The District Assembly’s First Ordinary Meeting was held in the District Assembly Conference Hall on Tuesday, August 26, 2025.
OPENING PRAYER
The meeting commenced with an opening prayer by Hon. Kwame Avoi at 10:24am.
ROLL-CALL
The Honorable Presiding member conducted a roll call of Honourable members and stated that the house had formed a quorum and declared the meeting opened.
WELCOME ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE PRESIDING MEMBER
The Honourable. Presiding Member welcomed the August house to the First Ordinary Meeting of 2025. He emphasized on punctuality to the activities of the House. He welcomed the newly appointed members, urged them to refrain from negative public comments and expressed optimism for productivity in the year.
He also introduced some newly posted Heads of Department and entreated them to give their utmost expertise and experience in their area of operations to contribute their quota to the Assembly’s development.
READING, CORRECTION, DISCUSSION AND ADOPTION OF THE PREVIOUS MINUTES
Corrections
Members read the previous minutes and the following corrections were made:
On page 2, Honourable David Lawer Narteh notified the house that he was present at the previous meeting however, his name was captured under “Members Absent” with Apologies.
On page 6, item 3.3 read in part …. “Uban’’ was corrected to “Urban’’
Acceptance
Without further corrections, Honourable Abubakar Osman tabled a motion for the acceptance of the minutes as a true reflection of the previous meeting and to be used as a working document, he was seconded by Honourable Michael Doku.
MATTERS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MINUTES.
Payment of Ex-Gratia to Honourable Assembly members
The District Coordinating Director updated the August house on the payment of ex-gratia of the previous Assembly and stated that payment was on-going however, ten (10) Honourable Members were yet to be paid.
Increment of Sitting Allowances for Honourable Members
The Secretary announced that new sitting allowances for the Hon. Assembly Members was in implementation.
Distribution of Module Standing Orders
The Honorable Presiding Member requested management to make provision of thirteen (13) copies of the above-mentioned document to be distributed to new Government Appointees as a guide in their new role.
Completion of Abandoned Projects
The Honorable District Chief Executive briefed members about the completion status of all abandoned Social Investment Fund (SIF) projects within the District and assured members that all six projects were captured in the 2025 Composite Budget and the Annual Action Plan as Legacy projects for completion.
Submission of list of Faulty Borehole to the Assembly
The District Works Engineer updated members on the list of boreholes that were to be constructed in the year 2025 by the Government and hoped that it will not be long a directive will be issued.
In response, the Honorable District Chief Executive assured the house that, the District Assembly Common Fund would be utilized to construct boreholes for a selected ten (10) communities.
Renovation of District Assembly Conference Hall
The Honorable Presiding Member stated that it could be observed that the Assembly Hall had been renovated and expressed his satisfaction and gratitude to the Management and all supporting staff of the Assembly for the quality of work done.
BUSINESS OF THE DAY
PRESENTATION OF THE HON. DISTRICT CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S SESSIONAL ADDRESS.
The Honorable District Chief Executive updated members on current developments in the District through a Sessional Address where he threw more light on the following areas:
SECURITY
The Honourable District Chief Executive informed the House that the District remained relatively peaceful owing to the professionalism of the Security Apparatus in the District coupled by the prompt actions of the District Security Councils and the collaboration and support of the Traditional Authorities, the special watch-dog roles played by Honourable members which had significantly contributed to the reduction of crime rates and robbery incidents along the Abourso-Dedeso stretch.
He further informed members that management had acquired some roofing sheets from the Regional NADMO office and had since presented same to the Dedeso Watch-dog committee for a temporal structure at the security check point along the Dedeso-Abourso stretch.
He also spoke on the surge in the use of illicit drugs particularly among the youth which would adversely affect their future if not tackled. He therefore entreated the Security Agencies to continue collaborating with the Traditional Authority, Assembly members and Opinion Leaders to intensify efforts to curb the menace.
He emphasized on the need for Honourable members to take a cue from the successes stories of communities like Apaa and Dedeso as a result of the effective Neighbourhood Watch Dog Committees in collaboration with Security Agencies and replicate same in securing the security of their respective Electoral Areas.
EDUCATION
The Honourable District Chief Executive gave an update on the general performance of candidates in the 2024 Basic Education Certificate Examination which showed a decline from 41.1% to 31.6% in 2023 and WASSCE performance which recorded an improvement from 30% in 2023 to 52% in 2024 with the exception of Core Mathematics.
