LOCAL GOVERNANCE

DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION

The Kwabre East Munincipal Administration has a total staff of 89 with 48 females forming about 53.9%. However, the number of females in the management position is about 20%.

ASSEMBLY MEMBERS

Out of the 44 members of the Assembly, 38 are males forming 86% and females constitute only 14% of the entire membership.

Clearly, the gap between the males and female members of the Assembly is too wide. Strategies should therefore be adopted to encourage more women to come to the Assembly.

This could be achieved by supporting future women candidates financially and logistically and sponsor programmes for them to build their capacities to win district level elections.

UNIT COMMITTEES

All the Unit Committees in the district have a total membership of 620 out of which 550, representing 89% are males whilst only 11% are females.

Reasons for the disparity are:

• Low educational background of women in the District.

• Lack of confidence.

• Fear of insults and confrontations.

• Cultural barriers.

• Financial difficulties.

INTRODUCTION:

STRUCTURE OF THE KWABRE EAST MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY

The Kwabre East Municipal Assembly is statutory body established by the Local Government Act (Act 462) of 1993. It is the highest policy making body representing the entire political and administrative machinery of Central Government at the District level.

The Kwabre East Munincipal until 2008 was part of the Kwabre District.  A legislative instrument L.I 1894 promulgated in 2007 established Kwabre East Municipalt after the creation of Afigya Kwabre District. 

The Assembly, headed by the District Chief Executive, performs its functions through the Executive Committee and other statutory sub-committees.  The Executive Committee exercises executive and co-ordinating functions of the Assembly while the sub-committees collate and deliberate on issues relevant to their functional areas.  The sub-committees are:

• Economic Development

• Social Services

• Works

• Finance and Administration

• Justice and Security

KEY DEPARTMENTS

For administrative effectiveness, the District Chief Executive (DCE) is supported by a Central Administration.  The Central Administration is headed by a District Co-ordinating Director (DCD) who reports to the District Chief Executive (DCE) and is in charge of the day to day administration of the Assembly. The Central Administration is broadly made up of general administration, finance, planning, works and budgeting units.

The Decentralized Departments of Kwabre East Municipal Assembly

The Civil Service Law, 1993 and the Local Government Act (Act 462) make all Decentralised Departments within the District part of the District Assembly.

The heads of these departments are ex-officio members of the Assembly without voting rights but only provide technical advice to the Assembly. They report to the Assembly through the District Co-ordinating Director. These departments are:  

• Education

• Social Welfare and Community Development

• Physical (Town & Country) Planning

• Finance

• National Disaster Management Organization

• Health

• Agriculture

• Health Insurance

• Stool Lands Administration

Other specialized Units of the Central Administration include

• Birth and Death Registry

• Information Service

• Statistical Service

Apart from the above departments, there are others such as the commissions and the security services which are present in the District including

• National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE)

• Non formal Education Division (NFED)

• Commission on Human Right and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ)

• The Electoral Commission

• The Ghana Police Service

• The Ghana National Fire Service.

• Ghana Immigration Service

The task of realizing of the aspirations of the people in the District depends on the effective implementation of the District Assembly’s responsibilities. This is to be executed with close collaboration and involvement of the both Governmental and Non- Governmental Organizations, the private sector and individual entrepreneurs.

SUB DISTRICT STRUCTURES

There are two Town and four Area Councils in the Kwabre East Municipal. These are Ahwiaa and Mamponteng Town Councils, and Ntonso, Old Asonomaso (Kwabre No. 1 North), Wadie Adumakase and Krobo (Kwabre No. 1 South) Area Councils.   The basic problem facing these Area Councils is the lack of staff to man these offices.  Again some of the councils are grappling with the problem of office accommodation.  These two basic problems coupled with others make the operations of the sub- District Structures very difficult. The Assembly has started putting up office accommodation for the Area Councils and the Community Based Rural Development Project (CBRDP), is supporting the District to build up the capacity of one Area Councils in the District. 

TRADITIONAL AUTHORITY

Traditional Authority, which is embedded in the chieftaincy institution, is perhaps the oldest and much revered institution in the country.  The traditional status and the sphere of influence of chiefs in the Kwabre District unlike other areas, present a complex interwoven web-like phenomenon.

Some of the traditional rulers are ‘Abrempong’ who fall directly under the Asantehene, as exemplified by the Chief of Adanwomase whilst other chiefs come under the jurisdiction of Kumasi Traditional Chiefs and owe much allegiance to them, for example Swedru.  The third category of the traditional rulers falls under paramount chiefs such as Mampong and Nsuta.