Greater Accra's People's Assembly

Sheikh Ibrahim C. Quaye, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, yesterday said the government would improve Accra's drainage system and others in the region to check the devastating perennial floods.

He said experts have identified inadequate drainage as the major cause of flooding in the region. Three deaths were recorded in last Sunday's flood which inundated parts of Accra.

The Minister was speaking at the Greater Accra People's Assembly, a follow up of National People's Assembly that was held at the Accra International Conference Centre last Monday.

The theme for the regional gathering was "Nine Years of Constitutional Rule, One year of Positive Change". The forum allowed the general public living within the Greater Accra Region, to expose their problems to the government representatives so that measures would be taken by the government to arrest some the problems of the citizens.

It was attended by Ministers of State, Members of Parliament, District Chief Executives, Assemblymen and Chiefs among other state officials. There were over 500 participants from the region.

Sheikh I.C Quaye was not happy that though eight existing government agencies have been entrusted with the responsibility to ensure effective drainage in Accra poor drainage continues to cause big floods. The Minister said government had set up a Ministerial Sub-Committee to coordinate all programmes relating to drainage in the Greater Accra Region and assured that, "by the end of this month coordination will have been completed and a more pragmatic programme put in place before the next raining season."

He however said the government efforts to prevent flooding would come to naught if the people failed to change their negative attitudes towards building regulations.

"No matter the number of drains that are constructed by the government, if our attitudes do not change, we shall continue to experience flooding in Accra" he said.

Environmental and sanitation management in the City of Accra has also been a major obstacle to the development. The Regional Minister announced that new techniques had been instituted to mitigate the environmental problems.

"The Regional Coordinating Council and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly are collaborating with the Industrial Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to come out with 'home-grown' Ghana made methods of solid and liquid waste management that would be implemented form next month."

Outlining some regional programmes for the next three years, Sheikh I.C. Quaye announced that the road from Kwame Nkrumah circle to Neoplan junction would be made into a six lane road to ease traffic congestion.

Other major road networks to be undertaken include Tema to Aflao, Tetteh-Quarshie Roundabout to Adukrom, Kwame Nkrumah Circle to Anyinam and Mallam to Cape Coast.

The Minister said the absence of street lights has painted the capital "dark city" and has created more room for security problems.

He said MPs would be compelled to use C300million of their District Assemblies Common Fund to provide lights in their constituencies.

Most of the questions asked centred round local issues proving yet again the need for local governance to permeate to the grassroots.

Some of those questions could as well have been addressed to the District Assemblies or Local Councils.

By and large the institutionalising of this kind of Town Hall Meeting would go a long way in allowing people to take part in the development process and Ghana could then give true meaning to government by the people.