Donkro Nkwanta (B/A) Oct. 3 GNA - Mr Paul Baffoe-Ansah, Chairman of the Oversight Committee of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Governing Council in Nkoranza South District in Brong Ahafo has noted that the under-development of many African countries was due to the slave trade that took away energetic and reproductive youth to work in foreign lands. He called on African leaders to unite to enable them to come out with better ideas, policies and measures that would enhance the development of their countries. Mr Baffoe-Ansah, who is the Secretary of Nkoranza South branch of Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), was addressing chiefs and people of Donkro Nkwanta at the inauguration of the oversight committee in the district. Other executives of the committee are the Reverend Emmanuel Osei, Vice Chairman, Miss Agartha Osei, Secretary and Mr Kwame Osei, Financial Secretary.

The rest are Miss Margaret Ankomah Mansah, Nana Amah Pokuaa, Mr Kwadwo Ansah, Miss Grace Baffoe and Mr Daniel Ohene Djan. Mr Baffoe-Ansah expressed regret about how coups d'etats and poor leadership had rendered some African countries unstable and advised Ghanaians not to allow partisan politics to divide the nation and stall its development. He explained that the APRM was a non-partisan body formed in the various communities to assist in promoting participatory democracy among the people so they could participate in the decision-making process. The District Chairman urged the Ghanaian leadership to let the welfare of the people and the country's development be a priority and to initiate policies that would help improve the living standards of the people.

Mr Baffoe-Ansah called for effective collaboration among political parties, traditional and religious authorities in organizing the people to contribute their quota towards national development. Mr Yaw Effah-Manu, District Director of National Commission for Civic Education, appealed to the nation's leadership to ensure that poverty, diseases and hunger were eradicated so the people could live comfortably. He urged the people to support the committee to achieve its target of promoting democracy in the country. Farmers at the forum appealed to the government to construct feeder roads to help them to convey their produce to marketing centres.