Mr. Cudjoe argued that some of the existing ones are struggling and that government should have put measures in place to boost their capacities instead of bringing new ones on-board.

“There’s basic geographic information that tells you that even if you want to do these type of division, at least look for some agglomeration of activity. You assume that you have to create it before the activities come, no. The districts are barely $1.5 billion worth averagely. You need to build the capability of the existing ones,” he noted.

[contextly_sidebar id=”Qqm6uwDlfrJI5ujF8GoDH14TaSzwJKy6″]Franklin Cudjoe made the remark on Saturday on  Citi FM’s current affairs and news analysis programme, The Big Issue.

Government last Thursday, [March 15, 2018], simultaneously inaugurated all the 38 new districts including others that had been elevated to municipal status across the country.

The Local Government Minister, Hajia Alima Mahama, had explained earlier that most of the new districts were existing constituencies, but were only carved out from their mother assemblies to make them stand alone.

But Franklin Cudjoe insisted that if government had done feasibility studies on the revenue generation capabilities of the existing districts, “they [government] would have seen that there is no need to add more to it.”

“With proper information…we would have seen that we probably don’t need to do all of these. I was driving from Kumasi all the way to Tamale and I was amazed at the vast expanse of lands I was seeing lying idle. Then I asked myself, 38 new districts have been inaugurated, possibly some of these districts will fall within this vast expanse of lands. There will be human beings supervising vast waste lands. And we will be paying the person so they will be DCEs over nothing,” he remarked.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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The post 38 new districts needless – Franklin Cudjoe appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

In a statement signed by the NDC Regional Youth Organizer, Egypt Komla Kudeto, the youth expressed misgivings about government’s fixation on the splitting of the Volta Region rather than creating more districts that bring governance to the doorsteps of the people.

He said as other regions, especially the strongholds of the ruling party enjoy additional districts, the Volta Region could not boast of any new demarcation.

[contextly_sidebar id=”yJxPk9WpNYRAjZalQQW6Wbe9dAYhLTP4″]“It is a sad day for the people in the Volta Region, especially the youth of the region, who had great expectations when the NPP administration gave the signal of the intention to create new Assemblies. At the time all other regions are in jubilant mood following the birth of the new assemblies, the story in the Volta Region is one of wailing, crying and gnashing of teeth. The deliberate decision by government not to give even a single new assembly to the Volta Region is an unfortunate development,” he lamented.

He said such actions question the commitments of the NPP government to the growth of the region as promised in their electoral campaign.

“As far as the young people of the Volta Region are concerned, this administration has again demonstrated their unpreparedness to bring development to the region. The Youth Wing is of the view that the NPP is not genuinely committed to the decentralization process,” he added.

The statement also cast doubts about the government’s good intents to stimulate development in the area by creating a new region out of the existing Volta Region.

“The very administration that claims that one of the single most important reasons for the decision to divide the Volta Region is to fast track the development of the yet to be created Oti Region, is not ready to give the Volta Region new districts as has been done in the other regions. We the young people of the Volta Region are of the view that the NPP has missed the opportunity to show how genuine they are in the decision to split the region. This posture by the NPP, is a clear manifestation of the government’s double standard.”

Government has created 38 new Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), to bring the total number to 254 from the previous 216.

The processes also saw the realignments and upgrade of the status of some MMDAs.

Volta region had two of its districts; Krachie East and Ketu North upgraded to a Municipal status.

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By: King Norbert Akpablie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post NDC youth slam gov’t for excluding V/Region from new districts appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Ministry says parents should be allowed to register any name they wish to give their children. The intervention follows growing public outcry after the registry said names such as Naa, Nana, Nii and Junior among others would not be registered.

The Local Government Minister, Hajia Alima Mahama, who gave the directive, made it known in Parliament today [Tuesday] January 30, 2018.

[contextly_sidebar id=”wjJ2V2hswTVfCDg6MtYRN7Mh9ql2uSTH”]She said the new directive has become necessary following the huge public outcry.

“Mr. Speaker, considering that the SOP serves as an operational guideline for the registration of births and deaths, coupled with the sentiments expressed by the public, the acting registrar of births and deaths registry has been directed to review the SOP and further directed that names such as Nana, Nii, Papa and so on as given by the parents should be accepted for registration.”

