Residents of the Volta Region have been assured that projects that were initiated by the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration will not be abandoned by the current New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.
According to the Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa, the government is committed to completing all the uncompleted projects it inherited and also initiate new ones.
He pledged, “We will ensure that all the ongoing projects in the region which were begun under the erstwhile NDC administration, such as the Ho Aerodrome, the Eastern Corridor Road and the Ho regional library which the NPP began eight years ago, are completed.”
He also hinted that government has serious plans to build a new sports stadium in Ho to replace the deteriorated one.
Dr. Letsa gave the assurance when he spoke to chiefs at the Volta Regional House of Chiefs during a validation workshop on Customary Law on Land and Family.
Chiefs Partner Government
The minister further assured the chiefs that government recognises the indispensable role they play in local governance and their existence as a symbol of unity and authority.
He therefore, urged the traditional rulers in the region to be active stakeholders in the developmental drive of their respective municipal and district assemblies.
Dr Letsa also charged them to use their immense traditional and local experiences to support development. This, he said, should be done with a blend of modern trends and processes of development that can accelerate the pace of growth and improve the welfare of their district assemblies and the region as a whole.
Property Rates
He added that the municipal and district assemblies would also need the help of traditional rulers in the collection of property rates in the various jurisdictions.
“As monetary support from our international partners dwindles, so also does the amount of money that comes from the central government gradually reduce in quantum. It is therefore important that our municipal and district assemblies explore and maximise the revenue sources available to them at the local level.
“We are therefore respectfully counting on you (chiefs) to help enlighten our people on the collection of the property rates and other revenues” he appealed.
Chiefs’ Support
The chiefs expressed gratitude for the promise and expressed their willingness to support the government in developing the region and Ghana as a whole.
They called on the government to consult, collaborate and partner chiefs in the country to ensure real and sustainable development, especially in the region.
Osie Adza Tekpor, paramount chief of the Avatime Traditional Area, reminded the minister of the need to consult with the chiefs prior to the implementation of projects, rather than ‘informing’ them when they have been done.
He was particularly concerned with the failure of government to involve the chiefs in the process of selecting prospective municipal and district chief executives.
He added that the style of selection of MDCEs for the region wasn’t the best as it made it difficult for the chiefs to keep such appointees on their toes.
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