Hope for our cities as twin-city programme gets boost

The idea of twinning cities was established by President Eisenhower of the United States, after the Second World War, to promote international understanding for the achievement of world peace through people-to-people contact.

In recent times Ghana has had its share of such mutually beneficial co-operation. Cape Coast and Honover Park, Akuapem South District and Lansing, Konongo Odumasi and Tallahassee in the US are among the cities with sister city relationships.

Ghana's capital City, Accra, has for the first time been chosen to host the next America-Africa Sister Cities International Conference in June-July next year. Representatives of Africa's cities that have sister city connections with cities in the United States, will be here for the conference which will create the platform for the over 500 delegates attending, to discuss issues of mutual benefit to the sustainable development of their home cities and peoples.

A special international Mayors Summit will also take place as part of the conference. The provisional theme of the event is: Strengthening Sister Cities in Africa.

Briefing the media in Accra yesterday at the formal inauguration of the National Planning Sub-Committee of the conference, the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Mr. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, said the benefits that can be reaped through the Sister Cities programme, transcends cultural, social and economic dimensions.

He said it is further expected that, through sister cities, private sector development would be encouraged, "and this is well in line with the government's vision to make the development of the private sector a priority because it serves as a catalyst for sustainable development out of which the peoples' prosperity would be achieved".

The committee will be working directly under the auspices of the Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, who has appointed Mr Baah-Wiredu and Hajia Alimah Mahama, the Deputy Minister for Local Government, as the Moderator and the Chairperson, respectively for the committee.

The minister explained that the committee is termed a sub-committee because it is a Ghana Government committee appointed by the Vice President to assist the International Committee chaired by Shirley Smith, the International Coordinator of the Sister Cities International Programme, who is expected in Ghana in early November. During her visit she will hold talks with Vice President Aliu Mahama and members of the committee on the preparations for the conference.

The minister said nine cities, towns and district assemblies in Ghana that are linked with eleven US cities, will receive delegates from their counterparts who will visit their sister communities during the period of their stay.

Mr. Solomon Ofei Darko, the Chief Executive of AMA, announced that the assembly is working around the clock to prepare the City of Accra for the event.

He said an amount of 1.5 million dollars has been received from the French Government to finance the rehabilitation and provision of streetlights along some of the principal street of Accra. The assembly has so far spent about ?200 million on the first phase of the project, which is being undertaken by Al Afra Electrical Company of Ghana.

He said the various Sub-Metropolitan authorities under his jurisdiction have been directed to organise clean up campaigns in their communities to get rid of the filth in the city "in anticipation of the conference and also in line with our existing programme of action which has been designed to ensure the culture of mentaining the city of Accra, clean at all times".

The membership of the committee municipal and district chief executives, representatives from the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Information, Ghana Sister Cities Foundation, Mr. Ohene Ntow, from the Office of the President, Mr. D.A Nyankamawu, the Coordinating Secretary of the Conference, and Mr. Harruna Attah, Managing Editor of The Accra Daily Mail.