She advised the Registry to instead, be concerned about official titles “such as reverend, doctor, Mr., Miss, honourable and so on” while her outfit works on bringing to Parliament a bill on Births and Deaths regulation.

“The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development will very soon bring a bill to Parliament on registration of births and deaths, which will address some of these controversies, and to reflect and accommodate present trends and societal developments,” Alima Mahama told Parliament.

Background

The Births and Deaths Registry’s decision has been widely criticized by Ghanaians, including Legal Practitioner, Ace Ankomah, who has described the move to blacklist names such as Nana, Paapa, Nii, Junior among others as illegal.

The Registrar at the Births and Deaths Registry, John Yao Agbeko, however justified the action, saying the law governing the Registry’s operations – Act 301 (1965), gives them the power to do so adding that such names are considered title names.

“There is a law that regulates the activities of the Births and Deaths registry, that law is the Births and Deaths Registration Act 301 of 1965. In this Act, we have a function for the Minister to do a regulation. In the regulation, there is a function for the Registrar to come out with a mode of operation…So even though you will not read it in the Act, the regulation allows the registrar to come out with the mode of operation to manage the place, and that is what we have done. That is why if you go to Tamale, the one over there will tell you that you cannot register that name. If you pick that same name and you run to Accra, in order to do same, you will be told you can’t do it,” he explained.

But Ace Ankomah pointed out that what the Registry was doing “is not in the law, and it is also not in the regulation that was supposed to have been made under the 1965 Act.”

Occupy Ghana petitions AG over blacklisted names by Births and Deaths

Pressure Group, Occupy Ghana, has written to the Attorney General, Gloria Akuffo, to complain about the Births & Deaths Registry’s action.

Occupy Ghana in the letter argued that, the Registry’s action has no basis in law, and charged the Attorney General to take steps to address the issue since it is a gross violation of the rights of Ghanaians.

“We have however checked that Act and all relevant laws including the Regulations passed under the Act. We have not seen any provision that either supports this policy or gives the Registrars of Births and Deaths any power to refuse to register any name. We believe that this stance is a gross violation of the rights of Ghanaians to choose names (particularly Ghanaian names) as they deem fit for their children, subject to the right to change one’s name at any time later in life,” the letter said.

Occupy Ghana in the letter, which was also copied to the Local Government Minister, called on the Attorney General to order the Registry to stop such acts, else they will proceed to court within the next 30 days.

Speaker summons Minister, Births Registry over ban on ‘title names’

The Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye, subsequently summoned the Local Government Minister and the management of the Births and Deaths Registry over the issue.

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By: Godwin A. Allotey & Duke Mensah Opoku/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post Register Nii, Nana, other names – Minister orders Births Registry appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The LI, which will mature in the next 21 sitting days, seeks to also carve some municipalities from other assemblies, and also elevate some existing districts to municipality status.

Speaking to journalists after presenting the LI, the Local Government Minister, Hajia Alima Mahama, said the move is to deepen Ghana’s democratic processes as well as the decentralization system.

“We’ve decided that we need to deepen our democratic process and decentralization system. There are some districts that have grown. We started district assemblies in 1988, the population of some of the district assemblies have even doubled. And the essence of our local government system is to ensure that all persons in the district participate in the governance system and feel part of the governance system. So we’ve decided to increase the number of districts, the districts that are big, divide them into other districts,” she added.

She however clarified that the new districts will not necessarily warrant the creation of new constituencies.

“For instance, you have Savelugu municipal assembly which includes Savelugu constituency and Nantong constituency. So that you have Nantong at its district, and Savelugu will remain a municipality. But in doing that, we have to come with an LI for Savelugu because you are changing its boundaries and an LI for Nantong, so that’s why the LIs look many,” she added.

Below is an infographic of the new districts and municipal assemblies as well as the elevated districts:

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By: Godwin A. Allotey & Melvin Clottey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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The post List of new districts, municipal assemblies [Infographic] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday, the Local Government Minister, Hajia Alima Mahama, said the LI will also give legal backing to other districts and municipalities which have been elevated or split.

