Thirty Councillors sworn into office

Accra, Jan 22, GNA- Mr Kwadwo Adjei-Darko, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development on Thursday urged members of the Accra Sub-Metropolitan District Councils not to regard themselves as a privilege that elevated them above the citizens in their communities.

He said the councillors have been appointed to interact with the citizenry, serve them and lead them in activities that promoted the development and well being of the communities and Accra as a whole. Mr Adjei-Darko said this in a speech read on his behalf by Mr Obeng Busia, his Special Assistant at the inauguration of the Osu-Klottey Sub-Metropolitan District Council in Accra.

He said the complexities in the management of the City of Accra necessitated the establishment of the sub-structures of the Assembly to enable them play effective roles in the decentralization process. Mr Adjei-Darko said the responsibilities of Accra Metropolitan Assembly had often been difficult to define due to the fact that Accra was a national, regional and district capital.

The three functions had often overlapped making the administration of the city complex and unwieldy.

He said it was for such reason that the sub-structures were being established to make for decentralised administrative machinery that would relieve the centre of the various pressures that tended to create inefficiencies in management.

He promised central government's support especially in the area of waste management, saying everywhere in the world, waste management required heavy investment beyond the financial capacity of the local authorities.

He said it was in this direction that the Ministry in collaboration with AMA and the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) adopted a crash programme to clean-up the city to place the Sub-Metros in a position that would enable them to administer their responsibility effectively and efficiently.

Mrs Justice Margaret Insaidoo, a High Court Judge later swore the 30 councillors into office.