Town Hall Meeting ends in Tamale

Tamale, Sept. 16, GNA - Twenty questions on security; education; health; agriculture and local government were asked at the first Town Hall Meeting held at Tamale on Wednesday on the theme: "Popular Participation in Governance." Two women filed questions.

Responding to questions relating to the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Mr Stephen Sumani, Northern Regional Minister, said the Government would put up an ultramodern hospital in Tamale with a grant of 39 million Euros from the Dutch Government.

He said the ongoing rehabilitation work at the Hospital would continue, adding that the Government was negotiating with the Saudi Arabian Government to establish a teaching college to train more health professionals for the Hospital and urged the chiefs and people to provide land for the projects.

On security, Mr Nayina said the security agencies were reviewing the security situation and would deal with anyone found with gun or weapon and warned that the security agencies would carryout surprise swoops to arrest people found with weapons.

The Regional Minister, however, declined to answer a question relating to the murder of the Former Northern Regional Chairman of Conventions People's Party, Mr Issah Mobila saying; "the matter is before a court of competent jurisdiction".

Answering a question on combined-harvesters, the Regional Minister said the Government was seeking assistance from the Indian Government to provide farmers with combined-harvesters.

He urged farmers to organise themselves into groups to enable them to benefit from the Government programme of providing farmers with tractors on hire purchase.

The Minister of Communications, Mr Haruna Iddrisu said the Government through the Ghana Education Trust Fund would provide infrastructure for the Tamale Polytechnic.

In answer to a question on how the Government was dealing with violence and crime in certain parts of the country, he said "the wheel of justice may be very slow but will surely get those, who take the law into their hands and committed criminal acts. They would not go unpunished."

Mr Iddrisu said President John Evans Atta Mills remained committed to his promises and appealed to the people to give the Government time. Mr Joseph Yileh Chere, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, and Mr Mahama Ayariga, Spokesperson of President Mills, also took turns to answer questions. 16 Sept. 09