FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE FOURTH ASSEMBLY HELD.

The first ordinary meeting of the Fourth Assembly of the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly has been held. The meetings which took place at the assembly hall of the Assembly, was a two (2) day event held on Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th July 2020.

On the first day of the meeting, the Hon. Presiding Member welcomed the Hon. Assembly Members, and Heads of Departments to the First Ordinary meeting of the first session of the fourth Assembly and, thanked all for coming. He bemoaned the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on the Assembly and, called on everyone to put in much effort to help the Assembly achieve its mandate. He also commended Companies and Individuals who supported the Assembly with various items and cash to help mitigate the effects of the pandemic and, urged Hon. Members to engage in discussions with decorum and avoid unnecessary confrontations.
The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) brief the house on some issues concerning the Municipality. During the meeting, the house was briefed by the PURC and GWCL. Issues concerning Electricity to some extent were addressed by the PURC.

The PURC team briefed the House on their functions which was regulating the utility suppliers, i.e. electricity and water. They emphasized their roll as referees in the provision of utilities and ensuring there was fair play in the provision of these facilities. They also took the House through the procedures for complaints. Hon. Members had a few questions for them, which they took time to explain, and promised to create a WhatsApp platform for Hon. Assembly members to interact with the Commission. Reacting to comments by the PURC team on the maintenance of streetlights and the fact that all monies collected by Electricity Company of Ghana concerning streetlights were forwarded to the Energy Ministry, the MCE called on the PURC to assist the Assembly by giving them a hearing when the Assembly petitioned their outfit on the subject and, added that the Assembly spends a lot on maintenance of the lights and so deserved to get some support from such proceeds.
The team from Ghana Water Company Limited were invited to give a brief on the free water distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic. The District manager of Ghana Water Company, Mr. Douglas Amoatey stated that the initial three (3) months of free water distribution came to an end on 31st June 2020. He indicated that the Company put poly tanks at vantage points to assist in the distribution. He added that the Company presently was in the process of paying compensations to vendors who gave out water for free. He gave out his mobile phone number for Hon Assembly Members to contact him in case they needed his assistance, regarding challenges in their various communities. The Hon. Members raised concerns about the way burst pipes were not attended to with urgency. The District manager appealed to Hon. Members to alert to his office for immediate action to be taken in such matters. The Hon. MCE commended the District manager for extending water to the sewer project without delay.

The Hon. Presiding Member thanked the two institutions for responding to their invitation and for coming to the meeting.
A review and correction of previous minutes took place, and a motion was moved to accept the minutes. Discussions of the day included Environmental Health and sanitation, with regards to the cleaning of drains, a taskforce put in place to ensure that rubbish was not dumped in the median and maintain good sanitary condition of the median, and decongestion of the main street. Works ongoing on the streets, drainage construction and maintenance as well as an update on the works at the Mandela Market were all discussed; and the Agric Director briefed the house on what is happening the agricultural sector.

On the second day of the meeting, a request was made to the Assembly to give copies of the Composite Budget for 2020, the Annual Action Plan and the Fee fixing resolution of the Assembly to new members of the fourth Assembly. A motion was moved for the acceptance of the previous minutes as working documents of the House and seconded. The Hon. MCE delivered his Sessional address to the House and tabled it for discussions and was resolved on the same day. He also delivered the Executive Committee’s report to the House and, tabled the report for discussion after presentation; The House resolved to discuss the report on same day. The Hon. Presiding Member then read the report of Public Relations and Complaints Committee to the House and, tabled the report for discussions. The meeting was adjourned.