The 20th biennial national delegates’ conference of the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG) has ended in Sunyani with the election of Bismark Baisie Nkum as the new President of the association.
In a fiercely contested election, Mr Nkum, who is the District Chief Executive for Gomoa West, polled 553 votes to beat the incumbent president of the association, Felix Mensah Nii Annang-La, the Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, who garnered 423 votes with the other contender in the race, Emmanuel Asuah Dadzie, securing 273 of the total votes cast.
Williams Aduum polled 694 votes to retain his position as the First Vice President while his challenger, Michael Boadi Sarpong secured 537 votes.
An assembly member of the New Juaben North Municipal Assembly, Evelyn Dansoa Boateng, also maintained her position as the Second Vice President, garnering 882 votes as against 363 votes by her main challenger, Richmond Amponsah Agyabeng.
Mariam Iddrisu was also elected as the representative of the association’s women caucus, while Seth Oduro Boadu won the position of the Treasurer, with Eric Kwaku Kusi and Prince Fiagadzi elected as the first and second Trustees respectively.
In his brief acceptance speech, the new NALAG President, Mr Nkum, reiterated his pledge to rebrand the association to make it better known to stakeholders in local governance and the public as a whole.
In this regard, he would pursue vigorous programmes that would inure to the common interest of members of the association while ensuring that NALAG becomes repository of local governance in the sub-region and Africa as a whole.
FROM DANIEL DZIRASAH, SUNYANI