Govt will never shirk responsibility of developing rural areas -

Kufuor

Akwasiso (Ash), Aug 24, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor has stated that no amount of negative propaganda and utterances would make the government shirk its responsibility of developing and improving the living standards of people dwelling in the rural areas.

He said government is poised to pursue policies and programmes tailored in a manner that will guarantee social and economic empowerment to rural dwellers to better their lot.

President Kufuor was addressing separate durbars of the chiefs and people of the Amansie West and the Bosomtwe-Atwima-Kwanwoma districts at Akwasiso and Kuntanase on Sunday as part of his official tour of the Ashanti Region.

He said as part of the government's programme to ensure that living conditions are transformed in a positive direction in the rural areas, new roads would be constructed, while existing ones would be rehabilitated in addition to the provision of telecommunication facilities to facilitate communication.

President Kufuor said government views security and peace as vital tools to the development of the nation and would therefore, ensure that the necessary logistics to perform creditably are provided the security services.

"It is our commitment for peace, law and order that inspired us as a government to order about 700 brand new vehicles for the Police Service when we came to power", he stressed.

Dr Richard W. Anane, Minister of Roads and Highways, announced that government had approved of the rehabilitation of a number of roads in the Amansie West District to facilitate developments of various facets of the economy.

They include the completion of the tarring of the Anwiankwanta-Manso-Nkwanta road, the tarring of the road leading from Wioso to Moseaso as well as the tarring of roads within Manso-Nkwanta and Agroyesum townships this year.

In his welcoming address at Akwasiso, Nana Bi Kusi Appiah II, Omanhene of the Manso-Nkwanta Traditional Area, commended the government for the national reconciliation exercise, describing it as laudable since "without reconciliation there can never be peace for any meaningful development".

At Kuntanase, Ogyeabour Barima Adu Gyamfi Poku, Omanhene of Kuntanase Traditional Area, while commending the government for the numerous physical developments brought to the district, still appealed to the government to consider providing the area with a Technical/Vocational School and also improve upon the state of road networks in the area.