The National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana, NALAG, has elected Alfred Aseidu Adjei as its President at the 22nd Biennial National Delegates Conference in Sunyani on Friday, November 5, 2024.

The new president for the next two years, unlike some other positions, had no challengers in the elections and was declared duly elected by acclamation by the Bono Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), Guggisburg Asirifi Young.

The EC, however, supervised the keenly contested 2nd Vice President and Trustee positions.

Alfred Aseidu Adjei is a three-term Elected Assembly Member in the Avenor electoral area, prior to that, he was a unit committee member and is currently a Presiding Member at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and the secretary of Presiding Member in the Greater Accra Region.

Though his swearing-in was rescheduled for a later day, Mr Aseidu Adjei said his defeat in the same contest two years ago emboldened him to be strategic with his vision and message, and believed it contributed to him not only winning but unopposed.

He thanked the immediate past executives and further noted that his vast experience will ensure that he builds on the good works of his predecessors and expands it for a much stronger NALAG.

"My focus is to improve the welfare of Assembly Members as well as build their capacity to better know their roles and responsibilities", he said in an interview. 

He also believes ex gratia or end-of-service benefits for assembly members should not be tied to each assembly’s ability to pay (as per the current local governance act), stressing that it will be one of the issues he will be advocating for during his tenure in office.

"It should come from or be deducted from the consolidated fund", he insisted.

Mr Aseidu Adjei, also known as Paa Joe, further said championing the electoral area project fund to support the developmental drive of Assembly Members and electorates remains core to his heart and relishes working together with the new executives on it.

In the contest for the 2nd Vice President, Daniel Kwaku Mensah pulled 438 votes to beat Michael Ahwireng with 294 votes.

In the Trustees election, Gertrude Adzo Borklo had 257 votes and Nana Samuel Essel with 288 votes were the top two winners in an election also contested by Citizen Francis Tetteh (102 votes) and Eric Tony Blair (64 votes).

The newly elected NALAG executives comprise of: 

President - Alfred Aseidu Adjei; 1st Vice President- Patrick Kwame Frimpong; 2nd Vice President - Daniel Kwaku Mensah; Treasurer - Philomena Opoku-Asare; Trustees (2) - Gertrude Adzo Borklo and Nana Samuel Essel; Women Caucus Representative - Helena Mensah. 

The elected officers will be sworn in alongside 16 Regional Representatives for the next two years.   The two-day conference, held at the Sunyani Technical University auditorium, was on the theme "Empowering Local Governance: A New Dawn for Electoral Area Development."