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03.03.2008 General News

District Assembly Members urged to respect development partners

03.03.2008 LISTEN
By Accra Mail



President John Agyekum
Kufuor has advised
District Assembly Members to respect traditional leaders and other development partners to foster unity, peace and development for national cohesion.

He said the situation where District Assembly Members continue to be in conflict with traditional leaders, Members of Parliament and development partners were not auguring well for national development and needed to be reversed.

President Kufuor said this in a speech read on his behalf by Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, Northern Regional Minister on Friday at the inaugural ceremony of the newly created Chereponi District Assembly, which had been carved out of the Saboba District.


President Kufuor said District Assemblies particularly the newly created ones should therefore begin to find innovative ways of improving on revenue generation to accelerate their development to justify their creation.

He said it was necessary for the assemblies to outline areas where they could generate internal funds to operate while waiting for the District Assemblies' Common Fund (DACF) and gave the assurance that the government would continue to meet the needs and aspiration of the people to justify the confidence they reposed in it by renewing its mandate in 2004.

President Kufuor also advised the assemblies to be creative and innovative in waste collecting management to ensure that various diseases were kicked out of their districts for healthier life styles.

President Kufuor said the creation of the new districts was to give meaning to good governance and accelerated development and urged the assemblies to stop the squabbles with other and focus ahead in unity to “fast track” development saying, “Two decades after the assemblies' concept, it has strengthened the decentralisation system in the country, which had helped in the successful implementation of the poverty reduction and wealth creation initiative.”


Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, Northern Regional Minister in his speech said the newly created Chereponi District Assembly would see a major transformation before the country enters into the December elections.

He said the government intended to select three communities in every district throughout the country where water problems were critical and make sure that they were provided with potable water and connected to the National Electricity grid and to give them major facelifts.

He advised the people in the area to put much premium in the children's education to ensure that illiteracy, ignorance and poverty were eliminated from their ranks in years to come.

Mr Asuma Namoro Sanda, Saboba District Chief Executive (DCE) thanked the President on behalf of the chiefs and people of Chereponi Traditional Area for the creation of the district and gave the assurance that the people would vote to retain the government.

He said the creation of the Assembly had the valuable advantage of entrusting its destiny and progress into the hands of the people and called for unity among assembly members and the people of the area to facilitate the pace of development.

The 21-Assembly Member House was sworn in while a 27-year-old teacher; Mr. Kodjo Kwasi-Kan Emmanuel was also elected as a Presiding Member of the Assembly.

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