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The Akatsi North District Chief Executive, Mr. James Gunu, says for Ghanaians to see significant development activities in the country this year, conscious efforts should be made by the Bureau of Construction (BoC) to identify competent local construction firms that would take up contracts to build classrooms, health infrastructure, and roads to the satisfaction of the people. Mr. Gunu pointed out that it was time for the BoC to identify good contractors and encourage the government to deal with them, in order to ensure quality and the early completion of such projects. He noted that most of the time, contractors working on government projects did not have the required capacity, and, therefore, fail to deliver the expectations of the people. The Akatsi North DCE, who was addressing the 17th celebration of the annual Denyaza (Denya festival) at Atsata-Bame recently, stressed that the New Year had been declared by the Assembly as �A Year of Action�, and that the Assembly would not tolerate incompetent contractors working on projects in the area. Mr. Gunu suggested to the BoC to collaborate with the Ghana Institution of Surveyors, Ghana Institution of Engineers, National Procurement Authority, Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, and the Public Works Department among others, which must approve works executed by contractors during the various stages of the contract to avoid shoddy work. He also stressed the need for the BoC to track and collate data on all construction firms, to serve as a guide to choosing the most competent firms to work on projects for the government, and by so doing, would help in building the capacity of personnel of the construction firms, as well as supporting them to acquire the needed equipment and finances. The DCE continued that when this was done, it would go a long way to stop the problem of collapsing structures and the delay of projects. Mr. Gunu observed that the public and social commentators, most of the time, measured the performance of contractors to that of the government, and that the time had come for the contractors to live up to public expectations. He regretted that about 95 percent of construction firms in the country have no offices and 50 percent have no reliable addresses. �Most of the firms have no regards for capacity building, and also not interested in partnership, because of lack of patriotism. When you build partnership, you put resources and expertise together for accelerated national development,� he stressed. He later inaugurated a 6-unit classroom block with a store and toilet facility, and also cut the sod for the construction of teachers� bungalows for teachers at Atsata-Bame. Gunu noted that over the years most teachers refused to accept postings to remote communities due to lack of accommodation. He encouraged teachers to, this time, accept postings to the rural areas, since they are being provided with accommodation. Mr. Gunu commended the contractor who built the six-unit classroom block for what he described as a display of professionalism. According to him, the contractor was able to complete the project on time. He promised that the Assembly would only engage the services of hard working contractors, and asked other contractors to change their attitude towards work. He lauded the communal spirit of the chiefs and people of Atsata-Bame in supporting government-initiated projects in the community. The Chief of Atsata-Bame, Togbui Adzakpa II, commended the Akatsi North District Assembly and the Member of Parliament for the area, Mr. Peter Notsu- Kotoe, for their efforts to promote development in the district, but mentioned the poor road network from Atsata-Bame to Mitsrikasa, and accommodation for teachers, as the concerns of the people.