B.O.T to scale up Nationwide Advocacy for Assembly members Common-fund

Aspiring Parliamentary candidate for the Sunyani West Constituency of the Bono region of Ghana Hon. Bernard Oduro Takyi is spearheading a campaign to ensure a five percent share of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF), to be set aside for all Assembly Members in the country.

According to him the government should ensure an efficient implementation of the decentralisation concept to enable district, municipal and metropolitan assemblies (MMDAs) become catalysts for accelerated development of various communities and the country.

In a press release dated Sunday August 23,2020,Mr Oduro Takyi pleaded with key stakeholders in the Local Governance to set up to find a more sustainable way to Assembly members to deliver on their mandate to their Electoral areas as stipulated in the Local Governance Act 2016,Act 936.

Mr Oduro added that,the government of Ghana should respectfully and humbly provide a more sustainable funding mechanism to improve the functionality of assembly members across the length and breadth of Ghana.

He stressed that,AM’s remain strong pillars in the country’s decentralization and local government systems and communities relied and looked on them towards meeting their developmental needs, but majority of them do not serve their communities as expected because of lack of funds.

He also touched on the fact that,the Assembly members common fund initiative must focus on a two thematic areas which is the community initiated projects of assembly members and the professional capacity building together with financial motivation of assembly members across the country.

Background

On October 10,2018 Assembly Members (AMs) in the Brong-Ahafo Region advocated for a five percent share of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF), to be set aside for all AMs in the country.

This, according to the AMs, would enable them to fund community initiated projects, support vulnerable groups and build their professional capacity to serve their constituents effectively, as required by the 1992 constitution.

Under the current 1992 constitutional arrangement, Article 242, the work of AMs – both elected and government appointees remain voluntary.

The proposed five per cent common fund for assembly members was launched by the then Presiding Member (PM) of the Sunyani West District Assembly, Mr Bernard Oduro Takyi, to ensure massive development in all electoral areas across the country.