The Minister for Special Development Initiative, Hon. Mavis Hawa Koomson, has called for an effective collaboration among the leadership of the three Development Authorities to enable them achieve the development agenda of the government.
According to her the Development Authorities required the full support of the Regional Co-coordinating Councils (RCCs) to implement the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP) and the disbursement of the ‘one million dollars per constituency’ to each of the 275 constituencies in fulfillment of the President’s commitment made to the development of the country.
Hon. Hawa Koomson made the call at the opening session of a day’s workshop to operationalise the activities of the Middle Belt Authority and also to exhibit the roadmap for the implementation of the programme at Miklin Hotel in the Kumasi Metropolis on Tuesday, June 20, 2018.
The President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffu Addo on Monday 11th June 2018 formally inaugurated the Governing Board of the Middle Belt Authority.
The Board is charged with the responsibility to give strategic directions to the operations of the Authority, approve the annual work plans and budgets among other responsibilities. I sincerely hope the Board members will reciprocate the trust His Excellency has put in them by bringing their rich experiences to bear on the operations of the Authority to achieve its objectives in the coming days.
‘’As you may be aware, the previous government established the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) which had part of Brong Ahafo Region to spearhead developmental activities in their area of operations’’. However, the NPP government being mindful of the fact the poverty cuts across all parts of the country has established three Development Authorities under the Ministry of Special Development Initiative for the Ministry to have oversight responsibility for the implementation of Government’s Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP), which is an innovative development approach designed to eradicate poverty and address the various forms of inequalities in the country, with particular emphasis on rural and deprived communities. These development activities shall be implemented through the Development Authorities’’, she said.
Hon. Hawa Koomson, who is also MP for Awutu Senya East in the Central Region, reminded the Board of their responsibilities as the Authority starts operations, which was reiterated recently by His Excellency, the Vice President, during the meeting with the CEOs and their Deputies at the Jubilee House to do their best in terms of management, implementation and make meaningful impact to enable them to secure more votes and seats in these three Regions for the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, said it was very heartwarming that finally the Authorities were now in place and thanked President Adufo-Addo and the Minister for Special Initiatives Development “for working behind the scenes to operationalize the Authorities. We are gathered here to witness the introduction of the 10-member IPEP team that has been on the ground all this while, to the Authority of the Middle-belt that has just been inaugurated to hit the ground running, this workshop is to operationalize the activities of the Authority and also to exhibit the road map for the implementation of the programme in the middle belt,’ he said.
Source: Ghana/otecfmghana.com/Nana Asare Barimah
