The Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly (KoKMA) has been recognized as the Best Performing Assembly in the second edition of the National District Awards, owing to its exceptional performance in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector as recorded on the 2022 District League Table.
Located in the Greater Accra region, KoKMA is known for its well-planned layout and clean surroundings.
The National District Awards were instituted by the Millennium Excellence Foundation (MEF), under the auspices of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, in collaboration with the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), to recognize Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) that were making noteworthy strides in the area of WASH.
The awards ceremony, held under the theme "Recognizing Transparency, Accountability and Evidence-based Decision-making at the District Level," was attended by a Fellow of the Ghana Institution of Engineers, Nana Poku Agyemang, who represented Otumfuo Osei Tutu, the President of the MEF, Nana Agyemang Prempeh, the Chairperson of the Executive Council of the Media Trust Ghana, Kobby Asmah, and renowned evangelist, Lawrence Tetteh.
The Ayawaso West and Tema Municipal Assemblies came in second and third, respectively, in the awards ceremony held in Accra last Friday.
The Ledzokuku, Ashaiman, and Tema West assemblies emerged as the first, second, and third best, respectively, in the Most Improved Assembly category in the water sector in the year under review.
The Adentan Municipal Assembly was recognized as the Most Outstanding Assembly in the sanitation sector, with Tema West and Weija-Gbawe assemblies coming in second and third positions, respectively, in that category.
The Nandom, Asutifi North, and Gomoa Central assemblies were given special awards for striving to improve in the face of inadequate resources and for striving against the odds after performing poorly in the 2022 District League Table.
The Municipal Chief Executive of KoKMA, Samuel Nii Adjei Tawiah, expressed his gratitude for the recognition the assembly had received in the area of WASH and promised that the assembly would maintain quality delivery of WASH services within its jurisdiction.
He, however, encouraged community members to support and cooperate with them to implement their mandate.
He subsequently told the Daily Graphic in an interview that they were on the right path and thanked everyone at KoKMA, from the municipal coordinating director to all staff, for helping him execute the plans and policies of the government at the local level.
He also expressed gratitude to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, traditional leaders of Osu and Adabraka, the former Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Dan Botwe, the former Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, and both past and present assembly members of KoKMA.
Addressing the event, the Chairman of the NDPC, Professor George Gyan-Baffour, said the 2022 District League Table provided an indication of an overall improvement across sectors, although there were still disparities between urban and rural communities that required their utmost attention.
He said the awards ceremony was significant to encourage stakeholders to push for efficient resource allocation for development, especially in areas of WASH.
To further strengthen the district league table, he added that the commission, in collaboration with UNICEF, was initiating the development of a policy brief to attract the attention of policymakers on the need for setting up the right development priorities.
The Director-General of the NDPC, Dr Kojo Mensah Abrampah, expressed the commission’s commitment to continue working with institutions and development partners to monitor assemblies for efficient resource allocation.
He called on development partners, the private sector, and individuals to consider other sectors such as education, health, nutrition, and energy to reward deserving assemblies accordingly.
The Head of the Local Government Service, Dr Nana Ato Arthur, commended the Millennium Excellence Foundation for the initiative and said it would help to build a resilient local government system.
He commended the NDPC and UNICEF for their unwavering dedication towards the district league table as a tool for tracking national development. He, however, called for assemblies to share best practices to promote development.
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MCE of KoKMA, Samuel Nii Adjei Tawiah receiving the award