Minister meets Heads of Departments in Kassena Nankana

Paga (U.E), Oct. 28, GNA - Mr John Akolgo Tia, Minister of Information, on Wednesday asked Heads of Department (HoDs) in the Kasenna Nankana West area, of the Upper East Region, to be professional in the delivery of government policies and programmes. Mr Tia made the statement when he interacted with heads of state agencies and Departments in Paga, as part of a three day working visit to the Region.

He said HoDs needed to sit up to the main reason why they are in the Districts and above all ensure that information on policies and programmes rolled out by government reached the people and communities they served.

He said the delivery of their services was paramount, adding that, in the absence of information, rumour thrived.

He said it was the good performance of the Civil Servant that would attract people into governance, adding that, the reputation of those in active governance gets destroyed with the least negative utterance and that discouraged people from getting involved in politics. He said the government was doing a lot to alleviate the conditions of Ghanaians but people handling the situation were not providing the needed information for the people, who needed them at the grassroots. He said the government met a difficult situation in the country, when it took over power, as the cedi had depreciated so much, but by dint of hard work it brought the cedi up and the economy stabilised, and inflation went down to a single digit of 9.8 per cent against the 18 per cent the previous government left behind.

He said every nation thrived on infrastructure, human resource base, education, good governance and commitment to work and that was why the government would go out to source for funds. He said an amount 10.4 billion dollars had been sourced from China to be used within five years for roads and railway lines, adding that, the northern sector was being considered seriously. Mr John Tia said the government had improved the health Sector such that health hazards that mothers and children faced had reduced, whilst child and maternal mortality had dropped significantly, likewise education and agriculture.

He said electricity power fluctuations that used to persist in the country had reduced but agencies and departments handling the implementation of those projects and programmes did not come out to the people to inform them of the trend in developments. "The Minister of Information would not be able to provide all those details, when decentralised departments existed", saying that, "when information flows, it fosters unity and presents a good picture of the government".

He said President Atta Mills had shown that he is the father of all, and that, Ghanaians needed to remove partisanship from their official duties, and appealed to Ghanaians to exercise patience for the government to deliver its policies.

Mr Mark Owen Woyongo, Regional Minister, who accompanied the Minister on his visit, appealed to the HoDs to put aside their political lineages and support the government of the day to work. He said an amount of 40 million Euros had been procured for a treatment plant at the Tono Dam, to provide the people of the region potable water.

He said the government had secured another 110 million dollars for electrification projects, to benefit 500 communities by 2012, saying that, though they might be slow, they were sure to deliver the Better Ghana they promised Ghanaians.

He urged HoDs to market the region, especially now that it was preparing to celebrate its 50th Anniversary. Mr Thomas Adda Dalu, District Chief Executive of the area appealed to the government for infrastructural development, since the district is young and the poorest in the region.