The Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Samuel Sarpong has asked Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAS) to cooperate and work with traditional authorities to facilitate the execution of development projects in their areas.
The Regional Minister was addressing the Obuasi Municipal Assembly (OMA) as part of his tour of assemblies in the region.
“MMDAs will be failing in their mandate if they work without any collaboration with the chiefs,’’ he stated. “There will be no development if assemblies fail to co-operate with the traditional authorities.’’
Dr. Sarpong urged the assemblies to discuss their development plans with the chiefs to promote the smooth implementation of the plans for the benefit of the people.
“The successful implementation of government business, particularly, at the local level, requires the existence of good working relations among stakeholders of development such as traditional authorities, the municipal chief executives and staff, assembly members, and the people at large,” he said.
The Regional Minister expressed concern about the Ebola viral disease in some West African countries, and the outbreak of cholera in the country and urged the assembly to strictly adhere to the implementation of its guidelines in the sanitation plan.
“One major pre- occupation of district assemblies is the maintenance of environmental sanitation,” he said. “If you are not able to do that then the assembly has failed to deliver a cardinal service to the people”.
Dr. Sarpong commended the assembly for working hard to obtain excellent marks of 93% and 88% in the Functional Organization Assessment Tool (FOAT) and the Urban Development Grant (UDG) assessments, respectively.
The Regional Minister, however, urged the staff of the assembly to work even harder to score more marks since the financial benefits associated with these assessments made it imperative for all staff to play their respective roles well.
Mr. Richard Ofori Agyeman Boadi, the Obuasi Municipal Chief Executive, announced that the Municipal Health Epidemic Preparedness Team (MHEPT) had been vigorous in its public education to help prevent citizens from contracting diseases.
He said his administration would strive to increasingly modernize the operations of the Assembly’s departments, zonal councils, and to equip local level decision –makers and bureaucrats with skills and positive attitudes for increased productivity.
