Ajumako (C/R), April 20, GNA – The Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District Assembly failed to elect a Presiding Member after three rounds of voting at the first ordinary meeting of the third session of the sixth Assembly held at Ajumako.
None of the two contestants for the position, Mr Solomon Cobbinah, a Banker and Joseph Kojo Mensah, an Administrator failed to secure two-thirds of the total membership of the 70-member Assembly as requested by law at each of the rounds of voting.
At the first round of voting Mr Cobbinah polled 27 votes as against 39 by Mr Mensah whilst the second round Mr Cobbinah had 24 votes and 43 for Mr Mensah.
At the end of the third round of voting Mr Cobbinah attracted 27 votes as against the 41 garnered by Mr Mensah.
The election which was conducted by Mr Prosper Fiifi Caiquo, District Electoral Officer had to be adjourned without the fixing of a new date.
The Assembly’s sub-committees were however reconstituted.
Mr Peter Light Koomson, District Chief Executive (DCE) said the district had benefitted from the District Development Fund (DDF) for four consecutive years for passing the Functional Operational Assessment Tool, which was instituted by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to encourage Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to live up to expectation.
He said the DDF has fetched the Assembly GH¢ 1,199,535.70 from 2009 to 2012.
The DCE said the Internally Generated Fund realised by the Assembly had increased from GH¢ 66,000 on average in a year to GH¢ 123,808.87.
He said the Assembly received 4,430,092.51 as its share of the District Assemblies Common Fund in a period of four years.
Mr Koomson said the Assembly had rehabilitated a number of roads and upgraded some farm tracks into motorable feeder roads and improved water supply tremendously at both community and institutional levels through the construction of boreholes and hand-dug wells.
He commended the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint for constructing small-water systems at Ajumako and Enyan Denkyira and also rehabilitated 18 boreholes in the district.
The DCE said 5,065 pupils from 19 schools in the district are being fed under Ghana School Feeding Programme.
He said for the past four years the Assembly supported the Science, Mathematics, Technology Innovations workshops at the district and regional levels.
It had also assisted the district participation in Ghana Association of Science Teachers Conference at Sunyani last year.
Mr Koomson said the Assembly is sourcing funds to complete the district Assembly office complex, which was started in 2005.
He said negotiations are ongoing with the District Assembly Common Fund Administration for an advance of GH¢ 801,583.36 for the completion of the ground floor.
The DCE said upon recommendation from the Economic Development Sub-Committee, a committee had been formed to see to the decongestion of the Ajumako market.
He said at a meeting with the District Development Association on the management of the District Education Endowment Fund it was agreed that the Board of the Fund should become a sub-committee of the District Assembly.
GNA