Bolgatanga, Jan. 28, GNA- The Deputy Upper East Regional Co-ordinating Director, Mr. Sandow Tampuri, on Tuesday urged local government authorities to make a conscious effort at integrating population issues.

Mr.Tampuri, who is also the Chairman of the Regional Population Advisory Committee (RPAC), was addressing a day's review meeting at Bolgatanga for selected members of the Regional and District Population Advisory Committees (DPAC), representatives of some NGOs and staff of the National Population Council (NPC).

The workshop, which was organised by the NPC, aimed at reviewing population activities in the region, refocusing district-specific DPAC workplans and soliciting support from district assemblies for the implementation of plans.

The Deputy Regional Co-ordinating Director told the meeting that the chairperson of the National Population Council has commended the region for its leadership role in addressing population problems in the country.

Mr Tampuri urged participants to continue to work and justify the enviable position the region has achieved, and assured them of the continued support of the office of the Regional Coordinating Council. He said a lot more would be expected from them to sustain the interest of the various district assemblies in population issues. In his welcoming address, the Regional Population Officer, Mr. Sylvester Agangmikre expressed gratitude to the RCC, and the Regional Minister in particular, for their maximum co-operation to ensure that district assemblies create budget lines for population activities in the region.

He appealed to the DPAC members to continue to lobby their respective communities to prevail on their Assemblies to take population issues seriously.

Mr. Agangmikre said last year, the NPC was able to establish a close working relationship with Action Aid-Ghana, a British NGO, and that this resulted in a more sustained commitment on the part of the NGO to support population activities in the region. The participants were taken through policy analysis and advocacy as tools for population programme implementation.