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Boost for Ghana’s decentralization as President appoints CEOs for Dev’t Authorities

Ghana’s decentralization concept aimed at bringing development closer to the grassroots has received a further boost following President Nana Akufo-Addo’s appointment of three Chief Executive Officers and their deputies for the three newly created development authorities as the vehicle to make that dream a reality.

Date Created : 4/16/2018 : Story Author : Christian Kpesese/ Ghanadistricts.com

Parliament in November 2017 passed into law an act establishing three Development Authorities namely the Coastal, Middle Belt and Northern Development Authorities with a mandate to implement the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP) under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.

The current Managing Director of Accra based Citi FM, Samuel Attah-Mensah who is an IT Professional is the Chief Executive Officer designate to head the newly created Coastal Development Authority.

An administrator, Joe Danquah, will head the Middle Belt Development Authority, whilst Alhaji Abdel-Majeed Haroun, an Agricultural Economist, will head the Northern Development Authority.

The three CEOs of the Coastal, Middle Belt and Northern Development Authorities also have four, three and three deputies respectively.

The four deputies for the Coastal Development Authority includes; a Lawyer, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, a Quantity Surveyor, Bob-Charles Agbontor, a Lawyer, Mona Gertrude, and an administrator Emmanuel Affram Anim.

The Middle Development Belt Authority has Joyce Opoku-Boateng, a Lawyer, Vincent Frimpong Manu, a Practitioner and Alexander Ferka, an Accountant/Banker as its Deputy CEOs whiles the Northern Development Authority has Lariba Zuweira Abudu, a Teacher, Osmani Aludiba Ayuba, a Chartered Accountant/ Banker and Stephen Yir-Eru Engmen, a Development Practitioner as Deputies.

According to sources close to the Presidency, each of the deputies was carefully selected to represent the number of regions constituting the three development authorities.

According to a statement issued by Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, the appointees are expected to act until the formal approval as stipulated by law.

“The appointees are to act pending the receipt of the constitutionally required advice of the governing Boards of the Development Authorities, given in consultation with the Public Services Commission,” the statement noted.

The IPEP programme implementation by the Development Authorities is expected to administer the disbursement of the equivalent of $1 million per constituency per year, in fulfillment of the New Patriotic Party’s major campaign promise in the run-up to the 2016 general elections.

District assemblies are expected to benefit significantly from the development authorities concept since the IPEP will have a direct link with the NPP government’s flagship one district one factory project and create more jobs for the general public.