The Sixth (6th) Assembly of the Ga East Municipal Assembly (GEMA) was on Monday, 12th February, 2024, inaugurated at a ceremony at Abokobi.
The Assembly is made up of ten (10) elected Members, five (5) Appointees of the Government, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) and Member of Parliament (MP).
There are also fifty (50) Unit Committee Members with five (5) from each of the ten (10) Electoral Areas.
Scores of people including traditional and religious leaders, market queens, political parties, and families and sympathizers and of the Honourable Members and some residents of the Municipality, thronged the forecourt of the Assembly to witness the occasion.
Among the dignitaries at the inaugural ceremony were the President's Nominee as Municipal Chief Executive, Madam Deborah Ampofo, and Former MCE, Hon. John Kwao Sackey.
The Honourable Members were sworn into office by the Kwabenya Circuit Court Judge, Her Honour Mawusi Bedjrah.
The President of the Republic, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in an address delivered on his behalf by a Member of the Council of State, Hon. Alhaji Aminu Amadu, congratulated the Assembly and Unit Committee Members on their successful elections.
He reminded them of their mandate and urged them to work tirelessly to enhance the development of their areas and depeen democratic governance at the local level, highlighting challenges associated with their work.
"Section 16(1) of Act 936 mandates you to maintain close contact with the electoral area; consult the people on the issues to be discussed in the District Assembly; collate their views, opinions, and proposals; and take part in communal and development activities. In the performance of these roles and responsibilities, Assembly members are unable to effectively deliver because of inadequate resources."
"This has caused disaffection and cynicism about the important roles that Assembly members play in participatory governance and local development", the President noted.
President Akufo-Addo further assured the Honourable Members of Governments efforts to address the resource constraints in the discharge of their duties, charging them to be abreast with the statutes governing their work.
"While efforts are being made to address these resource constraints, you should also acquaint yourself with all the relevant laws on local governance to avoid unneeded conflicts with your Hon. District Chief Executive, traditional authorities, opinion and religious leaders and other key stakeholders in your localities."
"The government is keen on building your capacity to provide local leadership. Hence, we have retooled the Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS) with the state-of-the-art facilities and other training resources to enable them effectively provide the needed training for your competence enhancement. As a first step, the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, through the ILGS, will in the next few weeks organise your orientation and training to enable you appreciate the expected roles and responsibilities", he stated.
The President emphasized the significance of Local Governance in the development of the country and enumerated measures his government has taken to enhance grassroots governance to aid the development of Ghana.
"The Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development has formulated several sector policies that contribute towards the national agenda. Critical amongst these are, the: National Decentralisation Policy and Strategy; National Urban Policy and Action Plan; Local Economic Development Policy and Action Plan; and National Rural Development Policy."
"As you deliberate on development intervention in your local areas, it is important that these policies guide your decision-making processes. Any local project and programmes will need to be aligned with these national and sectoral policies.
The Municipal Coordinating Director (MCD), Mr. Nii-Amarh Ashitey, on behalf of the Assembly and people of the Municipality, congratulated the Honourable Members and welcomed them to be part of efforts in advancing the governance and development of the Municipality.
He entreated the returning Honourable Members to show the new Members the way and guide them to understand their roles quickly and easily, while urging them to conduct their business in a non-partizan manner.
"To those of you returning to the Assembly after your re-election, I plead with you to demonstrate exemplary conduct so that the new Members can emulate to facilitate good and speedy deliberations and work in the Assembly. In furtherance to this, I wish to also appeal to you all to leave the past things behind and let us, together, start on fresh note, in the interest of the development of the Municipality."
"You are required to eschew partisanship and cooperate with each other, as Members, irrespective of your political backgrounds and work in tandem with the technocrats in order to achieve our collective vision and mandate in consonance with the stipulated functions enshrined in the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936)", he advised.
The Assembly failed to elect a Presiding Member as the numbers fell below the two-thirds membership for voting as enshrined in the Standing Orders as a result of the boycott of the inauguration ceremony by some Members.
However, on Wednesday, 21st February, six (6) Members who had earlier boycotted the inaugural ceremony were sworn in at the Kwabenya Circuit Court with the oaths being administered by Her Honour Mawusi Bedjrah, paving the way for the election of the Presiding Member and subsequently confirmation of the Hon. MCE Nominee at a date to be scheduled soon.
comments
Leave a Comment
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *