The newly elected Assembly Members and Government Appointees of the Saboba District Assembly (SDA) have been inaugurated for a four-year tenure to advance local development and governance.
In all, 37 members which consist of 25 elected Assembly Members and 12 Government Appointees, were sworn in.
H/W Magistrate Peter Kobblah Ametsowu, District Court Bimbilla, administered the oath of secrecy and allegiance oath to the members.
In a speech read by Deputy Chief of Staff, Hon. Aliu Fawaz, on behalf of President Akufo-Addo highlighted the selfless role Assembly Members had to play in ensuring accountable stewardship and articulating the needs of their electorates and implementing government programmes.
He called on the members to build positive working relationships with their colleagues, Chief Executive, Members of Parliament, Staff of the Assembly, and the people they represent.
“You should also establish strong partnerships and collaborate with the local structures particularly, the urban, town, zonal and area council, the unit committees and traditional authorities as well as other identifiable groups to facilitate the work of the District Assembly. As a first step, the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, through the OHLGS, will in the next few weeks organise your orientation and training to enable you to appreciate the expected roles and responsibilities,” he added.
He stressed the importance of good governance and active citizen participation in the development process and encouraged the members to create platforms for citizen engagement, such as town hall meetings and community durbar, as well as deploy digitalized tools to enhance the relationship between duty bearers and citizens.
He congratulated all elected assemblies and highlighted the constitutional mandate to promote decentralisation and citizen participation in governance, emphasising the critical role of assemblies in bringing government closer to the people.
The District Chief Executive, Hon. George Kitingyaab Bingrini in a welcome address reminded the newly elected members of the trust and confidence reposed in them by their electorate urging them to uphold dedication in fulfilling their duties.
Hon. George expressed his appreciation to the immediate past Assembly members for their cooperation and emphasized the critical areas of education, sanitation, revenue mobilization, and stakeholder engagement as key focus areas for the assembly, to improve the quality of life for the electorates and foster sustainable development in the communities.
Hon. George also stressed on the need for the members to familiarize themselves with their duties and responsibilities outlined in the Local Governance Act 2016, Act 936, as well as other related legislative instruments and the Constitution to discharge their duties diligently.
The election of the Presiding Member of the Assembly took place and Hon, Emmanuel Beninbe Maado was duly elected to serve for a second term. The inauguration was graced by Heads of Departments, Traditional Authorities, Religious leaders, Service Commanders and the general public.