DCE CALLS FOR CLOSER COLLABORATION (PAGE 16, SEPT 28)

THE District Chief Executive (DCE) for Lawra, Mr Samson Abu, has called for closer collaboration among the various departments, agencies and the assembly to keep the district on track in its development effort.
To this end, he has underscored the need for a regular interaction between the respective heads of institutions and the assembly in order to move as a united force.
Interacting with the Daily Graphic in Wa, the DCE said situations where some institutions did not participate fully or make any input into programmes of the assembly sometimes slowed or derailed development programmes.
He, therefore, called for a change of attitude among the various stakeholders in the district.
“Let us move in unison as we all have the intention to reduce the poverty level of our people”, he stressed and said the Government was working assiduously to better the lives of all Ghanaians.
Mr Samson Abu said revenue mobilisation, was one of the priorities of the assembly.
He said the overdependence on the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) had not augured well for many assemblies and, therefore, there was the need to raise more revenue internally to carry out development projects.
Mr Abu hinted that the assembly would recruit more people under the youth employment programme as revenue collectors.
“We also want to strengthen the area and town councils by getting the right people to do the monitoring at these levels. At the first point of call from the grass roots, we hope to use the area and town councils to rope in more revenue” he explained.
He added that there were plans to put up a permanent office complex to house the assembly because where it currently operated belonged to the controller and accountant general’s department
In addition, the DCE said, the assembly, with assistance from the District Development Fund (DDF), would also construct a 16-room self- contained apartment to house nurses who would be posted to the district.
That, he said, was part of efforts by the assembly to entice and maintain health personnel posted to the district.