Assemblies urged to involve chiefs in development planning

Mr Samuel Sarpong, Central Regional Minister, has urged Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to involve chiefs in their development planning.

“You must see chiefs as partners in development,” Mr Sarpong said, adding that, before the advent of the district assembly concept chiefs were in charge of the development of their communities.

The Regional Minister made the call when he addressed some members of the Mfantseman Municipal Assembly, heads of department and staff of the Assembly at Saltpond, as part of his familiarisation tour of municipal and district assemblies in the Central Region.

Mr Sarpong said chiefs know the needs of their people and could be of a great help to the assemblies when planning for the development of the communities.

He cited an instance when an assembly dug a borehole at an old cemetery and the people refused to take water from it until the attention of the assembly was drawn to it and quickly had to find a suitable place for the project.

The Regional Minister commended the Assembly for making the people of Mfantseman aware of the positive impact of the Assembly through spreading of development projects all over the municipality.

He said the peace in the municipality was a sign of good collaboration between the Assembly, chiefs and the people, and pointed out that governance is about development and appealed to the people to remove their petty differences and unite to promote development.

“Use development initiatives to eradicate poverty, disease and deprivation among the people of the municipality,” he said.

The Regional Minister was accompanied by his Deputy, Mrs Queenstar Pokua Sawyer, the Regional Police Commander, the Regional Fire Officer, regional heads of Highways, Feeder Roads and the Ghana Health Service.

They paid courtesy calls on the Omanhen of Anomabo, Nkusukum and Abeadze Traditional Areas and inspected ongoing projects. They also inaugurated a Community Health and Planning Services (CHPS) compound at Ankaful near Saltpond.

The Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Henry Kweku Hayfron, who welcomed the Regional Minister and his entourage to the municipality, appealed to the Minister to help rehabilitate roads in the municipality, especially the Mankessim to Kumasi-Cape Coast highway and also assist the Assembly to create jobs for the youth.

At Abeadze Dominase, Daasebre Kwebu Awusi VII, Omanhen of the Traditional Area and President of the Central Regional House of Chiefs, appealed to the Regional Minister to help upgrade the clinic at Dominase into a Polyclinic.