Tamale, Sept. 16, GNA - President Evans Atta Mills, had entreated all Ghanaians to participate fully in the Town Hall Meetings irrespective of their political affiliations or ethnic backgrounds. He said the concept was to give the ordinary people the opportunity to interact with government officials to find out how their resources were being used for the development of their communities and to also hold them accountable.

Mr. Mahama Ayariga, Presidential Spokesperson, who said these at the first ever Town Hall Meeting, at the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) hall in Tamale on Wednesday, indicated that "The mandate to develop your town is yours and yours alone and you should not allow anybody to take it away from you". The forum was well attended by government officials, chiefs and the ordinary people, who ask pertinent questions concerning education, health, agriculture and social issues affecting the development of their areas.

Mr. Ayariga said by initiating the Town Hall Meetings, government was restoring power to the people to determine their own development agenda and hoped such forums would provide the platform for continuous chance for people to interact with their Chief Executives. He stressed the need for such forums to be a continuous process of interacting with the local people before the implementation of projects.

Mr. Stephen Sumani Nayina, Northern Regional Minister, expressed concern about the negative image the region had been associated with over the years and said conditions had now improved and peace restored. He said the region was the most deprived in the country with development indices indicating that it ranked lowest in literacy and health care with women dying during child birth.

Mr. Nayina said the region was endowed with vast agriculture land and mineral deposits, which if exploited could help to transform the area.

He said the major problem facing the region was poor road network noting that apart from the Yendi road which was consciously constructed and tarred, the Savelugu and Walewale roads were tarred by accident since they were part of an international road network.