Without mincing words, he stated that the District performance in general was abysmal hence key stakeholder engagement was urgently needed to put measures in place to reverse the trend.
BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROMOTION
Honourable Osumanu Abubakar informed members that, the Business Advisory Centre (BAC) had facilitated the training of some Clients and Beneficiaries and also assisted them to access some grants, adding that another cohort of 54 beneficiaries were trained in animal rearing with start-up kits. Furthermore, he said seventy-six (76) Youth were trained in skills acquisition and had written the National Vocational Technical Institute (NVTI) examination at no cost.
YOUTH EMPLOYMENT AGENCY (YEA)
The Honourable District Chief Executive noted that thegovernment had revamped the Youth Employment Agency to serve its purpose as an avenue for youth employment and empowerment, he therefore urged Honourable members to liaise with the Agency in the District to be able to enroll some of the youth in their Electoral Areas to take advantage of the available opportunities.
He mentioned that to actualize the purpose of the Agency, the District had a number of modules being rolled out such as Youth in the Security Services and Youth in Apprenticeship.
AGRICULTURE /FEED GHANA
In the area of Agriculture, he briefed members on the Government flagship program FEED GHANA, which according to him is geared towards accelerating the transformation of the Agricultural sector, to ensure food security and enhance socio-economic growth. He also informed members that the registration of the various Farmer Based Organizations (FBOs) in the District was on-going which was being spearheaded by the District Agriculture Department after which the training will follow.
He then entreated all members to disseminate the information to their respective community members for interested groups to get registered onto the program to benefit.
He also spoke about the PROSPER Project, where he mentioned is an initiative by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in collaboration with the Ghana Government and its Ministry of Agriculture with five (5) pilot Districts in the
Eastern Region including Fanteakwa North to deal with some selected value chain crops which included: Maize, Onion, Cabbage, Tomato, Cassava and Poultry.
NATIONAL SANITATION DAY
The Honourable District Chief Executive brought to the notice of members the re-introduction of the National Sanitation Day initiative by the Government. He mentioned that the District had formed and subsequently inaugurated the District Sanitation Day Committee with a maiden District Level clean-up slated for Saturday, 6th September, 2025 across the entire District and therefore expects all members to get on board to clear our communities of filth.
He laid emphasis on the Assembly’s interest in the efficient and effective management of waste in the District and added that the land fill site at Akoradarko was levelled and that the Begoro Presbyterian and Abaase containers sites equally cleared.
He also stated that thirty (30) sweepers have been engaged by the Assembly to be cleaning the Begoro and Ahomahomaso markets. He commended Honourable Members who had organized communal labour in their respective Electoral Areas and implored others to emulate same.
HEALTH
On health, Honourable Osumanu Abubakar listed various activities and programmes undertaken by the Health Directorate with the collaboration of some key stakeholders in the first quarter of the year in the areas like: disease prevention and control, strengthening of health system and emergency response, IPV vaccination campaign, improvements in health facility infrastructure, expansion of community health services by commissioning the Feyiase and Anyinase CHPS compounds, Public Health and Disease Management, Maternal and Child Health Education, Nutrition and Wellness among many equally important activities.
PROJECTS
The Honourable District Chief Executive gave update on the recently completed projects in the District which included the construction of 1 No. Community Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) Compound with Mechanized Borehole at Anyinase and the Rehabilitation and Furnishing of 1No. Begoro Community Center with funding from the DPAT VI and VII allocations (DACF-RFG) and these were in use.
He added that Management has resourced the contractor executing the LoCAL project at Nteso No.1 to complete the project by 31st August, 2025.
He also informed members that all the six stalled Social Investment Fund (SIF) projects dotted across the District had been captured in the 2025 Composite Budget and the Annual Action Plan for completion as Legacy Projects.
He further briefed the Honourable House on the four new projects to be provided in some communities with funds from the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) releases. These he stated are; the Construction of 1No. Borehole at the premises of the District Assembly Block, Construction of 1No. 10-Seater Water-closet toilet facility in Begoro Zongo Electoral Area, Construction of 1NO. 3-Unit Kindergarten Block with Ancillary Facilities at Ampasekyi in the Abourso Electoral Area, the Renovation and Furnishing of the official residence of the Honourable District Chief Executive in Begoro.
DISTRICT ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME (DRIP)
The Honourable District Chief Executive again informed members about the government’s directive to carry out due diligence audit on both assets and liabilities on the DRIP equipment and was certain that further directives would soon be issued for the full use of the equipment.
FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
Proceeding, the Honourable District Chief Executive took the House through the Finances of the Assembly and mentioned that the District Assembly Common Fund release had recorded a significant improvement hence most projects and activities earmarked for execution in the 2025 fiscal year will be met and commended the government.
He notified members about the release of two months allowance for disbursement to members with a directive to withhold twenty percent (20%) tax on the allowance of which management had initiated the process to effect payment which will duly be communicated to Honourable Members when the processing was over.
He also applauded the efforts of staff members for their massive involvement in revenue mobilization spearheaded by a Task Force which had brought an appreciable improvement in the Internally Generated Fund mobilization.
To conclude his presentation, he expressed dissatisfaction in the performance of the Sub-councils in mobilizing ceded revenue items. He exceptionally commended the Ahomahomaso Area Council as highly performing one in the collection of the Ceded revenue. He assured that, Management will always timely process and pay the fifty percent (50%) of collection to the Council’s accounts anytime it made payment and advised others to a cue from the successes of the Ahomahomaso Council.
DISCUSSION OF THE HON. DISTRICT CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S SESSIONAL ADDRESS
Security Issues
Honourable Fiagbor K. Theophilus and Hon. David Lawer Narteh expressed dissatisfaction in how some criminal cases were handled by the District Police Service and cited instances where reported persons went unpunished. Hon. Fiagbor K. Theophilus again brought to the notice of the house about some activities of a well-known drinking spot in Ahomahomaso is a security threat and requested for an immediate investigation into that.
Honourable Fiagbor K. Theophilus was therefore tasked to inquire if the said Spot (Stanford Bridge Drinking Spot) has an operation Permit and report back to the House accordingly.
Honourable members again registered their concerns about reports of Police Officers manhandling and extorting monies from motor and Aboboya riders at the barrier on the Begoro-Obooho road near the Pacific Fuel station and another one on the Apaah stretch, stressing that practice must be stopped by the District Police Commander.
Honorable Reginald Duah Danso also spoke about an increased rate of thievery around the Begoro Presbyterian School Park area and attributed the cause to the activities of drug peddlers and users around the Belco building who attack people.
The District Police Commander noted that sometimes complainants received lacked the credible and sufficient evidences for legal action, hence the inability to prosecute offenders. He indicated that patrol teams would continue go to known drug hotspots frequently and will contact the Regional Police Command for reinforcement where necessary to carry out unannounced swoops to apprehend perpetrators for prosecution.
The Honorable Presiding Member commended the Honorable District Chief Executive for the Roofing sheet donation to the Watch Committee along the Dedeso stretch and requested that when it comes to recruitment into the security services, Honourable Members should be involved to help get a greater pool of applicants.
The District Police Commander was tasked to investigate all alleged extortions of money at the Barrier near the Pacific Fuel station and report back to the Honorable Houses.
The Honorable Presiding Member commended the Honorable District Chief Executive for the donation towards the Watch Committee along the Dedeso stretch and also appealed that Hon. Members should be involved in in the recruitment of personnel for the security service to help get a greater pool of applicants.
Educational Performance
Member discussed the subject at length and attributed the causes to factors such as school children loitering late into the nights, unwillingness of teachers to accept postings to rural communities, lack of teaching and learning materials and absenteeism on the part of some teachers.
Hon. Eric Torgbor in a contribution attributed the cause to some school children engaging in commercial activities during school hours and suggested for the formation of Community Watch-dog Committees to restrict such activities especially during school hours.
The District Education Director informed the Honourable members that he had so far visited eighty-eight (88) communities in the District on his assumption of office and the notable challenge affecting education was teacher-pupil ratio which needed an urgent stakeholder consultation to remedy the challenge. He also requested that Honourable members should report teachers who periodically absent themselves from classrooms to his office for the necessary actions.
The Hon. Presiding member informed members that the Assembly’s prepared By-law that would have handled the challenges was yet to be gazetted and called on management to act quickly on the gazette.
Sanitation
Honourable members discussed extensively on the current poor sanitation situation in the District and attributed the cause to the inadequacy of skip container in most communities including Begoro, Nteso no.1 among other areas and requested that the Assembly should consider evacuating the refuse in the remaining container sites in the District to keep the sites in orders.
Honourable Nana Kwame Tawia also suggested that the plastic refuse containers should be distributed to households to prevent indiscriminate dumping of refuse. Honourable Yakubu Bashiru in a contribution on the subject suggested that the Assembly should provide logistic to support communal activities in the District.
