Deputy Local Gov't Minister addresses Techiman Assembly

Techiman (B/A), June 7, GNA - Mr Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Deputy Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment, has called on Ghanaians to exercise patience while the government makes efforts to salvage the economy.

He said the government inherited a devastated economy and debts but was doing what it could to settle such debts incurred by the erstwhile NPP regime.

Mr Ankrah made the call when he addressed staff, assembly members, heads of department and other agencies of the Techiman Municipal Assembly as part of his maiden visit to some selected municipal and district assemblies in Brong-Ahafo.

He said the internal and external debts the previous government left exceeded 100 trillion Ghana Cedis. He disclosed that the present government had so far paid GHc160 million out of the GHc300 million owed to road contractors. The deputy minister urged municipal and district assemblies as autonomous bodies to terminate any contracts awarded to contractors whose work had come to a standstill. He said staff of the Ministry had been deployed to go round to assess existing facilities and the infrastructural base which, together with the outcome of the 2010 population census, would determine the creation of more districts and the realignment of others. Mr Ankrah commended the Techiman Municipal Assembly for its judicious use of the District Development Fund (DDF) in the provision of school infrastructure, health, water and sanitation facilities in rural communities. Mr Alex Kofi Kyeremeh, Municipal Chief Executive, said the assembly in its efforts to attain good governance yielded good returns from the DDF for which the government made available GHc534,149 after a successful assessment in 2007.

He said the assembly intended to procure a revenue generation van and to train and equip revenue collection staffs of the assembly with knowledge and skills in revenue mobilization. The deputy minister later inspected some on-going projects at Baamiri, Krobo, Tanoso, and Jama. He also inspected an GHc800,000 three-storey administrative block to accommodate 60 departments in the Municipality. 07 June 10