Thirty people, comprising 18 assembly members of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), are in the United States of America to attend the International Legislators Exchange Programme in Columbia, South Carolina.

They will be accompanied by the Presiding Member and Coordinating Director of AMA, as well as 10 businessmen and women in the metropolis. They will be away for two weeks.

Members of the delegation will learn best practices and upon return implement them to make positive impacts in the development of AMA.

The exchange programme is the initiative of the Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr. Alfred Oko Vanderpuije.

All members of the delegation paid for their airfare while the AMA secured the visas for them. While in the USA, the South Carolina Council will take care of all their expenses.

The delegation will witness deliberations of the South Caroline Council; they will be taken through administrative processes, go for sightseeing at landfill sites, visit recycling plants, as well as study the transportation system and liquid, waste management.

They will also learn about the educational system, revenue mobilization strategies, reporting systems, sources of revenue, both internally generated funds and government support.

The business delegation will also be taken through investment strategies and their linkages with assemblies, how assemblies and businesses can assist each other, as well as business opportunities in USA for Ghanaian businesses, and learn best practices.

At a farewell reception, AMA boss, Mr. Vanderquije, charged them to be worthy ambassadors of Ghana and the assembly.

He urged them to come back with new ideas that would make positive impact in the development of Accra. He said the 2012 and 2013 delegations returned and implemented some new ideas helping to improve AMA.

Mr. Vanderpuije appealed to them to share Ghana’s culture and values with the people of the USA.

As part of the programme, he said a 16-member delegation of teachers and students from Columbia-South Carolina would also arrive in Accra on June 16.