Cape Coast, Oct 5, GNA - Mr Anthony Egyir Aikins, Cape Coast Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), has expressed commitment to ensure that the developmental agenda and processes of the Metropolitan Assembly are not politicised.

Mr Anthony Aikins who gave the assurance on Monday stressed that he will remain focused and ensured that the assembly put in place a solid institutional base to help accelerate the growth of the metropolis. He was interacting with organisers and contestants of "The Young Mayor Reality Show", when they called on him at his office in Cape Coast to learn at first hand his roles as MCE and the challenges associated with his work.

Mr Aikins said he was not happy that the metropolis is polarised through party politics, adding that the trend had rendered the social structure of the area very weak as people are not objective in addressing issues while apathy and indiscipline has become the order of the day.

He listed some of the challenges of the assembly as weak institutional management and financial base as a result of leakages in revenue collection.

Mr Aikins called for unity of purpose to build the metropolis into a modern city to befit its status as the "tourism heart beat" of the country. He said the high unemployment rate in the metropolis had reduced due to the introduction of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP). The MCE said so far 534 of them have been employed under NYEP. Mr Aikins said to address the weak financial base of the assembly, it had engaged the service of a private company for its revenue collection. It had also acquired large tracts of land to attract investors to the area. He said work on a new market and the proposed Cape Coast Stadium would soon commence, while roads within the metropolis would be rehabilitated.