The assembly, located in the Greater Accra geographical space, received the honour based on its “exceptional performance” in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector as recorded on the 2022 District League Table.

KoKMA is known for its fine layout and neater surroundings.

Awards

The awards event was 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), with a focus on the WASH sector.

It was held on the theme: “Recognising Transparency, Accountability and Evidence-based Decision-making at the District Level”.

It was to recognise Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) that were making noteworthy strides in the area of WASH.

The event 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.

Appreciation

The Municipal Chief Executive of KoKMA, Samuel Nii Adjei Tawiah, expressed appreciation 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 “we are on the right path.

Well done to everyone at KoKMA. From our municipal coordinating director to all staff at KoKMA.

Thank you for helping me to execute the plans and policies of the government at our local level. 

“Thank you to all our constituents, who we take pleasure in serving.

This award confirms that the hard work we are doing at KoKMA is duly recognised in Ghana.

 I am truly grateful to the Millennium Excellence Foundation for the award,” he added.

He 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.

Other awards

The Ayawaso West and Tema municipal assemblies were awarded the second and third positions at the awards ceremony held in Accra last Friday.

The Ledzokuku, Ashaiman and Tema West assemblies emerged 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 emerged 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 Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Elizabeth Sackey, was also honoured for being the first female MCE of the AMA in its 125 years of existence. 

Improved performance

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, saying “it requires our 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.

Work together

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.