Mpohor-Fiase District. Inauguration of assembly members and election of a presiding member.

Mr. Isaac Awotwe, the constituency secretary of the governing New patriotic Party (NPP) of the Mpohor-Fiase, who is also the scheme manager of the Wassa East District National Health Insurance has been elected as the presiding member of the Assembly.

On Mon, 12/02/2024, district assemblies across the country were inaugurated to facilitate the swearing-in of newly elected and appointed members of the assemblies. After the inauguration, members went to the polls to elect a presiding member who is constitutionally the head of the general assembly, but Mr. Awotwe could not secure the required votes to make him a presiding member.

Per the local governance act on the election of a presiding member, the newly elected and appointed members of the assembly had to reconvene after ten ( 10) days if the house could not elect a presiding member.

On 22.02.2024, the house met to elect their leader, the presiding member. Out of the twenty total vote cast, Mr. Awotwe secured 18 YES’s and 2 NO’s.

As a member of the Executive Committee of the District Assembly, their functions are spelt out in the Local Governance Act 2016, Act 936, section 21. “21.

(1) The Executive Committee of a District Assembly shallexercise the executive and co-ordinating functions of the District Assembly.

(2)An Executive Committee shall
(a) co-ordinate the plans and programmes of the sub-committees and submit these as comprehensive plans of action to the District Assembly;

(b) implement resolutions of the District Assembly;

(c) report to members of the District Assembly the decisions of the Executive Committee;

(d) oversee the administration of the district in collaboration with the office of the District Chief Executive;

(e) make recommendations on stated grounds to the appro- priate Ministry, Department or Agency, for the appoint- ment and replacement of officers for departments outside the control of the District Assembly where it is considered expedient to do so;

(f) develop and execute approved plans of the units, areas and towns and sub-metropolitan districts, within the area of authority of the District Assembly;

(g) recommend to the District Assembly
(i) the economic, social, spatial and human settlement policies related to the development of the district;

(ii) harmonisation of the development policies of the district with national development policies;

(iii) the integration and co-ordination of the processes of planning, programming, budgeting and imple-

mentation;
(iv) initiation and implementation of development programmes and projects at the district level; and

(v) the monitoring and evaluation of policies, programmes and projects.

(3) An Executive Committee shall in between meetings of a District Assembly, carry out functions of the District Assembly other than the legislative function of the District Assembly.

(4) The Executive Committee shall communicate its decisions to Members of the District Assembly at least seven days before the meeting of the District Assembly. Meetings of Executive Committee 22.

(1) An Executive Committee may co-opt any person to attend its meetings but a co-opted person shall not vote.

(2) An Executive Committee may conduct its business in English and in any local language decided under subsection (4) of section 5.

(3) The validity of the proceedings of the Executive Committee shall not be affected by a vacancy among its members or by a defect in the appointment or qualification of a member.

(4) An Executive Committee shall regulate the procedures for its meetings in accordance with the Standing Orders of the District Assembly”.

Mr. Awotwe inaugurated the statutory sub-committees under the Executive Committee.

“Sub-committees of the Executive Committee 23. (1) An Executive Committee shall have the following sub-committees:

(a) Development Planning Sub-Committee;
(b) Social Services Sub-Committee;
(c) Works Sub-Committee;
(d) Justice and Security Sub-Committee;
(e) Finance and Administration Sub-Committee; and

(f) any other sub-committee the District Assembly may deter-mine.

(2) Each sub-committee shall consist of members of the District Assembly determined by. the District Assembly.

(3) A member of the District Assembly other than the Presiding Member shall serve on at least one sub-committee during the tenure of office of that member.

(4) Recommendations to the District Assembly for the constitu- tion of a sub-committee shall be made by the District Chief Executive in consultation with the Secretary to the District Assembly.

(5) Heads of Departments of the District Assembly shall attend the meetings of the sub-committees and shall advise them on the performance of their functions but shall not vote.

(6) A sub-committee may co-opt a person to attend any of its meetings but a co-opted person shall not vote.

(7) A sub-committee shall regulate the procedure for its meeting in accordance with the Standing Orders of the District Assembly.

(8) The District Assembly may dissolve and re-constitute a sub-committee that is not performing its functions efficiently.

(9) The dissolution shall be supported by two-thirds of all members of the District Assembly present and voting.

(10) The Secretary to the District Assembly shall appoint a Head of Department of a sector relevant to the work of a sub-committee to be the Secretary to the sub-committee. Functions of sub-committees24.

(1) The functions of the sub-committees of the Executive Com- mittee shall be as provided in the Model Standing Orders issued by the Minister for the conduct and proceedings of District Assemblies.

Functions of the sub-committee.
(2) A sub-committee shall collate and deliberate on issues of its responsibility to assist the District Assembly in the deliberative, legisla- tive and executive functions of the District Assembly.

(3) A sub-committee shall submit its recommendations to the Executive Committee of the District Assembly.

Instrument of Establishment of Metropolitan Assembly

25. (1) The provisions on the functions and meetings of an Executive Committee and the Sub-Committees and functions of an Executive

Sub-Committee shall not apply to a Metropolitan Assembly.

(2) The legislative instrument establishing a Metropolitan Assembly shall specify its sub-committee system and other related matters”.