Tarkwa-Nsuaem assembly outlines dev programme

The Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Assembly (TNMA) in the Western Region has held a townhall meeting for the first quarter of the year with the aim of improving communication and co-ordination among stakeholders in the development and governance process in the area.

The meeting, which was dubbed ‘a social accountability programme’, was meant to improve public financial management and social accountability which has become an integral part of local governance.

 Among the participants were butchers, assembly members, hairdressers, traditional authorities, miners, members of academia and representatives of transport groups.

The Presiding Member (PM) of the assembly, Mr Benjamin  Kessi, who set the tone for the meeting, said: "We, as an assembly, have, over the years, implemented a number of programmes and projects for the well-being of residents of the municipality."

Annual action plan

The meeting focused primarily on the performance of the annual action plan and budget for 2016 and also touched on some of the programmes and projects currently being undertaken.

All those principles were based on the current national development framework — the second phase of the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDA II).

According to Mr Kessi, the projects that were earmarked for implementation in 2016 but could not be executed and which were still relevant in addressing the needs of the people had been rolled over into the 2017 action plan, based principally on its expected revenue inflows.

He used the occasion to commend the Hope for all Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), for the role it was playing in the implementation of social and public expenditure and financial accountability (SPEFA) project which had the overall aim of improving citizens’ perception of urban management and increasing their participation in development decision-making in metropolitan and municipal assemblies.

Presentations

The Budget /Planning Officer of the assembly, Mr Peter Kwesi Thompson, in a presentation on the outlook for 2017 programmes and projects, said GH¢1,428,270.48 had been earmarked for health-related activities.

He said GH¢1,644,937 had also been allocated for education, while GH¢188,500 had been earmarked for the agricultural sector.