GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING REPORT
Report by ISD
The Awutu Senya District Assembly has held its first ordinary meeting of the first session of the fifth assembly on 4th June, 2024 at the SDA Church Beraku to discuss among other issues, local economic development in the area, security, education, human resource, financial performance, office accommodation, health and sanitation.
Section 28 of the Local Governance Act 936, 2016, provides that MMDCE’s who are government representatives at the local governance level are mandated to deliver sessional address which would highlight on key developmental programmes and activities in the district hence the first session of the fifth general assembly meeting.
This being his first sessional address and which coincides with the First Ordinary Meeting of the First Session of the Assembly, the newly appointed and confirmed DCE Hon. Moses Arhinful Acquah used the occasion to congratulate the government appointees and all Assembly Members who came out victorious in the December 2023 District Assembly Election.
“The assembly would need your experience, council and expertise to drive the development fortunes of the district. And to staff led by the coordinating director, the success of my tenure depends on your professional and candid advice and support’’ said Hon. Arhinful Acquah.
Enumerating the assembly’s plans on security challenges with its remedial measures, the DCE explained that the security profile in the district is stable except for petty stealing, land guard issues, robbery and isolated cases of chieftaincy disputes. However, the security agencies are doing their best to control the situation by conducting frequent patrols, snap checks and swoops at criminals’ hideouts.
The DCE noted that this year being an election year, the security agencies in the district are preparing assiduously to conduct election security risks assessments and their mitigating measures to ensure a successful and peaceful Presidential and Parliamentary elections in the district.
He however reiterated that security is a collective responsibility and therefore called on all and sundry to assist in every way possible to maintain peace and order, especially before, during and after the heat of political campaigns and its subsequent elections.
On the financial performance of the assembly, Hon. Arhinful Acquah disclosed that as at 31st March 2024, the internally generated fund (IGF) of the assembly has improved by 25.38% growth rate over the first quarter of 2023 fiscal year. He however admitted that the assembly is currently being faced with challenges in its quest to raise substantial revenue but regardless, appropriate measures have been put in place by management to ensure the assembly exceeds its target by the end of 2024 fiscal year.
On infrastructural work, the DCE highlighted few infrastructure developments which are currently ongoing in the district and they include overhead water stand for NHIS office, 90% completion of a new NHIA office complex, construction of a new official residence for DCE at Akrampa by DACF administrator, access route to the official residence of the Coordinating Director’s official residence awarded and among few others.
In his final speech, the DCE promised to ensure that all roads in the district are put in good, particularly those in the remote farming communities.
For her part the Member of Parliament (MP) for Awutu Senya West Constituency, Hon. Gizella Agbortui Tetteh lauded the Green Ghana Programme and admonished GES through the assembly to encourage Senior High Schools in the district to take part in the initiative to plant tree crops such as palm trees, coconut trees, plantain trees and among others in their school farms to supplement kitchen supplies in schools.
Hon. Gizella Tetteh further said in other to beautify and reclaim the beach front in the constituency, her team has already started planting over two hundred coconut trees along the Senya coastline and has even requested for more trees to be planted because she believes apart from erosion control, the trees will improve sanitation at the beaches especially, water pollution.
Enumerating some of her achievements this year, the MP said through her collaborative and partnership efforts in the health and water sector, Bawjiase Polyclinic can now boost of an operating theater which was supported by the MTN foundation at a cost of 4.6 million Ghana cedis (Gh₵4.6m) to support the services delivery by the clinic.
During the period of Easter, an NGO called Hope for Little Lives conducted free surgeries for 45 children at Trauma Clinic, alongside free health screening for over thousand five hundred children in the constituency, all through the efforts of the MP.
She explained that construction of durbar grounds, donations in the area of sports, reshaping of roads and other projects she is undertaking in the constituency are all efforts she is rendering to compliment the work of the assembly to bring development in the area.
In his closing remarks, the Presiding Member of the assembly, Hon. Joseph Ghartey thanked everybody present for their time and contributions towards the success of the meeting. He however urged all stakeholders not to politicize every issue being discussed in the house but look at the effect and its impact on the constituency.