Good Governance And Civic Responsibility

It is worth noting that significant gains have been made in empowering state and non state actors to participate in the development process. This process has included the active collaboration with and involvement of all stakeholders to achieve a sustainable decentralization process to ensure increased security and rule of law.

Security issues are a major source of concern in the district since armed robbery and other forms of crime continues to confront the municipality. In adequate logistics to fight crime is a major contributing factor to this scenario. Among key challenges that still prevail in the area of good governance and civic responsibilities are as follows.

1. Increase youth and women’s participation in the democratic process ’
2. Increase the knowledge of civic rights and responsibilities and public awareness on civic issues among citizens
3. Increase security and police presence in communities
4. Improve revenue mobilization and expenditure
5. Equip all area/urban council with office, logistics and staff to support the development effort of the MA
6. Provision of office and residential infrastructure for MA staff and decentralized departments
7. Strengthen the monitoring system and the evaluation of the assembly
8. Construct MCE bungalow
9. Build the capacity of assembly staff, members and head of departments

Establishment

The Kwahu West Assembly is the highest administrative and political authority in the district and was established in 2004 by an Act of Parliament (Legislative Instrument 1589). It has deliberative, legislative and executive powers. It was part of the former Kwahu South District Assembly.

Structure of the Assembly

The Assembly consists of 18 electoral areas and represented in the general Assembly by elected and appointed Assembly members. The composition of the Assembly is made up of 18 elected members, 6 appointed members, one Member of Parliament and the Municipal Chief Executive.

The General Assembly is headed by an elected Presiding Member with the Municipal Coordinating Director as the Secretary. To enable the Assembly perform its function of overall development  following sub-committees and decentralized departments are established.

• Sub-committees
• Development Planning Sub-committee
• Works Sub-Committee
• Finance and Administration Sub-committee
• Justice and Security Sub-committee
• Social Services Sub-committee

Decentralized Departments

1. Department of Agriculture
2. Town and Country Planning Department
3. Department of Social Welfare
4. Ghana Education Service - Office
5. Ghana Health Services — Office
6. National Commission on Civic Education
7. Department of Feeder Roads
8. Department of Birth and Deaths
9. Department of Cooperatives

Department of Community Development

The Assembly currently has no permanent office accommodation and’operates from a temporarily offices at PWD. Most of the decentralized departments are in rented offices and others scattered in Nkawkaw Township. This situation makes co-ordination and monitoring quite difficult. The institutional arrangements for the implementation of this plan calls for well equipped and well staffed departments. Contrarily, most of the departments are ill equipped and lack the requisite staff to deliver effectively.

To remedy the situation the Assembly will have to:

• Construct office complex and residential accommodation
• Provide logistics support
• Facilitate the transfer of the required staff
• Provide residential accommodation
• Capacity building for selected staff

Sub-District structures (Urban/Town and Area Councils)
The district has four sub-structures namely:

1. Nkawkaw Urban Council
2. Fodua Area Council
3. Awenade/Apradan Area Council
4. Nkawanda Area Council

The Area Councils are well established and supporting the Assembly in its development efforts. Unfortunately the Councils are all housed in rented apartments with the exception of Nkawkaw Urban Council which has its own office. It is however worrying to note that the office is overcrowded and engulfed by the activities of Departments such as Fire Service, Birth and Death DVLI. 

The Assembly will therefore have to provide permanent office accommodation for all the Councils to facilitate their work and also promote good governance. It has also been noted with concern that the councils do not meet regularly neither do they interact with community members. This will have to be corrected to facilitate revenue collection and development.