The District Environmental Health Officer was tasked to assess and recommend remedies to address the challenge.
Health
Honourable members expressed their dissatisfaction in the performance of the District Hospital and cited instances where patients have been compelled to move from the District to other place to assess health care services due to absenteeism and unethical conducts of some staff members of the hospital. Honourable Nomo Shadrack contributed by lamenting on the non-availability of medications at most CHPS compounds in the District. Suggesting that the situation should be looked into especially in the deprived communities.
The District Health Director in explaining on the challenges associated with the supplies of medicines said the situation was a general problem from the Ghana Health Service and added that to solve the problem of lack of Doctors in the District, the Directorate attempted to seek for the services of a private Doctor to augment the efforts of the only one Doctor available however, the financial burden was huge and could not be afforded by the Directorate.
On the non-availability medications at our CHPS compounds, the Honorable District Chief Executive assured members that the Feyiase and Nteso Health Facilities would receive the supply of medical equipment in the shortest possible time.
The District Health Director was tasked to monitor and ensure the regularity and punctuality of some staff members and report back to the house.
Payment of Monthly Allowance to Honorable Assembly Members
Honourable Mohammed Awal Massaud inquired for the update on the payment process of the monthly allowances of Honourable members.
The District Finance Officer in response explained that the Assembly had to submit a payment line to the Ministry of Finance since it was the first of its kind for further processes. He was tasked to expedite action on the subject.
Discussion and Approval of Executive Committee’s Reports
The Honorable District Chief Executive presented to the Honorable House the following recommendations by the Executive Committee for deliberation, inputs and approval for implementation:
- Tourism Committee should embark on a familiarization tour across the District to assess the various tourist sites, with the goal of identifying and recommending the most viable location for tourism infrastructure development.
- Assembly should engage and sensitize sand winning operators in the Asirebuso Electoral Area on the need to acquire the proper Business Operating Permit for their operations in the District.
- The Assembly should consider and approve the proposed 2025 Mid-Year Revised Composite Budget.
- The Assembly should disburse funds as soon as possible to facilitate the preparation and completion of the 2026-2029 District Medium Term Development Plan (DMTDP).
- The Assembly should extend electricity to Akumersu East, Osubuer, Sukuma and Agyamamu communities to enhance development in the district.
- The Assembly should provide furniture for the Ahomahomaso Police station to ensure its operationalization and reduce crime rate in the area.
- The Assembly should establish Watchdog Committees in all communities in the District with the help of Honourable Assembly Members to complement and assist the efforts of the District Police Command.
After extensive deliberation, Honorable Fiagbor K. Theophilus moved a motion for the acceptance of the report for implementation and was seconded by Honorable Rasheed Issaka.
PRESENTATION ON THE FIRST HEARING OF THE PREPARATION OF THE 2026 – 2029 MEDIUM-TERM DEVELOPMENT PLAN (MTDP) OF THE ASSEMBLY
The District Planning Officer made a Power point presentation to the House on the preparation of the 2026-2029 Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP) and acknowledged the contribution and support of both Honourable members and Departments and Units during the Needs Assessment process.
He highlighted on some critical areas of the Plan which included; the Total District Population, National Core Performance Indicators, Financial Performance, Health, Child protection & Social Welfare Performance, Education, Water & Sanitation, Vulnerability Analysis, Climate Change, Air Quality and Gender Analysis among others.
He stressed the importance of tackling the challenges related to inadequate clean drinking water facilities, limited access to quality healthcare, and other pressing needs, in order to foster an integrated rural development.
In addition, he stated that the District had vast arable land and proposed that the Assembly consider investing in poultry production and expanding farming activities.
The House commended the 2026-2029 Plan preparation team for the abled manner the Needs Assessment was conducted in the various Councils and hoped projects and programmes will be designed and implemented to meet their needs.
The House then tasked management to ensure adequate funds are timely released for the early completion of the document.
PRESENTATION, DISCUSSION AND APPROVAL OF THE REVISED 2025 COMPOSITE BUDGET.
An Assistant Budget Analyst presented and led in the discussion of the document by
House after which it was unanimously agreed and approved for implementation.
OTHER MATTERS
UPDATE ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE URBAN, TOWN AND AREA COUNCILS
Ahomahomasu Town Council
Honourable Fiagbor K. Theophilus briefed the house on the activities undertaken by the Ahomahomaso Council and mentioned that the first meeting was held on Tuesday, 25th February 2025 and had recruited and bonded a Revenue collector who has been tasked to mobilize ceded revenue items of the Council.
