By Afedzi Abdullah/Victoria Agyemang, GNA
Cape Coast, Jan. 24, GNA – Sixty-six assembly members, including four women, were on Thursday sworn into office at the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly to oversee its activities for the next four years.
Twenty-one, including the four women, are government appointees.
No woman was elected during the just ended District Level Elections in the Metropolis.
The Assembly, however, failed to elect a presiding member after two attempts by the two contenders, Mr Abdul Malik Adjei and Nana Kweku Awuku, who could not secure the two-thirds majority to win.
During the first round of voting, Mr Adjei polled 22 votes, whilst Nana Awuku received 46 votes.
The second round resulted in 24 and 44 votes respectively.
The Assembly, therefore, postponed the elections in accordance with the Local Government Act 936.
Justice Emmanuel Lodoh, a Cape Coast High Court Judge, led the Assembly members to swear the official Oath, Oath of Allegiance and the Oath of Secrecy.
Reading the President’s inaugural message, Professor Kwesi Yankah, Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education, admonished the Assembly Members to device strategies for effective mobilisation of resources for the overall development of the Metropolis.
He noted that the active participation of citizens was key to good governance and urged the Assembly to create a platform for stakeholders using the social accountability tools including town hall meetings and general community engagement to interact with the people.
The Minister charged the members to advance the implementation of government flagship programmes in a coordinated manner to bring about economic and social development.
Prof. Yankah further urged them to take advantage of the automation and other innovative systems developed by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to improve their Internally Generated Funds (IGF).
Mr Ernest Arthur, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of the CCMA, in his welcoming speech, said the concept of decentralisation had built a solid foundation for the socio-economic development of the country.
He, therefore, charged the Assembly to be responsible and hardworking as they would be judged by the level of development in their respective electoral areas.
GNA
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