Accra May 11, GNA - District and Metropolitan Chief Executives have been advised to focus on the core business of maintaining healthy environment, which would serve as a distinctive feature to woo investors into the country.

"The occasional clean-up campaigns are good but not exhaustive enough. You must put in place sustainable measures and mechanisms to get rid of filth," the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Sheikh Ibrahim Cudjoe Quaye stated at the regional People's Assembly in Accra on Thursday.

The forum was organised to give the people the opportunity to interact and questions the political leadership on its stewardship for the period and was attended by Municipal and District Heads of institutions within the Region, Members of Parliament, Ministers of State, market women, security personnel, politicians and a cross-section of the public.

The Greater Accra Regional Minister urged the District Assemblies to engage the youth in sustainable projects that would keep the environment clean and also reduce youth unemployment.

He expressed concern about the poor sanitary conditions within the Region in spite of the huge support from the Central Government and the personal intervention of the Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama in the clean up exercises and urged the Metropolitan and District Chief Executives to do more to save the situation.

He said: "Cleanliness is next to Godliness," and acknowledged that the Region had come under fire for its poor environmental conditions and challenged MCEs, DCEs, religious leaders and MPs to come up with strategies to give Accra a face lift befitting a national capital and gateway to the West Africa Sub-Region.

"It is a well known fact that the solution to the sanitation problem does not lie only in clean ups", he said, pointing out that a mechanism to engage youth inclined to help in environmental sanitation had to be instituted by District Assemblies.

Focusing on the development projects undertaken by the ruling New Patriotic Party, the Regional Minister said remarkable progress had been made in the road network especially the Tetteh-Quarshie Interchange; Tema to Sogakope; Tema to Ashiaman Overpass and Ofankor to Nsawam dual carriageway, which had all been completed.

Others are; Circle to Achimota road and the Achimota Terminal; which are about 75 per cent complete; Mallam to Kasoa road, about 85 per cent complete; and the Pantang to Manfe Roundabout road; which is 82 per cent complete.

He also mentioned roads in the Central Business Districts, which had been completed as well as the rehabilitation of some local roads within the Korle Gonno Electoral Area, the completion of the Ningo to Prampram Bridge and work on the Teshie to Nungua link road Phase One. Sheikh Quaye said the Government would turn Achimota to Ofankor into dual carriageway; Madina to Pantang's, four lane carriageway; Tetteh-Quashie to Mallam, dual carriageway and the Tetteh-Quarshie to Madina six-lane carriageway.

He said the Government had secured a loan of 40 million dollars for the establishment of three District Water Supply Schemes, which would cater for 110 communities in the Dangme East and Dangme West Districts as well as some parts of the Volta Region.

"When this water scheme is completed by early 2008, it is estimated that it would serve a population of about 100,000 persons" he said. The Regional Minister said upgrading of the Odorgonno Secondary School and the Ghanata Secondary School would be completed in July 2006, in line with the Government's policy to upgrade a second cycle schools in every district.

He said the upgrading of the Tema Secondary School, the West Africa Secondary School and Ada Secondary School would begin in 2006 year and be completed by 2008. Sheikh Quaye commended the security services for the declining crime rate in the Region, saying that they needed to be encouraged to continue giving off their best.