Sekondi (W/R), Jan. 19, GNA — The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) says it is determined to give a facelift to the Metropolis to befit the status of an oil production city.

The Mayor of the STMA, Captain (RTD) Anthony Cudjoe gave the assurance on Thursday at a press soiree organised by the Assembly for journalists working in the Metropolis at Sekondi.

He commended the journalists in the Metropolis for distinguishing themselves in their work and urged them to continue to collaborate with the Assembly to achieve accelerated socio-economic development.

The mayor admonished the media to desist from acts that would derail the development efforts of the Assembly and rather give constructive criticisms that would better the lives of the people.

Captain Cudjoe stated that the Assembly had completed a number of projects including an engineered landfill facility at Sofokrom at the cost of GHc2.536 million; Shippers Roundabout jointly funded by the Assembly; Tullow Oil Company and its Jubilee partners at the cost of $500,000 as well as a Kraal and slaughterhouse at Whindo as a safe haven for cattle and butchers.

The provision of the slaughterhouse would put to an end indiscriminate roaming of herdsmen and their cattle that had been a nuisance to vehicular and pedestrians for many years.

With regard to the projects penciled down for the facelift of the twin-city, the mayor stated that, the Assembly had developed a spatial development plan for construction of a modern township at Assakai and Whindo, both suburbs of Sekondi-Takoradi with an assistance from a South African company.

The Assembly’s officials would soon embark on a trip to South Africa to study the renaissance of that country’s cities, he revealed.

Captain Cudjoe said the Assembly was talking with Energy Investment to put up on-shore oil facilities to accommodate the conglomerate of oil companies and their equipment and installations at a safe location.

He assured that, the Assembly had not reneged on its plans of re-developing the central business district of the city, especially Market Circle into a modern market befitting the status of an oil-city in ensuring efficient use of land and space.

The Assembly had already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with two companies for the construction of the Takoradi market. Captain Cudjoe said flyovers would be constructed to link the central business area to ease vehicular and human traffic.

Captain Cudjoe revealed that the Sekondi market would also be re-developed into a modern market and assured that, procurement process had been completed and asked for support of all the stakeholders in the Metropolis.

He appealed to the media to set an agenda that would promote good governance and socio-economic development.

“The media must partner the Assembly to change public behaviour and attitude from indiscriminate littering of waste in the Metropolis because development is participatory,“ he observed.

Touching on this year's elections, the mayor admonished journalists to be guided by the principles of truth, fairness and balanced reportage.

Fact is sacred and that the truth shall always remained afloat even if it was pressed down in water, he said.

The Dean of the press, Mr. Mark Essein, urged colleague journalists to be guided by the Ghana Journalist Association’s code of ethics in ensuring fairness, objectivity and balanced reportage of the coverage of the elections.

“This year is an election year, in this regard, as journalists you should not allow yourselves to be swayed and induced to compromise your integrity and credibility,’ he advised.

Mr. Essein, who is also the Western Regional Editor of the Daily Guide Newspaper, entreated journalists to remain impartial and neutral in the discharge of their work in ensuring peace and unity in the country.