Administration And Governance

The West Akim Municipal Assembly is the highest administrative and political body exercising deliberative, legislative and executive functions in the Municipality. The Assembly operates an eight-tier structure which corresponds to the structure proposed by the Local Government Act (1993), Act. 462. The vertical linkages between the various hierarchies indicate a subordinate relationship.

On the other hand, the link between the units on the same level is consultative. At the apex of the structure is the office of the Municipal Assembly. Following this is the Executive Committee which serves as the executive and co-ordinating body of the Assembly. The Executive Committee is chaired by the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) who is appointed by the government. He also serves as the political and administrative head of the Assembly.

The next level comprises seven sub-committees:

These sub-committees are:

• finance and administration;

• works;

• development planning;

• social services;

• environmental and sanitation;

• justice and security; and

• education.

These sub-committees are charged with the responsibility of collating and deliberating on issues that the executive may direct to them. Below the sub-committees is the office of Municipal Co-ordinating Director, followed by two deputy directors in charge of Administration and Development Planning and ,Co-ordination. Also, below the office of the Municipal Co-ordinating Director is the office of the Municipal Planning Co-ordinating Unit (MPCD) which is made up of the Municipal Panning and Budget officers.

This unit performs socio-economic, spatial and budgeting assignments of the Assembly. Finally, specialized Assembly departments and non-decentralized departments are. found at the bottom of the West Akim Municipal organ gram. The link between these departments is consultative. The West Akim Municipal Assembly has all the eleven (11) decentralized departments as enshrined in the Local Government Act (1993), Act 462. However, the following units in some of the departments are non-existent:

1. Ghana Library Board;

2. Feeder Roads;

3. Rural Housing and Cottage Industry;

4. Forestry;

5. Game and Wildlife;

6. Trade.

Municipal Assembly Functions

The Assembly, as the highest administrative and political authority of the district, is expected to perform the following functions, as provided in the Local Government Act, 1993 (Act 462).

• Be responsible for the overall development . The Assembly shall ensure the preparation and submission of development action plan through the Regional Co-ordination Council to the NDPC and budgets to the Ministry of Finance for Approval;

• formulate and execute plans, programmes and strategies for the effective mobilization of resources for the overall development of the district;

• promote and support productive activities and social development and remove any obstacles to initiatives and development;

• initiate programmes for, the development of basic infrastructure and provide municipal works and services ;

• be responsible for the development, improvement and management of human settlements and the environment in the district;

• in cooperation with appropriate national and local security agencies, be responsible for the maintenance of security and public safety;

• ensure easy access to courts and public tribunals in the municipality for the promotion of justice;

• initiate, sponsor or carry out such studies as may be necessary for the discharge of any of the functions confirmed by this law or any other enactment; and

• perform such other functions as may be provided under any other enactment.

Inter-Organizational Relationships and Planning Procedures

In keeping with the provisions of Act 462, plans or projects are initiated at two levels: The Local Community and the Municipal Planning Co-coordinating Unit (MPCU). The Regional Co-coordinating Council serves as an advisory body which advises the districts with common problems to initiate joint projects within the framework of national development policy. Unlike the previous local government system which was characterized by the imposition of projects on communities, the new decentralized system encourages the participation of people and groups in the determination of their felt needs through consultations and discussion led by the Municipal Assembly. It was observed in most of the villages surveyed that community leaders organize general meetings where people discuss and evaluate various project needs.

Through these consultations, the community is able to arrive at a consensus on what are their priority projects. At such foray, the people also discuss the various demands the project will make on them such as finance, labour, materials, etc.

Following project planning and selection at the community level, the various communities submit their selected projects to the district assembly for Assembly debate, appraisal and approval. Comments from the Assembly and its Executive Committee on such projects are reported back to the electorate for review if necessary. One criterion for approval is that the projects submitted by the communities should fall within the district and national development priorities. At this level, the technical expertise of the decentralized institutions is brought to bear on the debate and ‘choices of the Assembly. After the debate, the final decisions on the projects are taken by the Executive Committee.

The Assembly may contribute to the implementation of the selected community projects by giving cash or inputs such as building materials, machinery and equipments, skilled personnel etc. The community members are mobilized through communal labour for the implementation of the projects. Monitoring of projects are in some cases done by the Assembly’s technical staff and community project implementation teams.

It is important to note that the final approval of all projects, regardless of source of initiation, lies with the Assembly which prepares a composite budget for their execution to be presented to National Development Planning Commission through the Regional Planning Co-ordinating Unit and Regional Co-ordinating Council.

The Municipal Planning Co-coordinating Unit (MPCU) of the Assembly goes through the following operational procedures in producing Annual Action Plan and Budget:

1. MPCU prepares annual plans and budgets as directed by the NDC, after consultation with sectoral agencies, and submit these to the Executive Committee;

2. The Executive Committee discusses the annual plans and budgets prepared by the MPCU and table these, with or without amendments, in the Assembly;

3. The Assembly discusses the plans and budgets and adopts them with or without amendment;

4. The MPCU presents the adopted plans and budgets to the RPCU for review and harmonization;

5. The RPCU presents the harmonized plans and budgets to the RCC for final adoption; and

6. The RPCU finally presents the annual plans and budgets to the NDPC.

Good Governance and Civic Responsibility

This section deals with the stage of implementation of the decentralization, security, etc. It is concerned with grass roots participation in decentralized planning in the Assembly, the relation between the DA and the Decentralized and Non-Decentralized departments, Urban/Town/Area Councils and the Unit Committees. This section further describes the existing relationships between the security agencies like the Ghana Police Service, the military, the judiciary - the courts and other state departments like the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), National Commission on Civic Education, (NCCE), National Electoral Commission (NEC) and the others which advocate civic responsibilities to the residents in the district. It is also involves an analysis of the participation of. the people at the grassroots in decision making and decentralized planning.

Objectives

To realize its mission the assembly has set for itself the following objectives.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is comprised of all the chairmen of the sub-committees of the Assembly. The municipal chief executive is both the political and administrative head of the Assembly.

• To improve upon efficiency of staff at the Assembly.

• To intensify the revenue mobilization and generation drive of the Assembly.

• To promote the processing of agricultural products into finished and semi finished products.

• To promote private small scale businesses.

• To enhance effective teaching and Learning.

Assembly members

The assembly members form the legislative wing of the Assembly. There are sixty-four assembly members, forty-eight elected and sixteen government appointees.

There are two constituencies, Lower west Akim and Upper West Akim with two Members of Parliament (MPs).

No. of Elected Assembly members = 48

No. of Movement Appointees = 16

Total = 64

Constituencies

There are two constituencies in the district, namely:

1. The Upper West Akim Constituency and

2. The Lower West Akim Constituency

Members of Parliament (MPs)

The MPs are two in the municipality, one for each of the constituencies.

Substructures

The assembly has five councils, namely, one Urban Council at Asamankese, one Town Council at Asamankese, one Town Council at Adeiso and three Area Councils, each at Mepom, Brekumanso and Osenase.

1. No. of Urban Councils (Asamankese) 1

2. No. of Town Councils 1

3. No. of Area Councils 3

Total 5

Staff of the Assembly

The staff of the Assembly comprises both the Central Administration and the Decentralized Departments.

The Central Administration

This is the core of the Assembly and is made up the following departments.

1. Administration Department

2. Municipal Planning and Co-ordinating Unit

3. Finance Department

4. Environmental Health Department

5. Works Department