Engage residents on creation of new municipalities — Ashitey
Porcia Oforiwaa Ofori
Politics
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr Ishmael Ashitey, has urged members of the Ledzokuku Krowor Municipal Assembly (LEKMA) and its chief executive to engage residents to enable them to understand the need to divide the assembly into two municipalities.
That, he explained, would enable the residents to appreciate the need for the two municipalities to co-exist for rapid development in the area.
At a meeting with the Municipal Chief Executive for LEKMA, Mrs Evelyn Twum-Gyamrah, and assembly members in Accra, Mr Ashitey said giving residents accurate information would also help to prevent people who did not understand the idea behind the separation from taking the law into their own hands.
The Ledzokuku Krowor Municipal Assembly (LEKMA) has begun implementing its plans to carve the Krowor Municipal out of LEKMA.
The move includes acquiring an office and residence for a new municipal chief executive (MCE) and a coordinating director, setting up offices and demarcating Teshie and Nungua administratively.
Per the division, the Teshie Municipality will be Ledzokuku while Nungua will be Krowor.
Background
The government on Thursday, November 16, 2017, laid before Parliament a Legislative Instrument (LI) for the creation of some new districts in the country.
The LI seeks to also carve some municipalities from other assemblies and also elevate some existing districts to municipality status.
The Local Government Minister, Hajia Alima Mahama, said the move was to deepen Ghana’s democratic processes as well as the decentralisation system.
Mrs Twum-Gyamrah said the division of the assembly would promote effective development.
According to her, the division will also aid an effective decentralisation system in both Teshie and Nungua.
Preparations made
Mrs Twum-Gyamrah said the 23 assembly members were available and ready to join the new assembly.
“Management has already submitted a list of Government of Ghana (GoG) staff to be transferred to the Krowor Municipal Assembly to the Head of the Local Government Service for consideration. We have as well furnished the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development with all the necessary information that would help in the creation of the new municipality,” she said.
Revenue generation
Touching on revenue generation, Mrs Twum-Gyamrah said management of the assembly had ensured that this year’s ratable bills were ready for distribution.
“Property rates and business operating permit bills are about 90 per cent distributed and will help facilitate the revenue generation when the new municipality stands on its own,” she added.
She said the assembly would sensitise the stakeholders to the benefits of the division and urged members to support its revenue generation agenda.
Mrs Twum-Gyamrah appealed to the Ministry of Local Government through the Greater Accra Regional minister to support the assembly in its quest to acquire an office and accommodation for the new MCE and the coordinating director.
Demarcations
Mrs Twum-Gyamrah raised concerns about the encroachment on a shopping mall by La Dade-Kotopon Municipal Assembly (LaDMA) and appealed to the Greater Accra Regional minister to help settle the demarcation issue between the two.