The Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Mr. Issah Ketekewu, on Tuesday cut the sod for work to begin on a new thee-story office complex for the Awutu-|Efftu-Senya District Assembly.

The project would cost approximately seven billion cedis, and is expected to house all the decentralized departments, agencies, institutions and corporations operating in the Awutu-Effutu-Senya administrative area when completed.

In an address, Mr Ketekewu stressed the need for district assemblies to be transparent in their dealing to ensure full and effective participation of people in their respective districts in the day-to-day administration of their areas.

Mr. Ketekewu said this would enable the people to feel the full impact of the district assembly concept, which principally aimed at bringing government to the doorsteps of the people for speedy rural and national development.

The Deputy Minister suggested to the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District Assembly to initiate special transport business to assist students of the Winneba University College at moderate fares as its contribution toward the promotion of tertiary education in the area.

He also called on members of the assembly to make individual and collective contributions to ensure speedy implementation of the office complex project by intensifying their revenue collection activities in their respective electoral areas to generate more revenue for the assembly.

Captain (rtd) Steve Kwamena Arma , District Chief Executive for Awutu-Effutu-Senya, announced plans to convert part of the building when completed, into a court room and judicial offices to solve the serious accommodation problem facing the judiciary system in the district.

He regretted that even though the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District is one of the oldest administrative districts in the country, it has taken the set-up a long time to initiate such vital project to house various departments of the assembly and other government establishment.

Capt. Armah therefore charged all stakeholders in the district to contribute positively toward the execution of the project on schedule

Nana Ghartey vii, the Omanhene of the Effutu Traditional area, who chaired the function, also praised the initiators of the project and asked them to ensure that they put in everything possible for the early implementation of the project. He said apart from providing enough accommodation facilities to house state departments and other establishments, the project would also project the image of the assembly and the traditional councils in the districts.