of election is expected to be held within the next 10 days.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Ms. Eleanor Kakra Barnes-Botchway, the Gbetsile Circuit Court Judge, has stated that swearing assembly members into office is not a mere formality, but a call to duty

Also, taking the Oaths of Office, Allegiance and Secrecy was a call to duty to the government of Ghana, the citizenry the Assembly members represent, and the Municipal Assembly, among others.

She said this when swearing into office 27 Assembly Members of the Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Assembly (KKMA)- the number comprised 18 elected and nine government appointee members.

She urged them to serve in their best capacity by embracing sovereignty and integrity in their endeavours.

Mr. Samuel Okoe Amanquah, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of KKMA, congratulated and promised to create a serene environment to work together with the members towards the uplifting of the municipality.

He charged them to be ambassadors of peace in the upcoming general election to promote peace and sustainability in the country.

Mr.Amaquah said that although the assembl
y had made some strides, his vision was to accelerate and make it a model for others to emulate, stressing that KKMA was ready to turn challenges into opportunities for a brighter future.

Mr Joseph Tettey, Member of Parliament for Kpone-Katamanso, called for unity among members, stressing that the framers of the constitution had good reasons to make local government elections non-partisan, therefore the need for them to work hand-in-hand with one another irrespective of their political affiliations.

Archbishop Justice Offei Akrofi, a Member of the Council of State, reading President Nana Akufo-Addo’s speech, charged Assembly Members to establish strong partnerships and collaboration with local structures, particularly the Area Council, the Unit Committee, and Traditional Authorities as well as the other identifiable groups to facilitate the work of the assembly.

He said it was important for them to also build good working relationships among themselves, as well as with the MCE, MP, staff of the assembly, a
nd the people they represent, as it was through such partnership and collaboration that ideas of local governance were optimised for the benefit of the citizenry.

Source: Ghana News Agency