AMA dissolved as mayor touts achievements

The General Assembly of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has been dissolved.

This is in line with Article 246 (1) of the 1992 Constitution, which states that the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) stand dissolved by the close of work on March 14, 2015.

Mr Desmond Addo Biney, Presiding Member of the AMA, who opened the last meeting of the Assembly, said Metropolitan, Municipal, District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) shall be responsible for the day-to-day performance of the executive and administrative functions of their assemblies under Article 243 (2) (b) and (c) of the Constitution and Section 20 (3) (b), (c) and (d) of (Act 462).

He said the dissolution of the MMDAs had become necessary following the Supreme Court’s order for the suspension of the district level elections, which was scheduled for March 3, this year.

Dr Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, addressing the last session of the assembly, said his tenure in office had chalked tremendous successes in terms of development.

He told the assembly members that: “You must all hold your heads very high and be proud of yourselves.”

He made reference to the abolition of the school shift system, which was recognized by President John Dramani Mahama in his state of the Nation Address.

Dr Vanderpuije said provision had been made for the construction of 110 modern state-of-the-art Millennium Schools within the Accra Metropolis.

On sanitation, the Accra Mayor mentioned the Legon Sewerage, Mudor, Dansoman and the relocation of the Lavender Hill Sewerage projects, which were under construction.

He said the Assembly had provided an ambulance to the Mamprobi Polyclinic, constructed a cholera centre for the Korle Bu and Adabraka polyclinics.

Dr Vanderpuije expressed happiness in the area of revenue mobilization, stating that the Assembly’s internally generated fund (IGF) had continuously increased since 2010, explaining that it had moved from GH¢13, 267,000.00 to GH¢323, 145,000.00 as at the end of 2014.

On public-private-partnership (PPP) programmes, he said, all the 13 markets in Accra would be renovated into modern market structures, which would take off by July.

“Go out there and campaign for the good job you have done so as to retain your seats,” he told the assembly members.

On the international recognition of the AMA, Dr Vanderpuije said: “I was elected as the President of the Global Alliance of Mayors and leaders from Africa and of African descent and I hosted the third meeting of the alliance in Accra.”

He said: “Another achievement was that Accra was cited as the fourth out of 46 places by the New York Times and was recommended for business and tourist destination in 2013.”

The Accra Mayor expressed gratitude to the chiefs and people of Accra for their cooperation with the Assembly in its activities.