Enforce restrictions to curb spread of COVID-19

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for West Gonja in the Savannah Region, Mr Saeed Muhazu Jibril, has urged unit committee members in the municipality to help enforce strictly the President's directives on the prevention of the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in their respective communities.

He also urged them to educate their community members on the preventive measures approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) as well as measures outlined by the government to contain the virus and halt community spread.

Mr Jibril made the call when he inaugurated the Damongo Town Council and the Area Councils for Larabanga and Busunu at separate ceremonies respectively.

Chairmen

The chairmen for the three councils were also elected and sworn into office at the separate ceremonies.

The three chairmen are — Mr Iddrisu Abdul Raman for the Damongo Town Council, Mr Eric Bani for the Larabanga Area Council and Mr Kipo Yakubu for the Busunu Area Council.

Their inauguration has thus given the unit committee members of these councils the legal backing for their operations for a four-year term.

They are expected among other things to collaborate with the assembly members, chiefs and opinion leaders to assist authorised revenue collectors to collect revenue due the assembly, monitor and supervise ongoing developmental projects within their jurisdictions, prevent and control fire outbreaks including bushfires.

Inauguration

Inaugurating the councils, Mr Saeed Muhazu Jibril said the town and area councils form an integral part of the district assembly system and, therefore, their importance to the decentralisation process could not be ignored.

"Indeed the town/zonal/area councils can best be described as the rallying point for development," he stated.

He said the councils would bring governance to the grass-roots level and that would pave the way for popular participation on decision making.

The MCE said the bottom-up approach of decision making would help the assembly in its effective planning, budgeting , implementation and monitoring of programmes and projects.

The Presiding Member (PM) for the West Gonja Municipal Assembly, Mr Mohammed Mumuni, encouraged the unit committee members to unite and work hard for the development of their communities .

According to him, the unit committee was the building block of the country’s decentralisation process which was an effective means to deepen democracy and strengthen local participation in governance.

“You must see your role as the bridge that links people to development. Educate your community members on their roles and responsibilities as citizens and work hard to improve internally generated funds (IGF) of the assemblies for the development of the municipality,” he added.