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AMA kicks off consultations for 2026–2029 MTDP
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) today commenced a series of community engagement meetings to gather public input and prepare community action plans for the next Medium Term Development Plan (MTDP) for 2026–2029.
The initiative, which is rooted in the principles of planning, is being conducted in accordance with the National Development Planning (System) Act, 1994 (Act 480), the National Development Planning (System) Regulations, 2016 (L.I. 2232), and the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936).
The Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP) for the period 2026–2029 is a strategic planning document to guide the city’s development efforts over a four-year period.
It outlines key policies, programmes, and projects aimed at improving the social, economic, and infrastructural well-being of residents within the Assembly’s jurisdiction.
Speaking during the event held on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, at the Korle Gonno community library in the Ablekuma South Sub-Metropolitan District, Deputy Director Mr. Samuel Tutuani stated that the engagement would provide a platform for residents, traditional authorities, civil society organisations, and other interest groups to share their perspectives, ideas, and development priorities to shape the MTDP in a way that addresses the real needs of the community.
“Your voice is vital in shaping our future, and your participation will help ensure that our development plans are reflective of the needs of all community members,” he said.
He assured residents that their inputs would be integrated into the planning framework to ensure equitable resource allocation and targeted interventions that reflect the actual needs of the people.
The Director of Development Planning at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Mr. Richard Oduro, noted that the current plan, which spans 2022 to 2025, was due to expire on 31st December 2025, hence the need to prepare a new one to guide the Assembly’s development priorities for the next four years.
He emphasised that the planning process must be participatory, stressing the principle of “leaving no one behind.”
Mr. Oduro stated that the 2026–2029 plan would reflect the aspirations of the current government, particularly its agenda of creating job opportunities and ensuring prosperity for all, in line with the broader Resetting Ghana agenda being championed by the new administration.
He noted that challenges such as waste management, poor lighting systems, faulty traffic signals, and deteriorated road surfaces were among the key concerns raised during engagements and would be prioritised in the final plan.
He reiterated that continuous dialogue would be essential in fostering mutual understanding between the Assembly and the communities, ultimately helping to resolve longstanding development issues collaboratively and sustainably.
The Assembly Member for the New Mamprobi electoral area, Hon. Nathaniel Welbeck, raised strong concerns over the deplorable state of infrastructure and sanitation in his electoral area, calling on the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and the central government to take urgent action.
Speaking during a community engagement meeting organized by AMA to prepare the next Medium Term Development Plan (2026–2029), Hon. Welbeck highlighted several pressing issues, including the lack of drainage systems, choked gutters, widespread open defecation, and poor road conditions in communities such as Old Dansoman, Banana Inn, and I.B.E.
During the engagement, residents actively voiced their concerns and development priorities, which were subsequently ranked in order of importance to guide the planning process.
Sanitation and waste management emerged as the top priority, followed by traffic light improvements (2), road infrastructure (3), and security (4).
Other issues included poor drainage systems (5), inadequate lighting (6), limited health facilities (7), persistent open defecation (8), erosion (9), and the absence of recreational parks (10).
Present at the event were Assembly members, traditional leaders, heads of department at AMA, sub metro directors, staff of AMA and residents, among others.
Mr. Alfred Nii Kotey Ashie, the Member of Parliament for the Odododiodioo Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, has assured the Accra Street Academy of his support in achieving its mission of uplifting vulnerable children within the community to break the cycle of poverty. “Without the needed support, your efforts may go round in circles due to the enormity of the task. This should not be left on the shoulders of the Academy alone. You need support from both government and the private sector. With that, the Academy would be in a good position to shape the future of these children on the streets,” he said.
The Accra Street Academy, originally formed in 1985 as a boxing arena, now serves as a school for deprived children, with most of its population numbering hundreds of pupils being neglected children from the streets of Jamestown and its environs. Mr. Alfred Nii Kotey Ashie made these remarks at the annual stakeholders’ meeting and fundraising event held over the weekend under the theme “Empowering Street Children: Health and Wellness.” The event is one of the Academy’s annual programmes, organized to raise funds and other forms of support to aid the school in catering to the needs of the children and holding its Christmas get-together.
According to the MP, it is worth noting that these children are taught and provided with two meals and a snack daily through the support of benevolent members of society. In view of this, he promised to facilitate the acquisition of documents needed for the construction of an Astroturf within the school’s premises. He noted that “every child has the right to play, and therefore I pledged to do my best to secure the needed documents” for the project to commence.
The legislator disclosed that over the years, the academic programmes of the Accra Street Academy have transformed children surviving on the streets into successful adults. He therefore urged other members of society to partner with the school to “help pupils rise higher for a better Ghana.” In the 2025/26 academic year, 22 pupils were absorbed by the Accra Metro Education Directorate as they transitioned into various Junior High Schools, while still returning to the Accra Street Academy for academic support.
Ms. Yvonne Abba-Opoku, a chartered governance advisor and senior executive in the nonprofit and charity sector, stated that the best gift to give a child was education.
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Mrs Regina Kudom, Senior Midwifery Officer at the New Atuabo Health Centre in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality, has urged expectant mothers to attend antenatal clinic regularly for safe delivery.
She revealed that “in Tarkwa and its environs many pregnant women prefer staying at prayer camps, we are not against that, you can be there, but when your time is up for your antenatal session make sure you attend.”
Mrs Kudom gave the advice when the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation (GFGF) observed the World Prematurity Day with pregnant women at New Atuabo, Huniso and Awudua health centres.
World Prematurity Day falls on November 17, every year, and it is celebrated to raise awareness about the challenges faced by pre-term babies and their families.
She said research suggested that sex during pregnancy could soften the cervix and potentially aid in labour preparation.
“That is the reason why we encourage pregnant women to have sex with their partners, if they do not have any health implications,” she added.
Mrs Kudom appealed to the GFGF to upgrade the New Atuabo health centre as the current structure was too small because they received many patients daily.
Madam Ayishetu Mohammed, Project Coordinator for GFGF, explained that they received donations from Project C. U. R. E and the items were given to health facilities in their operational area.
She stated that they noticed there were baby dresses, sanitary pads, and baby apparel, so they decided to distribute them among expectant mothers in three of their host communities.
Madam Mohammed said because the foundation was interested in preventive care, they brought a midwife from the Tarkwa Mine hospital to educate the pregnant women.
She extolled the midwives in New Atuabo health centre for the education they gave to the pregnant women and implored them to heed to the advice given during antenatal visits to reduce maternal deaths in the Tarkwa Nsuaem and Prestea Huni-Valley Municipalities.
Mr Paa Kwasi Egan, Deputy Chief Physician Assistance, emphasised that a pregnant woman being anemic meant she was not eating a balance diet, and added that, “Some of these women do not have money to buy food or visit antenatal clinics.”
He said when men follow their wives for antenatal visits, they would be educated extensively on why they should provide funds for their pregnant wives.
Mr Egan, therefore, encouraged all men to be involved in their pregnant wives’ antenatal care appointments so they could learn more about pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. – GNA
