The Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regional Branch of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), has commended the Sunyani Municipal Assembly (SMA) for ranking second in the 2017/2018 District League Table (DLT).

The SMA obtained 98.5 percent to follow the Asante Akyem North District in the Ashanti Region, which scored 100 per cent. In the 2016/2017 ranking, the SMA secured 57th position with 73.24 per cent.

A statement issued on Thursday, signed by Mr. Dennis Peprah, the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regional Secretary of the GJA, and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), expressed the hope that the Assembly would improve on its performance in ensuing years.

“In fact looking at the sanitation situation in the Region and all other indicators, the GJA believes that the SMA deserves better, and needs to be commended on that particular score,” it said.

The DLT published annually by UNICEF in partnership with the Centre for Democratic Development, is aimed at highlighting disparities in social development among districts. This year’s edition ranked all 216 districts in relation to key indicators such as education, health, water, sanitation, and child protection based on existing data on the then ten regions of Ghana.

“For some time now the GJA has monitored and seen the drastic improvements and transformation going on in health and educational infrastructure development, and we praise the SMA for that effort alone,” the statement indicated.

This, the Association believed was an indication that if women were given responsible position in society, they could perform better.

“We therefore recognise and appreciate the immense contributions and tremendous role Mrs. Evelyn Ama Kumi-Richardson, the former Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) and the current Bono Regional Minister played in keeping the city clean and improving the water situation in the Municipality, which pushed the SMA to the second on the table”.

It therefore congratulated Mrs. Richardson for her elevation, and gave the assurance that the Association was strongly behind her administration to push the development of the Region to the next level.

“Becoming second among 216 Districts in the country is not an easy task at all, and we believe that the Bono Regional Minister will use her experience and lobbying skills to attract or woo more international investors into the Region for development,” it added.

The statement commended President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for appointing another woman as the MCE, and applauded the Assembly Members for endorsing her.

“We are hopeful that Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the new MCE will continue to build on the solid foundation laid by her predecessor to facilitate the development of the Region and the country by extension”.

As a key development partner in the Region, the statement pledged GJA’s unflinching support to the SMA and the Bono Regional Coordinating Council, in pushing the development of the Municipality and the Region in particular forward.

“We believe that it is only through strategic allocation of resources that the SMA can actualise the needed development,” it said.

“But a worrying trend the GJA is unhappy with is the purported leakages in the SMA’s revenue mobilization, and we thus encourage the city authorities to strengthen its internal audit system to block all revenue leakages".

This, the Association believed would help push the SMA to generate the revenue needed locally to address the developmental needs of the people.