Accra, April 9, GNA - The Old Accra Conservation and Development Association on Saturday organised a unity march for the youth and people of Ga Mashie.

The peace march, which started at nine o'clock in the morning and ended at two in the afternoon, was to enhance the development of the Ga State through unity and cohesion among the people.

The excited crowd clad in white and yellow shirts and caps included Members of Parliament, the Metropolitan Assembly and OACADA. School children in their school uniforms bearing placards sung and danced through the principal streets of Ga Mashie, starting from the Mantse Abgona through James Town to Bukom Square.

Some of the placards read, Education is Key to Success, Unity is Strength, Keep Accra Clean, Gas, rise up to meet the challenges of the time, Parents be Responsible.

Dr Stanley Nii Adjiri Blankson, Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) in his address to the crowd at a durbar to climax the occasion bemoaned the rise of indiscipline among the indigenes of Accra, especially the youth.

He called on the elders to sit up as they play a major role in the training of the children in the community.

Mr Blankson said the lack of decline among the people of Ga Mashie would hinder the development of old Accra if not checked.

He said formerly, the Ga was not noted for distasteful acts such as stealing, disrespect for the elderly and people in authority.

"Sometime ago the people of Ga were only prosecuted for fighting and not for stealing, now some demeaning names like Ataa Ayi, the notorious armed robber, are spinning up," adding that, those behaviours and acts demeans the Gas and the Ga State as a whole.

Mr Blankson said the AMA has embarked on a 1,500-dollar project with support from the World Bank and the AMA for the construction of community toilets for the various communities in the Ga District. He explained that a chunk of the cash for the project would come from the World Bank, the AMA would also contribute and the users of the facility would pay a small portion.

He appealed to the elders and the people to cooperate and support the Assembly for the success of the project.

Mr John Sackah Addo, Chairman of OACADA and member of the Council of State, said for the past three year the membership of the association was dwindling and a discreet investigation proved that it was as a result of a serious political division within the youth group in Ga Mashie, hence the need for the march.

He said the aim of the association was to promote the revitalization of old Accra through the restoration and development of monuments and heritage sites, rehabilitation and development of the fishing harbour and the fishing industry and the enhancement of tourism and economic activities.

He said OACADA's programmes covers acquisition of business and management skills aimed at teaching artisans, traders and other entrepreneurs how they can manage their enterprises successfully in order to make profit.

He called on the people to come together irrespective of their political or religious affiliation for the development of their communities.

He asked the people to give education a top priority attention and in addition acquire professions to be able to establish businesses themselves.

He noted that the development of the nation demands the unity of the people to appreciate their needs and find ways to satisfy them. April 9 05