NDC has vision for country - Mills

Sekondi, June 28 GNA - The Vice President Prof. J. E. A. Mills said Wednesday that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government has a vision for this country.

The vision, he said, is to make Ghana a middle income country within the next two decades, " where we shall see a higher standard of living for the chiefs and people of this country".

Prof. Mills was addressing the Western Region House of Chiefs as part of his four-day working visit to the Western region. He said employment for the youth and easy access to education, health, water and sanitation services would be available for every Ghanaian.

Prof. Mills said the implication of the vision for the region is the commitment by government to remove all the constraints and bottlenecks that hinder government's efforts to bring development to the area.

Prof Mills said even though "we have not been able to achieve all that we wanted, a firm foundation is being laid to propel the region forward to achieve its objectives.

He said in spite of the great expenses involved, government has invested and continues to invest heavily in the region's road infrastructure, adding that a particular heavy cost component has been the provision of numerous bridges and culverts because of frequent criss-crossing of the landscape by various rivers and streams.

He disclosed that funding has now been secured to complete the Bawdie-Asankrangwa-Enchi road. Prof. Mills said electricity has been extended to almost every district capital and towns in the region while the number of educational institutions in the region has gone up.

The Vice President said the NDC government is keeping faith with the people of the region and will continue to pursue policies and programmes, which will enhance the quality of life in the region.

Prof. Mills urged the chiefs to complement government's efforts by working to reduce the number of chieftaincy and land dispute in the region and also ensure that land is readily released for agricultural and industrial activities.

He announced that funding has been obtained for the phase two of the rubber out-growers scheme, which will benefit several districts in the region.

The Vice President said although the issue of admitting queenmothers to the house of chiefs is still a matter under discussion, he appealed to Nananom to occasionally invite them to join them until the issue is finalised.

Such practice, he said, would be a very healthy development that would go to emphasise for unity of purpose, which Ghana wants to foster as a nation. The Western Regional Minister Mrs. Esther Lily Nkansah expressed concern about the numerous chieftaincy and land dispute in the region, which have been undermining the development of the region.

She asked the chiefs to expedite hearing and the determination of cases before it. Odeneho Gyapong Ababio II, President of the House in a welcoming address, expressed the gratitude of the chiefs to the government for the attention the region is receiving in all spheres, especially in the fields of education, health, roads and electricity supply.

He said Nananom were also grateful for the respect government has shown towards the institution of chieftaincy by granting it so much autonomy and the power to adjudicate their own cases.

Odeneho Ababio asked that chiefs should be given a greater role to play in the governance of the country since they wield influence in the society.

He promised that Nananom would create unity in their traditional areas and the region as a whole. Odeneho Ababio said the chiefs would identify fully with development aspirations of their people and will assist government and the district assemblies in every way possible.