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GOVERNANCE

Political Administration


A.E.E. district is located in me Central Region of Ghana. The district is headed politically by the District Chief executive at the District Administration. The district also forms a constituency and has a Member of Parliament who happens to be the Regional Minister for the central Region. The District Assembly has representatives from all the communities. Unit committees have been inaugurated to replace the village development committees.

 

The District Assembly is the unit of the local government. The District Assembly consists of several sub-committees such as the

 

1. Finance and Administration

2. Justice and Security

3. Education

4. Agriculture

5. Works

6. Arbitration

7. Economic developments and the Social Services Sub-committee in which the District Director of Health Services is a member.

There is inter-sectoral collaboration between these sub-committees, which are made up of unit heads and technocrats. The District Co-ordination Director serves as a link with all other departments.

 

Administrative arrangements

District Administrative and Institutional Arrangements

 

The ease with which development planning, project implementation and decision making can be carried out will to a large extend depend on the kind of institution set up in place at such level. This section examines the composition and structure of the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District Assembly and the network of institutions it works with. The roles of these institutions and agencies in planning and implementation; and in the overall development of the district among other things arc also examined.

 

Structure and Responsibilities of the District Assembly

 

In line with the Local Government Act  1993 (Act 462), the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District Assembly is the highest political and administrative authority at the local level. The AEEDA has adopted as its mission, to facilitate the improvement of quality of the people within the Assembly’s jurisdiction through equitable provision of services for the total development of the total development of the District within the context of good governance. The section 10 subsection three (3) of the Act explicitly reaffirm that the key responsibility of the Assembly as ensuring the overall development of the district by formulating programmes and strategies for the effective utilization of both the human and material resources. The Assembly has a total of 60 members, made up of 42 elected Assembly Members and 18 government appointees. 

 

The Central Regional Minister is the ex-officio member of the Assembly and along with the District Chief Executive play the political role. There are a total of twelve (12) women in the Assembly. The executive Committee which is chaired by the District Chief Executive is responsible for the performance of the executive and administrative functions of the District Assembly. The Assembly also has a number of sub-committees performing various functions.

 

They include, the Social Services; Public Relations; Development Planning; Works; Justice and Security; as well as Finance and Administration sub-committees. Other relevant bodies in the administrative matrix of the Assembly are the District Planning Co-ordinating Unit (DPCU), the decentralized departments, the sub-district structures (namely Urban/Town /Area Councils and unit committees) and other government agencies.For proper oversight of activities, the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District Assembly has been carved into four units namely, the Central administration, the Finance, DPCU. and the Environmental Health Unit. Table 1.8.1 below presents their overseers.

 

Sub - District Structures

 

In response to the demands for popular participation in promoting decentralization and good governance, the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District has been delineated into nine (9) zones or area councils for easy local level administration. This includes the Mando, Ajumako, Sonkwaa, Abaasa, Bisease, Enyan-Maim, Ba, Breman-Essiam and Denkyira Area Council. The district can also boast of a number of unit committees dotted all over the area. There are ninety (90) in all, within the 160 communities making up the nine Area Councils. Ajumako is the district capital and the seat of the local government administration. There are 42 electoral areas in the entire district. Despite their importance, these sub-district structures have not been able to contribute well towards the district’s development planning process.

 

However, it was observed that quite a number of the sub-committee members has been given training and have the expertise especially in the participatory methods in planning for local development. In some cases area council and unit committee members have helped community come up with their needs, prioritized them and developed an action plans which also informs this report. The inability of the district sub-structures to function properly is due to financial and logistical problems. Another major drawback to the district’s development is the lack of the political will. In this wise the Sonkwaa Area Council is the most affected.

 

The District’s Departments

 

The existing decentralized departments are not fully integrated into the Assembly structures. Most of these departments still continue to hold allegiance to mother departments instead of the District Assembly. There is therefore a need for these sector departments to re-define their roles and functions and their relationships in the integration process for smooth running of the local government process and to avoid duplication of efforts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Date Created : 11/14/2017 2:09:26 AM