Minister Meets DCEs In Brong-Ahafo

The Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Mr. Kwadwo Adjei-Darko, has emphasized the need for district chief executives (DCES) to comport themselves and lead exemplary lives to win the confidence of the people.

He said, as the mirror through which Ghanaians judge the performance of the NPP Government, the DCEs, who implement government policies and programmes at the grassroots level, should strive to be humble and pervious to advice.

Mr. Adjei-Darko, who is also the MP for Sunyani West, made the call when he addressed the 13 DCEs in the Brong Ahafo Region at the Residency in Sunyani on Friday.

He advised them to eschew arrogance, ethnicity, personal gain and aggrandizement, ostentatious lifestyles and avoid involvement in chieftaincy disputes and other negative attitudes that have the potential to bring their revered positions into dispute.

Mr. Adjei-Darko urged the DCEs to have regular interactions with the people at the grassroots to identify their problems, find solutions to them and submit copies of such integrations to him for study.

He stated that his Ministry is taking concrete measures to remove ghost names from the payroll of district assemblies.

In this direction, the Minister implored all DCEs to compile their staff lists and their status and emoluments and submit them to his Ministry by the end of this month for onward submission to the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department to compare with the lists in its possession.

He implored the district assemblies to intensify revenue mobilization from internal sources, adding that they should not patronize stores and hotels without VAT registers, since such outlets evade tax.

Mr. Adjei-Darko called on the DCEs to encourage private participation in providing sanitation facilities, such as the construction of toilets, and ensure that the assemblies monitor them to avoid the exploitation of the people.

The Minister took pains to read confidential reports on all the 13 DCEs, much to their utmost surprise, and advised them to behave with decorum, considerable sense and circumspection since the masses are watching their activities with eagle eyes.

Other speakers at the function included the Regional Minister, Nana Kwadwo Seinti, and the Regional Coordinating Director, Mr. Francis Opoku Boateng.