Agona Nkum (C/R), Feb 10, GNA - The District Chief Executive for Agona, Mr Ben Mensah, has stated that the government would ensure good governance to promote effective decentralisation.

He said gone were the days when government officials sat in Accra, Cape Coast and Agona Swedru to decide on projects for the people. The government through the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development was empowering District, Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies to strengthen Area, Town and Urban Councils to function effectively, the DCE stated.

He was speaking at a forum at Nkum to sensitise the people to make an input into the five-year development plan for the district. Mr Mensah said the policy was meant to allow the people to decide their own development agenda, instead of the DCE and other technocrats at the assembly to decide for them.

He noted that the Assembly was collating views to enable the Assembly to prioritise projects to improve their living standards. Mr Isaac Tetteh, District Development Planning Officer, said the Assembly would organise forums to see whether their concerns had been captured to enhance accelerated growth.

Mr Kofi Danso, Nkum Area Council Chairman, enumerated problems facing the town such as a police station to stem the crime wave, market, inadequate water supply, school block , tarring of streets and unemployment.

He appealed to the Assembly to help solve some of the problems to stem the migration of the youth to urban areas looking for non existing collar jobs.