Mills tasks traditional rulers to support good governance

Accra, May 10, GNA - President John Evans Atta Mills on Monday tasked traditional rulers to use their symbol of authority and development to play active role in promoting good governance across Africa. He said that "Without doubt the chieftaincy institution is African, and therefore no meaningful development can take place without the collaborative effort of our traditional rulers and the local authorities".

These were contained in a speech read on behalf of the President at the Second Africa Sister Cities International Conference, in Accra. The six-day conference is on the theme: "Forging Stronger Partnership between Africa Local Governments Authorities and Traditional Rulers for Sustainable Economic Development Through Global partnership". The Global Sister City seeks to bring together local government authorities and traditional rulers as well as the youth leadership, to promote good governance.

The conference will through lectures and panel discussions on chieftaincy and local government laws in Africa, adopt a position paper that would direct country advocacy, through the Sister City Foundation in Africa to get appropriate government agencies to resource traditional authorities.

On the side line of the conference, are trade and exhibition to showcase the craftsmanship of the ordinary people, who have supported the chieftaincy institution in Africa and its role in the preservation of the cultural heritage of the peoples of Africa and the Diaspora. President Mills asked traditional rulers to provide the needed guidance and impetus for effective accountable governance for African democracies at the local level and service delivery to the people especially in the rural areas. He noted that with the advent of local government reforms across the continent, the deepening of decentralisation had placed an enormous responsibility on traditional rulers, metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies. President Mills lauded efforts of the African Global Sister Cities Foundation and Sister Cities International in promoting international peace and security through people and communities of Africa. "By promoting closer ties and friendship, understanding and cooperation between people, communities and cultures throughout the world the Global Sister City is contributing to the promotion of good governance, sustainable development and global partnership which will help achieve the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015," he said.