In fulfillment of the mandate imposed by the Local Governance Act 2016 (Act 936) to apprise the House on the performance of the functions of the Executive Committee and the state of the Municipality, Ketu North Municipal Assembly held its Second Ordinary Meeting of the Fourth (4^th) Session of the Fourth (4^th) Assembly at the Assembly Hall on Wednesday, 30^th August, 2023.

In his submission, the Hon. Presiding Member indicated that the meeting was being held to apprise the House on the state of the Municipality and development since the last meeting. Specifically, he indicated the main business of the meeting as Briefing by the Electricity Company of Ghana – Denu; Discussion of Hon. Municipal Chief Executive’s Address; and Presentation/Discussion of Auditor General’s Report for 2022.

Addressing the gathering, The Hon. Municipal Chief Executive welcomed Members to the meeting and expressed his sincere gratitude to all Hon. Members for the cooperation and support he continues to receive in the discharge of his duties. He said many of the gains made as an Assembly could not have been possible but for their resourceful contributions and oversight roles Hon. Members continue to play at various Sub-Committee levels and on the floor of the House.

His address touched on peace and security, good governance, financial performance, activities undertaken by the various departments under the Assembly and concludes with recommendations from the Executive Committee.

Reporting on the state of peace and security of the Municipality, the Hon. Municipal Chief Executive said following several complaints received from residents and farmers on the destructive activities of both nomadic cattle herdsmen and local cattle herdsmen across the various communities within the Municipality, Management of the Ketu North Municipal Assembly in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture held engagement meetings with cattle kraal owners operating in the Municipality to find a lasting solution to the destruction caused by the activities of both nomadic and local cattle herds and institute a standard operating procedure to regulate their activities and movement of cattle across the Municipality.

On good governance, he said that the Assembly was rated eighth (8^th) position out of the 261 MMDAs in the Country and second (2^nd) best performing Assembly in the Volta Region in the recent Performance Contract Assessment (PCA) for the period of 2022. He encouraged all to maintain the status quo and better still work harder to assume the first (1^st) position in the Region and in the Country in the near future.

Reporting on the financial performance of the Assembly, the Hon. Municipal Chief Executive said that, the Assembly mobilised an Internally Generated Fund (IGF) of Two Hundred and Eighty-Six Thousand, Nine Hundred and Thirty-Five Ghana Cedis, Forty-Nine Pesewas (GH¢286,935.49) representing 42.90% growth in revenue as compared to the same period of 2022 actual revenue receipts of Two Hundred Thousand, Seven Hundred and Eighty-Eight Ghana Cedis, Twenty-Six Pesewas (GH¢200,788.26).

On health activities, the Hon. Municipal Chief Executive indicated that during the period under review, the department carried out activities such as immunization, OPD services, Child Welfare Clinics, monitoring and trainings.

On education, youth and sports, he stated that the directorate received 500 dual desks from the Assembly and subsequently distributed same to the various Basic Schools across the Municipality. Other activities included sensitization workshops, Guidance and Counselling activities, conduct of Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and regular supervision of schools.

Further, the Municipal Chief Executive said that the Social Protection and Community Development Department collaborated with JMK Consulting to train one hundred and thirty-five (135) enumerators and had since deployed them under the Ghana National Household Registry Project to register all vulnerable groups and individuals in the Municipality. He added that upon completion of the exercise, a comprehensive database would be compiled and integrated into the National database for appropriate and targeted support to beneficiaries.

He added that the department collaborated with the National Health Insurance Authority to register and renew NHIS cards for 5,394 beneficiaries under indigenes and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) programme, monitored thirty (30) LEAP beneficiaries who were engaged in petty trading and rearing of animals were advised on business ideas on how to maximize profit and minimize cost to help generate money to support themselves and their families, and routine Child right Protection and Promotion activities

Reporting on Economic Development of the Municipality his address touched on activities undertaken by the Ghana Enterprises Agency through the Business Advisory Centre (BAC), the Department of Agriculture, the Physical Planning Department and concluded with some developmental projects currently on-going across the various communities within the Municipality and their levels of completion:

Reporting on the Executive Committee Recommendations, the Municipal Chief Executive stated that upon thorough deliberation on the report of the Executive Committee, it was resolved that

1. The Assembly should consider the construction of the market shed for traders at the Afife market who currently sell under the sun and rain.
2. The Assembly should consider the construction of a 2-Unit KG Block at Tsiyinu in order to provide a permanent structure for the pupils who currently study under trees.
3. The Assembly should consider the construction of a Fire Service Station and Ambulance Centre for the Municipality.
4. That Management should institute legal action against Hon. Christian Tornyo to retrieve GH₵7,477.00 being revenue collected but not accounted for since the year 2020, whiles Hon. Cletus Klovi be given up the end of September, 2023 to complete the payment of GH₵1,200.00 left on his account of revenue not accounted for.

Briefing the House, Benjamin Antwi, Public Relation Officer of Electricity Company of Ghana – Denu District revealed that ECG had embarked on paperless transactions since 11^th May, 2023 and that the ECG Power App was a mobile application developed by the ECG that allows users to access various services related to their electricity consumption in order to enhance customer service and provide convenience to customers. The aim of the App was to allow customers to access their electricity accounts, make payments, and report faults or outages from the comfort of their home through the use of mobile phones.

He added that the App would not only help customers purchase credit or top up, or pay bills, but also help to track the purchases or payments and consumption. Present at the event were: Hon. Byron Kwakutsey Kpeli (Hon. Presiding Member), Anthony Avorgbedor (Hon. Municipal Chief Executive), Elected Assembly Members, Government Appointees, and Engineers from Electricity Company of Ghana, Denu District. Also, present at the meeting were Heads of Security Services, Departmental and Unit Heads of the Assembly, Friends from the Media, and the residents.