New assembly members, government appointees inaugurated at Shai Osudoku District

The Shai Osudoku District Assembly in the Greater Accra Region has inaugurated some 22 assembly members and 8 government appointees.

Also in attendance was the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, Fred Offei, and Member of Parliament (MP), Linda Ocloo.

The Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation, and Rural Development through the respective MMDAs on Monday, February 12, 2024, inaugurated all 259 District Assemblies in partnership with the Office of the President.

The inauguration was in accordance with the 1992 constitution and the Local Governance Act 2016 (936).

The Assembly members and appointees were led to swear the oaths of secrecy and office.

Vice chairman of the National Development Planning Commission NDPC), David Quaye Annan who represented President Akufo-Addo, inaugurated the District Assembly and underscored the significance of decentralisation and local governance in Ghana's democratic landscape.

He congratulated all elected assembly and unit committee members on their success in the recent district-level elections.

Reiterating the government's commitment to deepening decentralisation as mandated by the constitution, he emphasized the role of district assemblies in promoting popular participation in governance and decision-making at the local level.

With the inauguration of 259 district assemblies, David Quaye Annan noted the progress made in decentralisation efforts since 1988, adding that the government is now closer to the people than ever before, due to the expanded network of district assemblies.

He, however, acknowledged that despite decades of decentralisation efforts, there is still a tendency among citizens to look towards Accra for solutions to local issues and urged assembly members to change this status quo by actively engaging with their constituents and delivering basic public services at the local level.

“The instinct of the average citizen is still to look towards Accra or their MPs for things that fall within the remit of the district assembly. I am expecting that you would be part of the team that finally changes the status quo and deepen local governance and decentralisation to enable the citizens to have access to basic public services in their districts rather than demanding such services from Accra,” he said.

The President's representative called for continuous capacity building and sensitisation efforts to deepen understanding of decentralisation and local governance among citizens.

He reminded assembly members of their critical role in advancing the government's development agenda, particularly the Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies (2022- 2025).

On his part, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Shai Osudoku, Fred Offei noted that the Assembly through its collective effort had made progress in the areas of social, economic, and developmental projects.

"As an Assembly, we have instituted and initiated targeted interventions and projects aimed at transforming the views of the citizens within the district. I am happy to announce that, with the implementation of these interventions, the Assembly was adjudged among the best MMDAs in 2022 on the District League Table comprising 261 Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies in the Country", he said.

With Shai Osudoku being one of the affected districts by the Akosombo Dam spillage, the assembly's chief said the assembly based on a needs assessment exercise donated various items to the victims as part of its interventions to alleviate their plight.

He encouraged the incoming Assembly and Unit Committee Members, to emulate the cooperation and support the 7th Assembly offered to Management to enable them to develop the assembly together.

He assured them of his unwavering support to tackle all outstanding local developmental issues in the district.