President Akufo-Addo has inaugurated the ‘8th Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA)’, at a ceremony at the Rattray Park, Kumasi and asked the members to check unplanned development in their respective areas.

Section 12 (3) (f) of the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936), he said, specified that “Assemblies shall be responsible for the development, improvement and management of human settlements.”

“As you are sworn in today, work with the Assembly to ensure compliance with the building rules and regulations on the zoning and development of lands,” the President tasked them.

It was their responsibility to ensure that lands were developed according to approved plans and designated land use because one major challenge confronting the nation was the haphazard development going on in most areas without recourse to the law.

“Slums being developed in marshy areas and houses built on waterways have become a phenomenon with serious implications to national development and public safety,” President Nana Akufo-Addo bemoaned.

This was contained in a speech read on his behalf by Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Majority Leader, at the inaugural ceremony, which saw a total of 40 elected assembly members and 20 government appointees, being sworn into office.

The President reminded the Assembly-members that it was within their mandate to make by-laws in addressing issues of waste management, licensing and monitoring environmental service providers and related issues that demanded local regulations for a clean and healthy environment.

Good governance, he noted, entailed active participation of the citizenry, therefore, the KMA should bring on board all stakeholders in the decision-making processes and implementation of development projects.

This is critical to advancing the cause of the nation’s socio-economic growth since development was the collective responsibility of all and sundry.

Mr Osei Assibey-Antwi, the Metropolitan Chief Executive welcomed the newly-elected members to the Assembly, and entreated them to work in unison to help achieve development objectives of the KMA.