News:
May 21, 2018
Member of Parliament for Adaklu, Governor Kwame Agbodza, has said the creation of new Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) does not necessary mean there would be development in those areas.
According to the Adaklu MP, existing local authorities needs resources to carry out development, so to say but sadly as you know the District Assemblies have become more like “dummy”.
“I don’t even know the work District Chief Executives, when they are being told from Accra that they should do with their money, they do not have home grown policy as to a particular project in their areas they want to deal with. Rather flag staff House is telling them what to do with their funds”, he lamented.
We need to strengthen our district assemblies, to ensure that resources are well utilized to ensure they impact on Ghanaians across the political divide.
Adaklu Municipal Assembly created in 2012, “we are still struggling, we are lucky the previous government decided to build an Assembly complex for us”, he said.
He noted also that creation of more Assemblies does not mean more money would be added, the share of the common fund would be the same to the Assemblies, rather government had reduced the percentage from 7 percen to 5 percent.
“Fewer monies are going to the Assemblies and any analysis done would tell you that it is never going to be a plus for development at the local level, rather this is going to drain the new districts”, he said.
Again it is new overhead cost, new offices, the Assemblies might need funds to do capital investment, “for the past 15 months there is nothing happening, to lift the people out of poverty, government says they are committed and the people have voted for them so they will do it anyway”, he said.
By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com