Gomoa Obuasi (C/R), Feb. 8, GNA- Mr Paul Djan, Central Regional Population Officer, has called on the District, Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies in the region to adopt pragmatic policies and programmes that could help reduce poverty amongst the people. He said the region has been declared the poorest among four others in the Northern part of the country, and that it would be prudent for the managers of the Assemblies "to be up and doing" to create avenues for effective infrastructural developments.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview at Gomoa Obuasi to climax the Annual Akwanbo Festival of the chiefs and people in the area, Mr Djan said authorities of the assemblies must prioritize issues that commensurate with socio-economic advancement of the inhabitants.

Mr Djan, who is also vying for the position of a Chief Executive of the newly-created Gomoa East District, regretted that the Central Region, which was one time leading in education, was now far behind other regions.

He said there was the need for the stakeholders to support the Assemblies to give proper attention and care to educational institutions to perform their functions as expected of them. Mr Djan said the results of last year's Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), in the region, was not encouraging, and that something should be done to reverse the negative trend. The Regional Population Officer stressed that the assemblies should spread their tentacles to pursue aggressive agricultural programmes that would impact positively on the lives of the people. Mr Djan suggested that fallow lands in the region could be packaged, so that they it attracts the youth to engage in Agriculture, rather than travelling to urban centres in search of non-existing white collar jobs.

According to him, most of the districts assemblies that had been elevated to Municipals had tourism potential sites, which could be developed into tourist centres to generate revenue, as well create jobs for the young graduates.

He assured people in the region that government was doing everything possible to alleviate their sufferings, and urged them to give their maximum support to the activities of the government, in order to ensure continuity.

Mr Djan advised citizens of the town resident outside, to form development associations to enable them come home and support development projects.

On the forthcoming re-opening of the Voters' Register, Mr Djan called on the parents to encourage their children, who had attained 18 years and above to take the exercise serious to vote in the December General Elections.