Accra, March 7, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Friday asked chiefs and people in the newly created districts to make sure that the assemblies were served by selfless and disciplined individuals who would insist on accountability.

He said it was by electing people with good leadership qualities as assembly members that the assemblies would become effective and live up to expectation.

He made the call when he received separate delegations from the Birim South and the Offinso Traditional Area at the Castle, Osu. They were there to show appreciation to the Government for creating for them new District Assemblies as well as the numerous development projects they had benefited from.

The delegation of the Birim South District, which cut across three traditional areas, Bosome, Kotoku and Abuakwa, was led to the Castle by Mr Felix Owusu Adjepong, the Member of Parliament (MP) and former Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and included Nana Ofosu Asante Kodan, acting President of Bosome Traditional Council.

That of Offinso was made up of the Omanhene, Nana Wiafe Akenten III, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, MP for Offinso North, Dr Owusu Achaw Duah, MP for Offinso South, and some sub-chiefs of the traditional area. President Kufuor said the Constitution provided for decentralization and that the creation of the new districts was to give meaning to this.

He said the exercise was carried out by the Government on the strict basis of merit and gave assurance that they would be supported with the needed resources to make them functional.

President Kufuor said he was happy that the people were acknowledging the good works of the Government.

Nana Kodan had earlier enumerated various development projects provided in the Birim South by the Government, among which are, classroom blocks and other educational infrastructure, health facilities and the school feeding programme, which he said had led to growth in enrolment.

He appealed to the President to appoint for them a District Chief Executive as soon as possible.

At the turn of the Offinso delegation, Nana Wiafe Akenten said they were grateful for having had their fair share of development. Offinso now has two districts, Offinso Municipality and the Offinso North District Assembly and this certainly would enable the area to receive more financial resources from the Central Government for development, he said.