Five New Municipal Assemblies inaugurated in Kumasi

Five new Municipal Assemblies carved out of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) were on Thursday, 15th March, 2018 inaugurated at separate ceremonies in Kumasi.

The five new Municipal Assemblies included Kwadaso, Tafo, Suame, Oforikrom and Asokwa.

In a speech read on his behalf by Hon. Boakye Agyarko, the Minister of Energy at the inauguration at Tafo , the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said the new Assemblies were created in accordance with the 1992 Constitution and the Local Governance Act, 2016, Act 936.

The President said his government was offering a new approach to doing things to drive the agenda for change, growth, job creation and prosperity for all.

He said the agenda would be fulfilled if the government brought governance to the doorstep of the people to ensure effective and efficient decentralization through grassroot participation, better planning and improved service delivery in local communities.

Nana Addo spoke highly of the Assemblies describing them as an integral part of his vision for economic and social transformation as provided in the Co-ordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies 2017 – 2024 which he presented to the Parliament of Ghana.

The President said “the flagship projects and initiatives in the short-to-medium term will be successful if the Assemblies play their respective roles in the governments agenda among others revitalize the economy, revamp economic and social infrastructure, and transform agriculture and industry and to provide social development”.

 He called on all and sundry to fully embrace the idea of making Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) directly elected by the people to ensure greater efficiency, accountability, democracy and development.

 In what appears to be his reaction to recent agitation on the siting of district capitals, Nana Addo said “ we should endeavor  to make the decentralization agenda work by minimizing agitations on siting of district capitals election of Presiding Members , appointment of government nominees , Chief Executives and provision of critical facilities in parts of the communities”.

The Kumasi Mayor, Hon. Osei Assibey Antwi said the creation of the new Assemblies provided the opportunity “to solve our problems, ourselves and learn to do more with the less we have”.

 He noted with interest that since he assumed office he had inaugurated all KMA sub-structures and also established two new sub-committees namely Youth and Sports, and Trade and Industry.

The inaugural ceremony was chaired by Nana Agyin Frimpong II,   the Tafohene. He expressed his gratitude to the president for the creation of the Old Tafo Municipal Assembly

Also present was  Dr. Anthony Akoto Osei, the Member of Parliament for Old Tafo Constituency.