Mills charges assemblies to empower local people

Kumasi, June 22, GNA - President John Evans Atta Mills has charged Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), to device strategies to empower the local people to develop their economic potentials= .. This, he said, was necessary to help improve their socio-economic lives and embolden them to come out openly to justify the confidence they had placed in the government. "Unless you empower those in the grass-roots, help them to create job= s, build their capacities and run a transparent administration, the people cannot justify the confidence placed in the government".

President Mills made the call at the opening of the annual review Conference of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives of MMDCEs in the Northern Zone in Kumasi on Wednesday. The three-day meeting is under the theme; 93Implementing the Better Ghana Agenda through Sustainable Local Economic Development," and aims at exposing the chief executives to local level economic development strategie= s to transform the living conditions of the people. President Mills pointed out that MMDCEs occupied important position as far as the better Ghana Agenda was concerned. He said even though the government was impressed with its achievement s= o far, it would not relent in its efforts at uplifting the people from povert= y and promised tremendous development within the last one-and-a-half years of its first term in office.

President Mills said the people expected a lot from the government and it would give out its best so that the people would give government another four-year mandate. He asked MMDAs to focus on local revenue generation since most of them have taxable resources that could immensely strengthen the finances of thei= r assemblies.

He pledged the government's resolve to continue to make judicious use= of the nation's financial resources to bring progress to the people. Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, said the theme for the conference was ample demonstration of the government's efforts at promoting economic activities at the local level. He said the time had come for the MMDAs to exhibit entrepreneurial ingenuity and harness local resources to make things better for the people. Dr Kwaku Agyeman Mensah, Ashanti Regional Minister, said local economic development held the key to the realization of the socio-economic aspirations of the people and asked MMDAs to provide the necessary leadership. The Akyempimhene, Oheneba Adusei Poku, who chaired the function, pledge= d the support of traditional leaders to the speedy development of their communities.