FROM: YOUNG DEMOCRATS IN THE SISSALA EAST DISTRICT



THROUGH: THE UPPER WEST REGIONAL MINISTER



TO: HE THE PRESIDENT JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA



DATE: MAY 11, 2014



SUBJECT: APPOINT A DISTRICT CHIEF EXECUTIVE FOR SISALA EAST DISTRICT



The leadership and members of the Young Democrats in collaboration with civil society urgently appeal to His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana to re-nominate without any further delay a competent person for the position of a District Chief Executive (DCE) for the Sissala East District in the Upper West Region. The Sissala East District as it stands now remains the only district in the Upper West Region without a Chief Executive following the rejection Moses Bavia in November 2013 which bothers more on his competence.



We The Young Democrats find the inability of the President to re-nominate a different and more competent person after a year and a half of his tenure unacceptable and counterproductive. Indubitably, the unjustified delay in nominating a DCE to administer the affairs of the district has not only deprived the district of the numerous developmental projects being implemented across the country by the Government but also has a great toll on the image of the President in particular and the NDC in general.



The Upper West Regional Minister, currently overseeing the affairs of the district, is unable to effectively discharge the additional functions as DCE. For example, the regional capital, Wa is 118 km away from the Sissala East District capital, Tumu, implying that the minister must cover not less than 200 km during each visit to the district. Additional travel burden results from the minister having to tour the villages in our rural district.



The DCE supervises and facilitates the public business of the district assembly as well as coordinates key departments such as Ghana Education Service, Ghana Police Service and Ghana Health Service. The DCE’s supervisory activities are conducted on a day-to-day basis. Thus, the absence of a substantive DCE for the district meant that the regional minister must execute all the above for our district. These additional responsibilities must come at the time when the minister himself is administering the affairs of the youngest and most deprived region in the country. With diluted attention, he is willing but practically unable to run the district according to the social and intimate principles that trademark our NDC heritage.

The direct consequence, Mr. President, is that the public business of the district assembly has been seriously affected, and the smooth operations of all other departments of the district have been accordingly thwarted. Also, the successful implementation of the district assembly system, a major feature in the decentralization policy of Ghana, hinges upon each district, municipality or metropolis having a chief executive. In particular, the touch between the President and local people is established and maintained by the DCE. This sense of being touched is mostly important for people in deprived, remote districts such as Sissala East. Mr. President, this sense of touch between the people of Sissala East and your office remains to be established. One and half years without it is time too long.



In evidence, interviews and opinion polls conducted by the leadership of Young Democrats soliciting the views of key stakeholders such as heads of department, chiefs, community elders and party executives on the implications of the absence of the DCE for our district made daunting revelations. Conspicuously, the district reportedly faces a serious administrative stagnation. Besides, political and social tensions are emerging progressively among all the concerned stakeholders mentioned above. The most extreme and probably most unexpected, Mr President, is that the anger build-up among youth groups could lead to a social unrest in no time if your office fails to nominate a more competent youthful DCE for us in the next few days. The emphasis is on few days and not on few weeks or months.

Notably, the youth have already decided unanimously to block the main road from Tumu to Burkina Faso, public offices and facilities beginning next week as a first sign of more protests to come if your office fails to nominate a DCE for us. We are no longer interested in any seemingly tangible excuse for not having a DCE; we want a competent DCE now. The unanswered question which provokes us (the youth) is whether the Presidency thinks the district lacks qualified persons to administer it successfully. If this view is what the Presidency holds, we assure you that a lot of competent persons are here and were part of the short listed names.

In political terms, not nominating a DCE for us weakens our party’s chances of canvassing support for the 2016 General Elections. For example, during these times of economic hardship, it is the DCE who should have been moving from community to community, village to village and even house to house explaining in our own Sissali language the causes of this temporary economic stagnation, the plans put in place by our government to deal with the challenges and what the future holds for us. The people of Sissala East are deprived of this social and mental encouragement. And this deprivation is uncharacteristic of our party social democrat

For the sake of administrative expediency, security, accountability, judicious use of scarce resources and equal allocation of development opportunities and projects to all, we the Young Democrats of Sissala East appeal to the President, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, to nominate a more competent, youthful and universally acceptable person without any further delay as a DCE to take charge of the affairs of the district.



We thank you and are looking forward to hearing from you soon.





Ayine Bawa Fatawu

(ASSISTANT COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR)