Accra, May 22, GNA - Ten newly appointed Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) for the Greater Accra Region were on Friday sworn into office.
They were Miss Nubyl Kakra Van Lare, Adentan Municipal Assembly, Mr Alfred Vanderpuije, Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Mr Robert Kempes Ofosuware, Tema Metropolitan Assembly and Mr Ebenezer Nii Armah Tackie, Ga West Municipal Assembly.
Others were Mr John Kwao Sackey, Ga East Municipal Assembly, Mr Sheriff Nii Otoo Dodoo, Ga South Municipal Assembly and Mr Daniel Amartey Mensah, Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal Assembly.
The rest were Mr. Numo Adinortey Addison, Ashaiman Muncipal Assembly, Mr Emmanuel Odoi Lartey, Dangme West District Assembly and Mr Rex Daniel Wusah, Dangme East District Assembly.
Nii Armah Ashittey, Greater Accra Regional Minister, who administered the oath of allegiance, oath of secrecy and the official oath, reminded the MMDCEs not to lord it over the people they have been appointed to serve but be guided by the principle of humility and service.
"Good governance is about modesty, openness, accessibility and accountability to the citizenry," the Minister said, adding that they needed to learn from some good and experienced people in their municipality.
Nii Armah reminded them of the need to be of good moral behaviour for others to emulate.
"You need to set high moral standards for yourselves so that you can have the courage to take those who misconduct themselves to task," he said.
The Regional Minister said urban poverty, youth unemployment, environmental sanitation and waste management, uncontrolled and unauthorized structures, general maintenance of law and order were among the challenges that needed to engage the attention of the MMDCEs so that they could address them.
Nii Armah told them that they were assuming office at a time when there were developmental challenges the country was facing compounded by high political expectations and the global economic meltdown. "It is therefore important that we learn to do things differently lest we lose the trust and confidence that the good people of Ghana have placed in us."
He urged them to make judicious use of the financial and material resources that would come to the assemblies so that programmes and goals that had been planned could be implemented. Mr Rex Wusah, the MMDCE of the Dangme East District Assembly, on behalf of his colleagues, thanked the Presidency for the confidence placed in them and gave the assurance that they would live up to expectation.
Miss Nubyl Kakra Van-Lare, the only lady appointed among the MMDCEs sworn into office, told the GNA that though Adentan was a newly-created municipality, she was going to work tirelessly to make it a "second class municipality."
"Water is the main problem in the area and the people continue to cry for water," she said, adding that, she had taken the water problem as one of the priority areas she was going to address. She pledged to open her doors to the media to effectively communicate all the developmental projects to be carried out in her municipality.
Mr Alfred Vanderpuije, Chief Executive Officer of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, in an interview with GNA, promised to use scientific but environmentally friendly methods to solve sanitation and waste problems, which had become a burning issue in the country in general and Accra in particular. "Sanitation and waste management are some of the most important agendas for government," he said, and added that practical approach towards collecting, proper disposal and recycling of waste would be employed. "We are also going to make sure that this scientific approach towards solving the sanitation and waste management would create jobs for poverty reduction and make the environment healthy for all to live in," he assured. 22 May 09
