Tema, Oct. 22, GNA - The Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment has acquired 42 motor graders valued at 10 million Ghana cedis to be distributed to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies through out the country. The 42 which were pre-financed by the Prudential Bank were the first batch of 170 graders the Ministry was procuring from Messers Gunter Papenburg of Germany for the Assemblies. The machines would facilitate the maintenance of feeder roads in the beneficiary districts.

Mr Kwadwo Adjei Darko, Sector Minister who commissioned the equipments at Tema on Wednesday said the partnership between the Ministry and the manufacturers would give the Assemblies the opportunity to own the machines and pay for them over a two year period. He stated that District Assemblies must ensure that feeder roads and roads leading to residential areas were maintained to boost economic activities for the improvement of livelihoods. Mr Adjei Darko said the initiative was part of measures put in place by the Ministry to facilitate decentralization adding that the aim of decentralizing government could only be achieved when district assemblies were well equipped. The Minister, also the Member of Parliament for Sunyani West noted that departments such as the Works Department would be integrated into the Assembly in the near future.

He said this would enable the Assemblies to directly monitor and control the works of the Urban Roads and Feeder Roads Departments. The Minister appealed to beneficiary districts to partner private companies to ensure proper management of such equipments explaining that some Ghanaians mismanaged government properties. Mr David Quaye Annang, Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive thanked the Ministry on behalf of the Assemblies and promised that the equipment would be utilized for the intended purpose. He said the equipment would enhance their work adding that the Assemblies had to finance the maintenance of such roads from their limited finances.

Mr Charles Adjei, Chief Executive Officer of Pack Lane Consortium, local representatives of the manufactures also reiterated the benefits of maintaining roads in the country.