Ho assembly inaugurates zonal council
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It is in fulfilment of the Legislative Instrument (LI) 1589 under which the municipal assembly had created five zonal councils at Sokode, Ho, Hokpeta, Norvisi and Dutasor to take over the functions formerly performed by the town and village committees.
The zonal council, with headquarters at Sokode-Gbogame, has 15 elected councillors, including four women with Mr Seth Dzata as chairman.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, the Ho Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Isaac Kotobisa, said decentralisation involved devolution of power and responsibilities to the zonal councils and unit committees from the assemblies, and revenue mobilisation was crucial in their engagements.
He, said the assembly had, therefore, engaged zonal council staff, who are tasked and authorised to collect taxes, levies, rates and tolls with proper value books, stressing that transparency and accountability with appropriate control measures should be the hallmark to make the zonal council a viable unit of the assembly.
Mr Kotobisa charged the councillors to embrace challenges of the ultimatum given by the President to metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to meet the target for street naming within 18 months.
In an address read on his behalf, the chairman of the zonal council, Mr Seth Dzata, said the inauguration of the council had been long overdue and said now that it had been inaugurated an administrative strategy had been adopted for the rapid development of the area.
He said it would enable the people of the zone to intensify the exploration of resources within the area and to marshal them for the needed development.
The Chief of Sokode-Gogame, Togbe Adentsri VI, said the coming into force of the zone would promote more cohesion in the area to facilitate development and charged the chosen representatives of the people to serve dedication and vigour to ensure that the lively spirit should not subside.
He advised councillors to regularly consult traditional authorities to ensure smooth and coherent operations of the zonal council.
Togbe Adentsri said more attention should be paid to sanitation issues because it had become a major problem affecting many communities nationwide.
The Chief of Hoviefe, Togbe Agbi III, who was the chairman of the function, said the participants of the zonal council should always be one without inter-village rivalry.
Story: Tim Dzamboe