President John Agyekum Kufuor on Friday asked Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives to be vigilant in the application of resources, management of infrastructure and ensure peace and security in their areas as the country approached Election 2008. “As chief executives you have to be vigilant about indications of tension, confrontation and potential trouble spots. In this regard discretion is critical,” he said. President Kufour made the call in a speech read on his behalf at the opening of the 2008 mid-year review meeting of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives in the northern sector of the country in Sunyani. The theme for the four-day meeting is: “Accelerating Local Level Development Through Performance Assessment, Partnership and Productivity”. President Kufuor underscored the need for the chief executives to guard against being implicated or perceived ‘to take sides’ in conflict situations more especially involving chiefs. He commended the chief executives for the efforts made in local level development and encouraged them to work hard to ensure improved quality of life in their communities. President Kufuor noted that there had been significant achievements in decentralization, these were the increase in the size of the common fund to seven-and- a-half per cent of the national income as well as the creation of additional 32 assemblies in efforts to decentralize power and foster participatory development. He said creation of the assemblies were government’s interventions to bring governance closer to the people, had the distinct advantages of stimulating growth in various localities with assured resources through the common fund and other funding mechanisms identified by the assemblies. President Kufuor stressed the importance for the assemblies to recognize and engage potential partners from the private, public and non-governmental organizations in the use of financial, human information and other resources and urged the chief executives to regard waste collection as important to enhance the health status of the people. Mr Kwadwo Adjei-Darko, Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment, urged them to exhibit effectiveness and efficiency through the promotion of participation, accountability, openness, transparency and inclusiveness in delivery of service. He said the low revenue generation of most assemblies as a result of lack of motivation and competent staff in revenue mobilization coupled with leakages in revenue collection had resulted in numerous applications to the ministry for funds to meet their developmental priorities. “While government is finding innovative means to improve the financial flows of the assemblies common fund and introduction of the development fund modalities, it is incumbent on the assemblies to apply innovative ways to mobilize their internal resources to augment whatever they received,” Mr Adjei-Darko stressed. He emphasized that effective mobilization of the citizenry, civil society and other NGOs in support of initiatives of the assemblies through participation, would promote understanding of sustainable citizen’s engagement in ensuring long-term development and good governance. Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister urged them to prepare adequately to take advantage of emerging opportunities being created throughout the country to catch up with the pace of socio-economic development on the globe. He said progressive policies of government continued to provide the needed peace, unity and stability and stressed the importance for the assemblies to explore more effective participatory methodologies and strategies to promote effective institutional links with some development partners. Source: GNA