Chiefs, Zonal Council members must cooperate for development - NCCE

The Keta Municipal Director of National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mr. Godwin Agbenyo, has urged chiefs to work with the decentralised agencies to bring the needed development to their respective areas of jurisdiction.

Speaking at separate fora for development stakeholders and the citizens of Tegbi and Keta communities, Mr Agbenyo said chiefs, Assembly and Zonal Council Members, Opinion Leaders, and Development Unions must complement one another’s efforts to enhance development.

Mr. Agbenyo educated the stakeholders that the only way development could come to their areas is when there was unity of purpose, understanding of one another’s view and a common sense of direction among all the stakeholders in the communities.

He said Chiefs/Traditional Rulers had a major role to play in the decentralisation process.

He said chiefs, being the custodians of land within their areas of jurisdiction, it was important that Assembly Members, Unit Committee Members and zonal committee members worked with them to speed up the processes of development.

Mr Agbenyo said it would be wrong for any of the Zonal Council Members to think that it could work and develop their electoral areas without recourse to the support and help from their Chiefs.

The fora were organised by the NCCE, in partnership with the Ghana News Agency, with the support of the European Union (EU), to educate the citizenry and to strengthen their participation in local governance to ensure rapid development at the grassroots level.

Mr. Agbenyo explained that per the law, all Development Unions or Association must work in collaboration with the Unit Committee/Zonal Council.

He advised the stakeholders and the development unions to route all their dreams and aspirations for the development of the areas through the Unit Committee/Zonal Councils to the Assembly for approval.

Building a community is shared responsibility, which must be done in the atmosphere of mutual respect, understanding and the Rule of Law, he said.

He called on the people to go out in their numbers to elect both their presidential and parliamentary candidates on December 7.