The Municipal Chief Executive for the La Dade-Kotopon Municipal Assembly Hon Solomon Nikoi Kotey on the 10^th of January 2020 break the grounds for the construction of an ultra-modern Technical and Vocational Education (T-VET) institute for the  Machinery , Mechanic Training Institute at La in the greater Accra Region.

The local firm, which is to construct the facility, is to be completed within 2 years with funds from the government of Ghana.

According to the municipal chief executive for the La Dade-Kotopon Municipal Assembly, the work would be done in two phases with 12 months intermissions between each phase.

Hon Solomon Nikoi Kotey stated that the La assembly was amongst the first batch of beneficiary communities of such an intervention by the government. The MCE thanks the government for its intervention. According to him upon the completion of the project, it would put La name on the globe.

 The MCE was of the view that the facility would help shape the lives of the youth in La to acquire job related skills to compete on the job market. He stated that the assembly was in talks with the La Traditional Council and the Authorities of the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) to admit some of the youth idling about into the institute to get the needed skills.

Mawusi N. Awity (Mrs) the Executive Director of the NVTI appealed to the MCE and the assembly directorate to use some of the assembly common fund to offset the fees of the trainees and also assist them with start-up capital after the completion of the their training.  She bemoaned that the NVTI does not benefit from the free education programme. Madam Mawusi urged parents to invest in their children by enrolling them in the TVET programme.

Madam Mawusi demystified the notion that TVET schools are for the unintelligent people in the society. According to her, the TVET is a field, which gives anyone the freedom to choose what he, or she wants to be in life.

Madam Juliana Nkrumah, the NVTI controller of apprenticeship said that when the project is completed it would house new classroom blocks, hostel for both female and male students, administration block, laboratory, and workshop. According to her, the NVTI programme is to address skill gabs in Ghana by upgrading and revamping vocational institutions in Ghana.

Mr Emmanuel K. Ashie, CMMTI, said the facility when completed would attract more female students due to the trade demand driven programme the institute would be running. According to him, the institute will be offering track demand programmes such as catering, dressmaking, hair dressing, to mention just a few which are mostly for the female to venture in.  The institute is operating on a slash down fee policy for female students who enrol in the institution.

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As part of a strategy to fight the influx of filth in the Municipality, The Municipal Chief Executive for the La Dade Kotopon Municipal Assembly Reverend Solomon Kotey Nikoi has introduced a mandatory clean up exercise with a theme “CLEAN LA, GET INVOLVED”. The move is to help clean and fight the plight of dirt that has engulfed some parts of municipality.

He stated that LaDMA, especially his administration, values the health status of the people of La, hence the call for the periodic exercise.

The MCE made this known at a meet-the-press session organized by the Assembly to abreast the media on government’s developmental projects, and challenges within the Municipality.

The gathering is to abreast the media and the public of how the Assembly has localized government’s flagship projects and the extent to which programmes and projects outlined in the Medium Term Development Plan prepared in a participatory manner are implemented, and highlight programmes and projects that have been executed from 2017 to date.

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Also, to inform the public of government’s commitment to the National Development Planning Commission of creating jobs, prosperity and equal opportunities for all. This according to him a Medium Term Development Plan was formulated with citizens of La which is adopted as the blue print for development from 2018 to 2021. These programmes and projects are categorized under the following:

• Economic Development
• Social services delivery
• Environmental management
• Infrastructure delivery and management
• Management and administration.

However, the Assembly according to the MCE is slapped with series of challenged. They include

• Poor sanitation management,
• youth delinquency and its attendant problems such as teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, streetism and gambling,
• flooding due to the absence of drains and choked drains
• Ineffective land use planning and implementation.

Irrespective of the above challenges, the Assembly according to the MCE is poised to work assiduously to ensure that government’s vision for the municipality is actualized.

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The Municipal Chief Executive for the La Dade-Kotopon Municipal Assembly Reverend Solomon Kotey Nikoi has paid a courtesy call on the Ghana Police Service under the jurisdiction of the municipality. He visited the Cantonments Divisional and District Head Quarters, Airport Division, La Division, and the Police Head Quarters. The visit was to help the new MCE formerly introduce himself and create an enabling partnership environment between the Assembly and the Police services to ensure peace, security and sanity among the citizenry in municipality. The visit also paved way for the MCE to submit a number of security threat issues observed to the security agency for an immediate action. Notable ones include the destruction of students at the La Anglican School, Rangoon, Yahoshua, and other basic schools by “Wee” smokers, and other individuals who have adopted the schools for their place of convenience. The devastating aspect of these invaders is when they flaunt their illicit acts during learning period. Such constant harassment according to the MCE affects the learning process of both the students and teachers. He advised the security agency to constantly visit the various schools aside their normal daily patrol to help familiarize themselves with the students. He assured the Police of his support in ensuring that their responsibilities are genuinely executed.

The gesture by MCE was lauded by the various Divisional Heads, describing him as a kind gentle leader who has the interest of the people under his jurisdiction at heart. They prayed the MCE to help provide them with motorbikes, and pick-ups, and fuel to run their daily routines. Other salient needs include befitting staff quarters, and enough land space for their operations. Other concerns raised were the poor street lighting system in some part of the municipality that has been a major worry to the inhabitants.

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The MCE finally made a stop at the office of the Inspector General of Police James Oppong Boanuh. There, he asked that the Police actively get involved in the “CLEAN LA, GET INVOLVED” a newly cleanup introduced exercise by the Assembly to help fight the influx of dirt that has engulfed some portion of the municipality. An award system according to the MCE will be introduced to be given to the best cleaned barracks in a healthy cleanup exercise competition among them. Both the IGP and the MCE assured greater partnership to enhance the security of human life and properties in the municipality.

In accordance with article 243(1) of the 1992 constitution section 20(1) of the Local governance Act, Act 936, the President’s nominee Mr. Solomon Kotey Nikoi for the La Dade-Kotopon Municipal Assembly for the vacant position of the Municipal Chief Executive has been overwhelmingly confirmed through a universal adult suffrage by the Assembly Members. The nominee, out of the fifteen votes cast, chalked a unanimously 100 percent endorsement.

This democratic exercise became necessary for a new MCE to occupy the vacant seat left after the demise of the late MCE Madam Gladys Tsotsoo Mann-Dedey in June this year.

Before his nomination by the President of the Republic of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Mr. Nikoi, an astute Politician, was the Constituency Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, NPP for the La Dade-Kotopon constituency.

In his acceptance speech, Mr. Solomon Kotey Nikoi thanked the Assembly Members for the confidence imposed in him for his overwhelming endorsement. He promised to work with them to ensure that development projects are brought to the municipality. According to him, new reforms would be introduced to help improve the assembly’s revenue mobilization as well as tackle the menace of sanitation and crime related issues in the municipality.

In a momentary address, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Hon. Ishmael Ashitey urged the MCE to put the necessary actions in place to advance the development of the municipality. He called on both the Assembly Members and the Staffs of the Assembly to cooperate with the MCE for effective work done. He added that the task ahead is not the sole responsibility of the MCE but an all-inclusive responsibility.

 FROM LaDMA INFORMATION OFFICE