Gomoa Afransi, Oct. 13, GNA - The Central Region representative in the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG), Mr. Kwesi Esseku, has appealed to Metropolitan, Municipal and District assemblies (MMDAS) to empower their sub-structures to enable them to function more effectively.

Mr. Esseku, who is also the Presiding Member of the Awutu-Senya District Assembly, expressed concern about the slow pace the decentralization policy is being implemented and said unless the Unit committees, Town/Area councils were empowered to perform efficiently the pace would not be accelerated.

He said this at the first meeting of the first session of the Gomoa East Assembly at Gomoa Afransi.

Mr Esseku said countries such as Uganda and Rwanda that understudied Ghana's decentralization had overtaken Ghana because they paid serious attention to the lower structures of the assemblies. Mr. Mc Jewells Annan, District Chief Executive, said the assembly had decided to organize courses for revenue collectors to enable them to perform effectively.

He said other measures being taken to boost revenue generation include re- valuing of all property in the district to facilitate collection of property rates and to solicit the help of the police in collection of rates from sand winners. Public education on the need to pay rates and levies would be stepped up.

Mr. Annan expressed concern about the poor performance of the Junior High School students in the last Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE) in which three schools scored zero per cent. He said the assembly would set up a school monitoring team to ensure that both teachers and pupils play their roles more effectively. Prince Charles Abbam, Presiding Member, appealed to assembly members to help revenue collectors in the discharge of their duties. A minute's silence was observed for Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, the late Minister of Finance and Economic Planning and Mr Peter Ala Adjetey, a former Speaker of Parliament. 13 Oct 08