The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is advocating for robust participation from Ghanaians in the imminent District Assembly Elections slated for December 19, 2023. Highlighting concerns over previous low turnout, the NDC is urging citizens to engage actively in electing new Assembly and Unit Committee members who will shape the various Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) over the subsequent four years.
Expressing worries over the diminished enthusiasm towards these elections, NDC’s National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, cited prevalent issues plaguing the assemblies, affecting public trust in elected representatives’ capacity to foster local development. He emphasized the urgent need to revitalize these assemblies, promising that an incoming NDC government would address the ailing state of the Assemblies by abolishing policies hindering the allocation of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) for developmental purposes.
Nketiah outlined a comprehensive plan aimed at rejuvenating the local government system, including measures to free up resources, empower assemblies, operationalize sub-district structures, and curtail recentralization of contract awards. These steps, he asserted, would restore faith in the local government, fortify decentralization, and enhance accountability.
The NDC’s press statement emphasized the pivotal role these elections play in Ghana’s governance processes, echoing the significance of local and decentralized governance initiated during the Rawlings administration. The party’s call for heightened citizen engagement seeks to counteract the prevailing apathy and invigorate the foundational pillars of local governance in the country.