President John Mahama has commended members of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TAMA) for their dedication and hard work, which has earned them the enviable title of the best performing assembly in the country.
The President, who was fascinated by the performance of the assembly, asked other metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAS) to emulate the exemplary role of the TAMA.
“I want to use this opportunity to congratulate the Metropolitan Chief Executive of the Tamale Assembly and his team on their hard work. I would like to encourage them to continue with the good works,” he exhorted.
President Mahama, who was speaking at a ceremony to cut the sod for the start of work on the Aboabo Market in Tamale, further observed that the good performance of the TAMA would accelerate the development of the area and improve on the welfare of the people.
The assembly excelled in both the Functional Organisational Assessment Test (FOAT) and the Urban Development Grant (UDG) categories earning 93 and 95 per cent marks respectively.
Under both categories, assemblies that perform well are offered additional funding to undertake various development projects. While the FOAT is meant for all districts, the UDG is limited to municipal and metropolitan assemblies.
The criteria include assemblies that work within the required regulations guiding the conduct and operations of the business of the MMDAs.
Later in an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MEC), Abdul-Hanan Gundadow, described the commendations from the President as an honour and encouragement that would spur him and his team on to continue to offer their best to residents of the fast-growing metropolis.
He equally expressed appreciation to the chiefs and people of the metropolis for the support and cooperation that the assembly continued to enjoy from them and assured them that “we would work even harder to ensure that we fasttrack the socio-economic development of this area for prosperity.”
According to the MCE, the strategic location of the metropolis made it the nerve centre of commercial activities not only in the northern sector of the country but also for neighbouring Sahelian countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
The MCE, however, said in order to maximise the advantages that came with its central location, there was the urgent need to sustain the prevailing peace in the area and therefore entreated residents to be law-abiding.
“We can all witness the rate at which the metropolis is now expanding and attracting businesses establishments. This development has led to infrastructural growth as more individuals and organisations are putting up storey buildings with more investors still craving for spaces,” he indicated.
Mr Gundadow also observed that “with the commencement of work to turn the Tamale airport to international status, it would further open up this area for business activities that would open job opportunities for the youth.”
