The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) held its maiden general assembly meeting for the year 2024 to outline key achievements of the past year, review ongoing projects, and plan future initiatives.  

 

The meeting, which marked the first ordinary meeting of the first session of the Ninth AMA, was presided over by the Presiding Member, Hon. Alfred Asiedu Adjei and attended by key stakeholders, including assembly members, heads of departments, staff of the assembly, and civil society organisations.

 

The Mayor of Accra, Hon. Elisabeth Kwatsoe Sackey in her sessional address, highlighted several successful programmes and activities aimed at improving the city's infrastructure and overall quality of life for its residents. 

 

Among these accomplishments were the completion of a 2-unit KG block at the Bubuashie Basic School, a 2-storey maternity theatre block for Kaneshie Polyclinic, and a 3-storey 18-unit classroom block for the Independence Avenue Cluster of Schools, a child daycare centre for children of migrants in the informal waste sector, the construction of a storage facility for the Mamprobi Hospital, an ultramodern abattoir with a large slaughterhouse, offices, a store, and a freezing area at Jamestown.  

 

Others include the completion of the Electoral Area Project, the rehabilitation of a 2-storey office block for the AMA Sanitation Court at the old office, the desilting and maintenance of all major, minor, and tertiary drains at Accra Academy, Okaishie and Agbogbloshie, the enforcement of development control, asphaltic overlay on access roads and intersections. 

 

Touching on the financial position of the Assembly, the Mayor disclosed that out of 2023 budgeted revenue of GH¢ 49,091,751.00, an amount of   GH¢ 39,472,884.18, representing 80.41% of the total budgeted revenue, was realised by the end of December.

 

She also emphasised the need for continued collaboration between the Assembly and private sector partners to drive sustainable development, adding that the management was working assiduously with the leadership of the Coastal Development Authority (CODA) and other stakeholders to obtain the needed assistance towards the completion of all stalled projects such as the James Town Sempe School, Salaga, and Tuesday markets, among others.

 

She pointed out that following the success of the Assembly in the Performance Assessment exercise conducted by the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation, and Rural Development (MLGDRD) the Assembly has received an amount of GH¢464,212.04 for the implementation of approved work plans under the GARID  in the 2024 operational year.

 

She also announced that the Assembly had secured approval for the establishment of a roofing sheet factory and other household items at the current Ashiedu Keteke Sub Metro office.

 

She added that the AMA, under Agenda 111, would expand and upgrade the Kaneshie Poly Clinic with all the facilities required to make it a functional hospital.

 

"The project involves facilities such as surgical plus medical wards, F&F, theatre and supporting spaces, paediatrics, maternity, OPD plus reception, administrative offices, storage, laboratories, kitchen plus laundry, pharmacy, parking entry, security, and washrooms," " she said. 

 

She also reported that the Assembly had received a two-quarters allocation of the Persons with Disabilities (PWD) component of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) amounting to GH¢72,207.34, stressing that to ensure effective utilisation of the funds and strict adherence to the guidelines for the disbursement and management of the funds, a Fund Management Committee would be constituted to vet and approve applications received, as well as monitor and supervise the utilisation of the funds. 

 

The Mayor also touched on issues relating to security in the city, the human resources of the Assembly, redevelopment of the Makola market, various social interventions, capacity building and ex gratia for Assembly Members, the inauguration of substructures, as well as the 125th-anniversary celebration. 

 

Mayor Sackey concluded the meeting with a call for unity and cooperation among assembly members and stakeholders to address the challenges facing Accra while emphasising the importance of collective efforts in building a resilient and thriving city.

 

At the meeting, members of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly raised concerns about the availability of vehicles for monitoring work at the sub-metro level and urged the assembly to work with sub-metro directors to ensure that vehicles were made available for operations.

 

Regarding the arrest of a trader at Rawlings Park for selling fake tickets, Assembly Members called for greater vigilance and assistance to the police investigations to apprehend those involved.

 

The members also emphasised the importance of the management and maintenance of the AMA building and conference halls, noting that improvements could help attract more business from clients.

 

 The assembly members also commended the Mayor for paying a working visit to the sub-metros to inspect completed projects in electoral areas