UNICEF commends Gomoa West Assembly
The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has expressed appreciation for the positive way the Gomoa West District Assembly has responded in the media to its ranking on the 2015 Ghana District League Table released by the UN agency.
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The league table placed the district as the last of the 216 assemblies in the country in terms of development.
The 2015 District League Table was launched on November 25, 2015 by UNICEF Ghana and the Centre for Democratic Development in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to assess and rank the development status of all the districts in the country.
A letter dated December 18, 2015, and addressed to the District Chief Executive, Mr Theophilus Aidoo-Mensah, stated that following the launch, there were several discussions in the media with the focus on the Gomoa West District because of its last position but the management of the district assembly took time to explain matters without being offensive.
The letter which was signed by the Chief of Social Policy, UNICEF Ghana, Ms Sarah Hague, said among other commendations that UNICEF was impressed with the district’s positive response to the media attention and made particular mention of the constructive reservations with the District League Table registered by the District Planning Officer, Mr Daniel Baah Tenkorang, during a panel discussion on GTV.
It noted further that the reservations as well as the support for the initiative were well noted.
‘’As a social accountability tool, the District League Table is designed to be used by all stakeholders in Ghana’s development to highlight the fact that some districts face substantial challenges and therefore require better targeting of resources, particularly from the central government,’’ the letter said.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, Mr Aidoo-Mensah thanked UNICEF for commending the district’s position concerning the league table but explained that “ the ranking did not mean our district is not doing anything by way of development; it is not actually the true reflection of what is on the ground since the assembly has undertaken numerous projects to improve the lives of the people.”
He stated that the assembly had done a lot in the areas of health, education, sanitation and road construction all meant to enhance the livelihoods of the people in the district.
Mr Aidoo-Mensah acknowledged the challenges facing the assembly but said the district assembly would continue to work hard to ensure the betterment of the people in the area and expressed the hope that the district would be ranked better in the next edition of the District League Table.