Apathy led to cholera outbreak-Adusei.

Takoradi, Dec. 15, - GNA- Mr. Kofi Poku Adusei, Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development said the recent outbreak of cholera in certain parts of the country was was result of apathy on the part of some district assemblies. It is a sad commentary, the manner in which our district assemblies approach environmental sanitation in their respective areas.

Mr. Adusei said these at the opening of a two-day workshop on the Community Based Rural Development Project (CBRDP) for all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives drawn from the Central and Western Regions at Takoradi on Thursday. It was on the theme: "Working Together" and would discuss new roles of DCEs in local governance, strengthening strategic relationships with assembly members, traditional authorities, the media, communication and citizen participation, modes and tools.

"We all know that our insanitary environment would send negative signals to tourists and to reverse this, all district assemblies must mobilise its communities for regular clean-up exercises, to rid them off filth he stressed.

Mr. Adusei said the CBRDP was a government of Ghana and World Bank sponsored project aimed at creating wealth for rural communities through well-identified methods. The deputy Minister said the project objective include Agriculture, Social Infrastructure, Capacity Building and Natural Resource Management. Additionally the provision of feeder roads and farm trucks, irrigation dams and boreholes also form another segment of the project. Mr. Adusei stressed that the development of Rural Enterprises could become more accessible if DCEs, communities and civil society institutions link together.

Mr. Brown Matthew Oppong, National Coordinator of the CBRDP said the project has been designed with community empowerment, building local governance, re-aligning the centre, learning by doing and capacity building and improved accountability as its main focus. He said through such a focus, poverty reduction and enhancement in the quality of life of the people would be achieved. Mr. Oppong reminded the DCEs that the success and failure of the CBRDP and the decentralisation agenda of the country depended on them.