EIGHT DCE NOMINEES CONFIRMED IN WR (PAGE 14)

EIGHT out of the 17 President’s nominees to be considered for the positions of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives in the Western Region have been confirmed at separate sessions by their respective assemblies.
The assemblies also elected their presiding members.
All the confirmations and elections went on smoothly, except for the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai and the Sefwi Akontombra District Assemblies where the election of the presiding member and the confirmation of the district chief executive, nearly ended in a stalemate but after some negotiations, a truce was reached.
Balloting was conducted by the Western Regional Director of the Electoral Commission, Mr Stephen Opoku-Mensah, with the support of his deputy, Mr Ben Baah Bioh.
Mr Peter Nkua polled all the 15 votes of members present at a second round of voting to become the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the new Sefwi Akontombrah District, while a 31-year old District Manager of the Transroyal Company, a private cocoa buying company, Mr Moses Nkrumah also polled all the 15 votes to win the presiding member position.
Mr Moses Kofi Armah polled 43 votes with one abstaining, to be confirmed as the DCE for the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai District, while Mr Gyapong Okumawuo got 41 out of the 44 votes to become the presiding member of the assembly.
Mr Stephen Wilks Kofi Mensah a 57- year -old teacher, polled 37 out of the 38 votes to become the DCE for Sefwi Wiawso, with Mr Lawrence Arkaah Santana, getting 35 out of the 38 votes to become the presiding member of the assembly.
The Bia District Assembly confirmed a 43-year-old District Manager of Armajaro (Ghana) Limited, a private cocoa buying company, Mr Francis Kottoh as its DCE. He polled all the 47 votes, while a 45-year-old farmer, Mr Dominic Ntere was elected as the presiding member.
The 27-member Juaboso District Assembly confirmed a 39-year-old District Manager of Armajaro (Ghana) Limited, Mr Solomon Fuachie as its DCE. He got 26 out of the 27 votes, while Nana Kwabena Nkua was elected the presiding member by polling 24 out of the 27 votes.
A 43-year old driver, Mr Oscar Ofori Larbi polled 42 out of the 44 votes to be confirmed as the DCE for the Aowin Suaman District, while Mr Alexander Yaw Hedidor, got 33 out of the 44 votes to become the new presiding member of the assembly.
The Wassa Amenfi West District Assembly had also confirmed Mr Victor Samuel Kwasi Mesu, a Marketing Officer of Armajaro (Ghana) Limited as the DCE. He polled all the 46 votes, while Mr James Adama got 33 votes out of the 46 votes to become the presiding member of the assembly.
Mr Stephen Baidoo Acheampong polled 31 out of the 32 votes to be confirmed as the DCE for the Wassa Amenfi East District, while Mr Anthony Darko got 23 out of the votes to become the new presiding member of the assembly.
Speaking after the confirmations the Western Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo said the absence of the DCEs and the presiding members had created a situation where funds allocated for the administration and development projects in the districts had not been released.
He said it was only when the DCEs and the presiding members were at post that the funds could be released for its intended purposes.
Mr Aidoo added that now that the two key positions had been filled, the various district assemblies should immediately form their subCommittees to pursue their development agenda.
A Member of the Council of State, representing the Western Region, Mr George Kofi Dadzie said the trend of voting showed that the assembly members had resolved to put the past behind them and move as one people with a common front.
He emphasised that the numerous challenges confronting the region included chieftaincy disputes, bad road network, security, sanitation among others with chieftaincy disputes as the major problem.
“This entails hard work and collaboration with all stakeholders to surmount these challenges”, he stressed adding, “Time has come for us to come together as one people and collaborate with one another to see our way forward”.
Mr Dadzie said the DCEs would need the support and commitment of the assembly members to succeed.
He, therefore urged them to let acrimony, rancour and bitterness be a thing of the past.