NPP holds rally to explain government policies

Mr Rockson Ayine Bukari, Bolgatanga District Chief Executive (DCE), on Sunday emphasised the government's determination to provide good governance, quality education and affordable health delivery system in the country.

"We still maintain our pledge to provide transparent governance where all Ghanaians have a stake in sustaining a fortified democracy for the betterment of this nation."

Mr Bukari said this at a durbar of chiefs and people of Gambibgo, near Bolgatanga.

It was organised by the community branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to explain government policies and programmes to the people.

He said the assembly has secured a 1.5 billion cedis facility to construct a craft village at Bolgatanga to bring together craftsmen under one body to improve upon the trade.

The Bolgatanga District is noted for its basket products and other artefacts but has no craft centre where the products could be exhibited.

Mr Bukari explained the counterpart funding system and said it demanded that communities be actively involved in the development process.

''All countries benefiting from European Union (EU) supported projects and others that require counterpart funding and have to make specified contribution towards the execution of the projects'', he said.

He said the assembly and the beneficiary community are expected to provide 25 percent of the total cost of the project, while the donor takes 75 percent.

Mr Bukari appealed to the people to come out in their numbers to provide labour. "If you fail to do this, it means you have no interest in developing this community."

The DCE talked about revenue mobilisation and said it was one important area to the assembly and appealed to chiefs in the area to help mobilise their subjects to pay rates on their bicycles and cattle.

He urged the youth in the area to form co-operatives in order to access loan facilities from the assembly's poverty reduction fund and pledged the assembly's readiness to reconstruct the broken dam in the area to discourage the youth from migrating to the south in search of jobs.

The assemblyman for the Gambibgo electoral area, Mr. Nsoyuure Alolbila, appealed to government to inaugurate the Unit Committees in the area, adding that the absence of the committees was hampering effective administration of the area.

He expressed appreciation to the government and said since the NPP came to power, the area had seen basic infrastructure development and called on the people to be united and rally behind the government for more development.