He stated that the Council had successfully mobilized Five Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHC5,000.00) and had paid same to the Assembly. He also noted that some towns and areas in the Council’s jurisdiction were difficult to reach, hence the provision of a motorbike would greatly improve transportation to those communities.
Begoro Urban Council
The Chairman gave a brief update on the performance of the Council following the inauguration of its members. He reported that the Council had held its maiden meeting on Thursday, 21st August, 2025.
He further informed the house that the Council was still in search of revenue collectors. However, he had contacted the Revenue Superintendent for support in that regard. The Chairman also informed the house that the key to the Council’s office had been misplaced and therefore needed to be replaced to ensure the smooth running of administrative work.
Obooho Area Council
Honourable Kwame Avoi also updated the House on the activities of Obboho Area Council where he stated that the maiden meeting was held on 21st September, 2025. He reported that the Council through the Assembly had bonded two revenue collectors who were currently undertaking their duties effectively.
He further mentioned that the Council had opened a Bank Account with the Mumuadu Bank Rural Bank in Begoro, with an initial deposit of Six Hundred Ghana Cedis (GHS 600.00) and assured the House of better performance moving forward.
Feyiase Area Council
The Chairman Honourable Patrick Siame reported that the Council’s was in search of interested persons to be bonded by the Council as revenue collectors and assured that the Council will update the House at the next Ordinary meeting on its progress.
Abourso Area Council
The Chairman reported that the Council was also in search of revenue collectors and that the Council has decided to erect a revenue barrier at one of the junctions to enhance revenue mobilization. He assured the house that, the Council will improve upon its performance.
Dedeso Town Council
The Chairman reported that the Council was in the process of engaging revenue collectors. He mentioned that due to the prevalence of the lucrative onion farming in the community, securing revenue collectors had been very difficult. However, he assured the House that the Council will work tirelessly to improve its performance.
Election of Executive Committee Member
The election of a member to replace the Government Appointees who were part of the Executive Committee commenced under the supervision of the Honourable Presiding Member.
Honourable Reginald Duah Danso nominated Honorable Bashiru Yakubu and by while Honourable Nomo Shadrach Kenny nominated Honourable Fiagbor Kwame Theophilus. The House voted on the two by way of raising their hands. After counting of votes, Honourable Bushiru Yakubu obtained Eleven (11) votes and Honourable Kwame Theophilus secured Eighteen (18) votes, hence Honorable Fiagbor Kwame Theophilus was declared the elected member to serve on the Executive Committee of the Assembly.
Election of Public Relations and Complaints Committee (PRCC) Member
Honourable Osei Amoakohene nominated Honourable Nana Kwame Tawiah Ofosu and was seconded by Honorable Eric Manfe. The house unanimously agreed that Honourable Nana Kwame Tawiah Ofosu become a member of the Public Relations and Complaints Committee.
For the election of the second Honourable member to serve on the Committee, Honourable James Effah Darko nominated Honourable Issaka Rasheed and was seconded by Honorable Yakubu Bashiru, while Eric Manfe nominated Honourable Osei Amoakohene and was seconded by Honorable Kwadwo Aninfeng.
The House after voting on the two, Honourable Osei Amoakohene secured Six (6) votes whiles Honourable Issaka Rasheed obtained fourteen (14) votes. Honourable Issaka Rasheed was therefore elected as a member of the Public Relations and Complaints0 Committee (PRCC).
OTHER MATTERS
Identification Card for Honourable members
The Honourable Presiding Member stated that the Assembly was working with the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana to provide Identification cards for Honourable members hence the Management Information Systems Officer would be taking pictures of all members in that regard.
Funeral Contribution to support two Honourable members
The Honourable Presiding Member informed the house about the demise and burial of mothers of two Honourable members and requested that each member contributes Forty Ghana Cedis to be shared among the two as support.
Up-coming Human Papillomavirus Vaccination
The District Health Director informed all present about the above-mentioned vaccination exercise for all females between the ages 9-14 in the District and requested that Honourable members should be communicated same to all citizenry in their respective communities.
ADJOURNMENT
In the absence of further deliberations, Honourable Rasheed Issaka tabled a motion for the adjournment of the meeting and was seconded by Honourable Nomo Shadrach Kenney.
CLOSING PRAYER
The meeting ended with a closing prayer said by Hon. Alhassan Suleman at 5:37pm.
