Seven (7) Area Councils, made up of Manso Nkwanta, Atwere, Abore, Antoakrom, Asuonyin, Mpatoam and Ahwerewa were inaugurated during a short ceremony on two faces, at Ahwerewa and Manso Nkwanta is to help make governments program more meaningful to the people to ensure development.
The ceremony was also used to elect Area Council chairpersons as well as the formation of subcommittees, the Finance and Administration and Development planning subcommittees, with the provision of secretary and other officers to all the area council.
Inaugurating the council’s, Hon. Nii Ollenu Lartey, the Amansie West District Chief Executive (DCE) who led the councillors to swear the oaths of office explained that the inauguration and operationalize of the Area council’s forms a critical part of Ghana’s governance structure as they brought democracy and development to the doorsteps of local communities.
He added that these local governance sub-structures would help enhance the work of the District Assembly in the areas of revenue mobilization, budget planning, project monitoring and protection of Assembly’s property within their jurisdiction as well as make proposals to the Assembly for the levying and collection of special rates and levies to improve the internally generated fund of the Assembly for the development of the District.
According to the DCE, most of the commuters in the Amansie West District are mainly into farming activities as their main occupation which all the seven (7) Area council’s received tricycles from the Assembly to assist the farmers to carry their farms produce and also computers and PA system were provided to all the 7 council’s to produce a desire results for the various communities within their enclaves and the Amansie West District Assembly as well.
He said the Assembly has decided to cede some of its revenue collection responsibilities to the Area Councils so that upon collection, they would retain 50% per cent of the revenues for the running of their offices and other mandatory activities whiles rendering accounts to the assembly.
All the elected Area Council chairman pledged to adopt innovative ways to improve revenue collection.
On the other hand, the Manso Nkwanta Constituency NPP Chairman, Mr Samuel Owusu Ofori, after the occasion told newsman that, the infrastructural projects that have been done by the current DCE, in two years since in office has been a phenomenon, which shows clearly that, Amansie West has had it share of the national cake.
“Building of schools, provision of a fire station for the first time in the district, controlling crime rate by putting on police stations, provision of health centres and other developmental projects are on course by the able DCE and the central government”, he added.
SOURCE: AKOASUA NHYIRABA