She justified the move, arguing that the creation of the new assemblies will strengthen government’s resolve to spread of development across the country through local governance.

[contextly_sidebar id=”Eqim1dunQyKJ1TGGwSEe9Uynz2QQPjln”]“We’ve decided that we need to deepen our democratic process and decentralization system. There are some districts that have grown. We started district assemblies in 1988, the population of some of the district assemblies have even doubled. And the essence of our local government system is to ensure that all persons in the district participate in the governance system and feel part of the governance system. So we’ve decided to increase the number of districts, the districts that are big, divide them into other districts.”

She added that, provision has been made for the yet to be created assemblies in the 2018 budget.

Some of the new assemblies to be created after the passage of the LI by Parliament, include Ayawaso East and North, carved out of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, and Kwadaso and Oforikrom, from the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly.

Others are the Nanton district, which will be created from the Savelugu-Nanton district, whilst Savelugu will be given a municipality status.

“So we have some districts that the President has elevated into municipalities. So in those instances, they are not new assemblies, it’s just elevating their status so that category is there. And some metropolitan assemblies have grown big and the president thought that he should carve some out and make them their own municipalities. For example, Ayawaso East, which is the Nima area, it’s been carved out to be a municipality, and Ayawaso North, which is the Newtown area, is also a municipality on its own. And Oforikrom and Kwadaso for example, can all stand on their own,” the Local Government Minister added.

Avedzi welcomes new district creation

Speaking about the creation of the new districts, Deputy Minority leader, James Klutse Avedzi, welcomed the creation, but said it comes with its own cost and benefits.

“It involves more bureaucracy, and it also involves additional cost to government because you have to put up the infrastructure to accommodate those new districts that are created. You also need the personnel to work in those districts. That’s the cost aspect, but one other aspect that we could look at critically is about the benefit in terms of development. It facilitates speedy development of those areas,” Mr. Avedzi added.

The last time new districts were created in Ghana was in 2012, and was initiated by late President John Evans Atta Mills.

A total of 46 new district and municipalities were created. The Electoral Commission subsequently created new constituencies within the new areas.

This means that, new constituencies may be created ahead of the 2020 elections, after the new districts become legal and operational.

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By: Godwin A. Allotey & Caleb Kudah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post Parliament receives LI for creation of 38 new districts appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Deputy Minister observed that most of the non performing  contractors have hoarded so many projects to themselves that they are unable to complete them.

This he said derails government’s efforts of improving the lives of its people.

“Like I said earlier, this public fund; its people’s money. So if you are a contractor and you are given a project to execute and you think you have a lot at hand to do, you relinquish it and let a more serious contractor take over. Because you can’t sink public fund into a project and leave to hanging like that”
John Oti Bless made the observation during a day official tour of the northern part of the Volta Region on Friday.

On the tour, it was revealed that a District Assembly Office Complex which was to be constructed to replace the old one in Jasikan has been abandoned by the contractors, water sand company limited.

The Chief Executive of the Jasikan District Mr Killian Abrampah said there have several failed attempts to bring the contractor back to continue works on the 1.3million Ghana cedis project.

Similarly a district hospital project awarded to Sabu Constructions Limited in Kadjebi has been stalled since 2011 without the contractor showing any sign of resuming work anytime soon.

The Chief Executive of Kadjebi Mr Jacob Asogonde lamented he met the project upon resumption into office in 2013 and had since been making efforts to bring the contractors back to site.

He said the 29500 Ghana cedis project is to provide the health needs of over 70,000 people in the district.

He lamented the district does not have its own hospital and residents would have to depend on Mary Theresa Hospital belonging to the Catholic Church, situated at Dodi Papase, about 30 kilometres away from the district capital.

The minister who shared in the concerns of the chief executives directed them to commence processes towards the abrogation of those contracts and entreated other Metropolitan Municipal and District Chief Executives [MMDCEs] to do same for projects that are unduly delayed in the locality.

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By: King Nobert Akpablie/Citifmonline.com

The post Abrogate ‘unduly’ delayed contracts – Oti Bless to MMDCEs appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.