Institutions and agencies manage the process of development.  Good governance depicts an institutional atmosphere of democracy and respect for human rights.  In addition, it implies that these institutions and agencies must be governed in a way which ensures efficiency accountability and transparency of the public administration.  Without this, the appropriate level of obtainable development is at risk.

The Manya Krobo District Assembly is the highest administrative and political authority in the District, which is charged with the responsibility of formulating and implementing development plans, programmes and projects.  The Assembly has 78 assemblymen and women.  Of the assembly men and women, 51 are elected representing their electoral area and 27 are appointed.

The Assembly is responsible for the overall development of the District by way of the preparation of the development plans and the budget related to the approved plans.  Its functions include:

• Formulating and executing plans, programmes and strategies for the effective mobilization of District resources.

• Promoting and supporting productive activity and social development in the District.

• Initiating policies for the development and management of human settlement and the environment.

• Development and management of human settlement and the environment.

• Ensuring ready access to courts in the District for the promotion of justice.

• Coordinating, integrating and harmonizing the execution of programmes and projects under approved development programmes promoted or carried out by the ministries, departments, public corporations and non-governmental organizations in the District.

The Manya Krobo District is obliged to follow the structure of District Assemblies given by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.  In this structure, the General Assembly is the highest authority in the District.  The next office in line of importance is the Executive committee which performs the executive and administrative functions of the Assembly.  

The committee operates through its various sub-committees, with the District Co-ordinating Director (DCD) coordinating the activities of all these sub-committees.  The District Chief Executive (DCE) chairs the Executive Committee.  The DCE is the political and executive head of the District.  Under the DCE are the Deputy Directors of District Planning Co-ordinating Units (DPCU) and the Administration. 

The  DPCUs have divisions for social, economic and spatial development.  The Administration has responsibility for internal administration, treasury and municipal services.  Below these are the eleven District Assembly departments as well as Non-Decentralized agencies.  

The heads of these departments and agencies form together with parts of the Assembly to become ex-officio members of the Assembly.  In the Manya Krobo District Assembly, the decentralized and non-decentralized departments and agencies are not fully integrated into the structure of the Assembly.  Efforts should be made to fully integrate them into the Assembly since they are by law supposed to be integral parts of the Assembly.

Good governance is built into the structures and procedures of the District administration system.  Budgets are drawn on the basis of development plans prepared and approved by the General Assembly.  There is a District Tender Board that awards all the contracts according to laid down procedures.  

The Executive Committee is responsible for the day-to-day implementation of the Assembly’s decisions.  In addition to these, there are a number of sub-district structures that work in concert to enforce good governance.  These are the Unit Committee and the Town /Area  Zonal Councils, each of which has a well-defined area of operation.  These sub-district structures are, however, not fully functional.

The Local Government Act 462 reduced the number of decentralized departments from 22 to 11 major ones.  These are:

1.  Central Administration
2. Finance Department
3. Education, Youth and Sports
4. Health
5. Agriculture
6. Natural Resource Conservation, Forestry, Game and Wildlife
7. Social Welfare and Community Development
8. Works Department
9. Industry and Trade
10. Disaster Management

The only department, which is not represented in the District, is the Industry and Trade Department.  The Natural Resource Conservation, Forestry, Game and Wildlife Department are administered from the Office in the Somanya located in the Yilo Krobo District.