46 New Districts Start Operations With GHC100k

The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), Julius Debrah has announced the release of an initial amount of GHc100,000 to purchase equipment and furniture for each of the newly created forty-six District Assemblies. Additionally, the District Chief Executive of each of the forty-six assemblies has been allocated an official vehicle to facilitate the day-to-day activities of the locality. Each of the vehicles, according to Mr. Debrah, cost the MLGRD GHc86,330.46 with the remaining balance being used to construct Administrative blocks for the Assemblies. The amount released for the purchase of equipment and furniture as well as the vehicles was part of the GHc1,000,000 promised by the Government as seed money for the establishment of each of the assemblies. Mr. Debrah made this observation on the floor of Parliament yesterday when responding to a question asked by the MP for Yagaba/Kubori, on when the Ministry would pay the Mamprugu Moadori District the GHc1,000,000 promised the district during its inauguration. The answer provided by the Minister aroused the interest of Members from both sides of the House, with many joining their colleague law maker for Yagaba/Kubori, to further probe Mr. Debrah. The Minister of Defense and MP for Nandom, Dr. Benjamin Bewa-Nyog Kunbour asked the Minister whether the seed money promised was meant for every aspect of development in the district. Mr. Debrah could neither respond in the negative or affirmative but argued that because the projects involve lots of processes, the money would be spent at each process. According to him, about eighteen administrative blocks were currently underway at a cost of GHc1.4 million. But the Yagaba/Kubori legislator alarmed by the project cost further asked the Minister where his outfit was getting the extra funding from since the Ministry had already allocated GHc1million as seed money for each of the districts. Mr. Debrah in a sharp response said: �The thinking of the Ministry was to start the project as we move on, we would look for the extra funding to complete the project�. The Minority Chief Whip and MP for Okere, Dan Botwe, on his part asked the Minister when the administrative block project for Mamprugu/Moaduri would commence. Mr. Debrah, in a response, pleaded with the Speaker to indulge him to cross check from the consultants and furnish the House with the details at a later date. The MP for Anyaa/Sowutuom, Mr. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, in her contribution over the issue expressed surprise by the answers given by the Minister and wondered where the rest of the GHc1million seed money had been lodged. But Mr. Debrah prayed to the Speaker to again indulge him and cross-check from the Ministry and furnish the House with the details at a later date. The late President John Atta Mills, by an Executive Instrument (E.I) created 46 new district assemblies in 2012 to bring the total number of Municipal, Metropolitan and District Assemblies to 216. The function of the new assemblies is backed by the Local Government Act 1993 (Act 462), which states their responsibilities as formulating and executing plans, programmes and strategies for effective mobilisation of resources necessary for development of the districts.