Right Reverend Francis Lodonu, Bishop of the Ho Diocese of the Catholic Church on Wednesday urged the people of the Volta Region to come out of the shell of silence and speak out forcefully on matters affecting their development. He said it was the only way the region could be taken seriously.

Bishop Lodonu made the call at a one-day seminar on the Role of Civil Societies in effective decentralisation and good governance. It was organised by the Ho Diocesan Justice and Peace Commission and sponsored by the Konrad Ardenaur Foundation.

Bishop Lodonu observed that the Region's development had suffered serious setbacks in the past and warned that the status quo would be maintained unless a united and assertive voice emerged in the region. He said the benefits of good governance and effective decentralisation could only impact positively on the life of the people if they seized the opportunities available to make their voices heard. He said unless there was qualitative involvement in governance by the people, they risked being marginalized and taken for granted.

In a keynote address delivered on his behalf, Mr Mawutor Goh, Ho District Chief Executive (DCE) said the lack of positive involvement of the citizenry in the governance of the country accounted for the socio-economic problems that had plagued the country since independence. He said the citizenry now had opportunities through the local government structures to make their voices heard.

Mr Goh said the country had come a long way in fashioning out a decentralised administration that would recognise the rights of the people to be involved in determining the course of the country's socio-economic and political development.

Mr Goh said it was, however, important that capable people drove structures of governance at the district level, if democracy and development should be firmly rooted. Mr Daniel Bartidam, Programme Officer of the Konrad Ardenaur Foundation, urged women to participate actively in all the structures of governance at the grassroots level to put an end to their 'marginalisation' in decision-making.

During an open forum, participants expressed reservations about lack of strong commitment by the people to champion its development. They blamed the situation on disunity and called for self-assessment and conscientisation.