Correspondence from Eastern Region

The Shai-Osudoku District Assembly has held a public hearing to engage residents on its proposed Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP) for 2026 to 2029. The session, led by the District Chief Executive (DCE), Ignatius Dodoe, forms part of the Assembly’s legal mandate to assess community needs and incorporate citizen input into the district’s development agenda.

The DCE was joined by key officials, including Deputy Director Abdul Rahman, District Information Officer Cornelia Asante, District Internal Auditor Michael Ayivi, District Budget Analyst Joshua Konde, and District Social Welfare Officer Theresa Kutu. Together, the team outlined the Assembly’s vision and gathered feedback from communities within the Shai and Osudoku traditional areas.

According to Section 83 of the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936), Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) are required to prepare, implement, monitor, and evaluate medium-term and spatial development plans with active citizen participation. Guided by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), MMDAs prepare these plans every four years.

The Shai-Osudoku MTDP is anchored on the theme: “Building a Vibrant Economy and a Resilient Green Environment to Create Equal Opportunities for All.” Its strategic goals include promoting an industrious economy, fostering equal opportunities, strengthening environmental sustainability, ensuring transparency and accountability, and enhancing institutional capacity while cultivating international partnerships.

Speaking at the hearing, Mr. Dodoe expressed appreciation for the government’s support through the District Assemblies Common Fund, while emphasizing the importance of strengthening internally generated funds (IGF).
“We have begun an aggressive data collection exercise to streamline property rate and business permit collections. This will give us a robust IGF system to support our development,” the DCE stated.

He added that revenue reforms, including investigations into the use of fake receipts, are already yielding results, with significant changes in the Assembly’s revenue department.

Dodoe also highlighted the Assembly’s commitment to realistic and achievable targets:

“Our plan is to avoid project rollovers. At least 95 percent of the 2026 interventions should be delivered within the year. We’ve stayed within budget, forecasted effectively, and prioritized key areas such as sanitation. Two sites have been secured for final waste disposal, and discussions are ongoing with the respective land-owning families.”

The hearing also witnessed strong public participation, with residents traveling from far and near to engage the Assembly. Attendees seized the opportunity to ask pressing questions on issues such as security, infrastructure development, sanitation, access to potable water, and the state of roads across the district. Their contributions reflected the everyday concerns of communities and underscored the importance of citizen involvement in shaping the Assembly’s development priorities.

The public hearing marks a key step in ensuring that the voices of local communities shape the district’s development priorities for the coming years.