Thirty-nine assembly members and a Presiding Member have been sworn into office at a colorful ceremony to mark the inauguration of the newly created Ayensuano District, carved out of Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar District, on Thursday.

The 39 assembly members from the area were withdrawn from the former Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar District Assembly since their respective areas fell under the new Ayensuano District including three new government appointees.

Mr. Victor Smith, the Eastern Regional Minister who performed the inaugural ceremony read the speech of the President, Prof John Evans Atta Mills.

President Mill said government had consented to review many decentralization policies to strengthen governance and that it was sad that the same criteria used in creating districts and municipalities in 2003 and 2007 are now being faulted to the extent that parliamentary constituencies that logically followed creation of districts were being contested in courts.

He said government would continue to pursue programmes that would further strengthen the decentralization process in-line with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) manifesto for a better Ghana and called for the support of the chiefs in the respective districts.

He said government would pursue the proposal for the election of the District Chief Executive (DCE’s) and to remove the limitation on their term of office to guarantee tenure of office and avoid the many confrontations between members of parliament and the DCE’s.

Mr. Samuel Kwabi, the Suhum Municipal Chief Executive said the new district had been supported in many ways with the provision of infrastructure such as schools, electricity and water to mitigate their challenges as beginners.

He urged them to unite as one people with common agenda to develop the district at a faster rate to meet the expectation of the people and to satisfy the purpose for which the district was created.

Mr. Kwabi appealed to them to accept any one that the President would deem fit to nominate as the DCE because there is no time for litigation and discrimination.

The Newly elected Presiding Member, Mr. Kennedy Obuba, thanked the assembly members for the confidence reposed in him to be the first presiding member and pledged to work hard with the assembly members to achieve the goal for the creation of the district.**