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New AMA Boss begins work with departmental tour, pledges cleaner, safer, inclusive Accra
Michael Kpakpo Allotey, newly confirmed Mayor of Accra, officially began work at the Accra City Hall on Monday, outlining his vision to “reset” the capital city through a renewed focus on cleanliness, safety, inclusivity, and opportunity for all.
Mr.Allotey, who arrived at the office at exactly 8:30 am, was received by the Coordinating Director,Mr. Douglas N.K Annoful, Heads of Departments and units, as well as staff of the Assembly.
In a brief address, he declared his intention to pursue a cleaner, safer, and more inclusive Accra, adding that the city “deserves a reset.”
“My vision is to create a city that is clean, safe, and green with opportunities for all,” he said, stressing that sanitation, law enforcement, and youth employment would be at the forefront of his administration’s priorities.
The Mayor, who was confirmed by the Assembly last week, noted that as a young person, he could not be associated with failure.
He noted that the city must undergo significant transformation, insisting that “whatever we are doing must change.”
He aligned his agenda with the national vision by recalling the President’s remarks, saying that just as Ghana was undergoing a reset, every part of the country, including Accra, would also be reset.
As part of his first-day activities, Hon. Allotey toured the Assembly’s departments and units to gain first-hand insight into their operational mandates, ongoing projects, and implementation status
He visited key administrative and executive offices, including the Coordinating Director’s Office, the Director in Charge of Operations, and the Office of the Presiding Member, as well as engaged with staff from the Finance, Accounting, Budgeting, Procurement, and Cash Offices to better understand the Assembly’s fiscal structure.
Departments such as Human Resources, Planning, Business Development, and Audit also had the opportunity to brief the Mayor on their mandates and current operational status.
The tour further included visits to units overseeing internal services and public engagement, such as records management, stores, the MIS and CCTV monitoring units, the Public Affairs Directorate, the Client Service Centre, the Marriage Unit, Transport Office, Facility Management Unit, the Migrant Desk, and the Library.
The day also saw courtesy visits from various stakeholders, including traditional leaders, among others.
Mr.Allotey, a seasoned entrepreneur and logistics expert, brings over a decade of experience in the real estate, petroleum, and transportation sectors.
Before his appointment, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of Our God Is Good Real Estate, where he led the delivery of affordable housing units in peri-urban Accra.
The family of Ambassador James Victor Gbeho, a distinguished statesman and diplomat, has paid a courtesy call on President John Dramani Mahama. They officially informed him of his passing.
The delegation, representing the Gbeho family, noted that it was culturally and diplomatically important to formally notify the President of the loss before making a public announcement of his death.
Ambassador Gbeho was a towering figure in Ghanaian and international politics. He served in many diplomatic missions, including New York. He was Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, a Member of Parliament for the Anlo constituency, and President (formerly Executive Secretary) of the ECOWAS Commission.
He was widely respected for his role in regional integration and his contributions to global diplomacy at the United Nations.
President Mahama expressed his condolences and shared reflections on Ambassador Gbeho’s contributions to the country, West Africa and the world.
Funeral details will be announced later.
The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has revoked all firearm permits in Ghana with immediate effect and announced a new registration process for all gun owners.
The minister made the announcement on Tuesday, June 23, at the information service department saying all individuals who currently hold licences to own firearms or sidearms must undergo a fresh registration process.
“From this afternoon, all permits that have been granted to any individual that you are holding a sidearm or firearm is hereby revoked,” Mr Muntaka said.
He explained that the government had identified gaps in the country’s firearm registration system and needed to introduce stricter measures to improve public safety.
“We are opening the window where everyone will have to come forward again to register or re-register the gun because we’ve changed the procedure,” he stated.
According to him, the government decided not to wait until the end of the year to make the changes because lives could still be saved within the next six months.
The Interior Minister said one of the new requirements would be mandatory mental health screening for applicants seeking firearm licences.
“We’ve seen that people with mental health have already gone through and have the sidearm. Now we are introducing mental health. Before we give you the sidearm, we have to be sure that you have the mental stability to hold the firearms,” he said.
Mr Muntaka also announced that applicants would be required to undergo drug tests before being granted licences.
“We’ve also realised that people who are on drugs are also holding their arms and they are legitimate because it’s been registered. Now you have to go through drug tests to be sure that you are not on drugs before you can hold sidearms,” he added.
The minister said the new measures form part of efforts by the government to tighten firearm control and prevent legally registered weapons from falling into the wrong hands.
He urged all firearm owners to cooperate with the new registration process once details of the exercise are announced.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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