Ghana’s Parliament has passed the Local Governance Amendment Bill, 2017, into Law, to empower the President to appoint and revoke the appointments of his Appointees.
Following the passage of the consolidated Local Governance Bill in 2016 (Act 936), the Local Government Act 1993 (Act 462) was repealed.
However, there is no provision in Act 936 enabling the President to revoke the appointment of his Appointees as provided under Article 249 of the 1992 Constitution, which states that ‘subject to any procedure established by law, the mandate of a member of a District Assembly may be revoked by the electorate or the appointing body.’
The amended Act has therefore restored the President’s discretionary power to revoke the appointment of Government Appointees, to District Assemblies as provided under Article 249 of the Constitution.
Prior to the amendment of the Act, the chairperson of the Committee on Local Government and Rural Development of the House, Hon. Patricia Appiagyei, informed Parliament that the Bill was urgent considering the need for the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, to speed up the appointments process to enable District Assemblies function effectively and to forestall delay of appointments into District Assemblies.
The Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Alima Mahama, sponsored the Bill.
