GOOD GOVERNANCE 

District Assembly: Structure and Functions Chereponi District Assembly (CDA) was established in 2008 (PNDC Law 207). It was caned out from then Saboba-Chereponi District It is highest administration and political authority in the District Under section 10 of the Local Government Act, 1993 (Act 462) the Assembly exercises deliberative, legislative and executive functions in the District It is responsible for the overall development of the district by way of the preparation of development plans and the budget related to the approved plans. Its functions include: 

1. Formulating and executing plans, programmes and strategies for the effective mobilization of the District’s resources;
2. Promoting and supporting productive activity and social development in the District;
3. Initiating programmes for the development of basic infrastructure;
4. Developing and managing human settlements and the environment;
5. Ensuring ready access to courts in the district for the promotion of justice;
6. Co-ordinating, integrating and harmonizing the execution of programmes and projects under approved development plans for the district and other development programmes promoted or earned out by Ministries, Departments, Public Corporations, and other statutory bodies and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in the district.
7. The political and executive head of the Assembly administration is the District Chief Executive - under section 20(2) of the Act 462, he is the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the District Assembly and he presides at the meetings of the committee. He is responsible for the day-to-day performance of the executive and administrative functions of the Assembly and the supervision of its various departments. The executive committee, under section 21 of the Local Government Act 1093 (Act 462), exercises the executive and Co-coordinating functions of the District Assembly.

Its functions include:Co-coordinating plans and programmes of the Sub-Committees and submitting these as comprehensive plans of action to the District Assembly;

Implementing resolutions of the District Assembly;

Overseeing the administration of die district in collaboration with the office of the District Chief Executive;

Recommending to the District Assembly, the economic, social, spatial and human settlement policies relating to the development;

Integrating and Co-coordinating the processes of planning, programming, budgeting and implementation;

Initiating and implementing development programmes and projects in the District level; and Monitoring and evaluating all policies, programmes and projects in the District. In compliance with section 24(1) of the Local Government Act 1993 (Act 462) die Executive Committee of the Assembly has the following Sub-Committees: Economic Development Planning Sub-Committee; Social Services Sub-Committee; Technical Infrastructure (Works) Sub-Committee; d)Justice and Security Sub-Committee; and Finance and Administration Sub-Committee. Under section 25 (i & ii) every sub-committee shall be responsible for collating and deliberating on issues relevant to it and it shall submit its recommendations to the Executive Committee of the Assembly.

For the purpose of national development planning, the District Assembly is established under section 46 (i) of Act 462 as a Planning Authority for Chereponi District and therefore (under sub-section 3 of section 46) established a District Planning Co-coordinating Unit to help the Assembly to perform any planning functions conferred on it. The District Assembly has also established a District Finance Office charged with the financial administration of the Assembly.

DEPARTMENTS, AGENCIES, AND ORGANIZATIONS

The Assembly has only nine of the 11 decentralized departments and their Heads are co-opted into the District Assembly to offer technical and advisory support although some of these departments are severely understaffed. The following are the departments that are currently operating in the district under the auspices of the District Assembly: Community Development, District Agriculture Development Unit, Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit, Finance Department, Ghana Education Service, Ghana Health Service, Social Welfare Department, Statistical Department, and District Works Department, including the Central Administration.

There are also agencies and organizations operating in the district including: Customs Excise and Preventive Service, National Civic Education, and Commission for Human Rights and Justice. These function independently from the district assembly, but in their own way aide in the development of the district.

There are also numerous programmes underway in the district. These programs include M-SHAP, School Feeding, NFED, and National Youth Employment Program.

The district is home to numerous NGOs as well. Some NGOs currently are Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED), Evangelical Presbyterian Development and Relief Agency (EPDRA), Research Triangle International (RTI), School for Life, ACTION-Aid, and North Eastern Corridor Integrated Development Authority (NECIDA). These NGOs work alongside the assembly to further development in sectors of health, education, agriculture, and help in the building of infrastructure.